573 Chapter 573: Toward Two Hundred (1/2)
”Ugh!”
Earth spikes impaled a few students and left them dangling in the air in a precarious posture. Outside, Zhang winced before he used his telekinesis spells to levitate them away from the stuff. Blood splattered onto the ground as they were lifted from the deadly earth spikes and out of the cage where Yi Ya and her team of healers were waiting.
Upon seeing the casualties, Yi Ya groaned in exasperation and buried her face in her palm.
”Not again…”
”Next group,” Zhang said tiredly, waving in the next group. As the other students debated among themselves about who should go next, I glanced up at the huge holographic screen.
”Whoa!”
I couldn't believe my eyes. I had already defeated 103 people so far. That brought the total tally for summoning students defeated by summoning students up to 150. From out of nowhere, I had almost doubled my score. That last group must have been fifteen, which was why my score jmped from 88 to 103. That was faster than I expected.
Above, in the VIP seat, one of the professors turned to the bald dean with an amused expression.
”Dean Xiao, the summoning department has already defeated a total of 150 students so far. If they really do manage to hit 200, are we really going to give them all the resources from the other departments?”
”Heh…” Dean Xiao could only chuckle mysteriously.
”Of course,” Director Henry Porter declared behind them, shocking the poor professor. Uncle Li turned to look at the director, who had just exchanged a glance with his granddaughter. ”We gave our word. How can we back out now? Who's going to trust us in future if we backtrack on what we said? Also, how is it fair to the summoning students that we can take their resources and distribute it to the other departments if they fail to meet the target, but if they meet double their target, we do an about face and deny them the rewards they worked so hard to obtain?”
”You're right,” Li admitted. ”I can't imagine that the other departments will be happy about this, though.”
”Besides,” Henry Porter continued with a grin. ”He has only defeated hundred and three, and even with his classmates' scores, it's still only a total of 150. He has fifty more opponents to defeat if he wants the prize. He might make it, he might not…but let's not count his chickens before they hatch, eh?”
”You're right,” Li agreed as he glanced down, at the arena. ”Look at Richard…he's already so exhausted. I don't know if he'll be able to hold up for another fifty opponents.”
Yet I still had fifty more students to defeat. Damn it.
While I was taking the chance to rest, the guy from earlier was glaring at me, a vein popping in his temple.
”To think that some no-name bumpkin refuses to acknowledge his place,” he growled. ”Does he not know that this is the territory of one of the ten Great Families?”
His friend, the person he asked to intervene earlier before I could get to a hundred, merely chuckled.
”This is the Porter's territory, not ours,” he reminded his lackey. ”So don't get carried away. Also, you called him a no-name bumpkin and complained about him not knowing his place…yet do you have the confidence to defeat him? Do you think you'll be able to defeat him if you go down there and challenge him?”
”Uh…no…”
”Then what's all this about not knowing his place? He has achieved his status through a demonstration of overwhelming strength. I'd say he has earned his place. However…”
He adjusted his jacket and stood up. His lackey perked up, delighted.
”Bro! Are you finally going to take action and challenge him yourself?”
”That's right,” the handsome guy replied with a smirk. ”I'm going down to teach him a lesson. I'll have him understand that the ten Great Families are not people he can challenge so easily. Perhaps he will need to witness the strength of the Hei family before he finally understands his true position.”
At the bottom, there was a group of students milling about and discussing amongst themselves on how they had no chance against me or something.
”Against someone like him and all those Soul Beasts, we're just cannon fodder! We don't stand a chance against him!”
”Our spells are useless against monsters of such power!”
”There's no way we can win!”
”Damn it…! Will the summoning students really get all our resources?”
”Let me through,” someone spoke up behind them and they all automatically parted to allow him to walk past them. When they caught sight of who the person was, their jaws dropped in amazement.
”Hei…Hei Cang Feng!?”
”You're going in alone?” Zhang asked, loitering near the cage entrance impatiently. Hei Cang Feng nodded.
”Yes. I'll be enough on my own.”
”All right!” the other students cheered. ”It's someone from the Hei family!”
”We're saved!”
Above, in the VIP box, next to Dean Xiao and in front of Henry Porter, one of the middle-aged women sighed and ran her fingers through the strands of her hair.