“You must seize the opportunity yourself.”
With that, the professor retrieved a yellowed leather roster from his coat and spread it over the ashes.
On the roster, exactly thirty-seven names were written in extremely fine black ink, followed by their respective departments:
School of History
School of Military
School of Mechanical Engineering
School of Theology
School of Geography
“St. Blaise has never been a simple public school; it is the convergence pool for the talents of the Empire's dark side.” Adrian gently tapped the roster with his withered finger. “These thirty-seven individuals come from the five major schools, representing different Principles and factions. You are all seeking a slot to enter the deep ruins and touch the core rules.”
“But this time, only three can survive and obtain the pass.”
Ryan lowered his eyes, looking at the densely packed names. “What are the rules of the selection?”
“Simple. Force the other party to sign a withdrawal declaration on this contract, or directly seize the token representing their identity,” Adrian said flatly. “Any means are permitted. You can use physical force, secret arts and poisons, commercial deception, political transactions, or even arrange a ritual to make their mind disintegrate in nightmares.”
Ryan looked up, his eyes darkening. “Would the academy administration allow private fights on this scale?”
“The academy administration is, of course, completely oblivious to this.” A cruel, mocking curve tugged at the corner of Adrian's mouth. “But the professors know. Why do you think the old fogeys from all sides of the Empire are willing to send their finest heirs and geniuses to St. Blaise?”
The professor leaned forward slightly and whispered:
“In the last ten years, people have died in every selection. Not many, because smart people know to surrender before their bones are shattered. But if you let your guard down, this place becomes the most respectable graveyard.”
Ryan's gaze swept rapidly across the roster, his pupils suddenly contracting.
Among those thirty-seven names, five had already been crossed out in glaring red ink, stamped with a black seal representing “eliminated.”
“This isn't a test that has just begun,” Ryan said, looking up at the professor.
“Of course not.” Adrian smiled and closed the roster. “The game began a month ago. You are not the starting point, Ryan. You are the last person to obtain an entry scroll and squeeze into this game.”
The professor picked up his silver scalpel again, no longer looking at him:
“Now... it has begun.”
Ryan did not say another word. He pulled up the collar of his coat, turned around, and walked up the spiral stone staircase.
Passing through the silent, deserted library lobby, he pushed open the heavy black iron doors, and the swirling snow outside instantly rushed at him. Deep within the blizzard, the black gear clock tower struck twelve dull, heavy rings before dawn, the sound of the bell echoing across the empty academy square.
The night was deep, and the snow had already risen past the edges of his leather shoes.
Ryan stepped through the thick layer of snow, walking slowly along the main building's corridor toward Dormitory 304 on the west side. His hands were buried deep in his coat pockets, his mind still racing.
Suddenly—
Deep within Ryan's mind, the 【Lantern】 that had been burning peacefully suddenly erupted in a violent, abnormal vibration without warning!
In the air just three paces ahead, a distortion and fracture abruptly appeared, forcefully severed by an extremely overbearing and sharp force!
“An anomaly? Ahead—”
Ryan's steps abruptly halted before he even had time to pull out his pocket watch.
“You've finally stopped.”
A cold, raspy voice rang out from the snow. There had been no sign of any living person around, with only a massive stone statue of a Roman legion commander standing in the blizzard by the roadside.
Boom!
Without any warning, the heavy granite statue exploded! Debris and ice flew in all directions!
A tall, burly figure instantly burst forth from the shadow of the exploding stone dust! Without introducing himself or wasting any words on pleasantries, a military tactical dagger gleaming with a faint blue, wind-splitting chill shot straight for Ryan's throat with a tragic, air-tearing intent to kill!
Caught off guard!
Danger flared in a millisecond!
Relying on the faint warning brought by the 【Lantern】, Ryan forcefully leaned his upper body backward at the critical moment!
Rip!
The sharp tip of the blade sliced through the freezing wind and snow, as well as Ryan's left cheek. A bone-chilling pain hit him, and warm blood instantly seeped out, dripping onto the snow along his pale cheek.
First blood drawn!
The powerful impact threw Ryan off balance, causing him to roll awkwardly through the snow three times before crashing against a stone pillar in the corridor.
The attacker gave him no time to catch his breath. Heavy combat boots crushed the snow as the attacker lunged like a beast freed from its cage. The military knife in his hand turned into three blinding, cold flashes, each slash ruthlessly aiming for Ryan's carotid artery, heart, and lower abdomen!
Standard military killing techniques! Extremely refined, with absolutely no flourishes!
The Principle of 【Edge】! An overbearing power focused on harm, severing, and slaughter!
Ryan rolled sideways through the snow with great difficulty to dodge. Freezing snow poured down his collar, and his coat was instantly torn open by two hideous slashes.
“Arthur Hawke. School of Military.”
The attacker coldly spat out his name in the brief interval between his slashes, the blood-colored killing intent in his eyes outrageously pure, each swing producing a piercing sound of tearing wind:
“Sign your name on the withdrawal contract. A greenhouse-grown clerical idiot like you doesn't deserve to step into the ruins!”
Ryan bit down hard on the tip of his tongue.
He realized he couldn't confront his opponent head-on at all! Although the calculation ability of the 【Lantern】 Principle was terrifying, allowing him to “see” the opponent's attack trajectory half a second in advance through muscle contractions and airflow, his physical body was just that of an ordinary human!
His brain reacted, but his muscle's neural transmission speed couldn't keep up!
“A horizontal slash from the left, aiming for the ribs...”
The 【Lantern】 in Ryan's mind clearly depicted Arthur's movements. He twisted his waist with all his might to avoid it, but Arthur's movements were simply too fast and too heavy!
Whack!
Arthur suddenly pulled back the hilt mid-air, heavily slamming the steel pommel of the military dagger onto Ryan's left shoulder!
A sharp pain shot through his bones! Ryan groaned, his entire body sent flying by this terrifying, monstrous force. He crashed heavily onto the marble floor tiles, shattering a corner of an icicle.
“Too slow!” Arthur strode forward, his combat boots crushing the snow with a grating crunch. “The calculation of the 【Lantern】 Principle is indeed miraculous, isn't it? You can see my trajectory, and you can calculate my landing point... but so what? Your body is like scrap metal soaked in a swamp! You can't keep up with my blade!”
A fiery, blood-colored light flickered in Arthur's eyes. The power of 【Edge】 circulated within his body, causing each of his slashes to carry a visible arc of frosty light.
Slash!
Another slash!
Ryan rolled to the right for his life. The tactical dagger sliced open his left sleeve, spraying blood onto the snow and dyeing it a bright crimson. Arthur's blind-spot attack connected seamlessly as he delivered a backhand punch right into Ryan's ribs!
The intense, dull pain almost suffocated Ryan. His stomach churned violently, and he was thrown heavily against the stone wall beside him.
Completely suppressed!
Ryan slid down against the cold stone wall, panting heavily. The blood from his left cheek and left arm seeped into his collar, staining his deep blue preparatory student uniform a damp black.
“Hand over the scroll,” Arthur said, approaching step by step. He held the military knife in a reverse grip, its cold blade pressed against the skin of Ryan's throat. “Or, I can completely chop your fragile body to pieces and rummage through your pockets myself.”
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