The students didn't have a lot of preparation, considering there was not much they could do in a single day, especially with the lack of resources.
The teacher was also observing them, making sure no one was cheating.
One day had passed. The people had gathered in the hall, with Vivian standing among the educators.
Jason said, "We'll now begin the competition. The competition will be held in the illusion made by Vice Principal Vivian. In other words, during the competition, you won't die even if you are killed. If you understand, do your best to get the resources. As this will be a quick event, I'd like to invite Vice Principal Vivian to explain the rules for the event."
Vivian nodded and stepped forward. "The event will now change from the tropical island survival to an arena.
"I'll be creating ten arenas for all of you to compete, each containing a crystal. Yes, this will be an event where you have to make a choice, whether you want to risk everything and have a chance of not winning anything or play it safe to get a definite reward.
"In this event, you are free to choose a single arena. You will compete with the rest of the people choosing that arena.
"In one arena, there might be only one pair. In another arena, there might be ten pairs.
"The last pair standing will get the reward. The losers will win nothing at all. This kind of situation is not exactly rare in this world. There are a lot of times where you have to compete with a lot of people, and there's no guarantee you will win something.
"Now that everything has been said, pick your arena. Also, don't forget that you can only summon once the count reaches zero." Vivian snapped his fingers. Ten circles appeared on the floor, having the color that reflected the pearl they would win from this place.
Obviously, their eyes were staring at the black-colored circle, where the highest reward was.
Vivian added in a cold tone. "You have thirty seconds to choose your arena."
"We have to choose the arena right now?"
"There isn't enough information."
"Should we choose the black one?"
"But the black one will be for those trying to compete—"
Before they could even finish, Nathan had grabbed Selena's wrist and brought her to the black circle.
"!!!" The people widened their eyes in shock.
That was right. If they fought against Nathan and Selena, they might not win anything. In addition, Rudeus and August would be coming for them.
In other words, they should compete for the second and third positions since they have a higher chance of winning.
They looked at each other, nodding their heads. More and more people picked their circles, while those who hadn't were panicking.
"Which one should I choose?"
"Screw it. We should get the lowest one. At least we have a chance to win there."
Because of the lack of time, Rudeus couldn't manipulate the classmates anymore. At the same time, Nathan's identity was known, so there was no need for any sort of manipulation. No one was going to pick a fight with Nathan without thinking it through.
That was why the only ones coming to the black circle were Rudeus and August. The rest chose to compete in second place and third place.
"It seems we will decide here who is the strongest among us." August smirked. "Get ready to be blasted to smithereens."
Nathan shook his head. "You should worry about yourself. The moment you lose, you will lose everything."
"That's impossible. I will never lose, at least, against both of you."
"There will be the first time for everything."
All four of them were looking at each other. They had never thought their competition would end this way.
Rudeus had been manipulating the student this whole time, so Nathan could finally fight him head-on in this competition.
"There is nothing to be said. Everything will be decided in this arena."
The moment the dryad and the ancient spirit's spells were activated, a blinding light shot into the ceiling, teleporting them into the arena where they were supposed to fight.
The only student who was left behind was Serafina.
As usual, the dryad formed a mirror for them to see all the arenas.
"Who do you think will win, Your Holiness?" Vivian asked casually.
"Please, no need to be formal. I don't know who is stronger since I've just entered the academy. However, I know how strong Nathan is. The Liaystian's royal family is known for their ability to summon a demon.
"The second prince is also a well-known genius, who is said to be comparable to the crown prince in terms of talent. Not only his familiars, but his ability as a summoner can't be underestimated, especially with how they usually fight.
"Meanwhile, August Reeves is the heir of the Blacksmith Guild. From the looks of it, he doesn't wear the expensive armor, but his weapon is of high quality. It seems he is also wearing gauntlets. That uniform… Has he upgraded it with better material? As expected of a Blacksmith Guild's heir.
"On the other hand, Selena Ashton… She is powerful, but I don't know much about her. A vampire family, huh? I can't say much about it. The key to win in this competition should be in Nathan."
Vivian didn't think much. For someone who was able to dispel Dikkleus' barrier, Nathan would surely win, she thought.
The four of them were teleported into a rectangle-shaped arena. It was quite spacious, allowing even the cyclops to fight with its full strength.
This would be a big battle, considering each of them had three familiars each.
A number appeared between them, signaling the start of their battle.
All four of them released their Ena. Vivian told them only to summon their familiars once the count reached zero, so it was fine to release their Ena . As expected, Nathan had the weakest Ena, but that was fine since Selena had the most amount of Ena.
Their eyes were focused on the number.