NOVEL WEB Chapter 61
The sports festival at Heros Academy was anything but your average high school event.
After all, it was hosted by Heros Company, a place that pretty much holds sway over 70% of the world. The scale and influence were on a whole different level—this was definitely not just a sports festival.
While a direct comparison was tricky, you’d have to say it was at least on the level of the Youth Olympics, right?
You might wonder why I mentioned the Youth Olympics instead of the actual Olympics, and that’s because the real deal was a whole separate thing.
Here, the “Olympics” didn’t involve regular folks running around playing soccer or swimming; it was all about the abilities users showing off their powers in a battle for glory.
Sure, there were rules, so people wouldn’t just drop dead left and right, but getting knocked out cold or breaking a limb was practically guaranteed.
The sports festival at Heros Academy wasn’t all that different.
Ah, but there were some significant differences too.
For starters, every single participant was from Heros Academy, and if you perform well, you might get a class upgrade or catch the eye of some famous hero or hunter.
Ultimately, this could make life a bit easier after graduation, with media outlets dubbing you a “rookie” and all that jazz.
But honestly, none of that really mattered to me.
The big deal for me was that for the first time, Heros Academy was opening its doors to outsiders.
On a regular day, outsiders couldn’t even peek inside the Academy, but during the sports festival, that heavy iron gate swung wide, allowing Wei to set up a waypoint, which was a cornerstone of the invasion plan.
However… I had no real way to contribute to that plan.
Not that there was any specific reason—except that I had a game to play. You can’t just waltz off the field when you’re a player, can you?
Plus, with this costume on, and not to sound too full of myself, I was somewhat of a public figure, so it was obvious that if I moved, attention would shift to me and Wei.
Therefore, imagining meeting them after my participation was a total no-go.
Perhaps that’s why I was feeling a tad off. The majority of my discomfort came from this ridiculous suit, but I decided to stop overthinking it.
The more I thought about this suit, the more it soured my mood, so I figured diverting my focus to something else would be better for my mental health.
As I loitered near the stadium entrance, waiting for the announcer to shout, “Players, enter!”, Yeonhwa approached me cautiously.
“…Are you nervous too?”
Nervous? If standing in front of a crowd was what made someone nervous, I wasn’t at all bothered. I was used to the spotlight.
But trotting out in this silly getup before a bunch of people? That was a whole different kettle of fish.
It was a different kind of tension than Yeonhwa’s, but since it seemed she wanted to share her feelings, I replied.
“Yeah. I guess I’m a bit on edge. I mean, I’ve never stood in front of this many people before and suddenly being told to do my best is a bit… much.”
“Being able to perform your best while under the gaze of others is one of the virtues of a hero. This is a great opportunity to learn that.”
Changwon suddenly jumped into the conversation, without any sense of timing.
Yeonhwa acknowledged him kindly, while Changwon shifted his focus back to me.
“Blanca. Don’t get knocked out early. I’ve got something I want to tell you.”
Why was he being such a nuisance? I was already feeling like I’d fallen into a sewer, and now he was here adding to my annoyance.
If he had something to say, he could just spill it now, right?
While I tried to restrain my frown and listen, the voice of the announcer boomed through the speakers, cutting in at the most ridiculous moment.
-Players, enter!!!!
Timing could not have been worse. I couldn’t believe the misalignment of it all. Frowning, I pulled Lapiz, who was about to panic, towards the stadium.
“The supernovas who face the villain’s attack head-on and deliver a spectacular punch! First-year Class A, entering!!!”
As we stepped into the stadium, our images were dramatically showcased on the floating screens above.
While others got a quick zoom-in, they seemed to take their sweet time scrutinizing me and Ageha from head to toe.
Meanwhile, Lapiz got a mere three seconds of fame before the spotlight moved on. I couldn’t help but feel it was a bit too blatant.
Who would willingly want to wear this ridiculous thing?
“Maybe I should have made the costume a bit more modest…”
“Maybe that would’ve been better! But hey, we’ve come this far! Let’s not have regrets, Ageha!”
While Yeonhwa had said she was nervous, she suddenly seemed to shake it off and radiated energy.
Jinhyeon, Minho, and Seolhwa stood there silently, their eyes fixed straight ahead with determination.
As for Lapiz…
“T-there are too many people… I can’t breathe…!”
Poor thing, it looked like she was on the verge of forgetting where she was and what she was doing.
“Lapiz, calm down. You can’t just hide in front of everyone. You do dream of being a hero, right?”
“Wuuuuu…”
Lapiz had tears welling up, but what could I say? If she wanted to be a hero, she either had to change her personality or at least try to adapt.
Well, even if she looked pitiful now, she usually turned cold as ice when it came to fighting, so I wasn’t too worried.
When we reached the platform in the center of the stadium, the announcer, perhaps feeling a bit lazy, called out the heroes from Class B through E, and then the hunters from classes A through E, all in one breath.
Wow.
Wasn’t that a bit too brazen in treating us like extras?
They could at least give Class A Hunters a separate introduction.
Maybe the extras knew that, as they displayed plenty of discontented looks while glancing our way.
Yet, one particular student in Class B showed no expression at all. What was that about? Were they even a student?
Judging by their suit, it seemed likely. Anyway, nobody around seemed to think it was strange, so it might not be an issue.
Perhaps there was someone in Class B with a talent for messing with memories or perceptions. That could be it.
No, I had no clue. I didn’t recognize the face, so they probably weren’t significant.
Ignoring the other classes, I turned my attention to Justitia, who was looking down at us from the podium.
After tossing away her sunglasses, her ominously glowing purple gaze was intimidating, to say the least.
If only you couldn’t see her mouth.
Since her lips were smiling, instead of feeling intimidated, she seemed more like a senior looking fondly at her adorable juniors.
“I have a lot to say, but for now, let’s stick to the order. We’ll begin with the athlete’s oath. Im Changwon and Blanca, please step forward.”
Feeling queasy about having to go up there in this suit, I decided to maintain my composure as I climbed the podium, reminding myself that I probably wouldn’t have to do much.
“We pledge to respect and uphold the rules. As students of Heros Academy, we promise not to engage in any wrongdoing and to devote ourselves to the competition.”
If you weren’t going to ask for anything, why call us up here? I grumbled internally as I stepped down, and Justitia wasted no time announcing the preliminary events.
“This year’s preliminary event is… Monster Hunt!”
“Monster Hunt…?”
The kids murmured, clearly baffled as they’d never heard of it before, but I was calm as I already knew what it was.
This was a new event introduced this year, so only the knowledgeable Minho would have any idea.
The rules and details matched exactly what I’d seen before.
Inside the stadium, you’d score points by hunting monsters in a state-of-the-art virtual stage, and if you got too injured or ended up with below average points when time ran out, you’d be disqualified.
And on top of hunting monsters, there was a downright ruthless rule about knocking out other players to steal their points.
It was exactly like the original.
“Don’t worry about possible malfunctions. This technology has been tested countless times. Just focus on your game.”
With that comment, the previously uneasy crowd quickly calmed down, buzzing with questions about when it would start.
“It’s already begun. Did you not notice? If not, take a good look around and listen closely.”
As Justitia responded to them, her form began to blur.
Had she switched to a hologram at some point?
It seemed that strange sound was coming from the projector.
“Finally, to ensure fairness, the starting positions for students will be randomly assigned. So don’t be afraid if the ground below you lights up. Best of luck. Scramble… Start!”
As the hologram vanished, light erupted from beneath our feet, enveloping us before we were whisked away somewhere.
Now, it was the real deal.
First off, let’s aim to knock out about 90 players or so.