The day of the University League has arrived.
Participants from Colosseo Academy, Varangian Boot Camp and Temiscyra Academies knocked on the Magic Tower's school gate.
The main gate of the tower opened by itself as soon as they knocked.
It was like a creature opening its mouth.
"...wah."
Once inside, the students couldn't help but gasp.
From the outside, the tower looked like a tall, narrow structure, but when they stepped inside, it was truly a spectacular view.
There were countless floors, all furnished with vast forests, lakes, oceans, deserts, lava fields, canyons, and snowy mountains.
In the skies, countless stars gathered to form constellations, which together form the Milky Way.
The serene sound of a waterfall echoed through the majestic walls.
Water dews formed melodious tunes as they fell on mushrooms scattered around the ground, and glowing fireflies flew into the air.
As the students climbed the stairs, trickling streams of water ran coolly between their toes.
The water slowly rose to their knees, waists, shoulders, then the top of their heads, swallowing up all the space.
The students, who at first panicked, wondering if they were going to drown, gradually regained their composure and began to enjoy the phenomenon.
The "magic water" is also one of the artifacts awarded for winning the competition.
They could drink this mysterious water and dip their hands and feet in it. However, even if they were completely submerged in the water, they wouldn't get wet and they would still be able to breathe.
"Wow, look, none of my clothes are wet, they're still fluffy and dry!"
"I can breathe and I can hear you clearly. It's amazing-"
"And yet it sure feels like I'm underwater!"
The students swam upward in this mysterious space, through forests and mountains, deserts and volcanoes, oceans and deserts, canyons and the Milky Way.
And the higher they go, the more new spaces, unusual terrains, and mysterious natural phenomena are revealed to them.
This was the essence of Magic, which distorted the laws of space, fusing different terrains together.
* * *
Before the Survival Competition, there was a meeting for the representatives of each school to gather and discuss.
First and foremost, the map on which the competition would take place was chosen.
Lava Field (Inferno Hell) / Volcano (Charpero Crater) / Desert (Yuuni) / Jungle (Red and Black Mountains) / Snow Mountain (Fort Tochka) / Sea (Harsh Sea) / Abandoned Mine (Forgotten Land) / ...
Various terrains were presented as competition locations.
The representatives of each school had their own favorite terrain.
Bakiraga, a representative of Varangian, wanted a snowy mountain covered with snow and ice.
"Northerners are used to the cold. To us, ice is our food and snow is our quilt."
Lovegood, representing Themiscyra, wanted an ocean.
"Southerners are used to the sea. There's no second choice."
Hohenheim, representing the Magic Tower, wanted a lava field.
"Because my specialty is fire and lava magic. Huhuhu-"
And then it was Dolores' turn, representing Colosseo.
"...."
Dolores was lost in thought.
She was thinking about what happened yesterday at the inn.
About Vikir!
'It's weird. No matter how much I think about it....'
How could he be so strong? Is there something special about him? But there was such a huge weight difference…?
Dolores had experienced three university leagues so far in her school years, and this was the first time she witnessed another man compete in strength with Bakiraga.
And it was just his first year at Colosseo.
'His grades on the midterms, his knowledge that rivals Professor Banshee's, and his suspension record....'
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Dolores' mind.
'Could he be the imperial family member who's been hiding their identity at the Academy...?'
What if this rumor, which everyone dismissed as just a hoax, was true? It would make some sense.
'But there's no evidence of that, and I doubt there will be.'
Dolores was lost in thought as she recalled Vikir's face.
"Hey, Saint."
Bakiraga called out to Dolores from beside her.
"What are you thinking about so much?"
"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about yesterday's arm wrestling match."
Dolores straightened her posture, and Bakiraga smirked.
"Why? Did you like the fact that your boyfriend was unexpectedly so strong?"
"He's...?"
"Well, I thought you were single for three years in school, so I thought you weren't interested in guys. Turns out you're really picky about guys, so yeah, he's probably a pretty good pass."
"What? No, that's not what...."
"What? A secret love affair? Hahaha- I didn't realize that. Campus couples do that. Heh heh, good times."
Bakiraga chuckled and turned away.
Dolores momentarily realized what he meant and was about to correct the misunderstanding.
Whirr...
She couldn't, because the spinning wheel of map selection had begun to spin.
And then.
… poof!
The spinner stopped.
The arrow in the center pointed to the map where today's competition would take place.
And then.
"...."
"...."
"...."
"...."
Bakiraga from Varangian Boot Camp, Hohenheim from Magic Tower, Lovegood from Themiscyra, and Dolores from Colosseo Academy.
All four student representatives frowned in unison.
Jungle (Red and Black Mountain)
The map that was equally the worst choice for everyone was chosen as the map for today's competition.
* * *
Meanwhile.
The competition staff from each school gathered in one place.
North of the round table, there sat a muscular man with a bushy beard and a helmet decorated with water buffalo horns.
To the south, there was a woman with a bow and sword strapped to her back and waist respectively, sitting with her legs crossed elegantly.
To the east sat an impossibly large man with graying hair, white eyebrows, and a long, flowing white beard.
They were, respectively, 'Vasilios', the Deputy Director of the Varangian Boot Camp, 'Hippolyte', the Principal of Themiscyra Academy, and 'Whitebeard Whale', the Master of the Magic Tower.
And on the west side of the round table, a middle-aged man with long black hair, a stern expression, and a pair of deep eyes, sat silently.
He was Professor Banshee, the Vice Principal of the Colosseo Academy.
The Master of the Magic Tower, the Whitebeard Whale, spoke up.
"Hehehe- It is an honor to hold this year's tournament in our Magic Tower. I express my gratitude to the people involved who have journeyed far here."
He looked back and forth between the representatives from Varangian Boot Camp and Colosseo Academy.
"By the way, for some reason, only the Deputy Director and Vice Principal came, are the Director and Principal unavailable?"
The question was, why did the second in command come and not the head?
At this, Deputy Director Vasilios became agitated.
"The Director is still recovering from the 'unfortunate incident' that happened last time."
"Oh, no. Was it because of that 'Miss Ouroboros' villain?"
Master Whitebeard stretched out his fingers and snapped it in the air.
A newspaper clipping popped up in front of him.
[BREAKING NEWS] The Night Hound, whose evil deeds know no bounds!
-(※This article has been corrected.)-
-The worst villain of all time, 'Night Hound' 'Miss Ouroboros' showed her fangs again.
Last night, a group of students from the Varangian Boot Camp on a school trip to the Imperial Capital were attacked by the "Night Hound" "Miss Uroboros" and caused great damage...
There were 00 minor injuries and 00 serious injuries... Among them was the Director of the Varangian's Boot Camp...
Meanwhile, no fingerprints were found on the only piece of evidence left at the scene, a broken vodka bottle...
It was a newspaper published by Ryukeion, the newspaper department of the Colosseo Academy.
According to the article, Varangian Boot Camp had been attacked by a mysterious assailant once before, and the aftermath of the attack still lingered.
(Later investigations revealed that it was not the Night Hound but Miss Uroboros who had attacked Varangian Boot Camp, and that the attack was the work of a grudge fight.)
In this fight, the Director of Verangian's Boot Camp was gravely wounded, which is why Deputy Director Vasilios is here today as Acting Director.
Meanwhile.
"The reason why the Principal of this school could not come is because...."
Professor Banshee was just about to open his mouth to say something.
…Bam!
The spinning wheel spins, and the map is finalized.
This is the terrain where 400 students from four schools will compete for survival today.
The conversation naturally shifted.
When all the headmasters saw that the map had been chosen for the competition, they swallowed hard.
"So this is the map that everyone is most afraid of."
"That's right. In places like volcanic areas and snowy mountains, food and water are hard to come by, but once you get them, you can preserve them by drying them in the wind or burying them in the ground."
"But in the jungle, it's hot and humid, so everything rots quickly. Many things are also contaminated or poisonous, so food and water are hard to come by."
"...."
Next, a large mirror floated above the round table, reflecting the faces of 400 students.
The mirror was the legendary "Extra Eyes," a magical tool that can see the status of anyone from a thousand miles away, and was once awarded to the Tower master "Whitebeard Whale" for winning the university league.
Everyone was in awe of Whitebeard's artifact.
"Wow. The 'Extra Eyes' is always so magical."
"I can see all the students from here."
"I can see what 400 people are doing right in front of me."
"...."
Once again, Professor Banshee crossed his arms and said nothing.
Soon, the heads of each school began to chat, each watching the students from their own school.
"So, who are the favorites to win this competition?"
"'Bakiraga' from Varangian Boot Camp, 'Lovegood' from Themiscyra Academy, 'Hohenheim' from Magic Tower, and 'Dolores' from Colosseo Academy, isn't it?"
"Yeah, they were the top performers in their age group in the competition last year and the year before, so there's a good chance they'll get an artifact."
"...."
But Professor Banshee is still silent.
He just stares off into the distance.
The heads of the other schools look at him curiously.
"Vice Principal Banshee, may we ask where you are looking?"
"Ms. Dolores, the ace of the Colosseo Academy, is on the other side of the field, isn't she?"
"The direction you're looking is where the first graders are gathered."
But Professor Banshee only hummed and snorted.
"I'm watching someone else."
There was a boy who stood with a cold attitude, as if he wasn't interested in anything.