The next day, at the competition grounds of Cyber Academy, the forty-two new students were fully geared up and eager to go. Coming from various cities, these young prodigies were naturally unwilling to back down from one another.
Over the past few days, Lan had regained his confidence with the support of his friends. With three Gold-quality mystical beasts, he believed he still had a chance to enter A class. His only thought now was to avoid running into Charles during the competition!
“The class division battles will use a point system. Defeating your opponent earns you one point…” announced the teacher in charge of the competition, explaining that there would be four arenas for the matches to take place simultaneously.
“One last thing: the use of any equipment or miracle drugs during the competition is strictly prohibited!” As soon as the teacher finished speaking, Lan’s eyes lit up! Ever since his last defeat at Charles’s hands, he had carefully analyzed that the blade light was clearly activated by Charles’s weapon!
He also knew that, although Charles was a third-level Beast Master, he only had two Platinum-quality mystical beasts! With this in mind, Lan clenched his fists, gritting his teeth, and squeezed out through his lips, “Damn Charles, if I run into you, I’ll definitely make you taste the bitterness of defeat!”
Lan instinctively looked around, trying to spot Charles. Just then, Charles turned around, their eyes locking for a brief moment. Lan quickly lowered his head, his fists tightening even more!
“Alright, let’s start the draw. Get ready,” the teacher announced.
All the students moved to the stage to draw lots, with reactions ranging from excitement to dread.
“What?! My opponent is Princess Camilla, the Second Princess!”
“Oh no, my opponent is Zachary, the General’s son!”
“Ha ha ha, Catherine Otolov? Never heard of her, she must not be strong!”
“Charles? My opponent is also someone I’ve never heard of—this is going to be easy!”
…
Princess Camilla and General Zachary?
Charles had some recollection of those names. Based on the reactions of others, it seemed these two were among the strongest students.
“I hope I get matched against them,” Charles thought to himself. Although he couldn’t use the black gold long knife, he believed that with Max and Mousie, he could handle most battles.
Moreover, being at Cyber Academy meant he didn’t have to hide Mousie’s dark attributes—skills like [Darkness Drawn] and [Demigod Power] could be used freely. After taking down three level-five Beast Masters last time, both Mousie and Max had reached level 24, giving Charles a slight boost in power.
In terms of actual combat capability, he felt no fear. While the students at Cyber Academy had Beast Master talents, their real battle experience was lacking, especially when it came to life-or-death situations! ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Following the teacher’s instructions, Charles made his way to the competition arena. By coincidence, he found himself standing right in front of Princess Camilla!
Charles watched the battle with great interest as Camilla’s opponent stepped up, immediately summoning all of his mystical beasts.
After a quick glance, Charles noted that he had one Silver-quality mystical beast and two Gold-quality mystical beasts. Facing the Empire’s Second Princess Camilla, the boy was clearly nervous, and even after the teacher announced the start of the match, he failed to seize the moment!
Camilla summoned her mystical beast—a [Two-Headed Poisonous Python].
[Attributes:] Poison
[Level:] 26
[Quality:] Platinum
[Skills:] Venomous Snare, Double Blow, Savage Entanglement, Body Armor Plate
[Weakness:] Lightning
Camilla summoned just one mystical beast. Using [Venomous Snare] to block her opponent’s mystical beast’s movement, she sent her massive [Two-Headed Poisonous Python] charging forward with its [Body Armor Plate] protecting it, quickly closing the distance and decisively kicking her opponent out of the arena.
“Camilla wins! Score +1,” the referee announced the result immediately.
Charles paid close attention, setting aside some of his initial disdain. Camilla had considerable battle experience and was taking risks. If her opponent had summoned a mystical beast with control skills, the outcome might not have been so smooth.
Camilla’s choice to summon only one mystical beast seemed strategic, aiming to keep her true strength hidden while making a striking impression right at the start of her academy journey!
“Next up, we have Charles facing Jay!” the referee called out for the next match.
Jay quickly shouted, “I’m here, teacher! Ha ha, lucky me to face someone with a name I’ve never heard of!”
By the time Charles stepped onto the competition field, Jay could hardly contain himself as he summoned three fire-type mystical beasts—one Silver quality and the others Gold quality.
“Kid, you’re unlucky to face me. Although I can’t compare to those true geniuses, defeating you will be more than enough!” Jay said, brimming with confidence.
Charles couldn’t be bothered to waste words and directly summoned Max and Mousie.
Seeing only two mystical beasts, Jay erupted with rage, shouting, “What? You’re only summoning two mystical beasts? Trying to emulate Princess? This is driving me insane!”
Camilla, who was about to leave, instinctively turned around at the sound of his shout. Just as the referee announced, “The match begins,” Charles shot forward like a ghost!
Jay panicked instantly and hurriedly commanded his mystical beasts to unleash fire-type skills. All those skills were blocked by the [Ice and Fire Barrier] surrounding Charles! Not only that, but Charles also deliberately left a fire-type attack skill for Max, who executed [Ice Pick Throwing].
In an instant, the tiny ice spikes met the blazing fire, creating a cloud of steam that obscured Jay’s vision. Just as Jay was about to retract his mystical beasts and use [Beast Mastery], a figure burst through the steam and delivered a kick that sent him flying out of the arena.
The referee promptly announced, “Charles wins! Points +1.”
The onlookers outside the arena were suddenly excited, saying:
“Charles is so strong! Why haven’t I heard his name before?”
“His mystical beasts seem to be Platinum level! Just like the Second Princess!”
“Using the collision of ice and fire to generate steam and obscure the enemy’s vision—that’s brilliant! How did I not think of that?”
“Did you all notice? Charles didn’t use [Beast Mastery]! His speed is much faster than an ordinary Beast Master!”
Camilla listened to the discussions around her and slowly looked up, curiously staring at Charles. Just then, Charles glanced in her direction, and their eyes met. Both of them valued each other, instinctively viewing one another as formidable opponents.
As Charles exited the competition arena, he intended to check on Catherine, but he found that her battle was already over by the time he arrived.
Catherine hadn’t even had to fight; her opponent was just an ordinary Level 3 Beast Master, and she had no desire to engage. So, she simply summoned four Gold quality Platinum mystical beasts, and her opponent immediately forfeited.
“She’s a Level 4 Beast Master! What’s the point of fighting? She must be the strongest among this year’s students.”
“Not necessarily. The Second Princess hasn’t revealed her strength yet, and I’ve heard that Zachary is also a Level 4 Beast Master!”
“So everyone here is so impressive? Am I the only Level 3 Beast Master?”
“Don’t be discouraged, bro! I heard there’s another Level 3 Beast Master, but he only has two contracted mystical beasts. Not sure who that is.”
…
Charles listened to the discussions with a bit of helplessness. He didn’t want to be just a Level 3 Beast Master with only two mystical beasts. Max and Mousie were both Platinum quality; he truly looked down on contracting a Silver quality mystical beast! Once a mystical beast is contracted, there’s usually no way to relieve it.
A Silver quality mystical beast would struggle to achieve the same accomplishments as a Gold quality one in the future. Right now, Charles’s goal was that Emerald quality mystical beast cub!
The morning matches had ended, and many students were injured and needed time to recover, so the next match was scheduled for the afternoon. With some time to spare, Charles planned to return to his dorm to practice making [Revival Pills].
But unexpectedly, Catherine invited him to go out for a while; she wanted to buy a suitable weapon.
Genosha Caliviathe Forging Masters Guild.
Charles led Catherine inside. They spent half the morning looking for a suitable weapon at the weapon shop but couldn’t find anything that met Catherine’s needs. She wanted a fist weapon that had to be lightweight and able to change with the movement of her hand, which made it even harder to find.
Out of options, Charles thought of the Forging Masters Guild, where there was a wider variety of weapons, and they were cheaper, too. However, there was one prerequisite: the buyer had to be a certified forger.
“Charles, it looks like these can only be purchased by forgers. Let’s check somewhere else,” Catherine said, trying to pull Charles away. But to her surprise, he walked straight up to the front desk and said, “Hello, please give me a registration form for the forger certification exam.”
“Charles, you—you can forge?” Catherine stared at him, her blue eyes wide with shock.
Charles smiled and replied, “Yeah, if only forgers can buy them, then why not become a forger?”
When the front desk staff brought out the registration form, Charles frowned and asked, “Excuse me, do you have a registration form for advanced forgers?”
The staff member looked at him disdainfully and said, “Young man, are you a forger? Don’t you know that forger certification exams must start from the beginner level?”
“I’m a forger; can’t I start from the advanced level? I’m in a hurry,” Charles replied calmly.
“In a hurry yet you want to take the exam? That’s ridiculous! The most basic requirement is metal purification, and that can’t be done in a short time!” The staff member laughed derisively, his attitude growing even more dismissive. “I suggest you just go back. Coming to take the exam without understanding anything! If you pass, I’ll call you ‘dad!'”
Catherine’s face turned pale; she was furious at how someone spoke to Charles.
Charles filled out the form, then looked at the staff member and said, “In half an hour, you’ll be calling me ‘dad.'”