Chapter 282: Chapter 282 Opening Ceremony.
Every student and teacher responsible for the Academy is currently gathering in the stadium where the event will be held.
Students who didn\'t participate joined in the spectators\' seats surrounding the arena, where they all stood up gazing toward a certain direction.
The competition will be held for seven days. It will be held using the method of the knockout stage throughout the competition. More than seventy students are participating in the competition, and the fight will be held for seven days after some proper rest.
Not only the battle between participants but also the competition itself can be an event for non-participants to join and propose a challenge to their desired target. Of course, both parties must abide by the rules, and more importantly, they must agree to the duel first.
Soma and the girls stood in front of the line, lifting their heads and observing the venue that was filled to the brim with students. In front of him was the place where the spectator should be seated: the school headmaster had just returned from the expedition with the third year into the deepest dungeon.
He is a man in his late forties; his name is Roland. He is a caucasian man with bright skin and sleek and short brown hair with a tinge of gray on it. Even though he is in his middle age phase, his body is still strong with a bulky and tall appearance.
Behind those clothes, everyone could see his protruding, chiseled muscles. His loud voice and aura still gleamed in ferocity, and the entire stadium was in awe of his appearance. He is approximately 185 cm tall and is still an active awakener with S-Rank certification.
"...I hope this year\'s competition will give birth to new stars for the current generation. Always uphold the basis of sportsmanship and do not do stupid actions such as cheating; follow the rules that have been written or given because if you are caught doing something that harms other participants, there will be a penalty waiting for you!".
Roland\'s stern and loud voice reverberated inside the stadium, where all the participants gathered around the arena. Many first-year students felt intimidated by his presence, but despite being intimidated, they also began to feel a certain excitement bloated in their chests.
Soma knew Roland from the story in the novel. He is the one who always gives Leon a word and lends his wisdom as a veteran awakener. His role was pretty important, and as one of the stories that didn\'t hesitate to kill even the heroine, Roland is not an exception.
However, that will happen later, when the Story has entered its early-late phase. As of the current one, it still happened around its latest-early stage.
"You guys prepare for the event?".
Roland\'s shout made the entire stadium shake, making the students and teacher tremble in excitement.
"Yes!".
A chorus of spirited shouts echoed in the stadium, bringing hope and anticipation to Roland\'s face.
"Okay, without further ado, I declare that the competition will start now! All the participants go to their own waiting room, and then we will commence the first stage of the match—that is a random battle!"
Random battle—it was such a vague description, but for Soma, who knew the storyline, it was a battle that involved the participant taking out a lottery that the teacher had prepared in the waiting room.
Thirty participants will be chosen for this opening match. This method was simple yet cruel at the same time for the unreasonable challenges the first year had to face.
Soma and the other participants scattered and went toward their destined room, passing such a narrow but tall corridor; they finally arrived in the room.
The room\'s interior was so wide that it could accommodate more than twenty students and still retain some of its space. On each side of the wall, the Academy had been preparing a seat corresponding to each class in the first year from A to E. Also, most of the students who gathered in the room were first-year students.
He can also see that Lin Fan, with his reluctant face, and Leon, with his troubled look, were gathered in Soma\'s group.
As someone who stayed in Class A, many gazes were directed at them, with certain envy, loath, lewd, and even curious as they had never faced each other in this kind of situation despite living and studying together for half a year in the academy.
This happened because the academy lesson prevented them from communicating via fist with each other until a certain period of time, and that time is now.
The competition was not just the act of elevating one status; it was also the place for students from lower castes to show the upper echelon that they were worthy of climbing the Class rank.
"Everyone gather around!".
Surprisingly, the one that appeared while holding a box in his hands was Teacher Lee.
"As you might know from the headmaster\'s speech, but…".
Teacher Lee began explaining the rules, and many of the first years felt stiff at the revelation.
"Here, in this box, there are ten colored pieces of paper with numbers attached to them, which indicate that you will be participating in the first match".
When they heard Teacher Lee\'s deep and solemn voice, the students gulped their saliva and directed their gaze toward the box, lost in thought.
"Everyone, line up and take your piece of paper!".
As per his instruction, the students began to line up and look toward the box with conflicted hearts. They began to pray in their heart to miss the first match.
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Soma and his group, who got first in line, stood in front of Teacher Lee. He put his hand inside and took a piece of paper that touched his finger. Upon taking it out, the paper was a distinctive red color with the number five on it, which meant he was going to participate in the first match.
He sighed and shrugged his shoulders before going toward his resting place. While walking, he looked toward the paper and secretly thought, "What happened to my Luck? Or is it because of my luck that I gained this chance?" His nine Luck stats, which had almost reached their peak, were rendered useless on this occasion.
After sitting in his place, Soma cast his gaze in front and found Hina and Xiao Lian walking toward him, their faces rather disappointed.
He looked more closely at their hand. They were drawing a blank paper, which meant they were exempt from the first match.
"You guys are lucky".
"Well, it\'s a shame, though, despite having a chance to face a senior in this match".
"Mm, even though after that training we have been through, it is truly disappointing".
"...You guys sure will have its chances".
Both of them sat naturally beside him while grumbling about how unlucky they were. Soma just smiled wryly, facing the girls who were sulking. He turned ahead and found Lin Fan drawing a blank paper, which he began to frown at and was dissatisfied with the results; as for Leon, he drew a gray color with the number three on it.
It seemed that some of the story still followed its original route. As Soma recalled, Leon will be facing Akane, where they began their first contact and their first story, creating a party that will help Leon finish his task as a Savior.
After Leon sat on the seat, many other students yelped and sighed in disappointment, for they were drawing colored paper; some of them also sighed in relief because they missed the first match and could conserve their power for the real one tomorrow.
"Okay, for those who draw the colored paper, wait in this place until your name color is called along with its number, and you will face the same person who has the same color and number as you. That\'s it, everyone. Be sure to ensure your safety first, and Good luck with your match".
Teacher Lee began to leave the waiting room. Silence started to hang in the room, where many first-year students were fidgeting.
This was their first fight, and the one they would be facing was probably a second-year who was beyond them in every aspect. Only Soma\'s group managed to maintain their calm, which garnered everyone\'s glare, especially Soma.
In the restless room, Soma was calmly conversing with the girls beside him, trying to pacify their anger. The male who looked at the girl sighed in admiration, but soon, their gaze shrank as Soma casually patted the two girls\' heads, making them blush in embarrassment.
They start to mutter curses in their hearts, and envy colors their faces upon witnessing the scene unfolding in front of their eyes. Then, the restless atmosphere that filled the room changed as it began to be fueled with hatred and jealousy toward Soma, who acted brazenly in this situation before the match.
As the room was enveloped by a thick fighting spirit, one of the official teachers stepped in and opened his mouth.
"The participant that held Blue Paper number one, please get ready, for the match will be started in a moment!".