Chapter 6: Competion

Two weeks had passed since Luciel's admission to the Celestia Academy. The academy's rigorous training had pushed him to new heights, and his stats reflected his relentless effort.

[User: Luciel]

[Strength: 8]

[Agility: 10]

[Vitality: 8]

[Mana: 17]

[Divinity: 0]

[Awakening Completion Rate: 50%]

His Awakening Completion Rate had reached the halfway mark, and his physical and magical abilities had grown significantly. The system's guidance, combined with his natural talent, had allowed him to progress at a rapid rate that put him into a class of his own. He had gained the attention of all the teachers.

The class gathered in the Virtual Reality Training Chamber, a high-tech facility equipped with state-of-the-art simulation pods. The room was filled with rows of sleek, capsule-like devices, each one designed to immerse the user in a hyper-realistic virtual environment. Professor Jadestar stood at the front of the room, her navy blue hair tied back and her red eyes scanning the students with a calculating gaze.

"Today," she began, her voice carrying a note of excitement, "you will participate in a virtual hunt. This exercise is designed to test your combat skills, teamwork, and strategic thinking. You will be randomly assigned to teams of three by the virtual reality system and placed in a simulated environment filled with beasts and rival teams. Your objective is simple: eliminate as many beasts as possible and outlast the other teams. Each beast you kill is worth 10 points, and each participant you eliminate is worth 5 points. The team with the highest score at the end of the exercise will receive an automatic pass in this course."

The students buzzed with excitement and nervous energy. This was the first time they could test the things they had learned in action, though only in the virtual reality. The price for this small-scale completion was also very enticing.

Professor Jadestar continued, "The simulation is designed to mimic real-world conditions. You will feel pain, fatigue, and the effects of your actions, but you will not suffer any permanent harm. Use this opportunity to push your limits and learn from your mistakes. Now, before entering the pods, pick up these smart watches. In virtual reality, they will show you the map of the virtual reality and also where you are on the map. The system will assign your teams once the simulation begins."

The students picked up the watches and filed into the pods, each one lying back as the neural interfaces connected. Luciel felt a slight tingling sensation as the interference linked to his mind. The world around him faded, replaced by a lush, forested landscape. The air was thick with the scent of pine, and the distant sounds of wildlife filled his ears. He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers. The simulation felt incredibly real.

A holographic screen appeared in front of him, displaying his team assignment.

[Team Assignment: Luciel, Aria Veyra, Arthuria Augustus.]

Luciel's eyes widened. Despite the random assignment, he had been paired with Aria and Arthuria. Aria appeared beside him, her green eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Looks like we're teaming up after all!" she said, grinning.

Arthuria joined them, her silver hair gleaming under the virtual sunlight. She nodded as a greeting. One thing Luciel had learned about Arthuria was that he was really introverted and rarely spoke with anyone.

Luciel nodded, a slight smile tucking at his lips. "Happy to work with you."

Aria looked around and asked in deep thought, " So, how should we tackle this competition?"

Arthuria finally opened her mouth and said calmly, " I think we should focus on targeting the monsters, cause they give us the most points."

Luciel looked around, then he noticed a something flashing and with out thinking he raised his hand just in time to catch a dagger flying at his face. Aria and Arthuria whipped their heads toward him in surprise. 

Luciel said with a smile, " It seems that we don't need to search for our points when our dear classmates are willing to give us free points." Then, without warning, he vanished from his spot, only a spark of light lingering in his original spot. 

Having already located where the attackers were, Luciel quickly appeared in front of the enemies, still flustered by the fact that their ambush hadn't been effective. With a light flick of his wrist, Luciel conjured a sword of light that flew towards the one who had thrown the dagger at him. 

The attacker was a boy with a slim build who seemed to be trained for quick movements, but despite all of this, before he could react, the sword made of light pierced his chest, and in an instant, the boy turned into particles and was transported out of the virtual reality. 

Then, in a swift motion, Luciel brought his leg up and smashed it down on the second attacker, who had tried just now to stab him from the side. The attacker fell on the ground, the sheer force of Luciel's kick augmented with mana. Then, without hesitation, with a mana-augmented step, he stepped on his spine, and he died immediately. 

The last member of the group that had ambushed him was already covering on the ground, his body shaking in fear. Luciel conjured the blade of light, and it severed his head. He turned around and looked behind him. There, he saw Aria and Arthuria looking at him in awe, their jaws slack. 

... 

At the same time, Aurora Jadestar was monitoring students ' performance through multiple hologramic screens. She had already marked the students whom she should keep a close eye on. At this moment, she saw how Luciel efficiently had parried the surprise attack. Then, she watched how he moved at a speed that shouldn't be possible for someone who had just entered the academy. 

At this moment, someone walked into the monitoring room in which Aurora was currently. Turning her head, she exclaimed in surprise, " Headmaster, what are you doing in here?"

"I had nothing in particular to do, so I decided to come check on Luciel's progress," Gabriel said with a gentle expression, but this was obviously a lie. How could the headmaster of one of the most important institutions in the human domain have nothing to do?

"Check it yourself. He is a monster," Aurora said calmly and turned his focus back on Luciel, who had just wiped out a team on his own with out any effort.

...

Back in the forest, Aria and Arthuria had gotten over their shock and were already moving with Luciel, searching through the forest in hopes of finding more points. With Luciel as the vanguard, they shouldn't really worry about anything.The trio moved through the forest, their senses on high alert. 

[Team Score:15 ]

They hadn't gone far when they encountered their first beast—a massive, wolf-like creature with glowing red eyes and razor-sharp claws. It snarled, lunging at them with terrifying speed.

"Aria, take the left flank! Arthuria, cover me!" Luciel shouted, his voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through him.

Aria darted to the side, her fire affinity flaring to life as she launched a barrage of fiery projectiles at the beast. Arthuria raised her hands, summoning a wall of ice to block the creature's path. Luciel focused his light affinity, channeling his mana into a concentrated beam of energy. The beam struck the beast's side, causing it to howl in pain. Aria's flames followed, engulfing the creature and finishing it off.

[Beast Eliminated: +10 points.]

[Team Score: 25]

"Nice teamwork," Arthuria said, her tone approving.

Luciel nodded, already scanning the area for their next target. "Let's keep moving. We need to stay ahead of the other teams."

The trio continued their hunt, taking down beasts with increasing efficiency. Luciel's light affinity proved to be a devastating weapon, while Aria's fire and Arthuria's ice complemented his abilities perfectly. Their teamwork was seamless, with each member anticipating the others' moves and adapting to the situation.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, they encountered another team. The rival group, consisting of three students with earth, water, and wind affinities, immediately launched an attack. A boulder hurtled toward them, followed by a torrent of water and a gust of wind.

"Scatter!" Luciel shouted. He dodged to the side, his light affinity flaring as he unleashed a blinding flash of light. The rival team staggered, momentarily disoriented.

Aria took advantage of the opening, launching a fiery explosion that knocked one of the opponents off their feet. Arthuria followed up with a barrage of ice shards, forcing the remaining two to retreat.

"Finish it!" Luciel called, charging forward. He struck one of the opponents with a precise burst of light, eliminating them from the simulation. Aria and Arthuria quickly dispatched the other two.

[Participants Eliminated: +15 points.]

[Team Score: 40]

The trio regrouped, their breathing heavy but their spirits high. "We're doing great," Aria said, her grin wide. "At this rate, we'll crush the competition."

Arthuria nodded, her expression focused. "Don't get overconfident. There are still other teams out there, and the beasts are getting stronger."

Luciel agreed. "Let's keep pushing forward."

As the simulation progressed, the challenges grew more intense. The beasts became larger and more aggressive, and the rival teams grew more desperate. But Luciel's team held their ground, their teamwork and skill carrying them through each encounter.

By the end of the exercise, their score was unmatched.

[Final Team Score: 120 points.]

[Victory Achieved.]

The simulation faded, and Luciel found himself back in the pod. He sat up, his body tingling as the neural interface disconnected. Aria and Arthuria emerged from their pods.

"We did it!" Aria exclaimed, punching the air. "We crushed them!"

Arthuria smiled faintly, which was a rare sight to see. "Good work, both of you. "

Professor Jadestar approached, her red eyes gleaming with approval. "Congratulations, Team Luciel. Your performance was exceptional. You've earned your pass in this course."