351 Chapter 351: A brief briefing (1/2)
”Are you serious?” I asked incredulously. Feng Hai nodded.
”That is correct. In light of your valiant courage and selfless sacrifices to rescue other people, even though you had no obligation to, and to recognize your heroism, we decided to make an exception for you.” He glanced at the Lie Hou Academy students. ”We also listened to the students from Lie Hup Academy, who managed to gather everyone and petition for you to not be eliminated from the competition.”
I turned toward the Lie Huo Academy students, astonished, and bowed gratefully. I didn't think they would go that far. Still, something puzzled me.
”How did you know I would be back anyway? Most people would have assumed that I died in the Den of Dragons.”
”No, we started the petition after you returned yesterday.” The big guy grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.
”Oh.” That made more sense, though for them to get so many people involved and had the tournament organizers make such a big decision in such a short period of time was impressive. Acknowledging that, I bowed my head gratefully. ”Thank you.”
”No, not at all. We are the ones who should be thanking you. You're the one who saved our lives, after all.” The skinny guy lowered his head humbly. The blond girl nodded.
”That's right! So please…take your place back with your team!”
Honestly, I was still weirded out that they decided to resort to this cliché of reinstating the main character even though he was supposed to be disqualified. You know, all because he was the protagonist. As if I was some special snowflake who deserved to be treated differently from all the other characters. It was almost as if the rules of this world were bending backward just to accommodate me at my convenience.
”All right, Richard, and the Jing Tian Academy team. Now that you've been informed, go back to the city hall and attend the briefing for the next stage of the qualifiers. The rest of you, start packing up and boarding the train. Thank you for participating, and I know you did your best. Even though you didn't qualify for the next round, your performance this year has been spectacular.”
Feng Hai applauded them, inspiring them to feel proud of their efforts despite falling short. He was right. The most important thing was that everyone cooperated and worked together to survive and return safely. Those of us still alive to remain standing on the training platform, anyway. There were a few casualties, students who had perished in the Den of Dragons and succumbed to the elements or slain by monsters, but for the most part, the majority of us pulled through.
And no, there were no weird ”evil” teams who tried to bully others by robbing them of their survival gear, stripping them naked, burning their supplies and clothes, raping the sole female member of their team and leaving them to die in the snow. There were no ”main character's team beat up a high-ranked 'evil' bully team who underestimated them, and karma bit them in their asses when the victim teams who stalked them all this while, waiting for a chance at revenge, showed up to enact their vengeance on the defeated bullies.” While I was not naïve enough to think bullies didn't exist, evil caricatures who attempted to blatantly murder other students in the wild just because they arrogantly thought they could do so without suffering the consequences was just not realistic. Nor would a character who had been established earlier in the story as a calm, intelligent and seemingly rational, charismatic leader suddenly transform into a warped evil incarnate dripping with sadism and malice. Like, he displayed absolutely no signs of sadism at all, and the author suddenly claimed the change was just him revealing his true nature, even though it looked nothing more like an excuse for the main character to beat him up and slap his face for looking down on him.
”Hello? Richard? Come back.”
Harrison Reed was waving his hand in front of my face. I jolted up and then blinked, smiling sheepishly and lowering my head in apology.
”Sorry…I was drifting away.”
”Don't drift off, dude!” Craig Carlson chuckled at my dazed expression. ”We're only just getting started!”
”Let's go back now,” Sheila Scarlet agreed. Without any reason to refuse, I nodded and followed my friends back in the direction of the city hall, dragging my luggage behind me.
Seemed like I had wasted my time packing everything last night. Whoops.
*
Later during the day, around noon, I found myself sitting with my friends inside some sort of lecture hall. There were hundreds of students gathered, whispering to each other and trying to speculate what was next.
Now that we had passed the qualifiers, the next stage naturally should be the elimination rounds. Everyone was eagerly awaiting details regarding the elimination stages, especially since that would determine our overall ranking and performance during the tournament. Those who made it to the finals or the knockout stages would obviously have a greater prestige than those who were eliminated during the qualifiers.
One of the tournament staff stood at the podium, dressed in that weird military uniform of his, which included a purple beret and…opaque glasses. How was he able to see through those opaque lenses, I had no idea, but I guess the answer lay simply in magic. But it was still a waste of mana.
”Everyone, please quieten down,” the muscular military man said into the microphone. In an instant, the entire lecture hall fell silent, with every student craning their neck and enthusiastically listening to him.
He swept his stern gaze across the lecture hall, and took a deep breath.
”First of all, I would like to congratulate all of you for making it past the qualifiers. All of you, without exception, have performed splendidly. The judges and staff supervising the qualifiers are all impressed with the teamwork and tenacity you displayed in a hostile environment, and how all of you cooperated to survive in the wilderness. You should be proud of yourselves.”
He then raised his hands to applaud us. The students broke into a cheer, clapping and whooping, with some girls hugging each other in delight, and guys slapping each other in the backs. Even the stiff military man at the podium cracked a small smile as he watched us celebrate.
Well, the majority of us, anyway. I was too caught up in my own world to be happy. I merely watched the surroundings quietly.
”Why so glum, Richie?” Dong Fang Yue Chu seized me by the neck and patted my back with a laugh. ”We made it this far!”
”…yeah. We did.”
I wasn't sure what else to say. The tournament was only just beginning. The hardest part was yet to come.
”Don't be so pessimistic,” Theodore told me. ”Whatever happens, will happen. No use worrying about it.”