Chapter 314: The Fighting Challenge From Nysera

Upon hearing the announcement, everyone fell silent, their mouths agape.

Nysera, who had initially had the upper hand, was defeated decisively by Catrine.

Although they knew Catrine was very strong, wasn’t this a bit too much?

Her strength had even surpassed most of the first wave of students.

Catrine smiled slightly. She sheathed her sword, glanced at Nysera one last time, and jumped down to her brother’s side.

“I did it!” she said, her eyes forming a crescent moon.

Merlin smiled and nodded slightly. “Well done. You did a great job.”

He patted her head and rubbed it gently.

“Hehehe…” Catrine squirmed happily.

Nothing was more satisfying than being praised by her big brother.

“By the way, I’m curious about one thing. What you just did—was that the power of your bloodline?”

In the novel, the ability of the Sovereign of Winter’s bloodline was described as extraordinarily powerful. Its user, in this case Catrine, could transform through five stages.

The first stage was awakening, the second stage was mastery, and the third stage was perfection. As for the other two stages, Merlin had no idea about them.

After all, the novel itself was unfinished when he died. And the final draft he corrected didn’t mention anything about the fourth stage.

Frankly, he was somewhat surprised that Catrine could activate the first stage, awakening.

As far as he could remember, it had taken her more than two years to activate it. Even then, her control over it was still weak.

But just now, Merlin was convinced that Catrine was already an expert at using the power of the first stage, as if she were already accustomed to it.

Her growth in this world was far more frightening than in the novel The Lost Hero.

“Maybe yes, maybe no. The power I used earlier was my true power, but I needed my bloodline to activate it. So don’t compare me to Nysera, okay?”

She glared at him irritably, as if Merlin’s question had compared her to Nysera.

Merlin let out a small chuckle and gently pinched her cheek.

“How could I? I know you’re extraordinary,” he praised.

Catrine’s pout disappeared, replaced by a beautiful smile that bloomed on her face.

Luna and Margaret exchanged glances, then rolled their eyes at the same time.

Despite being slightly annoyed by their affection, Margaret and Luna still congratulated Catrine. Liora and Monica did the same.

At that moment, Ronald and the other professors descended from the stage and landed in the battle arena.

Ronald looked at them one by one, then said, “Congratulations to those of you who have passed the first and second tests. Although most of you were eliminated very quickly, that doesn’t mean you’re out of the running to become new students.”

His words surprised the students outside the arena. They exchanged glances, confusion on their faces.

“I’m sorry for confusing you. Actually, the headmaster, the professors, and I have decided that we will not eliminate any of you. So, welcome to Saint Freya Academy.”

Upon hearing this, all the students were stunned, as if they couldn’t believe what they had just heard.

The first and second tests were meant to eliminate the second wave of students. After all, their number was quite large.

The quota for new students was only one hundred and fifty people. That meant the second test would eliminate one hundred and fifty people.

But now, Ronald said that they had all passed, which sounded completely unreasonable.

Ronald noticed their confusion, but he didn’t comment. The academy had been in a bad state ever since the Sky Wing crack emerged two years ago.

They needed fresh talent so the academy’s foundation could remain stable, and these students were that talent.

“All right. Now, let’s welcome our champions!”

Ronald turned to Catrine, Nysera, Caelith, and the seven others who had made it into the top ten.

They immediately went up on stage and lined up in a row.

Nysera wasn’t in very good shape, so she needed help from another student to stand.

Even so, there was no hatred or anger toward Catrine beside her—only relief and acceptance.

Nysera had given it her all, but she still lost. That only proved one thing: Catrine was much stronger than her.

Ronald then handed out the medals one by one. Of course, the champion’s medal was different.

It was larger and featured a beautifully engraved sun.

Catrine and the others also received additional rewards, such as contribution points and epic-tier artifacts.

As for Catrine, she received a legendary-tier item in the form of a necklace called Noctyra.

It was a black necklace with a moon-shaped pendant. Several small points of light were scattered across the moon, making it look very beautiful.

Many people were jealous of the prize. Legendary items were extremely rare and expensive.

Even if someone had the money, obtaining one was another matter. In addition, each legendary item had its own unique powers, and in some cases, owning one did not necessarily mean being able to use it.

However, what Catrine received was a protective necklace. If she were in danger, the necklace would activate on its own and protect her for a full hour.

Even if the attacker were a Second Spirit Core expert, Catrine would still be safe.

In addition, this ability was not limited to a single use but could be activated multiple times, with a cooldown period of one week.

One could imagine how incredible the prize she received was.

After the prize-giving session, Ronald announced, “In two days, you will all gather in the hall for a welcoming ceremony. The academy head will also be present, so dress neatly. Your uniforms will be sent to your respective dormitories later this afternoon. Is there anything else you would like to ask?”

No one raised their hand. They were already immersed in the joy of entering the academy and becoming true students.

Previously, they thought some of them would be expelled, but that never happened. The result was beyond their expectations.

Seeing that no one raised their hands, Ronald continued, “Since no one has any questions, I hereby declare the second test complete!”

“Woaa!”

Cheers erupted among the students. Some shouted happily, while others cried tears of joy. Now, they were officially part of Saint Freya Academy.

They would not return to their hometowns as failures.

“By the way, you are free now. You may return to your dormitories or go out and relax. Remember, the welcoming ceremony will be held in two days, so don’t be late.”

After saying that, he turned and walked away. The professors also descended from the arena.

“Well, let’s go,” Merlin said.

Luna, Margaret, Liora, and Monica nodded slightly. But suddenly, a challenging voice came from the stage.

“Merlin Clay, I challenge you to a fight!”

Everyone was shocked by the sudden words. They naturally turned toward the source of the voice, which turned out to be Nysera.

The dragon girl stood up with a confident look on her face.

Merlin, Luna, Catrine, Margaret, Liora, and Monica were surprised by the challenge.

Catrine frowned and stared coldly at Nysera.

“Are you looking for death? How about fighting me again?”

She drew her sword from its sheath and was ready to jump forward, but Merlin held her back.

“Brother?” Catrine was surprised and turned to Merlin hesitantly.

Merlin just smiled and patted her shoulder, as if telling her to calm down.

Turning to Nysera, he asked, “Are you sure?”

Nysera nodded firmly, folding her arms across her chest.

“Of course I’m sure! Do you accept?”

Her eyes flashed with a teasing glint.

Merlin Clay… that was the name that had been on her mind for the past few days.

He was the strongest student in the first wave and the only person to break the academy’s historical record in their generation.

Obviously, she really wanted to fight someone as strong as him. Catrine was already very strong, so Merlin must be even stronger.

The students who had intended to leave immediately returned to their previous positions.

They didn’t expect Nysera to be so stubborn and arrogant as to challenge Merlin Clay.

Most of those in the second wave didn’t realize how strong the boy was.

But the fact that Merlin’s avatar had appeared in the final stage of the first test already proved how strong he was.

It wasn’t just the students—many professors who were about to leave also stopped in their tracks.

“Nysera is so arrogant. Did a rock hit that girl’s head?” a bespectacled professor muttered in amazement.

She was not only discouraged after being defeated by Catrine Clay, but she even challenged Merlin Clay, who was considered the most talented student in the academy’s first wave.

Ronald turned to Nysera, then shifted his gaze to Merlin below the arena.

“Vice Principal, do you want to stop her?” The female professor said hesitantly.

Nysera might be strong enough to fight on par with Catrine Clay, but against Merlin Clay… honestly, her chances were very slim.

She was afraid the girl would be seriously injured and unable to get up for the next few days.

Ronald paused for a moment before walking back toward the stage.

“Don’t stop young people from showing their abilities. How about watching it live? Don’t you want to see Merlin Clay’s abilities?”

All professors: “…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep