Murmur, murmur.
Whispers spread as the participating teams appeared one by one—from the academies of Calamity, Meteor, and Ocular Light, to teams such as Earth Spirit, Mother Tree, Melody, and Three Hands.
Of course, there were also the three teams from the top three academies: Blue Light, Gray Wall, and Gate. Among them, Gate Academy had held the number one position for five consecutive years.
The representatives of each academy stepped forward, but the most striking among them was from Gate.
Curly blond hair, emerald-blue eyes, an air of nobility befitting a high-ranking aristocrat.
She was a precious gem—not only in appearance, but in talent and elite status.
The princess of the Monsoly Empire, Janeus Phereous, the Daffodil of Gate Academy.
A single glance from her was enough to silence everyone who had been talking in the stands.
'Top-tier aura farming, huh?' I clapped at her entrance. I mean, compared to the fact that she was the only second-year among the nine academies and still made a more impressive debut than anyone else here.
"Wow, look at her. She really is beautiful, isn't she?" Marcus reached for some popcorn and adjusted his sunglasses. Without the uniform, one might have mistaken him for a tourist.
"You do know we're competing tomorrow, right?"I looked at him, tilted my head, and added, "You're not planning to prepare at all?"
"Well, a few hours of prep is enough. I'll get to it later~" Marcus took another sip of water and ignored me.
"…Suit yourself." I left in frustration. Talking to him was pointless.
Wandering around the stands, I looked up and surveyed the place.
A massive arena, capable of holding around 150,000 people—excluding staff, teams, and participants.
Strangely enough, this was considered a standard arena in this world. Which meant either the demand for watching people kill each other was extremely high, or the population here was enormous. I had no idea which was correct.
Looking at the eyes that were impatiently waiting for the introductions to end and eager to see the fighting begin, I chuckled softly and recalled a few things from my old world.
Roman-era slaves, or criminals with nowhere to go, forced to fight for others' entertainment—blood spilled alongside tears, all exchanged for a few coins and roaring cheers.
And now, here we were. Educated students, people of status—many nobles, even royalty—putting on a show just for rewards. Not much different, really.
I smiled faintly as I passed through the crowd heading to their seats and moved toward the exit, where I encountered a guard on duty.
Our eyes met. No greeting, no gesture—just passing by.
Thud.
I accidentally bumped into the door, adjusted my stance, then continued on.
In my hand was a small chocolate bar about the length of my palm, which soon vanished into my spatial ring.
With a strange smile, I walked through the dense crowd, preparing for the week ahead.
…
Promet—golden-haired and handsome—made people rethink the very definition of a "protagonist." He was also the protagonist of the original novel.
Holding a silver sword, he smiled as he stood before a figure hidden in the shadows, wearing a black half-mask of the kind used at masquerades.
"Janeus, are you planning to help?" Promet asked.
Janeus, the princess, barely paid the mysterious figure any attention. She had long since lost her fear of standing before assassins.
Then a voice spoke.
"Greetings. Sea Serpent Leviathan Hunter, Promet Thesu. Princess of the Empire, Janeus Phereous. Allow me to introduce myself—I am Joe of One Line."
"Do assassins introduce themselves before acting now? Promet, go on."
Promet could only sigh. Closing the door and letting Promet handle it seemed unavoidable in this situation.
Just as he raised his sword, something slammed onto the floor.
"What—? The head of Tatagi's leader? What do you mean by this?"
Janeus was the first to react. Promet stared at the head in shock, swallowed, and tightened his grip on the sword.
"Consider it a gesture of goodwill. Now, I'll explain things more clearly…"
Before anyone could say anything, a bolt of lightning struck down. The entire area was charged with electricity, and Promet stood tall like a bloodthirsty warrior.
Who is Promet?
He is the main character — and his personality is like that as well.
"..."
…
By late afternoon on the first day, teleportation magic was activated, and thousands of competing students were transported away.