Chapter 236: Dark Demon Wants to Experience Defeat (4k)
Diana returned to the bench, still quite pleased.
After all, she had won.
So she happily accepted the congratulations from her fellow students in the Noble Academy and rewarded herself with a piece of candy.
Various clubs were also eager to recruit new members.
Unlike Emma, who was already reserved by the long-standing Literature Club, Diana was seen as a completely untapped resource by other clubs. The mere presence of the bear spirit was enough to spark interest in recruiting her.
“Are the Gretbail family related to the royal bears?”
A few people suddenly noticed Diana’s surname and were surprised.
The Gretbail family’s bloodline was indeed too powerful; every member was broad-shouldered and robust. Diana was truly an anomaly, making it hard to associate her with that family.
“Could it be true? Are any of you from the Noble Academy? Do you know more details?”
“No, although we are from the Noble Academy, who would bother gathering information on a first-year girl? It’s not like we want to be seen as perverts.”
“Uh…”
To improve their team composition, many clubs at the academy didn’t discriminate based on departments.
Though members from different departments might not get along well within the club, they weren’t naive children. When necessary, they would work together.
Of course, there were more clubs exclusive to specific departments!
One such club was the Nobility History Research Society.
Due to the failed approval of names like “Nobility Club,” “Royal Court Club,” and “Pure Blood Club,” a small group from the Noble Academy formed the “Nobility History Research Society.”表面上研究贵族历史，实则是一个纯粹贵族抱团取暖的小圈子。
But because nobles generally have good education and bloodline talents, the Nobility History Research Society has always been strong.
Naturally, they only recruited pure-blood nobles, requiring a certain level of family background.
If someone’s family status declined, they would be expelled from the club, which was very harsh.
Their target this year was naturally none other than the Duke’s son, Dark Demon!
At this moment, Owen, the upperclassman in charge of recruitment for the Nobility History Research Society, was secretly watching.
According to the rules, they could only recruit once the newcomer showed matching strength in the recruitment match.
The society needed to maintain an image of not judging solely by identity, so they hadn’t approached Dark yet.
However, while Dark hadn’t appeared, Diana beside him displayed impressive qualities, and her background fit the recruitment criteria of the Nobility History Research Society.
“Should we approach now, or wait until Demon appears and deal with both at once?”
Owen turned his gaze, feeling it wasn’t a big problem.
The son of a duchess was a representative of pure-blood nobles. Joining the Nobility History Research Society would elevate him to a top position directly, so he had no reason to refuse recruitment.
As for the little girl from the Kingdom of Bears, she seemed to follow the lead of the one with the horse head, so they would probably join together.
The other blonde-haired girl didn’t seem to fit the requirements, but breaking some rules for the duke’s son was nothing.
Let’s bring them all in!
…
Owen was optimistic, but there were plenty of others ready to take his place.
During this brief delay, several clubs approached Diana.
Among them, the Sports Club was particularly enthusiastic.
The Sports Club was also a large club supported by the school.
Although Diana was small, she excelled in endurance and strength.
Many muscular men dreamed of having a little princess join their club.
Unfortunately, reality was cruel.
Diana shook her head at them: “No, no, I won’t join any of you!”
There was no negotiation; she refused outright.
Thus, the clubs arrived with high hopes and left disappointed.
Dark’s surroundings became quiet again.
Diana swung her legs and moved closer to Dark.
She certainly wouldn’t join any other club.
Ever since Dark mentioned in a chat that he planned to restart the Magical Animal Club in his second year, Diana had been looking forward to it.
That was a club where they could openly keep bears in the academy!
Even if it wasn’t for Dark, the Magical Animal Club was the most appealing to her!
Other miscellaneous clubs held no appeal to her…
Hmm, if there was a Candy Club, a Dessert Club would be nice too, and a Cake Club would be great!
Suck
…
In the fourth and fifth matches, it was another round of duels between second-year students.
First-year students watched with amusement, finding it exciting.
When the two seniors finished the fifth match, it was finally time for the sixth.
Dark adjusted his card pack, slightly raising his head: “Finally, it’s my turn!”
The excitement of the duel made him feel exhilarated.
Watching from the sidelines couldn’t compare to being in the arena.
Rose waved her little fist: “Go!”
Diana looked serious: “Warrior One, come out, quick and decisive!”
But she couldn’t hold it in and laughed.
Dark shook his head helplessly, his excitement dampened.
“I wonder who my first opponent will be?”
He turned his head slightly, trying to find senior students with the intention to participate.
He hoped it wouldn’t be like Mr. Marjory.
If it were someone like Ms. Angelia, it would be great.
In his two classroom competitions since enrollment, he had always relied on his summoning speed to dominate, and he wanted to experience what it felt like when his summoning speed wasn’t superior.
After all, one can’t always win; one must have the ability to turn the tables in adversity.
Of course, failure can be an experience too.
But after searching for a while, he still didn’t find anyone.
“Forget it, it will come eventually.”
Dark gave up on searching and got up to walk to the Red Side competitor platform.
…
“Is he finally going to step onto the field?”
Professor Fox narrowed his eyes, looking at Dark. He wanted to see firsthand how far this boy, whom Professor Jones had described as a hot air balloon, had progressed.
Professor Jones glanced at the schedule and said, “His opponent is number 39, but 39 doesn’t seem to be around.”
Soon after, the referee’s voice echoed through the entire venue via the speaker: “Number 39, please report to field number 1 as soon as possible!”
Dark had already reached the competitor platform. He looked down and saw his classmate Tudor shouting and dueling with someone else nearby, a truly thrilling scene.
“Here he comes!”
A male student wearing a cotton hat and a thick coat over his uniform hurried over.
He looked cold, even wearing a scarf and gloves in the relatively warm indoor environment.
The referee looked at him disapprovingly.
He bowed and explained: “Sorry, I went to the restroom. I couldn’t resist eating something cold at noon. I can’t resist the temptation of cold things, but every time I eat them, my stomach protests.”
“Alright, alright,” the referee waved dismissively, “hurry up, your opponent is getting impatient.”
“Got it!” The cotton-hat man immediately rushed onto the platform.
After stepping up, he activated the spellboard and greeted warmly: “Hello, I’m John Smith from the Second Year, Fool’s Academy.”
Dark relaxed his expression and said, “I’m Dark Demon from the First Year, Noble Academy. Pleased to meet you, senior.”
John casually replied, “Oh, you’re a first-year student. No wonder I haven’t seen you… Wait, I think I’ve seen you before! At the assembly!
Several times! Oh yes, you also got an extra Holy Grail wish! Did you succeed? Of course, you did! What a great reward! I really envy you…”
John Smith’s words flowed like a river,滔滔不绝.
Dark was stunned.
This senior didn’t seem like someone from the Fool’s Academy?
Wasn’t he supposed to be low-key and introverted, silent and reticent?
Something’s off here!
…
“BEEP—”
It seemed the referee was also tired of his endless chatter and interrupted him with a whistle.
The duel entered the “Preparation Phase.”
Dark placed his deck into the card slot and activated the spellboard, automatically shuffling the cards.
Suddenly, John spoke again: “Last year, I missed two recruitment opportunities due to stomach pain.”
Dark: “Uh…”
John continued: “I thought I’d miss it again just now. Luckily, luckily.”
Dark’s expression changed slightly, then he understood what John meant, and a smile crept onto his face.
…
“BEEP—”
As the shuffling ended, the referee blew the whistle again, signaling the start of the 30-second countdown phase.
Dark instantly focused, and his mana began to flow.
Then, he quickly and accurately drew five mana guidance cards from the top of his deck.
It had been quite a while since his last duel, and Dark felt a slight joy.
He was finally back on the stage!
[Sumo Eagle]
[Greedy II]
[Curse Cage: Imp]
[Big Milk Jar]
[Flash Spell]
“Not bad luck!”
Dark quickly scanned the five mana guidance cards in his hand.
Given that his deck system wasn’t fully formed yet, these starting hands were already quite decent.
The three-star “Sumo Eagle” was enough to start with.
Four-star “Big Milk Jar” sacrifices were already in place.
If necessary, he could summon “Big Milk Jar” within 25 seconds.
With “Big Milk Jar,” it was like having an impregnable wall, leaving ample room for subsequent responses.
…
“Combat Phase” [30s]
“DING!”
The slight sound during the round change instantly refreshed everyone.
Dark pinched the “Sumo Eagle” card.
“Answer my call, Sumo Eagle!”
Just a little over three seconds later.
The Sumo Eagle burst forth from the light on the card!
When a duelist summons a mana spirit, they usually summon it to the ground in the summoning area.
But for flying mana spirits, they are summoned directly into the air!
The Sumo Eagle, making its first public appearance, was extremely excited. Its fighting spirit was even stronger than its owner!
It was a born wrestler, a warrior seeking victory.
…
[Card Name: Sumo Eagle]
[Type: Elemental Card]
[Level: ???]
[Race: Avian-beast Kin]
[Attribute: Combat/Flying]
[Mana: 1100]
[Attack: 1500]
[Defense: 1200]
[Ultimate Skill: Feather Dance]
…
Not much slower than Dark, John also raised his mana guidance card!
His face was full of confidence.
Five seconds of normal summoning time, even among second-year students, was considered excellent. Moreover, since the semester had just started, he had a lot of room for improvement.
As the normal summoning spell completed, countless ice flowers erupted from his card.
These ice flowers reflected a translucent luster under the indoor lights, beautiful and clear.
“Ice Flower Dance!”
With a loud shout.
The ice flowers suddenly spun into the air!
…
The spectators outside were shocked.
At the start, John broke the norm and didn’t summon a mana spirit, instead activating a magic spell card!
And this was a sustainable magic spell card!
Under John’s mana guidance, the ice flowers, riding the icy wind, instantly surged towards the flying Sumo Eagle in the air!
Ice-type magic countered flight-type magic. Once hit, the Sumo Eagle wouldn’t fare well.
But it suddenly flashed its eyes, facing the sudden crisis fearlessly.
“Achoo!”
Just before colliding with the ice flowers, the Sumo Eagle flapped its wings and rotated, scattering countless feathers that wrapped around it!
“Whoosh!”
In an instant, the outer feathers froze into ice crystals by the “Ice Flower Dance.”
The reversed wind shattered the frozen feathers into pieces.
The ice crystals exploded abruptly.
Countless transparent fragments fell from the sky.
The eagle-like creature, with a wrestling mask and a cloak-like wing wrapping around its body, emerged like a spinning bullet from the ice crystal fragments!
Stunning and cool!
…
Even Dark hadn’t expected it could use “Feather Dance” to interfere with enemies so masterfully.
The Sumo Eagle, breaking through the ice-type magic, swooped down like an eagle, accompanied by howling winds, and fiercely struck the blue-side mana guidance ball!
“Crack!”
Fine cracks appeared on the mana guidance ball’s life barrier.
The value representing its mana instantly dropped from 2000 points to 521 points!
At the same time.
A light appeared in front of the mana guidance ball, and an ice-element giant beast flew out, its fist as large as a millstone smashing into the Sumo Eagle’s chest, sending it flying backward!
The Sumo Eagle’s chest glowed with ice crystals, and its mana plummeted sharply.
Then, a beam of light descended, summoning a small demon beast!
Dark looked at the field.
The “Frost Gigant” likely had attributes comparable to Wit’s gigant, and it had the freezing attribute. Whether it was the Sumo Eagle or the small demon beast, it would be extremely difficult to counter.
But…
Since John Smith had such a powerful three-star mana spirit in his hand, why start with a magic spell?
Was he looking down on him?
