A moment later, it was Rog, the most inconspicuous one, who broke the silence first. “Then I’ll go with speed. Doesn’t matter what I choose anyway……”
Hmm… As soon as the first person spoke, Keti immediately let out a sigh of relief. Ah, although this guy’s attitude seemed like—
No matter what he picks, he’d be first anyway, so whatever, just assign me wherever.
Ahem, it really does seem like that’s what he’s thinking.
That’s not a good sign, but… actually, it’s kind of true. No matter which event these three students pick, there’s not much difference. They’ll all need to go through intense special training!
As for the other two, Keti originally thought they’d be like Rog, but unexpectedly, after a while, Kutar raised his hand and said, “Teacher, I’ll still pick the Mana Reserve Competition!”
“Eh? That…”
Keti was a little troubled by the sudden objection. Mainly… everyone else was picking randomly, but Keti genuinely thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Ximon to join the Mana Reserve Competition.
After all, this guy can cast Magic Arrow Rain, a high-level spell, though its power is pretty low.
But just being able to use it is already impressive!
But…since the other party made such a request, hmm…
The silver-haired beauty pinched her chin, then looked at Ximon, waiting for him to refuse Kutar’s request.
After all… Keti still remembered, back at the tavern when Ximon was being dealt with, Kutar was there with him.
He was pretty much the young master’s lackey, so wouldn’t it be a bit…
Anyway, in the past, this would’ve been unthinkable. Ximon probably would’ve already taught Kutar a lesson.
But recently, the young master seemed to have changed a bit.
Hearing Kutar’s request, not only did he not get angry, but he even shook his head and said, “I’m fine with anything. Teacher, let Kutar pick whatever he wants.”
“Ah… n-not bad…”
Actually, Keti still wanted Ximon to pick the Mana Reserve Competition. Now there’d be one less powerhouse, right?
But… since everyone had already agreed, it didn’t seem right to insist. So, after a while, the silver-haired beauty finally nodded and simply settled things!
“All right, in that case, Sylvia will take part in the Attack Project, Layla in the Defense Project, Rog in the Speed Project, Ximon in the Mental Resistance Project, and Kutar in the Mana Reserve Competition!”
“That’s settled… hmm… We can still make adjustments at first, but after a few days, that’ll be the final lineup. By then, we have to submit all participants’ events, and once it’s on the form, we can’t change it!”
The silver-haired beauty took a deep breath, then continued, “So, if anyone has any thoughts, be sure to speak up soon! That’s all I have to say. Now, let’s head to the training grounds—!”
“Woo—!”
“Oh.”
The participants split into two distinct camps by gender, hm…
Passing through the fortress-like, long corridors, they got on a massive circular elevator. With a series of clanks and rattles, the huge lift sent Keti and her group down into the bottomless underground fortress.
The darkness in the space made everyone but Keti suck in a breath of cold air, so much so that the silver-haired beauty was standing there when she suddenly saw a large, soft figure directly flop onto someone else, and then heard the sticky voice of the purple-haired jellyfish-headed lady.
“Aiya, Keti dear, it’s so dark here. Mama’s scared, could you hold me a little tighter~”
Uh, b-but she was standing on the other side, and nobody was heading her way at all….
Afterwards, a resentful voice sounded in the gloomy elevator. Sylvia desperately shoved away the approaching Layla, then snapped coldly,
“You old hag, figure out who you’re holding onto first! And were you planning to sneak away like that? Want me to use my blade to help you see what’s in front of you, hmm?”
“Ah… cough cough…”
The sudden silence in the air was exactly why Keti hadn’t dared speak just now.
Even though the place was pitch black… Keti could practically see Layla’s awkward expression right now, and Sylvia’s look of disdain.
“Ahahaha… so that’s how it is, so it’s you, Sylvia-chan. No wonder our little Keti seemed a bit taller, but the chest is so flat, not a bit of bounce. What a pity~ ha…”
“You—you dare say that again! I—I’m not flat, okay! It’s not like I’m Alice, who could starve a kid with hers, besides, who—who would want them as big as yours! Apart from those few little boys over there, no men would stare at yours, you know!”
“Ara~ this just shows how little you understand about men~ These things, the smaller you are, the less you can appreciate their charm~ Hmph… Also, the term old hag is better saved for yourself, elf lady~”
“Ka—!”
Unconsciously, it had already become a head-to-head confrontation!
The scene made Keti and the three boys shudder in the dark elevator, glancing at each other in confusion, especially Ximon, whose eyes were blank.
Th-th-this, he’s about to be scared silly, isn’t he!
“Clank clank clank… bang bang bang—!”
Finally, when the unnerving creaking of the lift stopped and the elevator slowly touched down,
Keti and the others finally saw the light. The white cabin door opened, and what greeted them
was a space lined with pure white walls, a round ceiling, and all sorts of intricate devices that no one in the outside magical world had ever seen before.
“Wow—! This… this…”
Clearly, apart from Keti, everyone else was left speechless by the scene before them. Their mouths hung open, and they kept exclaiming in wonder.
Ah, Keti had expected this kind of reaction. If she hadn’t accompanied Alice here once before, she
probably would’ve been just as shocked.
“Keti, this place is…”
Layla finally sidled up next to Keti, her face flushed with excitement as she looked at the silver-haired beauty.
Keti confidently curled her lips into a smile, flipped her hair, and raised her head to say:
“This is the ace up the sleeve designed when Lidel Magic Academy was built— the school’s pride and joy, the underground magical training base—Greenhouse Fortress!”
“It’s a training ground prepared especially for cultivating genius students… Take a good look, because until the competition starts, we’ll be training here every day!”