Chapter 199

Chapter 199: Interwoven Talents

After the registration for the New Star Competition ended, although classes continued as usual on the surface, many changes occurred behind the scenes. Many students began practicing swordsmanship and sparring after school, and the noble children were filled with excitement and anticipation, dreaming of becoming famous overnight like the characters in their stories.

However, for most commoners, combat was not so glorious. Many had experienced hunting wild beasts, street brawls, armed conflicts, and underhanded tactics in their childhood. Fighting or hunting was merely a means of survival, and a risky one at that, as the cost of injury was too high for commoners to bear. Infections or disabilities could very well spell the end of one’s life.

Fortunately, this time, Emanas provided free medical treatment for the battles, and the ‘Leaf of Life’ club members would assist in healing, alleviating the worries of most students and encouraging them to sign up.

A week later, the competition officially began.

As the bell rang, some students left their classrooms and the Hall, with tomorrow being the weekend rest day, and school let out earlier than usual today, leaving plenty of time before sunset.

“Lolan, are you going to participate in the preliminaries today?”

Several girls walked slowly down the corridor amidst the crowd after school, chatting with each other.

“Yes, it seems like you’re the only one not participating, Alena.”

“Haha, I have more important things to do, but I’ll keep it a secret for now.”

Alena smiled and made a gesture. Recently, the four of them only met during classes and when returning to the dormitory for rest; otherwise, they were busy with their own affairs. Lolan Hill needed to divide her attention between handling matters related to Lohil, while Nia seemed to have joined a club composed of beastmen within the school, becoming a probationary member and participating in activities and training. Letis spent her days with the noble ladies, discussing fashion, styling, poetry, and such.

“Alright, we’ve arrived. See you tonight,” Lolan Hill waved, bidding a brief farewell, then headed towards a narrow entrance to a passage. She first presented her qualification certificate and badge, which were verified by the guard, who then allowed her to enter.

“See you later.”

The others also dispersed to different passage entrances as they walked.

These passages led underground to the classrooms and Hall, where there were spacious basements separated for the preliminaries. With a large number of participants, and for security reasons, participants only knew which passage they were to go through that afternoon, and not the specifics beyond that.

She received instructions from the staff to go to the combat basement where she was located.

After leaving the flow of people and entering the passage, there would be a bright gem embedded in the stone slabs overhead at regular intervals, illuminating the steps and floor beneath her feet.

The passage was about two meters wide, with grayish-blue stone walls on both sides that felt somewhat cold to the touch. Walking through the empty passage, she could clearly hear her own footsteps, and the air had the characteristic coolness of the underground, though it remained fresh and not stifling.

Quietly walking down the passage, Lolan Hill could only hear the sounds of students leaving school far behind her, while ahead lay silence.

Are there really so few people? She thought to herself, although she knew she was in a small arena, this level of quiet was too much.

Following the directions on the paper in her hand, she finally stopped at a stone door by the side of the passage, placing her student badge on the patterns in the middle of the door. The patterns gradually emitted a pale white light, and then the stone door slowly slid open, revealing a vast space beyond.

Bang—

A dull wave spread out, contracting and distorting the air as if struck by a giant hammer, causing tremors and spitting blood, followed by a sound almost deafening enough to rupture one’s eardrums.

The spacious basement was several hundred meters long and wide, larger than a soccer field, with a height from the floor to the ceiling equivalent to several stories. Dust rose from the wide ground, forming circular, web-like cracks centered around the smoke.

“Hahaha, is that all you’ve got?”

Laughter echoed within the arena, and then a youth wearing loose short sleeves floated in mid-air. He sat on a massive stone throne, and with a wave of his hand, several light beams shot out from the sky, cutting the earth in predetermined trajectories, carving deep furrows into the ground. The shattered stones exploded and scattered, some flying to the distant boundary and leaving dents in the wall.

From the smoke emerged a petite figure. She had light blue spiral pigtails, and her attire was somewhat cute. She gripped a three-meter-long giant hammer, the head still stained with the powder of crushed stone. Wearing a black-and-white striped puffy skirt, her body arced through the air with immense force, the giant hammer aimed at the short-sleeved youth opposite her.

The short-sleeved youth leaped up into the air, while the throne was directly smashed by the twin-tailed girl, the shattered stones finally hitting the back wall with another thunderous sound, leaving a circular, cracked web pattern on the wall.

The short-sleeved youth leaped into the air after

With both hands spread out, her body forming a cross, intricate golden patterns began to appear on her forehead. Seventeen golden fireballs slowly gathered in the air. Vast magical power continuously spiraled and converged into these fireballs, their flames colorless and transparent, visible only through the distorted air and light. The astonishing heat they emitted could ignite someone even from a kilometer away, and a scent of burning filled the air.

The petite young lady was not intimidated by this sight. With a single hand, she lifted a massive hammer and struck the ground, as if dispersing invisible currents. All the small stones and dust around were swept away. The earth trembled violently, with all the stone slabs cracking and then undulating like waves before a storm.

Boom—

Continuous sounds of breaking the air echoed as huge stone spikes erupted from the ground, piercing upward rapidly and finally striking the ceiling. Unlike energy attacks, these dense and heavy stone impacts were almost impossible to block; one could only dodge them continuously.

The short-sleeved youth failed to dodge in time and was directly slashed by a sharp stone fragment on one of the spikes, leaving a long gash on his face and shoulder, staining them red.

“Damn.”

A furious roar escaped his lips. His pupils rapidly contracted, and golden light filled his eyes. The seventeen golden fireballs exploded among the stone forest below, their intense light swallowing everything. Terrifying heat swept across the entire space, with countless explosions and shattering sounds blending together into a deafening roar that drowned out everything else.

After a long while, the flames dissipated, and the smoke gradually cleared. Only then did Lolan Hill slowly step into this battlefield strewn with debris, surrounded by shattered stones and deep craters. It was at this moment that a voice came from above the ceiling.

“Contestant number 106 wins. Contestant number 5 loses. Please contestant number 309 prepare. Wooden weapons are available nearby.”

After the words fell, a faint sound of footsteps emerged from the smoke. It was the twin-tailed young lady who had just thrown the unconscious short-sleeved youth aside as if he were a dead fish.

“Greetings, I am contestant number 106, Eroil. Are you contestant number 309?”

She shook off the dust on her body, revealing a pure and adorable smile on her face.