‘Who am I, where am I, what am I supposed to be doing?’
‘Wait, why am I sitting here?’
Aya Tone sat stiffly in the seat the academy had already prepared for him.
His small hands rested awkwardly on his knees, making him appear no different from a primary school student caught in a transgression.
His eyes subtly swept over Ge Lun, who was seated beside him.
When he arrived at the venue, Ge Lun had just concluded his speech, leading Aya Tone to simply assume he was a leader from the school administration.
‘To be seated alongside a leader, could it be that my recent speech had propelled me directly into the leadership ranks?’
A surge of surprise ran through Aya Tone.
‘He truly was making something of himself!’
Recalling how, just minutes prior, Deng Hongcheng had personally entreated him to return, Aya Tone felt an immense sense of prestige.
And now, he was even occupying a leadership position.
His small hands excitedly rubbed against his thighs.
‘He had known it all along.’
‘How could a mere sports teacher earn a million per month? It turned out he was a shareholder!’
‘Tsk, tsk, tsk.’
Ge Lun sat ramrod straight, his gaze meticulously fixed forward.
He naturally noticed Aya Tone’s subtle movements, yet as it was their first encounter, he felt a natural hesitancy to strike up a conversation unprompted.
After all, he found it difficult to reconcile the image of this senior, who appeared to be roughly the same age as his own daughter, with the respect due to someone of their status.
“Hello, esteemed leader. I’m the sports teacher in charge of physical education, and my surname is Aya.”
Observing the small hand extended towards him, a corner of Ge Lun’s mouth twitched.
‘It seemed this senior was conjuring up something quite extraordinary in their mind.’
Nevertheless, he reached out and clasped the small hand, which was barely half the size of his own, in a handshake.
“Hello, Teacher Aya.”
Upon hearing Ge Lun’s perfectly formal reply, a flicker of excitement danced in Aya Tone’s eyes, further cementing his belief that this individual was indeed a leader!
‘He was really moving up in the world!’
****
After the opening ceremony concluded, the orderly departure Aya Tone had anticipated did not materialize.
Everyone voluntarily remained in their places, their gazes burning with intensity as they fixed upon the four S-rank individuals on stage.
“Brother, should we be leaving first?”
‘It was his first time as a leader, and following the experienced veteran beside him was surely the correct course of action.’
“…”
What awaited him, however, was Ge Lun’s unique ability… silence.
‘He didn’t know either.’
‘If the senior didn’t move, how could he dare to leave first!?’
“We are to leave first, but our destination is the training grounds.”
It was Ying Li, seated furthest from Aya Tone, who spoke then.
“The training grounds? Isn’t today just the first day of school?” Aya Tone leaned forward, peering past the two burly men to look at Ying Li.
When he had just been escorted back to his seat, he had noticed the placard in front of Ying Li that clearly stated ‘Vice Principal’.
‘Since she held a high office, following her lead was undoubtedly the right choice.’
‘Moreover, he had a distinct impression of this cheongsam-clad woman.’
He vividly recalled encountering her during a ranking match, and her remarkably long legs had left an exceptionally profound impression on Aya Tone.
‘Not only were they long and fair, but they could also instantly kick away his magic.’
‘Kicked it away directly, mind you!’
Then there were those iron fists of hers, imbued with magic-breaking effects.
With a single punch, the protective barrier safeguarding the audience seats had nearly shattered.
The officials had been so alarmed that they immediately relocated the match venue, switching to an online live broadcast instead.
Recalling that battle, Aya Tone couldn’t help but feel a shiver of apprehension.
‘An S-rank’s magic-breaking ability, coupled with such monstrous strength…’
‘Had it not been for his overwhelming magical output, which had drowned her until she could no longer withstand it, it wasn’t hard to imagine the sight of himself being kicked flying by those formidable long legs.’
‘And a direct hit to the body, at that.’
‘Magic-breaking abilities were truly the most vexing.’
“Indeed, it’s just the start of the academic year, which is why the academy plans to hold an exhibition match to allow students to witness their teachers’ capabilities.”
“Is it possible to opt out?”
“What do you think?” Ying Li subtly stretched her joints.
Ever since she had heard that the white-haired witch was also employed by the academy, she had been anticipating this day for a long time.
During that battle, despite her magic-breaking power, it was the first time she had ever felt suppressed by sheer magical force.
Furthermore, she had specifically requested this exhibition match, and it was all for Aya Tone!
“I suppose… so.”
Completely unaware of the underlying intentions, Aya Tone responded weakly.
‘He couldn’t shake the feeling that Ying Li harbored ill intentions, yet he lacked any proof.’
‘It was truly vexing.’
****
Dragon Court Academy truly lived up to its reputation as a combat academy heavily supported by the state.
Led by Ying Li, the four individuals arrived at a building imbued with a futuristic, technological aesthetic, its sheer size comparable to the coliseums one might see on television.
Its overall shape was elliptical, resembling a half-shelled egg.
No sooner had they stepped through the entrance than a robotic female voice resonated.
“Identity confirmed! Welcome, S-rank individuals, to the Dragon Court Training Grounds. The combat arena is now ready for your esteemed presence.”
“Please follow the guidance to the S-rank combat arena.”
Immediately after, a green cursor slowly floated before them, drawing a look of astonishment from Aya Tone.
The display was utterly futuristic.
However, Aya Tone’s mind was preoccupied with an entirely different matter.
‘The S-rank individuals mentioned by the robotic voice – surely it didn’t mean that besides him and Ying Li, the other two uncles were also S-ranks, did it?’
With this thought, he subtly tugged at Ge Lun’s sleeve, who was walking ahead of him.
This uncle had spoken to him before, so at least asking him wouldn’t be awkward.
“Brother, are you two also S-ranks?”
No sooner had Ge Lun taken a step forward than he felt a tug on his clothes from behind.
Turning back, he met a pair of sparkling, innocent eyes.
He chuckled genially and said, “Indeed, we are. However, we only broke through this year and are still in our assessment period.”
The so-called assessment period.
In essence, it was a probationary period, one that Aya Tone had also experienced.
However, his experience might have been somewhat different from others…
While others spent this period diligently pursuing their assessments, Aya Tone had found the assessment itself pursuing him.
In total, it had taken him only half a month’s time to swiftly become the Guardian of Yan’an City.
Historically, those capable of achieving such a feat were invariably individuals of immense power.
Such as the top ten on the rankings, for instance.
“Keep it up, Brother! Just slay more monsters during your assessment period, and you’ll pass quickly. That’s what I did back then.”
Upon learning that Ge Lun was still in his assessment period, Aya Tone unreservedly imparted his own experience of swiftly clearing it in his youth.
However, his advice, as Ge Lun listened, sounded somewhat challenging to implement for him.
For his abilities, from the very beginning, were destined to be such that he could not meet the standards within a short timeframe.
He could only achieve it through the relentless grind of time.
“Understood. Thank you, Senior.”
While the senior’s guidance might not be particularly applicable to him, Ge Lun recognized Aya Tone’s genuine sincerity and naturally wouldn’t take it for granted.
Hearing Ge Lun address him as ‘Senior’, Aya Tone subconsciously thought of Li Huaiming.
‘Hadn’t that kid always been following him?’
‘Moreover, it seemed as if none of the students had been seen along the way?’
‘How could an exhibition match be held without an audience?’
“Brother, do you know where everyone else went?”
“They won’t be coming to the training grounds. The training grounds aren’t equipped with spectator seating, so they will remain at the venue to watch a live projection.”
Aya Tone murmured a soft “Oh,” and nodded thoughtfully.
‘It seemed the lingering shadows of the ranking battles had compelled the school authorities to exercise caution.’
‘The students recruited now were the future foundation of the nation.’
‘Should even the slightest damage occur due to the two individuals’ battle, the consequences would be unimaginable.’
‘Casualties were inevitable during battles and dungeon raids, but they absolutely could not perish from inexplicable area-of-effect damage.’
****
Thanks for translating