Inside the VR world
All the participating students were gathered in what looked like a large arena. The size was incomparably huge as it was big enough to house hundreds of thousands of spectators.
The battleground itself was very large as it covered several kilometres of space in every direction. It was designed so to make room for the occasional changing terrains to have its maximum effect.
That, and the remnants of past battles that would sweep the space from time to time.
The arena was buzzing with the cheers and energy of the spectating students and this time, there were not only first-years but the other year groups as well.
It was a major event for the entire academy whenever tournament-style events occurred.
"I heard the first years are very impressive, especially that kid called Alexander Gray."
"Yep. I caught a few highlights of his fights and I've got to say, he is good. Very good in fact."
"Wouldn't that mean he has the tournament in the bag? With strength like his, there wouldn't be a lot of challenge."
"Not necessarily. Information I got says the tournament has special additions where the terrain would be subject to different changes from time to time."
"Well, we're here now. Let's see what happens."
...
[Welcome to the annual first-year tournaments, ladies and gents.]
The loud voice of the system designated as the MC of the tournament resounded across the large arena, prompting every to quiet down.
[As part of the first year's annual competition, we are here to witness the combat prowess of our students]
[In this tournament, more than just combat techniques will be tested. Their intelligence, wits, instincts, and adaptability will be tried.]
[Due to the large number of students participating, multiple fights will be taking place at the same time. You, the audience, are at liberty to choose which fight to focus on.]
[Each bout will be three minutes long. Everything goes with the exception of foul moves.]
Once the system made the spectators aware of the settings, it went ahead to randomly allocate students to different brackets, the allocations visible to all.
Alex, Julia and Ross were in their armour sitting at their designated spot and once they were called upon, all they had to do was stand in a teleport formation in the back and they would be sent directly to the arena grounds.
"What are you doing?" Julia asked Alex as she noticed him busy on his communication device chatting away with someone.
"Hm? Oh… I was just talking with Abigail. She was just expressing her thanks for bringing her this far."
Alex replied and closed the chat as he was mostly done saying whatever he needed to say to her.
"You do know that she would be eliminated in her first fight, right?" Ross stated the obvious with a raised brow; something they all knew.
In fact, every student who was able to qualify for the Battle Royale knew more than anyone else how slim their chances were. The only thing they could do was give it their all.
"Yeah…"
Suddenly, Julia and Ross had their devices beep, indicating the first opponent they had to fight. The two promptly checked to see who they matched up with.
"Well, what do you know? I never thought I'd hear this guy's name again." Ross muttered with a small smile and then glanced at Alex with a knowing smile.
"Who did you match with?" His curiosity was piqued, Julia included.
If Ross was speaking in such a way, then Alex probably knew who the person was.
"He's an old colleague of ours, mostly yours. Remember the jackass that always gave you trouble in middle school?"
"Brad…" Alex guessed with an expressionless face. Honestly, he had completely forgotten about the existence of his middle school bully.
Even after spending close to a year in the academy, they had never encountered each other. As a top-tier student, their learning environment was different from the rest.
"The guy who used to bully you?" Julia inquired to which both Alex and Ross nodded.
"Yeah. Bradley Harper had been torn on my side for most of my middle school years, but it's in the past now." He stated without going into any details.
"Which class is he in?" He asked looking at Ross.
"Right…" Once prompted, Ross went ahead and searched about his opponent before reading it out loud for his group.
"Brad is in Class 1B2 and a sound ability user." He summarized what he saw to Alex and Julia who nodded in reply.
"It's strange how we haven't come across him even during the Convergence Maze event." Alex slightly pondered with a hand on his chin.
"Hmph! With his class, the only thing he could do was hide from you. And since you weren't actively searching for him, it's not much of a surprise.
"Who knows? He may have been eliminated before we reached the top floor of the labyrinth."
Julia replied with folded arms.
"Of course…" Alex smiled in response and then looked over to Ross who had a thinking expression on.
"What's on your mind?"
Alex asked.
"Nothing really… Just thinking about strategies to beat his sound abilities. I haven't faced anyone with that power before."
"Right. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about." Alex brushed it off.
It wasn't that he was looking down on Brad, it was simply his faith in Ross' strength that made him say what he did.
Even in an unpredictable environment, he believed Ross would come out on top.
"Still, it doesn't hurt to understand how your opponent's abilities work," Ross responded and continued his research.
"What about you? Are you familiar with the person you drew?" Alex asked Julia in turn, making Ross turn to her.
"Someone called Emil Dawn, Class 1C1 and a water ability user. It won't even be a challenge." She replied with a shrug, having no idea who the person was.
His ability was also very similar to hers as she was an ice user. The matchup was in her complete favour.
"Maybe… But remember the terrain won't remain the same throughout. And what I'm worried about the most are the remnant past battles that could affect you giving a chance to your opponent.
"One wrong move and you wouldn't know how you got eliminated."
Alex warned.
Of course, even he was of the same mindset, but the battlefield can be unpredictable if taken as a joke. Strong people have been known to lose to weak people, and this was a fact they all knew.
"Naturally," she agreed instantly, glad Alex was showing his concern.
[Our first matches of the day will begin shortly. Fighters, prepare yourself to appear in your battlegrounds.]
The system prompt came again revealing the fighters to duke it out first.
"Oh… Abigail is starting as well." Julia noted once the fighters were revealed.
"I guess we know which fight to focus on…"