At the end of the year, the Academy traditionally held one-on-one duels between students and professors on a grand stage to showcase educational achievements and boost student employment prospects.
However, such an outdated method lacked enough charm. It was getting tiresome—one-on-one duels last year, and the year before that, too. How much longer would individual battles be the only way to prove their abilities?
It would be better to have a chance to showcase more diverse and multifaceted skills.
With that in mind, the Mad Wizard intervened, and this year, the Academy Team Tournament was launched.
So, what kind of structure did this team tournament have?
It was designed like an amusement park attraction. Students could freely roam the Academy, selecting stages where they could showcase their specialties. Each stage offered different point values, and the team with the highest total score would win.
First, they needed stages.
The Mad Wizard stepped up to the podium and addressed the gathered professors.
"Now, professors, I ask that each of you prepare a stage for the students. Ah, you there, with your hand raised. Please, speak."
"I'm Suzy, the professor of the lecture 'Eat It Unknowingly, and You're Dead,' which is about herbalism. So, you mean we should set up a test for them?"
"The format doesn’t matter. The goal is to assess whether your students have learned well and to give them a chance to shine. Herbalism, huh? I have an idea. How about mixing in a real poisonous mushroom and letting them choose which one to eat?"
"Huh?"
It seemed like the Mad Wizard’s suggestion opened the floodgates of creativity for them. Indeed, he was aiming for a bit of added entertainment.
Murmurs spread through the room as professors began chatting with their colleagues. Overall, the reaction was positive. Back in the days of one-on-one duels, everything had been dominated by the same few professors.
"Hey Alejandro, what kind of trial are you planning?"
"I’m thinking of testing firepower... But, I’m guessing you’ll stick with a duel again, Alexon?"
"You know me well. The Academy is a place for enhancing combat power, after all. Naturally, we should clash bodies and display our strength!"
The two corrupted professors, Alejandro and Alexon, had always monopolized the show.
Now, the non-combat professors were excited at the prospect of trying something new. After all, unless you were at the top, professors too struggled for fame and wealth.
If this gave them a chance to make their name widely known, they could live comfortably even after leaving the Academy.
Amid the excitement, someone suddenly raised their hand.
"Yes, the knight over there, go ahead."
"I'm Lancelot, professor of the lecture 'The Sword is King Over All Diseases.' So how will these 'points' be determined? If all stages have equal points, are you saying my trial will only be worth as much as some herbalism test?"
"About that... Of course, the points won’t be the same. I’ll make a reasonable judgment and assign points accordingly."
As Alexon had pointed out, the Academy was indeed a training ground for combatants.
It made sense that someone who knew little about herbalism but was incredibly strong, like Envers, would rank higher than someone who was an expert in herbs but a mere extra. Non-combat stages would naturally receive lower points.
One by one, stage proposals were submitted. The Mad Wizard assigned point values and compiled them into a list for public release. Aisha helped with writing the names.
"This is absurd!"
"Why are the points for my stage so low?! And what’s that?!"
"Down with the corrupt professors! We demand equal point distribution!"
And then chaos ensued.
The Mad Wizard’s Grand Maze : 150 points The Glory of Alejandro & Alexon’s Battle : 100 points Lancelot’s Apple-Slicing Challenge : 5 points ... Suzy’s ‘Which One Is the Poisonous Mushroom?’ : 1 pointThe stages of the three corrupt professors were hogging all the points like bonus questions at the end of a school trip.Without competing in those stages, there was no chance of winning the tournament. Calling this a diverse set of stages was essentially just telling them to play in the professors’ sandbox.
In response, the Mad Wizard said nonchalantly:
"Well, if you have any complaints, just win them through battle and take the points for yourself."
"What?"
"We’re starting a mini-event: the Point Steal Battle . Here are the rules. Once a day, you can challenge another professor to a one-on-one duel. If you lose or forfeit, your points will be stolen. However, your points cannot drop below one."
"???"
"Now, go kill each other."
After a brief moment of silence—‘What did I just hear?’—a tense atmosphere began to spread. After all, from the outside, if a professor’s stage had a high point value, that professor would be seen as highly competent.
Soon, a large-scale clash broke out. Combat professors grabbed their weapons, while non-combat professors opened their books.
"I’ve never liked you, Solani of the lecture 'Easily Beating Swords with Spears'! Draw your spear!"
"Hmph, I’ve been meaning to put you in your place for a while. Try to take on my spear with your short, weak longsword, Lancelot!"
And so, for about a week, there was chaos as everyone scrambled for points. The Mad Wizard’s Grand Maze : 179 points The Glory of Alejandro & Alexon’s Battle : 113 points Suzy’s ‘Which One Is the Poisonous Mushroom?’ : 7 points ... Lancelot’s Apple-Slicing Challenge : 1 pointWith that, the final point distribution was confirmed. The Mad Wizard’s Grand Maze —what is it, you ask?
It’s basically a dungeon filled with all the little ideas I’ve been toying with. There are tentacles, deadly traps, moving walls, puzzles, boss battles... It's based on Selvier’s trial theory, and it’s quite intense.
When Aisha took a look inside, she dryly asked:
"Are you planning to kill the students?"
"Of course not. Naturally, I’ve arranged for them not to actually die. There’s a traditional system in place: we give them artifacts, and if their shield breaks, they get teleported out. I’ve used illusion magic to enhance—"
"No, I mean, even if the artifact works perfectly, it can’t prevent heart attacks or actual damage, can it?"
"I’ve set it within a range that the students have experienced before. I’ve just... slightly raised the difficulty. They’ll manage."
And as for Alejandro & Alexon’s Glory of Battle ...
"Can you read this part for me?"
"Don’t ask me to sort your thoughts for you."
"Alright, here we go."
Alejandro & Alexon’s Glory of Battle was essentially a collaborative work by the three corrupt professors. I had also thrown in some ideas, and it was the attraction I was most looking forward to.
It was divided into two parts: a Crown battle prepared by Alexon and a Mansion Defense battle prepared by Alejandro.
In PK Zone A , the Crown is hidden.
In PK Zone B , Alejandro’s Mansion of Glory stands.
To score full points, one player from the team must acquire the Crown , place it on their head, and survive for one hour inside the Mansion of Glory .
If a player is 'killed' in the PK zone, they are forcibly removed from the attraction and cannot attempt it again. Each team gets one chance only.
It’s like a guild battle with a bit of strategy mixed in.
With such high points at stake, anyone aiming to win the Academy Team Tournament must challenge this stage. The winner will likely be decided here.
Or—
They could bravely tackle The Mad Wizard’s Grand Maze and secure an undeniable victory!
"Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. Aisha, give me a report on the teams that have entered so far."
"You don’t have eyes, hands, or a mouth?"
"I have them all, plus a cute and beautiful daughter."
"Ugh, gross..."
Aisha, clearly disgusted, flipped through the documents with a flick of her wrist. Though she grumbled, she still gave a proper report.
"So far, Bennett's party has decided not to participate. He’s planning to just wander around and enjoy a small vacation."
"One of the top contenders has dropped out."
"The White Lotus Swordswoman has assembled a compact team of ten, including Luna. The rest of her followers, who weren’t selected, are apparently training desperately while shedding tears of frustration."
"Oh-ho."
Considering team stability, the White Lotus Swordswoman’s team seemed the most solid. Even though they didn’t have any extraordinary hidden cards, each member was mid-to-upper-tier.
"Both Baekseol and Selvier are entering as solo participants. You heard that, right?"
"The rivalry to come should be interesting. What about Gordius?"
"Gordius... well, I’d say he’s the real contender for victory."
"That's quite a high evaluation. But Gordius hasn’t fully blossomed yet, has he? Even though there’s been some improvement in his specs after a few sessions, I wouldn’t peg him as a potential winner."
Curious about Aisha's surprising prediction, I tilted my head as she scrolled through the team roster. Even after going through one page, her finger kept moving down the list.
"Gordius has fifty team members, including Envers."
"...Didn’t we say to form teams of ten?"
"He formed a team of ten and then absorbed four other teams. He persuaded them, saying, ‘If victory is going to fall into the hands of those who’ve already ascended, why not band together and cause a stir?’ In a way, it's bending the rules. Do you want to penalize them?"
"No, it’s the perfect balance patch. Plus, Gordius’s faction isn’t that tightly knit... someone might find an opportunity to exploit a gap."
It was shaping up to be an intriguing situation.
On one side, there was the White Lotus Swordswoman and Gordius with their powerful teams.
On the other side, Baekseol and Selvier stood alone as individual competitors.
Among these four, who would claim victory?
I grabbed some popcorn and settled into my chair to watch the action. Aisha quickly manipulated the magic circles, projecting the tournament live onto a blank wall.
The part I had put the most effort into for this Academy Team Tournament was this. Thanks to hundreds of familiar-cameras, we were able to broadcast the event live in real-time.
Aside from the entertainment value, this also allowed us to ensure student safety in case of emergencies.
Additionally, the footage, with some light editing, would be broadcast to the VIPs staying at the Academy. I was ready to flex my directorial skills.
Everything was set. Everyone was waiting for the starting signal.
I exhaled into the mic, checked the sound, and made the announcement.
"The Academy Team Tournament , which will run for three days, begins now!"
Bang!
Firework graphics filled the sky.
And on the screen, the students began to move busily.
The White Lotus Swordswoman’s team, the White Lotus Knights , had a plan. Since the details and point distribution for each event had been revealed in advance, they could strategize beforehand.
Placing her hand gently over her heart, the White Lotus Swordswoman spoke.
"Our target is The Glory of Alejandro & Alexon’s Battle . More specifically, we’re aiming for the Crown first."
"Yep, smart."
Luna gave her a double thumbs-up.
If they could secure the Crown early, it would allow them to dictate when and how to fight, given that the Mansion was stationary, but the Crown was not.
As everyone nodded in agreement, one of the followers asked.
"My lady, what about The Mad Wizard’s Grand Maze ?"
"—Are you daring to question my lady’s judgment?!"
"I cannot forgive this! Step outside at once—"
Such fierce loyalty. The White Lotus Swordswoman calmed the overzealous members with a gesture and replied.
"Ha... enough, everyone. You raised a good point. Let me make this clear. Our White Lotus Knights will... absolutely and completely exclude The Mad Wizard’s Grand Maze ."
"Yes, my lady!"
"I’ll explain why. The facilities are already accessible before the event even starts. So, Luna went to sneak a peek."
"Yeah, I took a look."
Luna Steri, the ace of tower strategies. If she had infinite lives, no one could beat her in efficiency. She recalled her glimpse into The Mad Wizard’s Grand Maze , and her pale face turned even whiter, like a vampire’s.
"...We shouldn’t go."
"..."
"..."
Everyone understood. Even if it meant they might score no points, even if they had to scrape together points from herbalism quizzes, even if simply clearing the maze guaranteed first place, they would not step foot inside.
"We’ll start by searching methodically. Since the Crown is said to be hidden in Area A, let’s all move there together and look for it."
"I’ll stake my life on finding it! Absolutely!"
"Even if it’s hidden inside The Mad Wizard’s Grand Maze , I’ll find it!!"
"...Please take it easy. I’m begging you."
With that, the White Lotus Knights headed toward Area A in search of the Crown .
What they found was...
"—You said you wouldn’t participate! You said you wouldn’t participate!"
"There are reasons. My little sister... she came to watch. The Crown is here. If you can even scratch me, I’ll give it to you. Afterward, I truly won’t participate."
What they saw was Bennett holding his Ho-won weapon in a grand, dignified pose, surrounded by students jeering at him.
It turns out that a single comment from his sister, Berda Hilton, saying, "I want to see my brother looking cool," had returned like a storm to shake up the Academy students.
"...My lady, what do we do?"
"...We’ll switch to the plan of occupying the Mansion of Glory . We don’t have anyone who can take down Bennett by force, and while all ten of us could probably scratch him, if even one of us gets eliminated in the process, it’ll be a waste of our strength."
So, they left the Crown to be taken by another team, hoping that someone else would steal it.
"Good."