81~ The Highly Anticipated Blame Game
An emotionless, cold voice emanated from the tokens, announcing to the ten teams who had survived until the end.
“Congratuations, remaining contestants. As of this moment, you have officially made it into the Top Ten of Coleman Academy’s Crown Cup. There’s no doubt about it; you are the role models of this year’s freshman class, having risen above the 458 other entrants. Don’t be modest—embrace this glory. Across the entire Caleburn continent, there is no one like you.”
The cold mechanical tone transitioned into a smooth, warm yet slightly aloof young man’s voice. His delivery of these words of praise seemed somewhat mocking.
“Your names will become the hot topics of discussion around the Academy, leading trends among the freshmen. However, please permit me to insert some unpleasant words amidst the celebration. All peaks will fade with time, but only the first place will be remembered forever.”
“Arrogance and complacency could become your last thoughts. Always remember that.”
“Additionally, from this moment forward, the institute will supervise the competition and broadcast it live onto the grand square of Coleman Academy. This magical engraved recording will serve as records and learning material for future Crown Cups. Please ensure that everyone present knows this.”
“Smooth sailing to you all. Your heroic combat postures will be witnessed by everyone. Therefore, give it your all.”
Once the voice ceased, the tokens dimmed, then completely vanished, their silence reverberating through the air.
—
The lounge room of Coleman Academy was bustling with activity today. The freshmen emerging from it had varied expressions, but most wore grim faces.
Some of them were pounding their chests, yelling loudly, “If that move hadn’t failed, wouldn’t we have made it?!” “If only I had done x*x*x, I wouldn’t have been out of the Top Ten!”
Others emerged from their rooms, completely bewildered, scratching their heads and muttering, “Where am I? Wasn’t I in the competition? Why did I wake up in the lounge?”
These reactions were within the norm. However, some students stormed out of the lounge angrily, looking around until they found the person they sought, grabbing them by the collar.
“You damned lowlife! You dare sh**t my a** with a crossbow while I’m taking a dump?!”
“You scoundrel! I wasn’t even zipped up, let alone my Realm activated, and you ambushed me? How about we fight fair?!?!”
“Hmph, able to sit comfortably and hum a tune while in the restroom despite being in a deadly battlefield? You deserved your elimination,” taunted the student grabbed by the collar. He wasn’t worried about getting hit, this was the Academy after all. Anyone starting a fight here would be heavily penalized.
Disqualification or not, being in the final rounds had already guaranteed them official student status. No one wanted to lose that hard-earned right.
“You!…” The fiery-tempered student was seething, fists clenched, but grudgingly lowered his arm, aware of the consequences.
“Hah.” The student straightened his collar. “What a coward.”
“You…!”
“Since you’re so skilled in ambushes, why were you eliminated?” At this moment, a tall student’s teammate noticed the scene and slowly walked over, stepping into the argument.
“Exactly, if you weren’t eliminated, would you be here arguing?!”
“Hmph, and we’re still better than you lot.”
“Hah, if you hadn’t used deceit, you would’ve been eliminated even earlier, country aristocrats. Without true skill, you’re just exploiting the rules and taking shortcuts.”
“Who did you call a country aristocrat??”
Upon leaving, many sought out the team that had bested them, exchanging ‘intimate advice’ with the teams that had ousted them. This behavior was common. Most of these young people were far from accepting their losses gracefully, especially this year with an unusual setup. The destiny circle was in the northern valley, where most people encountered misfortune at night, and one misstep led to their elimination.
Still, some emerged genuinely content, displaying no regret upon defeat.
There were also those who didn’t lash out at their opponents but rather at their teammates.
“What were you doing?! I covered for you upfront while you didn’t fire a single shot!?!”
“What?! You dare blame me?! Everyone charged ahead like dogs seeing rotten meat. Meanwhile, I was pinned down by the enemy’s cavalier god girl. Did you even come to help?!”
“Protect you?! Isn’t that the fortress’s job? I don’t rush ahead. Are we supposed to circle the whole team around you?!”
“What’s going on?! Lord Male, were you saving your Divine Analysis Technique for next year? Why didn’t you use it during the fight?!”
“What can I do?! I couldn’t activate it!”
“Don’t find excuses! Your inability to contribute critically makes it your fault!”
“Excuses?! Did you even see the enemy Male? No, right?! Yet you three versus one and still got wiped out. Do you see yourselves in the mirror? Are you even qualified as god girls?!”
Clearly, some teams were more frustrated with their own teammates than with their opponents. Out of the lounge, they vented verbally—though no physical fights happened.
“Silence! Anyone who continues to squabble will have their admission revoked!”
The commanding voice silenced all disputes, and the eliminated students turned their gaze towards the tall middle-aged man dressed in mentor robes at the center of the lounge.
“Eliminated but still so talkative. Did any of you reflect upon your own failures?”
“…” Silence blanketed the crowd.
“I’d like to see if you even have the right to speak so loudly. Soon, your team token scores will be tallied.”
“Teams scoring below ‘50’ will gather your belongings and leave. Coleman Academy welcomes you again next year.”
“Those with scores above 50, congratulations provisionally, you have gained formal admission into the Academy—but don’t celebrate too soon. If you slack off, it might be your turn next.”
“Get it together, all of you, and get out.” With that, the man crossed his arms and walked toward the door, pausing at the threshold.
“Ah, the Top Ten teams have been announced. Anyone interested can head to the grand square to watch the live broadcast. Perhaps you’ll see the teams that defeated you.”
After the man left, the students glanced around uneasily at one another, then stepped out of the lounge. Some, satisfied with their team’s collaboration, discussed continuing as teammates. Most, however, blamed each other for the defeat, arguing until they parted ways in mutual dissatisfaction.
The middle-aged man sighed upon witnessing this.
One defeat wasn’t enough to teach these bullheaded youths self-reflection. They were more inclined to throw responsibility onto their teammates.
Educating sharp, young minds wasn’t a quick process, nor did the Academy expect them to grasp their mistakes and shortcomings in a single instance.
There was plenty of time ahead. They would face many more failures in the future.
