Chapter 233: The Regional Briefing

The announcement had barely ended before Valecrest Academy was already in motion.

The students who had qualified for the Regional Selection had been given very little time to celebrate. There was no grand gathering, no ceremony, and no long period of rest. Only preparation.

And at Valecrest, that preparation was about to become much more serious.

The main team and their newly appointed substitutes were gathered in one of the academy’s large briefing rooms.

Nine students sat together on one side, while six others sat a short distance away. At the front of the room stood the academy’s Vice Principal, Miss Elena Garnet. She placed a tablet on the desk before her and looked across the room.

Her expression was calm, but nobody in the room mistook that calmness for relaxation.

"The City Qualifiers are over." Everyone remained silent. "You already know that."

She tapped the tablet, and a holographic display appeared above the desk.

[INTER-ACADEMY SELECTION TOURNAMENT]

[REGIONAL SELECTION]

[CITY A - VALECREST ACADEMY]

Elena continued.

"And as you also know, Valecrest Academy has qualified for the Northern Regional Selection."

Silas leaned back slightly. Chloe sat beside him. Alpha was unusually quiet. Alicia was listening carefully. Damien had his arms crossed. Neil, Rihanna, Emma, and Godfrey were all focused on Elena.

Across from them sat the substitutes: Peter Green, Salmoa, Victor Wesley, Natalia Nat, Darren Cole, and Christian Golf.

Elena looked over the entire group.

"This time, things will be different."

The holographic display changed, and two sections appeared.

[MAIN TEAM] [SUBSTITUTES]

Silas glanced at the second section.

"So they finally decided to allow substitutes."

Elena nodded.

"Correct." She folded her arms. "The Regional Selection is expected to last significantly longer than the City Qualifiers. There is a possibility that it will continue for more than a month."

A few students shifted in their seats.

"Because of that," Elena continued, "the tournament organizers have changed the team regulations."

She pointed toward the display.

"Every qualified academy is permitted to register additional students as substitutes."

"The substitutes will remain with the academy team throughout the Regional Selection and may replace members of the main team when the circumstances require it."

Damien raised an eyebrow.

"So they can actually participate?"

"They can," Elena replied. "But there are conditions."

The room became quiet again.

"Substitutes cannot simply replace a member whenever they want. Any replacement must comply with the tournament’s rules, and once a student is replaced, returning to the active lineup may not always be immediately possible."

She looked at the substitutes.

"That means you six are not here merely to sit on the sidelines."

Peter straightened.

Elena’s gaze moved from one substitute to another.

"You are part of the team."

That statement seemed to carry more weight than the others, causing the substitutes to exchange brief glances.

Elena turned back to the main team.

"And that means none of you should assume your position is permanently guaranteed."

Damien’s expression sharpened, while Silas just smiled. That sounded like the kind of tournament he preferred.

Elena tapped the tablet again, and a map of New Liberty appeared. It showed the four regions, and then the Northern Region expanded.

Eight cities appeared- City A to City H.

"This is your battlefield."

The map zoomed in on City A.

"You will be representing Valecrest Academy as a City A qualifier."

The display changed.

"Every academy that qualified from these eight cities will participate in the same Regional Selection."

Rihanna raised her hand. "So we’re fighting academies from all eight cities?"

"Yes."

Neil frowned slightly. "How many?"

"We don’t have the complete number yet."

That earned several confused looks. Elena continued before anyone could ask.

"The tournament organizers have deliberately withheld some information."

Silas tilted his head.

"Why?"

"Because the Regional Selection is not supposed to be something you can completely plan for." Elena’s expression became serious. "You know the overall objective."

The hologram changed, and a large glowing structure appeared.

[REGIONAL CORE]

"Reach the Regional Core."

The room fell silent.

"That’s the objective."

Elena raised one finger.

"But reaching it won’t necessarily be as simple as walking toward it." A second display appeared, displaying the stages, but the exact details were obscured.

"Your briefing contains the basic rules. The specific conditions for each stage will be revealed when the stage begins."

Damien frowned.

"So they expect us to figure it out as we go."

"Exactly."

Silas chuckled. "That’s actually pretty interesting."

Chloe glanced at him. "You just like the part where we don’t know what’s going to happen."

"Of course."

Chloe sighed.

"I knew it."

Alicia quietly laughed.

Elena ignored the exchange.

"The Regional Selection isn’t simply a test of individual strength." She pointed toward the map. "It will test endurance, decision-making, teamwork, adaptability." Her eyes moved across the students.

"And most importantly..." She paused. "Your ability to continue functioning when the conditions become unfavorable."

Nobody joked this time.

Elena changed the display once more, and a large countdown appeared.

[TIME REMAINING: 02:58:41]

Several students immediately looked at the timer.

"Three hours," Emma muttered.

"Less than three," Neil corrected.

Elena nodded.

"That’s why this briefing is happening now." She tapped the display. "Your official starting location and initial conditions have already been transmitted to Valecrest Academy."

A new document appeared.

[REGIONAL SELECTION - VALECREST ACADEMY]

Silas leaned forward.

"So where are we starting?"

Elena looked at him.

"That information is classified until you’ve completed your preparations."

Silas blinked. ℴℴ𝘮

"Seriously?"

A small smile appeared on Elena’s face.

"Seriously."

Silas leaned back.

"That’s annoying."

"It’s intentional."

Alpha quietly chuckled.

Elena continued.

"Once the selection begins, your academy will receive the first stage’s complete information- the starting location, the available resources, environmental conditions, and the first set of restrictions."

Godfrey frowned.

"Restrictions?"

"Yes."

"What kind?"

"You’ll find out."

Godfrey stared at her.

"You really enjoy saying that, don’t you?"

A few students laughed, and even Elena’s expression softened slightly.

"Perhaps."

She turned back toward the hologram.

"But there’s something more important."

The display showed both teams again.

[MAIN TEAM]

Silas, Chloe, Alpha, Alicia, Damien, Neil, Rihanna, Emma, and Godfrey.

[SUBSTITUTES]

Peter Green, Salmoa Freda, Victor Wesley, Natalia Nat, Darren Cole, Christian Golf

Elena looked at every name.

"Six substitutes."

Then at the main team.

"Nine active members."

She folded her hands behind her back.

"Fifteen students representing Valecrest Academy."

The atmosphere suddenly felt heavier.

"You will be entering a Regional Selection that could last more than a month."

"That means you need to think beyond your first battle."

"Don’t waste energy unnecessarily."

"Don’t waste resources."

"Don’t assume your opponents will fight fairly."

"Don’t assume every academy will become your enemy."

"And don’t assume every academy that offers cooperation can be trusted."

Silas’s smile faded slightly. Now that sounded familiar.

Elena continued.

"There may be alliances, betrayals, situations where fighting is the worst possible decision- and there may be situations where refusing to fight is even worse."

The holographic map slowly rotated.

"The Regional Selection has one objective." The image of the Regional Core expanded. "Reach the Core."

Then the display went black.

"But how you get there..." Elena looked directly at the students. "That’s up to you."

Silence filled the room. For several seconds, nobody spoke. Then Silas raised his hand.

Elena looked at him.

"Yes?"

"Are we allowed to eat during the Regional Selection?"

Everyone stared at him.

Elena blinked. "Yes..."

Silas nodded.

"Good."

Neil covered his face, Chloe sighed, Alpha laughed, and Rihanna shook her head.

Emma muttered, "Of course that’s what he asked."

Elena just rubbed her temple.

"Any other questions?"

Silas raised his hand again. Elena immediately pointed at him.

"No."

He lowered his hand.

The laughter gradually died down.

Elena looked at them one final time.

"Rest while you can. Prepare your equipment. Review your abilities. Discuss your formations. Decide how you’ll handle substitutions. And make sure everyone understands their role."

She glanced toward the substitutes.

"That includes you." Then toward the main team.

"And remember..." Her voice became firm. "Being selected for the Regional Selection means you’ve earned the right to enter. It does not mean you’ve earned the right to win."

The holographic display disappeared. Elena stepped away from the desk.

"Meeting dismissed."

Chairs immediately began moving as the students stood. Some started discussing strategies, while others approached their teammates.

The substitutes began talking among themselves, and the main team did the same, but Silas remained seated for a moment. He stared at the space where the Regional Core had been displayed.

A month, possibly longer, with eight cities and dozens of academies. There were unknown stages, unknown opponents, and unknown rules.

And somewhere at the end of it all, there was the Regional Core.

Chloe stopped beside him.

"You coming?"

Silas looked up and smiled.

"Yeah." He stood. "Let’s see what they’ve prepared for us."

As the team began leaving the briefing room, the countdown continued outside.

[02:47:18]

The Regional Selection hadn’t started yet, but Valecrest Academy was ready to prepare for it, especially a pink-haired guy. If anyone knew what he was currently thinking, they would jump him.

The kind of calculations he was making in his mind had nothing to do with getting to the Regional Core. It was all about draining his balls thoroughly.