"You ready for the competition, brats!?" Fernand shouts to Rem and his friends.
"Yes, sir!" They all nod.
"Good, take these axes then. These are all iron axes and are real weapons that can kill people. Don't hesitate to attack your foes in the competition. Attack with the intent to kill." Fernand spoke making the others get nervous except for Warren and Geen. The two have joined the yearly competition in the past. This is not their first time.
"Is it a good idea to attack with all we've got, sir? We might get someone killed." Wallace worriedly asked.
"Not to worry, I and the other proctors are here to stop the fight once it got too much. We also stationed some healers so there is no need to fear." Fernand explained making them sigh in relief. Still, they are afraid of the pain that they'll receive from others. Wallace and the triplets have not experienced any sort of injuries from cold weapons. Ever since they got into the Academy, the only injuries they got are bruises and some small wounds from their practice.
"Got cold feet? And here I thought that you brats have grown up, sadly there is no turning back in this competition once you've signed up." Fernand sighed.
"It's okay to be afraid, but remember that this is the only way we can grow faster. Only in the face of danger, we can grow and hone ourselves." Rem patted Wallace in the back trying to motivate him.
"You're right, Ian. I am afraid of the incoming battles but if this is the way to grow faster then I'll gladly do it!" Wallace pumped his hand into the air while shouting.
"Me too!" The triplets replied.
"Hahahaha! That's the spirit! You guys are braver than me and Geen in the past. Before when we were your age, we had no courage to face this kind of competition. I'm sure that you five will surpass us in the future." Warren praised making them smile.
"That's right! Now, take your axes, and let's go to the Arena." Geen took one of the iron axes in the ground and started swinging it around.
Rem took one of his own also, and can already see how different this axe is compared to the one they used in training.
'I'm confident enough that I'll win this competition. Just the use of the Freeze Spell can surely make me win. Of course, I'll still try my best not to use any of my spells.' Rem thought as he looks over his Axe Mastery Level.
{Axe: C+}
'To think that there is a C+ Mastery Level. Is this the reason why Oro only achieved an A Mastery Level on the spear? Oro is an old woman already, it seems that it will get harder to achieve an S Mastery Level than I thought.' Rem pondered as he swings his axe. At his level, he was more proficient in handling the axe compared to Wallace. Warren and Geen are still on a whole other level compared to him. He tried sparring with them and he'll always lose solely on the axe proficiency. He can of course win against them when he uses all of his cards.
"It's heavier compared to the axe you are used to, but it's about time to get yourselves used to it. Let's go and join our fellow axe users." Fernand said and started to walk away making the group follow.
A few minutes passed, they arrived at the centermost part of their Academy, which is the Arena. It's a huge stadium that was shaped like a colosseum. Many kids and teenagers are sitting around the colosseum and cheering the names of their departments.
Four corners have flags for each department, they went to the flag with an axe drawing.
"Oh, Fernand. You're here, I heard that all of your students are participating. To think that what I heard is true. I wish my students also have backbones like yours." An old man like Fernand said. He has a beer tummy but muscles can still be seen bulging on his arms.
"That's right, Orlarne. I'm blessed to have such diligent students." Fernand whispered as he didn't want the others hearing him praise them.
"You sure they are ready for this? The others are still young to compete. You do know that most students that compete in the Seed Trainee Competition are 10 years old. Those kids already learned many things and will surely have an advantage over them. I understand Warren and Geen competing in the Sprout Trainee Competition since they are one of the best students we have in the Axe Department." Orlarne whispered with worry in his voice.
"You have a point but my students want to compete. They said that they don't expect to win but to learn instead." Fernand whispered back.
"They really are a courageous bunch." Orlarne looked at Rem's group with admiration.
Fernand puffed his chest when he heard that.
"Proctors, please arrange your students to which competition they have signed up!" A voice shouted from the center of the colosseum making Fernand and Orlarne stop talking. It came from the Principal of the Academy. The Principal was named Herald and is a 40 plus-year-old man. He has blue long hair that reaches up to his waist. An eyepatch on his left eye makes him look like an elegant pirate. Besides the Principal, there are four people which are the heads of each department.
On his left side, a woman that looks like in her twenties is holding a spear. She has orange hair that was kept short making her look like a pretty boy if you don't look at her big mountains. She was the head of the Spear Department, named Quincy. Besides her is another woman, this time the lady has pink braided hair. She is pretty like Quincy but she has an eyepatch on her left eye that is covered by her bangs. She is Loerely and the Head of the Archery Department.
On the right side of Herald, is a man that has a babyface. He was in his twenties too like the other two. He has a slender figure and smooth skin that makes others think he is a woman. He has short blonde hair and is known to be frowning all the time. He is Curtis and the head of the Sword Department. The last person is Jeanne, a woman that looks like in her thirties. She has bronze hair that was tied into twin pigtails and has a body that was bulging with muscles. She was wearing a revealing outfit that showcase her abs and biceps. There are two axes strapped on her back making her look menacing. She is the head of the Axe Department.
"The first part of the yearly competition will start with the Seed Trainee Competition. As for the Sprout Trainee Competition, they'll start in the afternoon. Both competitions will be divided into three parts. The first part will be a battle royale between 5 students in each battle, only the last remaining student will advance to the next round." Herald shouted once he saw that each of the participants are assembled properly.
"As for the remaining parts, they'll be known once the first part is finished. We'll call 5 random student names that signed up. Those that are called will immediately come to the center of the arena. You'll only be given a minute to get to the arena, once you're late, you'll be disqualified. The names of each student called are randomized by us five, so there is no cheating involved when we've chosen the names in each group."
"Now then, we'll let the Seed Trainee Competition commence!" Herald shouted, and his group left except for Quincy.
"I'll immediately call five people! Once called get into the stage." Quincy explained while her mountains kept bouncing up and down as she speaks. This made many male teenage students drool.
"Damn, those melons are huge!" A student shouted. This made Quincy look at the student furiously. She threw her spear at the student, almost hitting the student's child maker. The student can't help himself from pissing on his pants because of fear, this made the students sitting next to him shout in disgust.
"Next time, I won't miss my shot." Quincy said while waving her hand. The spear that she threw glowed, and soon returned back to her hands.
"As I was saying, I'll be announcing 5 names and those students will immediately come at the stage." Quincy announced again and then proceeded to call out names.
'Their voices can be heard here even though she is far. What kind of magic is that? It might be useful in the future.' Rem thought as he listens to the names being called. Unfortunately, his name wasn't called making him wait longer. Rem was bored that he started counting how many competitors there is. He also looked for people that looks like extraordinary, so he can be careful around them.
'About 200 students are participating in the Seed Trainee Competition, with the first round, only 40 students will be left.' Rem thought. Each of the matches finishes for about 5 to 10 minutes, it was fast as the students are ruthlessly attacking each other. Some of the students are reluctant of attacking for a few moments but it will pass as soon as one attacks.