303 – Academy Team Tournament -0

At the end of the year, the Academy has traditionally held large-scale, one-on-one duels between professors and students to showcase educational achievements to the outside world and promote the employment of academy students.

But such outdated methods lack sufficient romance. They’re boring. Last year, it was one-on-one combat, the year before it was one-on-one combat, how long are we going to prove our worth through individual matches?

There should be an opportunity to showcase more diverse, multifaceted abilities.

With that intention, a mad magician intervened, and this year the 『Academy Team Tournament』 will be held.

So, what kind of content is the team tournament structured with?

It’s designed like a theme park attraction. Students roam the Academy as they wish, choosing stages where they can best demonstrate their strengths. Each stage is awarded a different score, and the team with the highest final score wins.

First, we need stages.

The mad magician stood on the podium and spoke to the professors huddled together.

“Now, professors, please create one stage each for the students. Ah, you there with your hand raised. Please, speak.”

“I’m Suji, the botany professor from the 『Eat It and You Might Die』 course. So… does that mean we just need to give them tests?”

“The form doesn’t matter. You just need to check if the students have learned what you taught them well, and allow them to stand out. Botany, huh, I have an idea. Let’s mix in some real poisonous mushrooms and make them pick out which ones to eat?”

“Excuse me?”

The mad magician’s example seemed to inspire freedom of thought within them. Indeed. He had a bit of entertainment in mind.

Murmuring. The professors started chatting and talking with people they were familiar with. Overall, the reaction was good. Because back when they just glossed over things with one-on-one duels.

“Alejandro, what kind of trial are you thinking of creating?”

“I was thinking of a firepower test… but Alexson, you’ll probably choose a duel again, right?”

“You know me well. Ultimately, the Academy is a facility that exists to enhance combat power. Naturally, we have to show our strength by clashing bodies!”

The two corrupted professors, Alejandro and Alexson, had always dominated everything.

Professors teaching non-combat subjects were buzzing with the thought that they too could try their hand at something. Even professors, unless they were at the very top, were just as desperate for recognition and money.

If their names were widely known outside because of this, they could live comfortably even after leaving the academy.

Then, someone shot their hand up and asked,

“The knight is speaking.”

“I am Lancelot from the lecture, ‘The King of All Diseases is the Sword.’ So, how are these ‘scores’ determined? If they are all equal, does that mean my challenge is worth the same as, say, a mere herbology trial?”

“Well, that part… of course, they aren’t equal. I will assign points to each trial based on my rational judgment.”

As Alexson said, the academy was a combat personnel training facility.

It made sense for an Enbus who didn’t know herbology, but was incredibly strong, to get ahead, rather than some extra who was deeply knowledgeable about herbology. Stages in the non-combat fields would have lower scores.

So, one by one, stage proposals were created, and the crazy mage assigned scores and listed them all out for everyone to see. Aisha handled the name writing section for him.

“Is this even reasonable?!”

“Why is my stage only worth this much?! And what is *that*?!”

“Get rid of the corrupt! Push for an equal distribution of scores!”

And then, it went up in flames.

『The Mad Mage’s Grand Labyrinth』: 150 points

『Alexson & Alejandro’s Glory of Battle』: 100 points

『Lancelot’s Slicing Several Pieces of Apple』: 5 points

… (omitted) …

『Suzy’s Which One is the Poisonous Mushroom?』: 1 point

The three corrupt professors’ stages had eaten up all the points, like a bonus question at the end of a school trip.

If you didn’t do those, there was absolutely no chance of winning. So much for a variety of stages, it was just a way of saying, “You gotta do ours, period,” wasn’t it?

The mad mage spoke plainly.

“Alright, anyone with complaints can fight for it and take it.”

“Huh?”

“Mini Corner, the points-snatching battle begins. The rules are as follows. Once a day, you can challenge another professor to a one-on-one duel. The loser or the one who forfeits will have their points deducted. However, points cannot fall below 1.”

“???”

“From this moment on, kill each other.”

What the hell did I just hear? A moment of silence passed. Then, a sinister air began to simmer. From an outside perspective… if a certain professor’s stage has a high score, it would be considered that that professor is all the more capable.

Immediately, a massive clash erupted. Combat-oriented professors drew their weapons, while non-combat professors opened their books.

“I never liked you from the start, Solani of ‘How to Easily Win Swords with Spears’! Draw your spear!”

“Hmph, I was always planning on teaching you your place. Try and take my spear with your short-reach, useless longsword, Lancelot──!!”

And so, there was about a week of organizing chaos.

『Mad Mage’s Grand Labyrinth』 : 179 points

『Alexson & Alejandro’s Glory of Battle』 : 113 points

『Which Mushroom is Poisonous, by Suzie』 : 7 points

⋯⋯(omitted)⋯⋯

『Lancelot’s Slicing Apples into Many Pieces』: 1 point

The final confirmation was reached, with the following results.

–

What is 『Mad Mage’s Grand Labyrinth』?

It’s just a dungeon made by taking bits and pieces of what I normally think about. I put in tentacles, murder traps, closing walls, puzzle gimmicks, and boss battles… based on Selvier’s trial theory, I made it all very exciting.

Aisha glanced inside, then asked, apathetic,

“You planning on killing students?”

“What? Of course not. Obviously, I’ve set it up so they can’t die. You know, the traditional way? Handing out artifacts, and when the artifact shield breaks, they get teleported out. I’m using illusion magic to make those points—”

“No, I mean are you planning on killing the students? No matter how well you make the artifacts, they just prevent damage, they don’t stop their hearts from giving out.”

“I kept it within the range they’ve all experienced. Just tweaked the difficulty a little, slightly? The students will do fine.”

And, “『Alexson & Al-Whatshisface’s⋯⋯』”

“Could you read that for me when the time comes?”

“⋯⋯Don’t use me to organize your thoughts.”

“Okay, one, two.”

“『Alexson & Alejandro’s Glory of Battle』” is actually a collaboration by those three scumbag professors. I threw in my two cents for stage design as well, and it’s the attraction I’m most excited about.

The structure is divided into Alexson’s “Crown” capture, and / “Alejandro’s” “Mansion of Glory” defense.

PK Zone A is where the “Crown” is hidden.

PK Zone B is where “Alejandro’s” “Mansion of Glory” is.

To get full marks, one of the team members must obtain the “Crown,” wear it on their head, and survive inside the “Mansion of Glory” for one hour.

If a player is “killed” in a PK Zone, they are forcibly ejected from the attraction and cannot retry it. One chance only.

It’s like a guild battle with some gimmicks mixed in.

It has a large score, so if you aim for the win in the “Academy Team Competition,” you have to take this stage before anything else. The winner will probably be decided here.

Or.

Bravely challenge the “Labyrinth of the Mad Mage” and secure a definite win!

“Just imagining it makes my mouth water. Aisha, report on the teams that have appeared so far.”

“You blind? You got no hands? No mouth?”

“I got it all, plus a cute and pretty daughter.”

“Ugh, shit…”

Aisha shuddered like she was getting goosebumps and flipped through the documents with a loud *shhrrr-click*. Though grumbling under her breath, she gave a proper report.

“First off, the Bennett party’s a no-show. Looks like they just wanna wander around and enjoy the trip.”

“A strong contender’s out.”

“The Lady Baekryeom’s got a compact 10-person team, and Luna’s in it. The rest of her followers who didn’t get picked are apparently wailing and throwing themselves into training.”

“Oho.”

Thinking about team stability, Lady Baekryeom’s party seems the most solid. Even if they don’t have a standout hidden ace, each member’s in the upper-middle range.

“Baekseol and Selvier are going solo. Heard about that, right?”

“Can’t deny that’s a rivalry setup to look forward to. So, what about Gordius?”

“Gordius… I think he’s the most likely winner.”

“That’s quite the high praise. But he couldn’t even do the Goldie tale, and even with some spec upgrades in the session, it doesn’t seem like he’s grown enough to be considered a frontrunner?”

I tilted my head, questioning Aisha’s unexpected pick for the winner. She ran a finger down the list, a finger that went halfway down a second page.

“Gordius’ team has 50 people. Including Envers.”

“…weren’t they supposed to make teams of 10?”

“They made a 10-person team, and then brought the other four teams into the fold. He apparently convinced them that if the win’s gonna go to the tale-weavers anyway, those of us who didn’t make the tales should band together and make some trouble. It’s kinda against the rules, so are you gonna penalize him?”

“No, it’ll make for a perfect balance patch. And Gordius’ faction isn’t that united… someone might just find a way to exploit that.”

An interesting layout.

A dual power structure with Lady Baekryeom and Gordius as the two main forces.

And so, the two powerful forces, Selvier and White Snow, as individuals.

Out of these four teams, who will be the one to seize victory…!

I settled into my armchair, grabbing some popcorn, ready to watch. Aisha swiftly manipulated magic circles in the air, then projected a beam onto the white wall.

This was the part I’d put the most effort into for this year’s “Academy Team Tournament.” I’d set it up so that real-time live broadcasts would be possible through hundreds of familiar-cameras.

While it served entertainment purposes, it could also be used to ensure the students’ safety in case of an emergency.

Moreover, this footage, with some editing, was also being sent to the esteemed guests staying at the academy. I was planning to flex my directorial muscles a little bit.

Everything was ready. Everyone was waiting for the starting signal.

*Huff.* I breathed into the microphone, checked the sound, and then announced:

“The three-day ‘Academy Team Tournament,’ is now—beginning!”

*Bang!*

Fireworks graphics erupted across the sky.

And the students on the screen began to move busily.

–

The White Lotus Princess’s team, the ‘White Lotus Knights,’ had a plan. Since the outlines and point values for each event had been released beforehand, they’d been able to devise strategies in advance.

The White Lotus Princess placed her hand lightly over her generous heart and spoke.

“What we’re aiming for is the ‘Glory of Alexson & Alejandro’s Battle.’ More specifically, we’re targeting the ‘Crown’ first.”

“Yep. Smart.”

Luna gave a double thumbs-up.

For the condition of staying in the ‘Mansion of Glory’ for one hour while wearing the ‘Crown,’ while the mansion is fixed in place, the crown is not.

If they could secure the crown first… they could determine when and how they would fight.

As everyone nodded, one of the followers spoke.

“Your Grace, what about the ‘Mad Mage’s Great Labyrinth’?”

“——How dare you question Her Grace’s judgment now?!”

“Unforgivable! Come outside with me right this instant—”

Loyalty weighed heavy. The White Lotus Duchess quieted the zealous fervor of the overzealous loyalists with a hand gesture, and spoke.

“Hah… stop, stop it, all of you. They made a good point. I hereby declare, our White Lotus Knights team… we completely, utterly, and truly exclude the ‘Mad Mage’s Great Labyrinth’.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

“…I’ll explain the reason too. Even before the games start, the facilities are left in place. So, Luna went to take a peek beforehand, secretly, they say.”

“Yeah. I went.”

The ace of the Trials Tower. A seasoned player who, if only she had infinite lives, could clear the tower more efficiently than anyone, Luna Sterry.

She recalled the ‘Mad Mage’s Great Labyrinth’ she’d peeked at behind the curtain, and her expressionless face became as pale as a vampire’s.

“…Don’t go.”

“…………”

“…………”

Everyone understood. Even if they had bad luck and ended up not scoring a single point, even if they ended up scrounging up points by doing things like botany quizzes.

Even if clearing it guaranteed first place, they must absolutely not set foot in the Great Labyrinth.

“Let’s start searching methodically. They said the ‘Crown’ is hidden in Area A, so let’s move and search together.”

“We will find it with our lives on the line! Absolutely!”

“Even if it’s hidden in the ‘Mad Mage’s Great Labyrinth’ we will find it!!”

“….Please take it easy. I’m begging you.”

So, the White Lotus Knights team rushed over, and what they witnessed was this:

“You said you wouldn’t participate! You said you wouldn’t participate!”

“I have my reasons. My younger sister… came to observe. The ‘Crown’ is here. If you so much as scratch me, I’ll hand it over. And after that, I truly won’t participate in the competition.”

It was Bennet, holding ‘Howon,’ striking a cool and solemn pose, surrounded by students jeering at him.

‘I want to see my brother looking cool’ was the casual remark from Berda Hilton that had turned into a storm, hitting the academy students head-on.

“… What should we do, Lady?”

“… We’re switching to the plan of occupying ‘The Mansion of Glory’. There’s no one here who can subdue Bennet single-handedly, and if all ten of us attack, we might get a scratch, but… if even one person is eliminated in the process, we’ll lose too much power.”

So, they hoped another team would somehow take care of getting the ‘Crown.’

“Good.”

The White Lotus Knights took a turn, heading towards ‘The Mansion of Glory.’