Chapter 274 - 273 : Instructions and choosing participants for the second match

Chapter 274: Chapter 273 : Instructions and choosing participants for the second match

The meeting room slowly fell silent after Arthur, Aiden, and Damian entered.

One by one, the students returned to their seats.

Arthur casually walked toward the head of the long table and sat down as though nothing unusual had happened.

But there was one rather noticeable problem.

A small bump had formed on his forehead.

Damian and Aiden had similar swollen marks on their heads.

The 3 of them looked as though they had been punished by the same furious person.

Arthur rubbed his forehead and looked toward Layla with a wounded expression.

"It hurts."

Layla raised an eyebrow.

Arthur continued.

"Did you really have to resort to violence?"

Layla folded her arms.

"Then stop giving me so many headaches."

Damian and Aiden exchanged glances.

Then Damian cautiously looked toward Layla.

"Senior, why did you hit us too?"

Aiden immediately nodded.

"Yeah. Kill that dumbass if you want."

He pointed toward Arthur.

"But why us?"

Layla turned her cold gaze toward the 2 of them.

"Because you didn’t do your job properly."

Aiden blinked.

Layla continued.

"You were supposed to bring him here quickly."

The room fell silent. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

For a brief moment, nobody reacted.

Then—

Several students burst into laughter.

Evangline laughed loudly.

Julia covered her mouth, trying to hide her amusement.

Victor’s lips curved into a faint smirk.

Even Diana couldn’t hide her smile.

Only Arthur, Damian, and Aiden remained completely silent.

Arthur rubbed his forehead again.

Damian looked utterly humiliated.

Aiden simply sighed.

Layla ignored their reactions and raised the instruction manual in her hand.

The laughter gradually died down.

"Now, pay attention."

Her eyes swept across the room.

"I’m going to read the instructions for the next match."

She paused before looking directly at Arthur.

"Especially you."

Arthur had suddenly become strangely tense.

He sat with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the table as though his mind was somewhere else entirely.

Layla narrowed her eyes.

Arthur finally looked toward her.

"Just start reading already."

Layla clicked her tongue.

Then she opened the manual.

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[ ATTENTION, ALL STUDENTS! ]

Are you ready to put your magical knowledge and problem-solving skills to the test?

The Clash of Intellectuals Challenge is here, and we want to see what you are made of!

Gather your brightest and most skilled teammates and prepare for 5 rounds of challenging puzzles and mysteries related to magic, spells, runes, artifacts, and magical theory.

Each round will test your intellectual abilities, magical knowledge, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. Points will be awarded for correct answers and successful completion of the challenges.

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[ ROUND ONE: QUIZ ROUND ]

Answer a quiz question related to magic and spells.

Correct Answer: 1 Point

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[ ROUND TWO: RIDDLE ROUND ]

Solve a riddle related to magical theory.

Correct Answer: 2 Points

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[ ROUND THREE: PUZZLE ROUND ]

Solve a magical puzzle.

Correct Answer: 3 Points

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[ ROUND FOUR: TEAM CHALLENGE ]

Work together to solve a complex magical challenge that will test teamwork, creativity, magical understanding, and strategy.

Successful Completion: 4 Points

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[ ROUND FIVE: MYSTERY ROUND ]

A mysterious magical artifact will be presented.

Use your intuition, magical knowledge, and problem-solving skills to identify its purpose.

Successful Solution: 7 Points

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The team with the highest score at the end of the competition will be declared the winner of the Clash of Intellectuals Challenge.

In the event of a tie, a tiebreaker round will be held.

Teams will need to use their magical skills to solve a difficult problem within a limited amount of time.

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[ POINTS SYSTEM ]

Quiz Round: 1 Point

Riddle Round: 2 Points

Puzzle Round: 3 Points

Team Challenge: 4 Points

Mystery Round: 7 Points

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[ IMPORTANT NOTES ]

• Each academy may send up to 5 participants.

• Cheating or any form of unfair play will result in immediate disqualification.

• The use of outside materials, devices, or external communication is strictly prohibited.

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Layla lowered the manual.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Liana suddenly stood from her seat.

Her purple eyes were filled with confusion.

"W-What the hell is wrong with this point system?"

Everyone turned toward her.

"Why are they giving away so many points in this match?"

She pointed toward the screen displaying the current tournament rankings.

"Doesn’t this completely waste the point difference we created in the first match?"

Several students nodded in agreement.

They had fought desperately to secure 19 points.

Celestias Academy currently held a 12-point lead over Black Star Academy.

Yet this single intellectual match offered a total of 17 points.

If Celestias Academy performed badly, their enormous lead could disappear in an instant.

The room grew quiet.

Everyone began thinking about the strange distribution of points.

At first glance, it seemed unreasonable.

Perhaps even unfair.

Arthur glanced toward Diana.

Diana immediately understood what he meant.

She stood from her seat.

"Actually, if you pay attention to the instructions, the total number of points available in Match 2 is 17."

Her voice was calm and composed.

"That’s very close to the 19 points we earned in the first match."

The students listened carefully.

"This means the lower-ranked academies have an opportunity to catch up."

Diana’s expression became more serious.

"But only if we perform badly."

She tapped the manual with one finger.

"The instructions don’t mention a time limit. However, I believe the tournament officials will clarify that the entire match has a time restriction."

Layla looked toward her.

Diana continued.

"Within that time, only teams that successfully complete each stage and reach the final round will have the opportunity to earn the full 17 points."

Several students began to understand.

"The point system may look unfair," Diana explained, "but not every academy will necessarily reach the final round."

She raised one finger.

"And even if several academies do reach it, the time required to complete the challenges will determine their final ranking."

Diana looked around the room.

"So, in the end, the playing field remains relatively balanced."

The students slowly nodded.

They understood the intention behind the tournament officials’ decision.

The first match had tested combat ability, survival, teamwork, and strategic thinking.

The second match would test magical knowledge, intelligence, theory, creativity, and coordination.

The tournament wasn’t designed to reward only raw strength.

It was designed to test different kinds of talent.

Several students clicked their tongues.

Others muttered complaints about the tournament officials.

They had hoped their massive lead would make the remainder of the tournament easier.

Instead, the organizers had made certain that no academy could become complacent.

"Alright."

Arthur’s voice cut through the discussion.

"Let’s stop wasting time on this pointless discussion."

He leaned back in his chair.

"We’ll understand more about the point system once we actually see the match."

His eyes moved across the room.

"For now, focus on the challenge in front of us."

"Wait."

Isabella raised her hand.

Arthur looked toward her.

"What is it?"

Isabella straightened in her seat.

"What happens if more than one team completes all 5 rounds and ends with the same number of points?"

Arthur answered without hesitation.

"Their completion time will determine the ranking."

He paused.

"And if 2 teams somehow have exactly the same completion time—which is extremely unlikely—there will be a tiebreaker."

The room remained quiet as everyone listened.

"If you’re wondering why first place matters," Arthur continued, "the winning team will receive bonus points, similar to the time points we earned in the previous match."

Isabella nodded slowly.

Then she looked at Arthur with genuine curiosity.

"How do you guys understand all these things so easily?"

Arthur looked at her.

"Because I’m not dumb like you."

Isabella’s eye twitched.

"Do you want another beating?"

Arthur’s expression remained completely calm.

Before he could respond, Layla raised her voice.

"Alright, enough."

The entire room immediately became quiet.

"Now that we understand the match, we need to decide which team will participate."

Every student in the room turned toward Arthur.

They waited.

Arthur slowly looked around the room.

Then he spoke.

"For Match 2, the participating team will be Diana, Liana, Clarice, Aegon, and Riley."

The 5 selected students immediately reacted.

Diana straightened in her chair.

Liana’s eyes widened.

Clarice, a second-year student, pushed her glasses up in surprise.

She was known as one of the strongest students in the academy when it came to magical theory.

Aegon and Riley, both respected seniors, exchanged serious looks.

They had published research papers concerning ancient rune languages and magical inscriptions. Their names were already recognized among scholars and young researchers.

Arthur had gathered information about every one of them before making his decision.

Clarice was a brilliant magical theorist.

Aegon possessed exceptional knowledge of runic languages and ancient spell structures.

Riley had earned recognition for his research into magical artifacts and lost civilizations.

Celestias Academy wasn’t inferior to any other academy when it came to scholars, researchers, magical theorists, or specialists.

The academy didn’t only produce powerful fighters.

It produced geniuses in every field.

However, among the selected 5, Diana and Liana stood out for a different reason.

Unlike the older students, neither of them possessed long lists of academic achievements.

They hadn’t published famous research papers.

They hadn’t received recognition from renowned scholars.

They didn’t yet possess reputations within the wider magical academic community.

The seniors looked toward the 2 girls.

Liana’s body stiffened.

She couldn’t believe Arthur had chosen her.

Her eyes slowly turned toward him.

’Is he really going to give me a chance?’

Diana, however, smiled confidently.

"Thank you, Arthur."

Her eyes were filled with determination.

"I won’t let you down."

Arthur smiled.

"Oh, don’t worry about that."

His expression slowly darkened.

"If you lose, I already have appropriate punishments prepared for everyone who lets me down."

A faintly demonic smile appeared on his face.

The 5 selected students swallowed nervously.

None of them had any intention of becoming the target of whatever punishment he had prepared.

’We definitely cannot lose.’

The 5 selected students stood.

Diana, Liana, Clarice, Aegon, and Riley then walked toward the door.

They were about to represent Celestias Academy in the Clash of Intellectuals Challenge.

And this time, there would be no monsters to fight.

No weapons to wield.

No battlefield to conquer.

Their greatest weapons would be their knowledge, intelligence, and ability to think under pressure.