CATMAN - 24 The Goal Is To Survive

“The game we selected for this year’s Magical Week is ‘Take or Leave’.” Principal Mark said.

“Take or Leave?”

“What sort of game would that be?”

“Is it gonna be some treasure hunt? Like taking the treasure and if we aren’t good enough, we should leave it be?”

The audience was quite thrilled by the name of the game. Every year the game would change making it even more exciting. Last year, it was Tournament of Magical Basketball… and the students had too much fun in it…except some students of course.

‘Take or Leave?’ Auden thought as he looked at Principal. He knew it wasn’t going to be something so easy like others were thinking it to be.

‘Well, no matter what the game is, it’ll always end up being a fighting tournament and that was given because of every school trying to nurture strong. Last year’s game was also like that. Many students were crippled from the basketball…’

But it’s my chance as well. If I score well on this Magical Week as a cripple then I’ll get a chance to enroll in good Magic school after this.

Auden was a third-year student at Fret Academy and this year was his last. If he didn’t make his name heard this year then he wouldn’t even meet the requirements to apply to a new school as trash.

Auden then breathed and calmed his heart.

‘System, Open all the Mystery Boxes.’ He said in his mind.

Ring~

[Command noted.]

[Opening all the Mystery boxes.]

Ring~

[The host has received 10 Attribute Points.]

Ring~

[The host has received nothing.]

Ring~

[The host has received the Basic Potion Formula of Alchemist Snooboo which restores the HP and relieves anyone who drinks it of his/her fatigue.]

Auden was quite disheartened when he heard that he didn’t get anything from the second Mystery box because even a nail cutter was better than getting nothing but when he heard that he got the formula of some potion, his mood lightened up again. A smile formed in his face.

Alchemy was practiced by low numbers of humans because not every human was capable of it. The talented ones were the only ones who were deemed worthy of learning Alchemy and the masters would only pass their knowledge of Alchemy to the ones who they deemed worthy.

A person with Alchemy skill was considered even greater than the Royals with unique superpowers. Even the Royals would have to bow if they were to meet a low-class alchemist.

Their skills were what humans needed if they wanted to survive in the Great Magic Era. The pills and potions they would provide could even cost millions and sometime even with millions on hand…no one would be able to buy it.

That’s how powerful Alchemists were. If he were to sell just a simple formula of a simple potion to someone then he would become a millionaire in but a night. The formula of potion caught his eyes but he held his excitement and listened to the principal.

Norr who had glanced at Auden with the corner of his eyes clenched his fist and made up his mind,

‘No matter what sort of game it’ll be…I will cripple you at any cost.’

“The game this time is suggested by Est of our school’s surveillance department.” Mark said, “It’ll be seven days long.”

“And your goal is to survive!”

“Survive?”

The word made the audience confused but it was soon cleared by Mark as he took out two cubes like things from his pocket and showed it to the students after he put the microphone in the stand.

“As you can see I have two cubes in my hands. But don’t mistake then for ordinary cubes… these cubes will determine whether you are on top or bottom. The cubes in my hands are currently glowing in blue light but it won’t always glow in blue. For example at a time when you push the button on the side of the cube.”

Click~

When Mark pressed the button, a beam of blue light emerged out of one cube and fell upon another cube making it glow in red.

“Like you just saw…when you make a beam of light from one cube to hit another, it’ll glow red. And this is what determines victors and trash.”

“These cubes will be given to every student and they would have to wear them on their hand at any cost. If someone doesn’t wear it then he/she will be disqualified from the game. If you make other’s cube turn red with your own then you’ll receive one point for each cube which will later help us position you.”

“But here’s the catch, for the cube to turn red it’ll have to leave the touch of its owners…if not, it’ll never glow red and winner will not get any points,” Mark said.

“Also if a student gets defeated after defeating many other students then his/her points wouldn’t go to the winner. One cube can provide only one point and you cannot steal the owner’s previous earnings. And the area for the game…the border for this game isn’t limited to school only this year, we’ve already gotten permission from the authority so this year…”

“The whole city will be the area for our game. Hill or Forest, it doesn’t matter…what matters is that you don’t cause a commotion in public and that’ll do.”

“With that said, I will like to tell you that…Even if you have to steal, fight or cripple your fellow students for the point then do it because as the name of the game suggests, ‘If you can’t take…then leave’.”

“The 50 students with lower points at the end of the seventh day will be expelled from the school ruining their future forever…So, do your best.” Mark said as he started walking out of the stage,

“After getting the cube you’ll be in the game after half a minute. After all, you’ll need to be prepared.”

While the Royals and Prefects and others were excited from the announcement, the same thing couldn’t be said for other Class D students whose face were robbed of their colors.

Auden after taking the cube found out that the cubes were like watches. His cube immediately wrapped around his right hand the moment he kept it above it.

Remi seeing Auden taking the cube asked, “Would you like to team up? If we team up then there are more chances of us weak not getting expelled from the Academy.”

Auden though ignored her words and turned his feet running out of the gymnasium at full speed. In but fifteen seconds, he was out of the school but he still ran far away and didn’t plan on stopping his feet at any moment.

Gasping for his breath, he would occasionally glance back to check if someone was following him.

“Damn! That Est bastard…he must have planned this to take revenge on me.”

“And other Class D students teaming up? Where are their brains? Can’t they see that if they just sit there then whether they teamed up or not…they will just be a sitting target? What’s easier than stealing points from a weak?”

“Hah…I am running out of breath already? Gotta catch my breath somewhere safe.” He then analyzed the surroundings and soon found a place to hide.

“Hah…that bridge will do for a while.”

Auden hastily ran towards the bridge in front of him and hid below it.

*Gasp* *Gasp* *Gasp*

He had been running for a while and his heart was beating very furiously after the non-stop run. Just as he was thinking about what to do after he caught his breath, he heard footsteps that were closing in on him.

“Hahaha…looks like a free point for me.” A voice pierced his ears from behind.