Miss Brooks let the silence hang for a mont before she spoke, her gaze sweeping across the massive hall.
"I'm sure you're all wondering why you've been gathered here," she said, her voice even yet carrying a weight that commanded attention. "Particularly the Year 1s… and, most likely, even so of the upperclassn."
Noah stood with Lucas and Sophie, arms crossed, watching her with mild interest. Around them, murmurs spread through the hall—curiosity, speculation, even a few jokes.
Miss Brooks didn't seem fazed by it. She continued, "Well, it's no secret that the Interschool Tournant is fast approaching. The biggest event of the year. An opportunity for the best among you to represent the Academy against the other twelve schools within our Cardinal Zone."
There was a pause, just long enough for the weight of her words to settle.
"And for those of you who don't know how this works, let break it down."
Noah listened, his mind already running calculations. He knew about the tournant, of course, but hearing the full structure was sothing else.
"There are four Cardinal Zones—North, South, East, and West," Miss Brooks explained. "Each one consists of twelve academies, and each school selects its best team to compete. The champion of each Cardinal then advances to the Nationals, where the real war begins."
A buzz rippled through the crowd.
"The Academy hasn't reached the Nationals in a long ti," she added, voice sharp. "But this year? We aim to change that."
That got the students talking. Noah could hear whispers—so scoffing, so excited.
Lucas shifted on his foot and frowned a little. Being number one ant a lot of things and sotis he had to take so of the bla even though it wasn't his fault.
"This year...this year ...I'll reach the finals," he said just low enough that Noah looked at him briefly before facing the direction Miss Brooks spoke from.
Miss Brooks raised a hand, instantly commanding silence again. "Traditionally, our representatives were selected based on Continuous Assessnt scores. Combat expeditions, training evaluations, and field missions were all factors."
She glanced across the room before adding, "Make no mistake—other disciplines like beast core extraction, energy control, and tactical theory are important. But at the end of the day, this tournant is about combat. That's what the world wants to see. That's what determines victory."
There was no denying the shift in atmosphere now. The students felt the change.
"However," she continued, "this year, things will be different."
Another murmur spread through the hall, louder this ti.
"What do you an by different?" soone from Year 2 called out.
Miss Brooks ignored the interruption and reached for a sheet of paper on the podium. Despite the large number of students, because they were audibly quiet she could hear them all. That and the fact that she was a soldier herself and attention was one of her strong suit.
"This ti, instead of handpicking based on past performances, we're opening the selection to all. Every student will have the chance to fight for a spot."
Now that caused a reaction.
"Wait—so we actually get to prove ourselves?" soone asked.
"Exactly," Miss Brooks confird. "Now listen carefully, because I'll only say this once."
She glanced down at the paper and began reading.
"The selection process will last for 7 days.. Every evening, rankings will be posted on the school forum. The final team will be announced after the challenge matches."
More murmurs. So students already looked eager. Others—nervous.
"There are five spots per year level—Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3. That ans the school's final team will consist of fifteen students."
Lucas let out a low whistle. "That's a small number, considering how many people are standing here."
Sophie nodded. "It's brutal."
Miss Brooks continued, moving into the selection stages.
"Stage One: Initial Matches. Every student will fight in three mandatory matches. Each match will determine your standing based on a point system."
She raised a finger.
"A Knockout or Submission Win earns 5 points."
A few gasps.
"A Dominant Win earns 3 points."
Noah raised a brow. That ant even if soone won, the degree of dominance mattered.
"A Draw earns 1 point, and a Loss earns 0 points."
A collective groan spread through the room. That ant even one loss could ruin a student's chances.
"To advance past Stage One, you need a minimum of 7 points."
"Seven?" a girl from 1A muttered. "That ans even with two wins, you might not make it…"
"Exactly," Miss Brooks confird. "It's estimated that only about 40% of students will qualify."
Tension ran through the crowd. The realization was sinking in—this wasn't going to be easy.
Miss Brooks continued. "Stage Two: Advanced Rounds. Those who qualify from Stage One will fight in two additional matches. Points carry over from Stage One. To make it to the final stage, you need a total of 15 points."
More tension. Noah could practically feel the calculations happening in everyone's minds.
"The Top 8 will advance to the Final Ranking Matches."
Now, students were whispering rapidly.
"What if we don't make Top 5?" soone asked.
Miss Brooks smirked. "That brings us to the Challenge System."
She lifted the paper again.
"The sixth, seventh, and eighth-ranked fighters will be given one chance to challenge fourth or fifth place. If they win, they take the spot. If they lose… they're out."
A few Year 3 students chuckled. "Damn… they're making it ruthless."
"The final rankings will be determined based on total points."
She read them aloud:
1st Place - 25 points
2nd Place - 23 points
3rd Place - 21 points
4th Place - 19 points
5th Place - 18 points
—CHALLENGE LINE—
6th Place - 17 points
7th Place - 16 points
8th Place - 15 points
"And that," Miss Brooks concluded, placing the paper down, "is the selection process."
The room erupted in conversation.
Noah glanced around. He could already tell—so students were pumped. Others? Terrified.
"This system ensures a few things," Miss Brooks went on, her voice cutting through the chatter. "One: Only the best perforrs qualify."
Noah smirked. 'That's obvious.'
"Two: Multiple paths to qualification exist. Even if you don't start strong, you can recover. Three: This ensures constant tension and drama. We don't want a boring selection process,"
A few people chuckled nervously.
"Four: Even underdogs have a shot. And Five: This forces strategic depth. Strength alone won't be enough."
Noah exhaled slowly. 'So it's not just about fighting. You have to plan.'
Miss Brooks took a step back from the podium. "Now that you all understand, I have one question…"
The room fell silent.
She smiled slightly.
"Who among you is ready to fight for their spot?"
For a mont, there was hesitation.
Then, one by one, hands shot into the air.
Noah didn't even hesitate. He raised his as well.
Sophie grinned beside him. "Looks like you're all in."
Lucas smirked. "Hell yeah,"
Miss Brooks let the energy settle, her gaze sweeping over the sea of raised hands. A satisfied smirk tugged at her lips.
"Good," she said, her voice carrying through the hall. "Then listen carefully."
The anticipation thickened as she continued.
"The selection process begins today—at sixteen hundred hours."
A wave of murmurs spread through the hall, so excited, others tense.
"That ans you have the rest of the day to prepare. Rest, train, strategize—whatever you need to do. Because when the clock strikes sixteen hundred, the first matches begin."
She took a step back, her hands clasped behind her back.
"Dismissed."
The hall erupted.
Lucas turned to Noah with a smirk, arms crossed over his chest. "Well, would you look at that? Even the number one has to earn his spot this ti," he said, chuckling.
Noah didn't laugh.
Maybe everyone knew. Knew how strong Lucas was. Knew he was the undisputed top of the academy. But Noah had seen it firsthand.
He had fought beside him.
He had watched Lucas stand against a one-horned Harbinger. And when the two-horned one appeared, Noah had witnessed sothing terrifying.
Lucas, in his base form, was already a monster. His speed, his reflexes, the way he moved like a predator among prey—he wasn't just the number one student. He was a force of nature.
But then? When Lucas awakened his soul form?
Noah shuddered at the mory.
Only Alpha-class soldiers could do that. The highest-tier warriors—S-rank, SS, even SSS-ranked legends. And Lucas?
'Lucas is a demon.Who the hell would even challenge him?'
Sophie, anwhile, just stretched her arms over her head with a lazy smile. "Well," she said, "I guess I'll have fun watching you boys beat the hell out of each other."
Lucas blinked, staring at Sophie as if she had just spoken in an alien language. "Wait, you're not signing up?" His shock was evident, and for a second, he even looked around, as if expecting soone to correct him.
It was almost a tradition for Sophie Reign to exempt herself from things like this. Noah was just a Year 1, barely three months into this school, so he had no clue what had happened in the past.
But what he did know?
Sophie was a badass.
In hand-to-hand combat, she was scary. He had seen it with his own two eyes. His girlfriend was a freak of nature in a fight, so why wasn't she going for it?
Sophie just shrugged. "I don't know… doesn't feel like luck's on my side."
Lucas gave her a long look but eventually nodded. "Fair enough," he said, not pushing further.
Noah, on the other hand, wasn't buying it.
'Luck? Really?'
Before Lucas could say anything else, Noah grabbed Sophie's wrist and started pulling her away. "We'll catch up later," he said over his shoulder.
Lucas just chuckled, shaking his head. "Good luck with that."
Once they were outside, Sophie led Noah to her Clexus.
Noah leaned against the door, arms crossed. "Alright, what's the real reason?" His voice was calm, but his gaze was firm.
"Like I said, I don't feel lucky enough to want to try," she said.
Noah looked at her, deadpanned.
"Luck...really?! You don't need luck. You are a badass and I'm sure you could pull through!"
Sophie sighed, unlocking the vehicle. "Just get in."
He slid into the passenger seat, watching her closely as she started the Clexus.
The silence stretched between them as she drove. Noah stared out the window, only realizing where they were going when a familiar sight ca into view.
He nearly chuckled.
The school garden.
'If only Sophie knew what went down here yesterday…'
This was the sa place where he had fought Albright's Year 3 goons and nearly gotten himself into more trouble than he had ti for.
But Sophie didn't seem to care about any of that right now. She parked, got out, and led him to a shaded area beneath a tree.
Then, she took his hands in hers.
Noah felt his heart slow just a little.
She was fidgeting.
And Sophie Reign never fidgeted.
Sothing about the way she looked—her drained expression, the tension in her shoulders—made a single bead of sweat form on Noah's forehead.
His throat went dry.
And before she could even say anything, he swallowed and blurted out, Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire
"…Pregnant?"
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