Chương 35: Academy Festival

Ch 35 - Academy Festival Life for Evan and Hiroto had become an endless cycle of school, training, and sleep. The only thing breaking the routine were hurried meals before Reid dragged them off to spar once again. There was no escape. Most people would have broken under such a schedule. Evan and Hiroto were no exception. They had wanted to give up countless times already, but their trainer happened to be Reid, also known as Reuel, the Legendary Demon Hunter. To him, exhaustion was not a reason to stop.

Even if they collapsed with tears in their eyes, he would simply drag them back onto their feet and continue. At this point, they were too tired to even complain. Worse, complaining only gave Reid the impression that they still had enough energy left for another round of training. Some of the instructors had noticed their increasingly haggard appearance, but it was during one of her classes that Mehra finally asked, "Are you two okay?" Two zombie-like faces slowly turned toward her.

"Yes..." they answered in perfect unison before resuming their run with all the enthusiasm of condemned prisoners. Mehra watched them for a moment.

"You've been improving quite a lot these past few days, Mr. Konoe."

"Thank you, ma'am," Hiroto replied with a small, exhausted smile.

"I assume this has something to do with your... special training?" Both boys visibly flinched at the word training. A beat of silence passed.

"I see," Mehra said. She asked no further questions. And so the hellish days marched on, utterly indifferent to the suffering of the two teenagers. Day after day, they trained without end. Perhaps it spoke to humanity's remarkable ability to adapt, because little by little, they grew accustomed to it. Even Reid's absurd warm-up was becoming slightly easier to endure.

"How about we increase it to six hundred?" Reid suggested with a smile. You monster, Evan screamed inwardly. Hiroto looked like he'd just received a death sentence. Not that they could do anything about it. Protesting was useless against the tyranny of the Legendary Demon Hunter, so their suffering continued. The only thing keeping Evan going was the thought that it wouldn't last forever. They had a finish line in sight: the Academy Festival, held shortly after the mid-semester exams.

They just had to make it there. The one saving grace was that Reid eased up on their training during midterms since his own schedule had become packed. Evan used every precious moment of free time to catch up on sleep. Reid's Sacred Light could keep him from collapsing or slipping into a coma from sleep deprivation, but it couldn't replace a proper night's rest. In a perfect world, Evan would've spent every spare moment sleeping. Reality, however, had other plans.

With the Academy Festival fast approaching, he still had preparations to make. Suppressing the urge to crawl back under the covers, he dragged himself out of bed, opened his messaging app, and sent Carmen a message. [Are you free today after the exams?] Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for Carmen to reply. [Why? Are you asking me out on a date?] [Don't be ridiculous. I have a business proposal for you.] [Business? Interesting. Sure, we can meet after the exams.] With the meeting set, Evan took a shower and changed into his uniform before heading to the classroom for his midterms. The first two days were devoted to written exams, followed by three days of practical tests. Evan had no trouble with the written portion. As an F-rank, he would even say he performed quite well despite the abysmally low expectations everyone had of him.

Once the exams for the day were over, Evan headed to their agreed meeting spot, which, annoyingly enough, happened to be the same rooftop where he had confronted Reika. There, he found Carmen leaning lazily against a wall, her fingers flying across the keyboard of her laptop.

"Is there a particular reason you picked this spot?" Evan asked with obvious distaste.

"Why not? It's the perfect place to have a business meeting away from other people." Carmen adjusted her glasses and grinned.

"What? Do you have bad memories of this place?" Crossing his arms, Evan replied, "Cut the crap. You probably already know what happened here."

"Oh, I do. Our dear Reika was quite angry with me that day. Do you know she almost fried my hair off?" Carmen said, running a hand through her wavy hair.

"No, she didn't."

"She almost did."

"She wouldn't," Evan said.

"You're the daughter of the Ruiz family. It would be stupid to pick a fight with one of Nova Terra's wealthiest families over something so minor." Carmen waved a dismissive hand.

"Yeah, yeah. Skip the flattery. What's this business deal you wanted to discuss?"

"You're going to be the MC for this semester's Academy Festival, right?" Evan asked as he sat beside her.

"What about it?"

"You're going to like this." Evan smirked and motioned for her to lean closer. Carmen obliged, and he whispered his plan into her ear. Her expression shifted from curiosity to interest... then to utter shock.

"You're crazy!" Carmen exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"What's so crazy about it?"

"Are you serious? Did you suffer brain damage, or have you completely lost your mind from all that special training you've been going through?"

"Do you accept my proposal or not?" Carmen raked both hands through her hair, leaving it thoroughly messed up.

"Ugh... this is such a bad idea!"

"But it's a bad idea that'll get you a lot of views," Evan pointed out.

"And get me into a lot of trouble too." Evan snorted.

"As if someone with your status is going to get anything worse than a slap on the wrist. Besides, it might not even come to anything in the end, and you'll still get a great NovaTube video out of it." Carmen rested her chin on her hand.

"You're not wrong."

"So, do we have a deal?" Carmen narrowed her eyes at the still-smirking Evan.

"You're completely insane, Evan Whitfield. You do realize this is something you'll be remembered for if it goes badly, right? People already look down on you. Give them another reason to mock you, and they'll never let you live it down. You won't just become the academy's laughingstock. All of Nova Terra will be making fun of you. Heck, you might even end up with your own wiki page."

"That won't happen." Evan grinned and held out his hand. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"You're either incredibly confident or completely insane," Carmen said. A slow smirk spread across her face.

"Either way, I like it. I accept your proposal, Evan Whitfield."

"Pleasure doing business with you, Carmen Ruiz." The two teenagers shook hands. With the deal settled, Evan had finally cleared one of the biggest hurdles in carrying out his plan. All that remained was to ace his midterms and record the video with Hiroto. Humming under his breath, he left the rooftop and made his way back to his room, looking forward to some much-needed rest. Yet as he passed the academy's private training rooms, his eyes drifted toward the familiar building.

An odd itch crept into the back of his mind, urging him to at least complete one of Reid's ridiculous warm-ups. He needed to make sure all that training hadn't gone to waste. Are you an idiot? You finally get some time to rest, and your first thought is to train? Evan berated himself. Yet despite his protests, his feet still carried him toward the same training room they had rented for the past month. He silently cursed Reid for passing on his absurd obsession with training every single day.

Pulling out the keycard, he unlocked the door, only to discover that someone was already inside.

"Hiroto?" Evan blinked.

"What are you doing here?" Hiroto paused in the middle of a sit-up.

"Um... training? Why are you here?" Evan opened his mouth, only to realize he couldn't exactly admit he'd come for the same reason.

"I talked to Carmen about our plan," he said instead.

"She agreed." Hearing that, Hiroto froze.

"Oh..."

"Having second thoughts?" Evan asked.

"I wouldn't blame you if you are. It's a huge gamble. If we fail, we'll both be laughed at for the rest of our lives."

"No." Hiroto shook his head.

"I agreed back then, and I'm not taking back my word. It's time for me to stop running." Evan studied him. Hiroto's face was no longer hidden behind his bangs, and determination had replaced the uncertainty he once wore.

"Good." Evan grinned.

"Let's show everyone what we've accomplished." Hiroto smiled back and nodded. Click. The door to the training room opened again, and Reid stepped inside.

"I didn't expect to see you two here!" he said.

"I was about to message you and ask if you were free. To think you've already started taking the initiative to come here yourselves!" Evan and Hiroto froze. The color drained from their faces.

"How about some more training?" Reid smiled brightly. Could they even say no? Of course not. And so another day passed with the two teenagers suffering.

The following morning, Evan woke up barely able to open his eyes, yet his body moved on instinct. He dragged himself to the bathroom, endured a cold shower, and put on his uniform. Yesterday's training had been even more brutal than usual. Perhaps Reid was taking things more seriously with the Academy Festival approaching, or perhaps he had simply decided their suffering needed to reach an entirely new level.

Even after Reid used Sacred Light to heal their cramped muscles and aching bodies, Evan could still feel the memory of the pain lingering deep within him. His injuries were gone, but somehow, it still felt as though his body had been put through a meat grinder. Despite that, Evan had no choice but to drag himself to the training hall and complete his midterm practical. Today's test was mana control, a subject he found relatively easy.

Thanks to his natural talent and the additional training from Reid, his control had improved significantly. At this point, he could probably complete the exam half-asleep and still pass without difficulty. Maintaining steady mana circulation while navigating the obstacle course, Evan finished his part without any trouble. Once he returned to his spot, he watched Hiroto step forward.

Evan could not directly see mana circulation, but Mehra's satisfied smile and frequent nods made it obvious that Hiroto had improved considerably. Well, he should have. If Hiroto had failed to improve even after receiving Reid's "tender loving care," then he truly would have been hopeless. Once the exam ended, Evan approached Mehra as the other students began leaving.

"Is there something you need, Mr. Whitfield?" Mehra asked.

"I have some questions, ma'am," Evan said.

"I've read some advanced mana control books, and I heard that it was possible for someone to control another person's mana." Mehra tilted her head.

"That's a very advanced topic, Mr. Whitfield. Many Awakeners struggle to even master their own mana, let alone interfere with someone else's. What brought this up?"

"I was just wondering if it was possible for someone to redirect a skill attack during a fight."

"Technically, it is possible, but attempting it in actual combat is far too dangerous." Mehra's expression turned serious.

"Interfering with someone else's attack already requires exceptional finesse and control. Doing so while under pressure, with only a brief moment to react, makes it even more difficult. In most situations, it would be far safer to avoid the attack entirely and counter with one of your own." She narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Please don't tell me you're considering trying something like that."

"Of course not! It's just curiosity. Why would I do something that stupid?" Evan laughed. Mehra stared at him for several seconds before shaking her head.

"I'm doubtful you'll ever encounter a situation where you need to do something like that, but I'll tell you again: don't try it. I don't want one of my favorite students dying."

"I thought I was your number one favorite." Mehra flicked him on the forehead.

"Off you go, young man."

The midterms finally came to an end, and with the Academy Festival on the horizon, the worn-out students finally had something to look forward to. The change across the academy was almost immediate. The normally strict training areas had been transformed into lively festival grounds, with temporary stalls and decorations filling the campus.

Businesses hoping to attract the attention of the academy's elite Awakener students set up booths showcasing their products, while members of the cooking club opened stalls selling their own creations. Challenge booths were scattered throughout the grounds as well, though they had been modified for Awakeners. Everything from strength tests to skill-based games used reinforced materials and specialized equipment designed to withstand enhanced strength and mana.

Several guilds also established temporary booths, hoping to catch the interest of promising students before they graduated. Among all the attractions, the two biggest were the massive entertainment stage in the academy's central plaza, where the MC hosted performances and major announcements, and the arena on the nearby sparring grounds, where students could challenge one another in exhibition matches. Walking through the thick crowds, Evan and Hiroto soaked in the festive atmosphere.

Students laughed and chatted everywhere. Some discussed their midterm exams, others focused on the food stalls, while many wandered from one guild booth to another. Yet one topic came up more than any other.

"Whose fight do you think is going to be the biggest?"

"Definitely one of the A-rank Awakeners."

"I heard they've received tons of challenge letters. Some B-ranks even tried their luck. Are they stupid?"

"Like any of those challenges would get accepted. They're probably just pranks."

"Yeah. Why would an A-rank agree to such a ridiculous match?" Evan and Hiroto exchanged a look before weaving through the crowd. They soon arrived at the plaza's main event area, where a broad platform dominated the square. Its steel frame was draped with banners bearing the academy's crest and the words Academy Festival. Two enormous screens stood on either side so even those at the back could follow the performances, while rows of speakers and overhead spotlights surrounded the stage.

"I heard Stellaris is performing at the festival!"

"Really? I'm surprised, considering Lim Yeon-ah's situation. I thought she'd stay as far away from this academy as possible."

"You'd better keep your voice down. Her fans will tear you apart." For a moment, Evan questioned why idol gossip had become part of an Awakener academy festival. The thought quickly vanished, however, as Carmen stepped onto the stage. Instead of her usual academy uniform, she wore a tailored ivory blazer over a sleek black sheath dress that hugged her figure before ending just above the knee. Gold buttons caught the sunlight, and a discreet headset microphone rested against her cheek.

"Good morning, Central Awakener Academy! Congratulations on surviving your midterms! Give yourselves a round of applause." The crowd laughed and applauded.

"For the next three days, this academy belongs to all of you! Enjoy the food, visit the guild booths, cheer on your friends in the exhibition matches, and make some memories worth talking about long after the festival is over. I'm sure we're all going to have an amazing time!" She paused, her smile widening.

"But! I've got one more thing that's going to make this event even more exciting! Do you want to know what it is?!" A roar of curious voices answered her.

"Then let's show you!" With a dramatic flourish, Carmen swept out an arm. The giant screens around the plaza flickered to life, and a video began to play. Confused murmurs rippled through the crowd as the image of a student in academy uniform appeared on the screens.

"Wait... isn't that...?" one student muttered, staring at the screen in disbelief. [I'll get straight to the point.] Evan's face filled the screen, a confident smirk on his lips. He sat casually in a classroom, as though recording an ordinary message. [Konoe Reika, this is my official challenge letter. I, Evan Whitfield, hereby request a match against you, an A-rank Awakener.] The murmurs instantly grew louder. [And before you get the wrong idea, it won't just be me. Your brother will be fighting alongside me. Two F-ranks against one A-rank.] Crackle! A burst of familiar blue lightning flashed at the edge of Evan's vision. Turning his head, he spotted Reika standing among the crowd, glaring up at the giant screen. Thin arcs of electricity danced around her as killing intent radiated from her icy expression. [Will you accept?]