Chapter 126: First day of the tournament (1/2)

Chapter 126: First day of the tournament

“Your injury isn’t completely healed yet. To forcibly use Ghost World – Touch of Death just to teach these two teams a lesson, the price is a bit too great,” Ferguillo faintly said to Ivan, walking beside him on the street outside the restaurant.

“As long as I can shut up these northern blokes and feel happy, what do I care about the price,” Ivan faintly said.

“Your temperament’s exactly the same as it used to be,” Ferguillo said, throwing him a glance.

“Aren’t you the same.” Ivan humped in contempt. From these two’s manners, they seemed at daggers drawn. Their relationship didn’t look good at all.

But after a humph, Ivan faintly raised his head and looked at the Everlasting Tower at the highest reaches of Eichemalar. He said, “Before, I thought the strongest in St. Lauren should be you and us, that it would have been the best outcome if your team and our team were to represent St. Lauren in the competition. I never thought we would be both eliminated this time.”

“Training painstakingly for a year, even grasping an arcane skill like Ghost World – Touch of Death. You were originally bound to shine in the national tournament, but now you can only stay outside the field and watch someone else fight. Isn’t that very frustrating?” Ferguillo said with a faint smile.

“Frustrating?” Ivan smiled. “I am actually full of expectation instead. I have a feeling that Ayrin and the others will go further than us in the tournament.”

After a pause, Ivan once again looked at Ferguillo with contempt. “Also, you don’t need to be that modest either. Even if I learned Ghost World – Touch of Death, I might not have surmounted you. If our two teams had met, it’s hard to tell who would have entered the nationals.”

“It seems we’re of the same mind.” Ferguillo smiled faintly and said such a sentence, then turned around and looked at Charlotte. “If you go and cheer for Ayrin, he’ll surely be even more motivated.”

Charlotte’s face was red. “What does it have to do with me!”

“Really nothing to do with you?” Some musclemen from Iron Forest Academy winked and laughed mischievously. “Then we still have a chance?”

“You guys just go die!” Charlotte lashed out in embarrassment.

…

All the sixty-four teams participating in the nationals were set up in the Holy Splendor Contestant District. This was a building complex not far away from the Arena of Fire and Blood, built subsequently. Because they knew young people were hot-blooded and were easily impulsive, the entire contestant area was split into sixty-four small parts. Every one of the sixty-four participating teams lived by themselves in a hostel with many rooms.

Each hostel had a completely different layout compared to the others. They were all built following the archetypical styles of various great cities.

The hostel they prepared for team Holy Dawn was modeled after Hot Spring City’s style. The entire hostel was built with rough irregular stones, with a great many vivid plants and flowers growing there. There were warm spring ponds in the lounge and in all of the rooms.

Though they’d said they would stroll and play in Eichemalar in the afternoon after the meal, even those Agate Lake girls who innately loved to stroll and window-shop had heads filled with thoughts of how to fight their next match. That was why they only walked for a bit over an hour before both teams returned to their respective lodgings.

Not long after he entered the lounge of their hostel, about to take a bunch of fruits available free of charge there before going back to his room, Ayrin suddenly heard someone calling for him.

“Professor Plum?”

Ayrin was a little stunned when as he turned his head around and had a look.

The one standing in the doorway of a room on the second floor, calling for him, was precisely that super chatty manager of the old-fashioned library.

“Professor Plum, why did you also come?” Ayrin walked in front of him and asked, feeling curious.

“Come inside.”

Just like in Holy Dawn Academy, professor Plum wore an ordinary black robe. He only said two words before he turned around and went back inside his room.

“So many books?” Ayrin was immediately dumbfounded when he followed him inside.

Apart from a bed for sleeping, bookshelves spread all over professor Plum’s room. All of them seemed to be piled full of books.

Without manifesting any expression on his face, professor Plum told Ayrin to close the door, and warned at the same time, “Don’t touch any book, you just stand there.”

Then he looked at Ayrin and asked, “You very much like attacking your opponents by surprise?”

“That’s right.” Ayrin scratched his head and smiled, a little embarrassed. “If I can catch them off guard, it’s easier to defeat powerful opponents. Aren’t we supposed to use any arcane skill when the opponent least expect it?”

“You’re right. You have to use every arcane skill when the opponent least expects it.”

Professor Plum handed over two scrolls to Ayrin. “Right now, your arcane skills are still too monotonous. Carter let me choose two arcane skills for you. These two skills shouldn’t be too hard for you. Learn them within three days, before the start of the first match.”

“Teacher Carter told professor Plum to help teach me arcane skills?” Ayrin took the two tiny scrolls. He was suddenly excited. “Professor Plum, can you do like teacher Ciaran, first demonstrate so I can see, then use an arcane skill to imprint it deeper in my mind? This way, I’ll definitely learn it faster.”

“An arcane master’s study can’t forever rely on someone else’s demonstration.” Professor Plum shook his head, grave and stern. “Because many arcane skills are skills others can’t grasp either. If an arcane master can’t nurture his ability to learn and research on his own, if he can only learn someone else’s arcane skills, then no matter what kind of talent, he won’t achieve anything special.”

“I have to nurture my ability to learn by myself? I understand now.” Ayrin nodded seriously. “Thank you, professor Plum.”

“If there’s nothing else, you go and train.” Professor Plum waved Ayrin away, indicating that Ayrin could leave immediately without the need for excessive courtesy.