Chapter 61: Interesting!!
"Welcome!!"
The collective gaze of the thousands of students in the arena lowered, focusing on Monica, who stood confidently at its center.
"The rules for this friendly competition will mirror those of the actual academy competition," her voice resonated clearly. "This will ensure none of you freshmen look like clueless newcomers when the real event begins."
Christopher, Advika, Mariana, Mitchell, and the other six freshmen—three boys and three girls—simply nodded in acknowledgment.
"We will have three rounds," Monica continued, her tone authoritative. "In the first round, two participants with the lowest points will be eliminated. The same will happen in the second round. Finally, in the third round, another two will be eliminated, leaving the final four as our representatives. Remember this: in the academy competition, you function as a team, not as individuals. Understood?"
A chorus of nods confirmed their understanding.
"Good..." Monica nodded in satisfaction. "Now, for the first round... Each of you will be targeted by an enraged Beast. Don’t fret; we will ensure fairness by having each of you face a Legendary-stage beast."
"What?!" A girl exclaimed, her voice laced with mild horror. As a Novice Tamer, the prospect of facing an enraged Legendary-stage beast seemed insurmountable.
"I sense your fear," Monica acknowledged calmly. "All you need to do is survive for a certain duration. One second of survival equates to ten points."
"Survive? As in, we could actually die?" another student asked, apprehension evident in their voice.
"Nope... Now I understand your apprehension." With a snap of her fingers, a holographic tiger materialized beside her. "This Beast will be the one attacking all of you. It cannot be killed or tamed. Your objective is simply to survive. A word of warning: if you step outside the designated safe zone, you lose. If the Beast catches you, you also lose. Understand?"