Conquering The Novel

"Regarding Match 2, the team members who will be participating are Ayla, Marcus, Alex, Emma, and James," Ares announced, looking at each of the students as he spoke their names.

Ayla was the only first-year student on the team, while Marcus, Alex, and Emma were second-year students, and James was in his third year.

Ares was familiar with Emma and James, who took the same Rune deciphering class as him. Emma was also the Vice President of the student council and James was renowned as a perverted third-year in the rune course.

While Ares didn't know Marcus and Alex personally, he chose them based on their performance in the Brain Brawl Challenge from the novel.

They performed well in the novel, so Ares decided to go with the exact same lineup as in the novel.

'If things go according to how they're supposed to, then we should be able to win without any hindrance,' Ares pondered, however, he knew that he couldn't expect the same outcome as in the novel.

"I too believe that the participants Ares has chosen are well-suited for this match," Erina said with a smile, having done her research on the participating students beforehand to carefully choose based on their abilities.

Some students looked disappointed at not being selected, but they kept their thoughts to themselves, not wanting to upset Ares.

"Those of you who were called, please step forward and introduce yourselves to us properly," Erina suggested.

One by one, the selected students stepped forward. Ayla was already at the front, followed by Marcus, Alex, James, and finally Emma, who seemed a bit hesitant.

"My name is Ayla, and I'm a first-year student with support and healing magic. I'm particularly good at analyzing complex patterns, which I believe will come in handy during the Puzzle Round." Ayla introduced herself with a smile, looking toward the 2nd and 3rd-year students.

"My name is Marcus, a 2nd-year student," he said confidently. "I specialize in logic puzzles and strategy games. My keen analytical skills and ability to think outside the box make me an excellent asset for the team." He has short black hair and was wearing glasses.

"I'm Alex, a second-year student and I specialize in strategic thinking and memory recall. Being an elf, I have excellent hearing and can pick up on details that others might miss," said Alex. He has long blond hair tied in a ponytail, sharp features, and pointed ears.

"My name is James, a 3rd-year student," he said with a smirk. "I may not look like much, but don't let appearances fool you. I specialize in riddles and lateral thinking puzzles, and I'm confident I can outsmart anyone on the opposing team." James had messy brown hair and dark eyes that glinted mischievously.

"H-Hello, I'm Emma," she introduced herself, her voice a bit shaky. "I'm a second-year student, and I specialize in Rune deciphering. I-I've had a lot of experience solving puzzles and brain teasers, so I think I could be helpful in the Puzzle Round." Emma's short silver hair framed her delicate face, and her grey eyes seemed to sparkle behind her large round glasses.

Her body was slender with curves in all the right places, but Emma was a bit self-conscious about it, especially around the confident and outgoing Ayla.

"I don't have a problem with the rest of them, but are you sure about this Emma girl, Ares?" Ziona voiced her concern. "Seeing her personality, I don't think she is the right person for this match."

When Ares heard her, he couldn't help but grin. There was more to Emma than meets the eye.

"Don't worry, Emma may seem timid, but she's a genius when it comes to puzzles and riddles. She's aced the written examination for two years in a row," he informed the group.

This surprised some of the students who were not familiar with Emma's academic achievements, but Erina was impressed by Ares' knowledge of the participating students.

'He really was the right choice for being the representative,' she thought to herself.

...

...

After a brief discussion, it was decided that Ayla would lead the team for the upcoming match, and Ares emphasized the importance of following her orders with obedience. The team then left the meeting room and headed to the VR room.

***

As Ayla and the team arrived at the VR room, they noticed that the students from Cherry Blossom Academy were being isolated by the other academies. The students gave them skeptical looks, but their attention was soon drawn to Ayla's team.

Ayla couldn't help but think to herself, "I didn't expect this little game of Ares to work so perfectly." As she observed the divided gazes of the other academies between the Cherry Blossom Academy and their team.

Approaching the Cherry Blossom team, she introduced herself cheerfully, "Hi, I'm Ayla, and I'm leading our team in this match!" She extended her hand for a handshake towards the woman in front, whom she assumed was leading their team.

In response, the girl with long red-purple hair and deep orchid-purple eyes, also a first-year student and the leader of the Cherry Blossom team - spoke awkwardly with a smile, "Hello, I'm Alia, and I'm leading our team in this match." The exchange took place under the wary gazes of everyone else present.

'It probably wasn't a good idea to shake hands with her in front of everyone else, especially when they're already skeptical of our partnership with the Soreh Academy.' Alia couldn't help but think to herself.

Clap—Clap

The chamber echoed with the sound of clapping as the white-haired professor entered the VR room, prompting everyone to turn their attention toward her.

After a moment of silence, the professor greeted the students with a wide grin. "Hello, everyone. How are you doing today?"

The students didn't reply, but the professor nodded understandingly. Just when she was about to speak again, she heard a cheerful voice.

"We are doing great! And I'm confident that we can perform well in this match too," Emma exclaimed excitedly as she raised both of her hands in the air, grabbing everyone's attention.

!?

The Soreh Academy team couldn't believe Emma's sudden confidence, and they wondered if she was the same timid girl from the moment ago.

"...."

But the professor's grin widened at Emma's words, and she appeared in front of her in an instant, clasping her hands.

"Of course, your team is doing great after playing every other academy as fools the other day! Will you show me a similar match as yesterday?" the professor asked with a slight blush on her cheeks, reminiscing about the previous day's match.

Emma replied with the same energy, "You can count on me! These fools won't even know what hit them!"

The other students' faces contorted with disbelief as they heard Emma's confident reply as if she already knew they were going to win. Even Ayla was surprised by Emma's demeanor, but she quickly realized the reason behind her statement.

'I never knew she was this crafty!' Ayla thought to herself.

The professor seemed pleased by her answer and said, "Hehe, I will keep my expectations up then!"

She quickly regained her composure and moved on with the instructions for the upcoming match.

...

"A-Ahem, as you are aware, this match consists of five challenges, but what you don't know is that it has a time limit of one hour," she stated, straightening her glasses.

"The team that completes all the challenges in the shortest time will be declared the winner and will receive an additional three points, bringing their total score to 20 points, which is higher than what the first match offered."

The professor paused, giving the students a moment to process the information before continuing. "And in my opinion, this match is one of the easiest ones to earn points without engaging in physical combat," she said with a grin.

Click—

As she spoke, the professor clicked on a button, and eight VR rooms appeared, each with the name of a participating academy inscribed above it.

"Ah, I almost forgot," she added with a mischievous smile. "Although you students can enter your respective pods, you will be meeting in the VR world anyway, as the first quiz will start with everyone present in the same room, and you only have one chance! One wrong answer and you will be eliminated immediately!" The professor revealed the unexpected twist.

The students exclaimed in unison, "W-What?"

The professor nodded in satisfaction seeing their reactions.

"Hehehe, yes, you don't have all the time in the world, and you cannot afford to make mistakes. Did you really believe they were awarding you all these points just because they took pity on the useless Iron Fortress Academy?" she teased, a hint of malice in her voice.

!?

Everyone was left speechless hearing her call the Iron Fortress Academy useless. Though they ranked last in the last match, that did not mean they were to be underestimated.

"You—"

As one of the Iron Fortress Academy students was about to speak up, the professor interrupted him with a sharp gaze.

"What? Do you have a problem?" she challenged him. "If you're upset about being at the bottom, then prove yourself and rise to the top. That's just how things work in this world. Those at the bottom will always be looked down upon." Her eyes flashed with intensity as she spoke, her disdain for the weaker team evident in her expression.

"Now shoo, let's not waste any more time. We have match 2 to begin." With a dismissive wave of her hand, she signaled for everyone to proceed to their designated VR rooms.

"...."

The students exchanged uneasy glances, wondering why such an unpredictable and unsettling person was put in charge of the VR room. Nonetheless, they made their way to their respective pods, ready to face the challenge.