"We have watched and admired your incredible talent. Therefore, we are granting you an automatic ticket to Grindhouse Wrestling without the help of your final-year exam scores," the bald man spoke as he stared at Arnold's confused face.
Hearing what the official said, Arnold's eyes dilated, stunned. Somehow, the system seemed to have fulfilled its promise, or should Arnold just call this luck?
Murmurs echoed yet again at the back as some students couldn't help but protest.
"He wouldn't even make it to the top twenty in the score ranking. Giving him an automatic ticket is unfair."
"Whoa... Why are the Grindhouse officials being so stupid?"
"This is nothing but pure injustice. Max could barely even carry a steel chair lately..."
"... Now he is getting an automatic ticket??? No way."
Although these were cold murmurs from pointless directions, the students didn't dare to make the officials hear a hint of what they were saying.
Mrs. May took a few steps away from the two officials as if she was approaching Arnold but halted, and then, she cast glances at the students who had been stuck in a box of astonishment right from the beginning of Arnold's last exam match.
"Unlike every other year, this year would be having a slight difference."
Almost everyone furrowed their brows as they heard this statement, however, the vice chancellor hadn't finished talking yet.
"We would only select fourteen students with the highest score to join Max Fury, while the rest of you will only have to accept your fate and wait for an opportunity to enter Grindhouse Wrestling," Mrs May explained with a glare on her face.
Most students who were observant could notice that what she was saying wasn't on her will. They knew that the Grindhouse Wrestling officials might have made this order.
Although fourteen and fifteen were just having a unit gap, the students were only sad about the fifteenth person on the list who would definitely be knocked off for Arnold. Also, they were still angered having to see that it was the once frail figure in the final-year department that was being given an automatic opportunity.
If it had been someone else, their anger wouldn't have been really fierce.
After her short notification, she stepped backward a little bit and began to announce the results of the students. Arnold ended up getting a 55 over 100 score because of his good performance in the written exams. If he had won all his exam matches, he would have gotten a 100 over 100 score because a win gave five points to one's score. Fifty points were from the written exams, while fifty points were from the wrestling matches as well. For Arnold who passed his written exams and won just one out of ten matches, he only managed to get a 55 over 100 score, which many find more disappointing than impressive.
Even while calling on other students' results, everyone noticed that Arnold didn't even make it to the top twenty in the scores. That guy was just so lucky to have the Grindhouse Wrestling officials in the university today. It was just as if it was a miracle because this people barely stepped their foot into the university.
After calling out the scores, Mrs. May began to select the qualified students judging by those with the highest scores.
"Kai Rylan!" Mrs May called with a pressured tone.
"Greg Dinson!"
"Shadow Shaker!"
Mrs May used the ring names of the students to call them out to reveal their career identity to the officials. In this university, students are mostly addressed by their ring name as it was what they used in their entry mandate.
"Gentle Storm!"
"Garvin Reed... Ohh... It's fourteen already. I almost forgot. Sorry, Garvin. You are excluded!" Mrs May corrected and twitched, causing the young man with a promising bodybuild to clench his fist and teeth in frustration.
To Arnold's surprise, it was Murphy. The guy who approached him the other day while he picked dumped metals.
It was true that Murphy wasn't doing quite well in his final-year exam matches too, but he managed to come out as the fifteenth student with the highest score. However, Lucky Arnold already knocked him off the list, making him want to go crazy.
'If I said I'm sorry, things would only look awkward. I'll just shut my mouth and watch them grieve their a*s off.'
'After all, it wasn't as if they would do the opposite if they were in my shoes.' Arnold said inwardly.
The fact that everyone wanted to gain a chance to become a successful professional wrestler made it clear. If all of them were to be in his shoes, they wouldn't even dare to let the opportunity slide as no one would want to let their four years in the university go to waste.
Although they could still be employed by other professional wrestling promotions, the chance of succeeding there could be really low.
Murphy sent threatening scowls at Arnold as he shamefully shuffled back to the ground. Just like the other thirteen students, Murphy saw his dreams vanishing right in his eyes... A good-for-nothing young man stealing it from him.
However, he had no choice. If it was the decision of the Grindhouse Wrestling officials, there was nothing he could do about it. He was totally overwhelmed.
After the selection, the officials ordered the qualified students to spend the rest of the day on campus and prepare to leave for Capside Centre, the Grindhouse Wrestling Show arena located somewhere in Chicago, Illinois.
Their names were penned down with their signatures well fixed accordingly, it was only remaining the contract signing procession which they would do as soon as they got to Capside Centre.
The first place Arnold went to after the selection was the cafeteria, however, Mia was no longer there when he came back.
"Ah, shit! She left," Arnold cursed.
Now he regretted not collecting her mobile number before he left lately.
He waited a little longer to see if she could come to the cafeteria since boys couldn't go to the third-year department, much less the female dormitory.
Unfortunately, Mia didn't show up. After waiting for more than two hours, Arnold left the cafeteria and made his way to his dorm room.
While he walked his way to the male dormitory of the fourth-year department, his smartphone suddenly rang. Picking it up and staring at the caller's identity, Arnold's eyes lit up.
(Momma — 0166325691 — calling...)
It had been a while since he called home.