Conquering The Novel

The stadium was buzzing with excitement as the announcer's voice boomed through the speakers, signaling the start of the Inter-Academy Competition semifinals.

"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the most awaited semifinals of the Inter-Academy Competition!" The announcer's voice boomed across the stadium, igniting a wave of cheers and excitement among the spectators.

"As you all know, after several action-packed matches, we are now down to the final four teams in this competition. And today, these teams will compete in a series of matches that will test their skills, endurance, and teamwork."

The announcer gestured towards the arena, where the four teams were seated in their respective sections.

"Let's hear it for our semi-finalist teams!" he exclaimed, his voice ringing loud and clear across the stadium. "First up, we have Team Soreh Academy - the undisputed leaders of the tournament so far, with two wins out of five matches. They have been dominating the competition since the beginning with their consistency, and are the clear fan favorites."

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause as a few members of Team Soreh Academy stood up, waving at the audience and soaking up the adulation.

"Next, we have Team Martial Star Academy - they may have finished second on the points table, but their performance in the tournament so far has been nothing short of outstanding. Also with two wins under their belt, they are definitely a team to watch out for!" The announcer's voice rose as he pointed towards the Martial Star Academy section, and the crowd responded with even louder cheers and applause.

"Moving on, we have Team Cherry Blossom Academy - the underdogs of the competition who have defied all odds to make it to the semi-finals. With one win in their bag and a spectacular comeback, they have truly earned their place here today."

The announcer paused, letting the cheers of the crowd die down before continuing. "And last but not least, we have Team Shadow Academy - while they may not have any wins to their name, their consistent performance throughout the tournament has earned them a place in the semi-finals. Let's give them a round of applause for their grit and determination!"

Clap— Clap— Clap

The audience obliged with a few rounds of polite clapping. Before the final points table was displayed on the screen one last time.

[POINTS TABLE!]

#1 SOREH ACADEMY — 130 Points: Wins×2 [QUALIFIED] ✅

#2 MARTIAL STAR ACADEMY — 98 Points: Wins×2 ✅

#3 CHERRY BLOSSOM ACADEMY — 76 Points: Wins×1 ✅

#4 SHADOW ACADEMY — 69 Points ✅

______

#5 GLACIER PEAK ACADEMY — 62 Points ❌

#6 THE BLITZEIRG ACADEMY — 37 Points ❌

#7 THE ROYAL KNIGHT ACADEMY — 16 Points ❌

#8 THE IRON FORTRESS ACADEMY — 8 Points ❌

***

The announcer paused briefly to allow the audience to review the final points table before continuing. "Without further ado, let me introduce you to the details of the semifinals."

The announcer cleared his throat and resumed speaking. "The semifinals will consist of a series of 5v5 team matches, where two teams will face off against one another in a team 5v5 match. They will have to utilize their combat skills, defensive abilities, and strategic thinking to outplay their opponents. The match will consist of three rounds, and the team that wins two out of three rounds will advance to the finals."

"The first round will be a test of combat skills, where the teams will have to engage in a full-on battle with their opponents. The second round will test their defensive capabilities, where they will have to defend a specific object from the opposing team. And finally, the third round will test their Strategy and teamwork, where they will have to work together to solve a puzzle and complete a task within a given time limit."

The announcer waited for the excitement to settle down before continuing, "The matches will not take place in a virtual world, but right here in this very arena. However, to ensure the safety of our contestants, the arena will be covered in protective crystals, and any eliminated team members will only receive minor shocks based on how badly got themselves killed of course.

And teams are allowed to choose any weapons or equipment, but no outside help will be allowed. Any team caught cheating or breaking the rules will be immediately disqualified."

The crowd cheered again, eager for the competition to begin. The announcer continued, "And with that, let's see which two teams will be facing off first!" He gestured towards the large screen displaying the names of the competing academies. The screen started to shuffle, generating anticipation among the audience.

Ting— Ting— Ting— Ting

A beep signaled the completion of the shuffle and the screen displayed the matchups for the semifinals.

[Match 1: Team Soreh Academy Vs Team Shadow Academy]

[Match 2: Team Martial Star Academy Vs Team Cherry Blossom Academy]

"Ohhh, In the first match, we have the dominant Team Soreh Academy facing off against the resilient Team Shadow Academy," the announcer declared, as the respective teams' names appeared on the screen. "And in the second match, we have the Powerhouse Team Martial Star Academy battling it out against the underdog Team Cherry Blossom Academy."

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause at the exciting matchups. "Let the games begin!" the announcer proclaimed, and just when the competitors were about to retreat to prepare for the fierce battles that awaited them, they suddenly heard Maya's voice.

"Wait just a moment!" Her voice echoed in the microphone.

All eyes turned towards the stage as Maya slowly appeared in her elegant attire. She was dressed in a black and gold jumpsuit that hugged her curves in all the right places, and her white hair was tied in a sleek ponytail that reached down to her waist. Her high heels clacked against the stage as she strode confidently toward the announcer.

As Maya walked confidently up to the stage, many men were mesmerized by her beauty and perfect hourglass figure. But then, she spoke in a tone that didn't match her appearance, and it brought everyone out of their daze.

"This baldy has missed out on a lot of important details for this match. How can the semifinals be this boring, right?" Maya exclaimed with a huge smile.

The crowd erupted into laughter, impressed by Maya's boldness and charisma. The announcer was taken aback, asking, "Excuse me, but who are you?"

Maya flipped her hair and smiled, "I am Maya, a strategist, and consultant of this Inter-Academy tournament."

!?

The announcer recognized her name and nodded in understanding. "Ah, of course. What is it that you think I didn't add, Miss Maya?"

Maya raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? You forgot the most crucial information. As this match has 3 rounds, so each round should be participated by a different set of students. For example, there should be 3 separate groups created to participate in each round: a group of 5 for the combat round, a group of 5 for the defense round, and another group of 5 for the strategy round. Which means that from each academy, 15 students will be participating." Maya explained and paused for a moment.

The crowd went wild hearing the new information, and the participants were left speechless, including the announcer.

'What? But I didn't get any information about these rules,' the announcer pondered. Suddenly, he heard a voice from his Bluetooth earpiece.

[Let her do what she wants.]

"...."

"...Who really is she?" The announcer whispered to himself.

The announcer was left stunned as Maya continued.

"Oh, I also forgot to add something. The 15 students participating today won't be able to participate in the finals if their team qualifies. Isn't that interesting? All the students get to show their abilities. Aren't I generous?" Maya asked, her gaze sweeping over the students from each academy.

"And that's not all, I am also generous enough to also provide an ample amount of mana for all the participants so they won't be restrained by a lack of mana. Use all the high-level spells and techniques you want and give us a good show, okay?"

The cheers from the crowd could be heard all around.

"That is all I wanted to say, now let's not waste any more time and begin the first match. Team Soreh Academy and Shadow Academy, you have 15 minutes to discuss the participants you want to send now in the semifinals and save other strong candidates for the finals. If you're confident that you'll qualify, that is," Maya said with a smile, her gaze meeting Ares' when she spoke the last sentence.

As Ares listened to Maya's announcements, he felt skeptical. All the previous matches in this tournament had been quite different from what he had read in the novel. For example, there was no such thing as a bounty list in the Battle Royale match. The same went for this semifinal match, which was supposed to involve only teams of five playing all three rounds.

Ares didn't bother too much with the minor changes from previous matches because he believed that his and Livia's involvement in this tournament might have influenced the changes since they were both much stronger than the regular students.

"What's she up to?" Ares muttered, unsure of Maya's intentions. He remembered reading about a character named Maya but she was only supposed to manage the VR room and didn't have enough status to change the rules of the match at the last moment.

"She's suspicious, master!" Meira informed him telepathically.

"Hmm... And she's strong too. To put it in human power terms, she is at least an SS-Rank, the same level as that teacher of yours, Mika!" Irethiel added.