Chapter 509
"Take a look, take a look!"
Helena curiously leaned closer.
Noa slowly unfolded the paper ball used for drawing lots.
"9...5...2...7... You drew 9527." Helena said.
"Hmm, it'll probably be ranked later."
Noa stared at those simple four numbers.
For some reason, I felt a strange excitement in my heart.
Am I getting nervous too?
Or... for some other reason.
Noa couldn't quite explain the feeling, but if she were to describe it in a slightly 'violent' way, it would be something like this:
I can't wait to give 9527 a good kick in the ass.
A few minutes later, a teacher offstage said,
"Helena, Christina, and Shira, who are facing number 1309, please proceed to the arena to prepare. Your assessment is about to begin."
Helena's breathing went slightly off-beat, but she quickly regained her composure.
She jumped off the chair, glanced back at Noa, and said, "If I pass the test, we'll go on a date, Noa."
"How tragic, Helena. You're even willing to risk your life for a date with me? I'm almost moved to tears."
"But why do I feel like you're trying not to laugh?"
The two best friends smiled at each other, and Helena waved, "Then I'm off!"
"Okay, keep it up!"
Helena nodded and followed the other two classmates into the venue.
Noa continued to wait outside.
Feeling utterly bored, she opened the numbered slip in her hand again and muttered the number on it.
"9527...95...27... Hmph, watch me tear your armor to shreds."
The King of Glory has a unique way of encouraging himself: he first tells himself tough words so that it won't affect anyone else's mood.
About half an hour later, Helena and the other two finished the assessment and walked out of the venue.
The three baby dragons all bore traces of battle.
It seems that the teachers dressed as the Black-Gold War Chariot are quite serious and won't let everyone pass the test easily.
Helena tidied her slightly messy hair, looked up, and saw Noa jogging towards her.
"How are you, Helena? Are you alright?"
Her first concern was whether her best friend was injured.
Grades are nothing compared to being safe and sound.
Helena smiled and shook her head. "No."
"That's good. Come and rest for a while."
"Good."
The two best friends returned to their previous spot, Noa prepared some water and food for her.
While replenishing her food and regaining her strength, Helena explained the situation inside the venue to Noa.
The teachers outside the venue continued to call out the assessment numbers for the next candidates.
"Student number 1428, Xirui and Angie, please proceed to the arena to prepare for the assessment."
"Students number 2317, Xiu, Bach, and Sandy, please proceed to the arena to prepare for the assessment."
"Nancy and Iria, the students with match number 3328, please proceed to the arena to prepare for the assessment."
As noon approached, almost all the students had finished their assessments.
But the teacher hadn't called Noa and 9527's names yet.
Although she knew it was a latecomer in the queue, Noa couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
The King of Scrolls was eager to try and wanted to fight.
Several students who had already completed the assessment also came up to Noa to chat, telling her not to be nervous and sharing some of their newly acquired experience.
Noa listened carefully to everything.
"To sum it up, the teachers are serious, but they'll go easy on you to some extent, so as long as you perform normally, there won't be any problems," Christina said.
Noa nodded. "Okay, I understand."
As they chatted, the kids heard the venue doors open.
The three students in the previous group who participated in the assessment have already finished.
Noa remembered that the match number they drew started with the number 8.
That means—
"Battle number 9527, Noa K. Melkwy, please proceed to the arena to participate in the final match of this assessment."
Note 1:
9527 is the code number Tang Bohu uses when he infiltrates the Hua family mansion disguised as a servant in Stephen Chow's movie "Flirting Scholar". I feel that this infiltration plot is very similar to General Leon sneaking into the academy disguised as "Black Armor", so I played with this reference.
Note 2:
Page turning is part of this month's bonus update rule. Thank you all for your support!
78. Seems somewhat formulaic (3,000 words)
"Noa... old friend, it's finally your student's turn to take the stage."
On the stands, Principal Olet smiled as she watched the practice field.
A small, black figure walked in from outside the door, her expression calm and her steps unhurried.
Unlike the other young dragons, it was neither nervous nor excited, nor did it shrink back or become timid.
The little guy was as calm as if he were going to have breakfast.
Vice Principal Wilson adjusted his monocle with great satisfaction.
"The best children are often the last to appear."
The old man never hesitated to praise Noa and the Melkwy family.
This story tells us:
First impressions are important.
Some couples and their offspring can be paired up for a lifetime with just one glance.
Principal Olet smiled and nodded, then said...
"Speaking of 'the last one,' I don't know if you've noticed, old friend."
"What?"
"Because of Adam's accident, we had to restart the 'Black Armor' sparring assessment this year. But next year, we certainly can't be so careless."
Principal Olet, while keeping an eye on Noa in the audience, continued speaking in a tone of satisfaction and appreciation.
"In other words, today is the last 'Black Armor' sparring test at the Saint Hiss Academy, and Noa is the last student to participate in this test."
"Every encounter and every move they make adds to the significance of this memorable ending."
"Old friend, all the young dragons in our class are excellent, but none of them have shown a performance that really impressed me."
"So I really hope Noa can surprise me."
Listening carefully to Principal Olet's words, it was not hard to tell that she also had high hopes for Noa.
Vice Principal Wilson narrowed his eyes slightly, staring intently at Noa, who was already standing in the center of the field, ready to begin the assessment.
"She will. She has never let anyone down."
Click—click—
The metal combat boots made a crisp sound as they stepped on the training ground floor.
The woman in black armor walked in slowly and stopped about ten meters away from Noa.
The lights inside the venue shone brightly on the breastplate.
Noa looked at the other person quietly, feeling a little curious.
"Even though it's just a prop armor... it's so exquisite and beautiful."
This is something that's hard to miss.
Even Noa found it somewhat unbelievable.
"Both sides prepare—"
The examiner next to him picked up a whistle and put it in his mouth.
Noa shook her head, trying to stop thinking about things unrelated to the assessment.
She leaned forward slightly, bent her knees, and assumed an attacking stance.
The next second, the whistle blew.
The final assessment has officially begun.
The whistle's last note was swallowed by a sharp bird cry, blue lightning suddenly flashed, and Noa lunged forward at incredible speed.
"The Silver Dragon Clan's unique rapid attack, combined with the high burst damage of Lightning Rush, can catch the opponent off guard from the very beginning. Not bad."
"Although the mainstream tactics taught in school textbooks are to observe first and then engage, due to the special nature of Lightning magic, it is indeed possible to adopt Noa's fast-attack style of fighting."
"I feel like I've seen this starting stance somewhere before, hmm... I can't remember."
"..."
The judges offstage were writing and drawing in their scorebooks while discussing Noa's performance.
Meanwhile, the other 'black-armored' warriors who had just left the arena were also watching this assessment closely.
"Hey 9527, what are you doing? Why are you just standing there!"
"Big Brother, get moving! You need to get moving!"
"If you're too blatant in leniency, you'll get your salary docked, buddy!"
Shouts and cheers rose and fell from the sidelines.
Fortunately, neither Noa nor 9527 are easily influenced by external factors.
9527 still stands in the same place.
In the blink of an eye, Noa had reached him within a mere ten meters.
9527 did not move until lightning flashed on his breastplate.