THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

As the presenter spoke his last words, I am engulfed in a blue light and when it fades, we are in the middle of the desert.

"Shit." So they absolutely want us to cross over to the forest, huh.

"Okay, now, let's go."

"Wait, Cordel. What was the clue they gave you?" Keltia walks to Cordel with enthusiastic eyes.

"I will tell you all once we reach the forest. I think it will be better that way."

"Is it not something we should all think about?" Even Derkheil is questioning Cordel's way right now. That's a first though..

"Don't worry guys, I am sure you will understand why I am doing this."

"Okay, I hope so."

Keltia agrees so we start running to the forest which is to our right. It isn't that far considering our speed and we pass by a few trees after fifteen minutes or so.

As we are going deeper, I can feel all the attention being drawn to Cordel and I think he must feel it too.

"Sigh...I know. The clue they gave me was-"

Before he can reveal the clue, we are attacked by the whole group of Mohana students. I don't know if I can call it a surprise attack since I heard their heartbeats but let's say they are trying to do that. I can also hear the heartbeats of the two teachers who are around us right now.

"Defensive formation!"

We all regroup around Cordel who is not only the captain of the team but the designated catcher as well. I counter two, no, three swords attacks from our opponents and there are two more coming. Are they aiming for me? Samson shoots two arrows to the guys coming and they block it. Though it broke their momentum so they are forced to land together with those I countered earlier.

Thando appears from the trees after that and his classmates all reunited around him as well, like dogs going back to their master.

"I guess we won't be able to advance as planned. Kel-"

"I am taking care of them." I don't see the point of establishing a strategy when those guys are clearly after me.

"Kevin, this isn't how we are supposed to do things. This is a team, not an individual fight."

"Hmph! Like this guy knows the meaning of a team! He is just a murderer who doesn't deserve anything!"

Thando speaks like a member of our team and shares his opinion like we know each other for a long time.

"You guys should go on ahead. The most important thing is to find the item, right?"

"Tch! Always doing as you please." It seems Derkheil is angry. Well, sorry bud but it is only for this time.

"Like you will go anywhere. Guys, remove your limiter! Show him the wrath of your anger!"

Thando screams, making his voice sounds as if he is using a script. All of his classmates' auras are released like crazy, their eyes turned bloodshot and their hairs, while rising from their helmet, all changed to the same black, ominious black color. Wait, seriously, don't the teachers notice anything wrong about this? Also, they all had long hair? I didn't notice.

"Kevin, are you sure you can take care of that?" Cordel asks me with a doubtful voice?

"If I can't what would you do?" Don't ask stupid questions and waste our time. "You guys should go and find the item. I will do what I have to here."

"I see. Lanuvel, I guess you are staying."

"Of course I-"

"No, she isn't."

"What?!!" This girl…

"I am a middle-range fighter, you staying will not be of much effect."

"Argh!!!"

The students from Mohana all attack while I notice Thando going alone in direction of the desert.

The first to reach me strikes his sword down with the might of a gnoll and when I block it, the shockwave created almost makes me go deaf for a moment. Still, I have blocked it so I can still go on.

"Samson, you stay for support! The others, with me!!"

I hear Cordel giving instructions while running. Good, it seems he understood what I was thinking about. Two other students come but they receive arrows on their arms, though it doesn't stop them, it has slightly slowed them down. I dodge them then strike the neck of one of them. But...

"Wow!" That's a tough neck for sure. My weapon actually bounces off his neck even though I stroke right between his helmet and his armor.

The guy I just stroke shakes off my raizen like a mosquito and at the same time the other one who I fled from just now strikes again, a bit faster this time. I use Disperse but as I reappear a few meters away, another one is already on me.

"ARGHH!!" With the scream of a mad man, he or she or whoever it is brings his sword down with a momentum that could split the earth in two. Well, one thing is for sure, you guys are certainly excited.

Seeing two others coming behind him, I dodge the first guy then use Disperse and reappear behind the other two. It seems those guy can either smell me or feel my presence somehow because as I reappear, they are already turning towards me. Still, I am faster.

"LUMION!!"

"GUAA!!!"

I give their backs a greeting with a Rose's special and the three of them are smashed to the ground by the cross slash infused with Angas. Still, this isn't enough since their bodies didn't disappear into the blue light.

I charge a bullet and send it but before it hits them, another one comes like the wind and strikes my bullet. The explosion covers them all and I fly back then land near Samson who is way too laid back for this situation.

"Aren't you too relax?"

"It's not my fault if they are only targeting you."

"Right." As I answer him, the last one comes and unleashes a flurry of strikes from everywhere.

Can't those guys use scripts? They are fighting with more brute force than brain so I am afraid there is something wrong. Maybe they are baiting me in by pretending to be brainless fighters.

***

Three minutes in, only one of the five guys we are facing has disappeared. My bullet did get him but he managed to save his companions. It's now four against two. Well, four against one since they don't as much as pretend that Samson exists.

"You can shoot an arrow or two, you know?"

And it seems he is doing the same. Samson actually went and fucking sat on a tree nearby. Simply watching as I battle against all four of them attacking from all sides.

"My arrows aren't doing much. And I don't want to waste my scripts here for nothing either."

"You are just frustrated, right?" I block one guy and kick him in the air then use Tremor on him. I manage to get through his armor and make him bleed but the damage isn't enough for him to be teleported. Too bad.

"Don't try to provoke me, Kevin." 

"I would have never thought you were a chicken, Samson. How sad for your wife."

Right as I end my sentence, an arrow passes by me like a flash of lightning. I evade it and then a blue light shines behind me. He manages to one-shot one of the students from Mohana. Why did they have so much trouble during the preliminaries then? Also, Aren't those guys really sturdy? How did he...? Or maybe that's their weakness right there? 

Now, only three guys are remaining. I think we will be able to…While I am thinking, a blue light engulfs me and we are suddenly back at the coliseum.

"Already?" Who found the designated object so fast?

"As expected from the best school of all kingdoms, the eternal academy is the first to find their designated object!! Allowing them to win the quarter-finals which were more than exciting!!!"

Yup. It seems we won. The presenter goes to the hammer hands and stands next to him.

"Sir Hammer Hands. Could you tell us why you chose such a strategy for this event. It seems to me that you weren't aiming for the victory."

"Indeed. I was merely trying to test my students. Now that they have overcome the first hurdle, the rest should be smoother."

"Oh?!! Does it mean you aim to win the other event? The berserker mode of your students didn't seem complete though."

Berserker mode? What they did back there was going berserk? I didn't know that was what it looks like.

"Like I said, it was merely a test for them to see their limits. If somebody had trouble defeating them then he must be truly weak."

As he says that, the whole coliseum trembles with the people's reactions. It is a myriad of comments that hits him going from the simple ones to others, really nasty. In any case, it seems this guy is trying to provoke me.

"I see. Well, we do wish you luck for the rest of the competition. Now, moving on to the eternal academy and their ace for the quarter-final: THE STAR OF MERCURIA!!"

People start singing my name like crazy for almost a minute before the presenter can finally speak again. Yeah, I can understand why Farner doesn't like it. It's way too much noise.