"Of course, it will be a virtual duel on Skynet!" The boy said. He sneered. "Frankly, I have no idea why a student from the academic department can be given Alpha status?" He waved a hand at the growing crowd around them and raised his voice.
"I'm sure I'm not the only one curious about this? There has never been an Alpha class student from the nerd department after all. I'm sure Miss Zhao wouldn't mind humoring us to a demonstration of your capabilities."
"Hey, who cares what department Hana is from?" Renae pushed herself forward. "What are you implying you bastard. Say it again to my face!"
"Calm down," Song Qi stopped Renae from waving her fists. However, her expression was guarded as she looked at the boy.
Hana observed the numerous eyes on their group. The situation was pushing them to fight. She had felt these judging gazes before. People sizing her up.
"You two must be from her dorm too? Perfect, let's have a three on three. Take your pick of opponents." The boy gestured behind him. There was a small group of about 30 boys loitering by the stairs.
"The atmosphere around them practically screams delinquents," Hana muttered. "Renae, what do you think?"
Renae huffed. "The Phoenix Coalition is a newly formed dorm. Most of their levels are B and C, hardly a threat. To most of the older dorms, they're practically upstarts. They probably want to use us as a stepping stone to boost their reputation. While Bluewing is a dorm with history and prestige, it hasn't been active for many years. It's an ideal target for them and many other fledging dorms." She coughed. "Plus they probably see the dorm leader as another weakling. The academic department isn't exactly, uh, as respected."
"I see," Hana frowned, "how troublesome. Then, are you two ok with a fight?"
The two girls nodded. Hana smirked. "Good, then let's make a statement so this doesn't happen again."
"Hey, are you done?" The boy scowled at them impatiently.
"Yeah, let's do it," Hana said.
In the end, everyone ended up at the training center. The smart assistant quickly took care of the proceedings, and soon a notification popped up in front of her.
[Dorm Duel: Bluewing VS Phoenix Coalition
Duel Number: 01
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Stake: 50% annual dorm resources ]
Hana signed her name swiftly. "Heh, not even gonna negotiate the stakes?" The boy grinned as he agreed. "Your loss."
"We'll see."
[The battle has been approved between dorms leaders Hana Zhao and Fu Yin. Please confirm the number of participants.]
"Hey, you made a mistake. There's an extra zero." Fu Yin pointed out.
"It's not a mistake," Hana's gaze pierced through him. "We'll take you all one, 3 vs 30."
"Are you crazy?" Fu Yin gaped at her.
"Boss, if they're looking to lose, who cares," one of the boys muttered.
"Fuck, you idiot. It'll look like we bullied them by numbers. That breaks the who purpose of the battle." Fu Yin gritted his teeth. "How sly. We'll come out looking like hooligans who bullied three girls. How will be change our image in the future?"
Hana, with her enhanced hearing, sweat-dropped. So they were aware that they looked sketchy?
"Boss, who cares, just think about the resources. We can always fix up the loose ends afterwards?"
Fu Yin growled. "Fine." He regained his arrogant look. "If you want to die faster, who am I to stop you?" He scribbled his assent.
[Confirmed. Participants, please commence to you assigned pods. The battle will begin in 15 minutes.]
"Hana, are you planning to do ~that~ plan?" Renae asked as they prepared. Even though they were outnumbered, she didn't look worried.
"Yeah, let's test it out," Hana said. "However, if the environment is not suitable, then we'll do something else."
"You got it," Renae laughed. "If you didn't show us your newest artifact, I'd be worried. But now, I'm laughing at those idiots giving us free resources."
Song Qi nodded. "Their pride will be their downfall."
"Hehe, if the lamb walks itself into the wolf's den, who are we to stop them," Renae giggled as she climbed into the virtual pod. "See you on the other side."
Hana moved herself into her pod as well.
The technological advancements here were commendable. The sleek white virtual pod was able to scan her entire being and abilities, transferring her to a virtual space. It was terrible effective for training and mock battles.
People could fight to their hearts content since pain was reduced 50% and no one could die. The computer automatically simulates and calculates damage.
Hana mentally prepared herself for the oncoming battle.
Outside, hovering drones projected massive holographic screens around the college. The loudspeakers blasted out as well.
"Hey hey hey, guess what, it's your friendly AI announcer EVA." On the screens, a blue holographic girl greeted the world with a smile. "Welcome to A.S. Academy freshman. I am the official announcer (unofficial mascot) of the academy. As many of you explore the campus, you may find the urge to follow the tradition of challenging other dorms to duels.
Today, I'll be hosting freshman dorm duels until midnight. Now, let's see the very first dorm duel of the semester, Bluewing versus Phoenix Coalition. If you somehow miss the battle, remember all battles today will be recorded on the school website. The battle will begin in 5 minutes. Stay tuned!"
The crowds of new students erupted upon seeing the screens. Bets flew as many turned their attention to the screens.
Among the older students, many stopped paying attention to lessons and opened their laptops to size up their juniors.
"Brother, look EVA is announcing already." In an abandoned classroom, two twins leaned against the open window, watching the holographic screens.
The boys smirked. "Let's see if we find can find some interesting toys this year."