Chapter 345: Stage Was Set
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
As Zhang Mi was about to give up, she accidentally hit the drop-down button and noticed Wang Tong's extraordinary resume: sole survivor of the Norton attack; led Ayrlarng and defeated Bernabeu, and then Capth; the Champion of the Fleet Battle, leader of the S-Club.
Zhang Mi's instinct tingled, she had found a treasure!
"Hmm...S club? What the hell is that?"
The name sounded familiar to Zhang Mi. However, she did not know where she had heard about it. After quickly doing some research, she learned that it was a student club among many lower class academies. Zhang Mi conceded that she had no chance in interviewing the hot shots. So, all her hope in having anything juicy for her editor's eyes laid on this boy named Wang Tong.
After about an hour, the third group appeared out of the maze. Zhang Mi watched as more students gathered around Wang Tong.
"Was he their leader? No... he doesn't look like a leader at all." Zhang Mi's mind raced. She kept quiet and observed the interactions between Wang Tong and his friends.
As the test progressed, more S club members appeared, and as soon as they saw Wang Tong, they closed in to greet him. Suddenly, the hallway was filled with banters and laughter from Wang Tong and his friends.
The attention Wang Tong had drawn even made some of the members of the great houses jealous. They wondered what had made these students so eager to talk to a no account?
At the end of the day, Kyaero was the only other student from Ayrlarng that had to pass the test right before it ended. Thanks to the torturous training with Wang Tong, his strength had improved a great deal, and therefore, he was able to pass the test. All other contestants from Ayrlarng didn't make the cut. Sayni wasn't too upset about his failure. He was already in the fourth year when the new Principal Samantha came to Ayrlarng. By then, he had already wasted three years, and it had been too late for him to pick up the slack.
The screen displayed the list of players that had passed the test and was eligible for the playoff matches on the Moon. The Earth government had chosen this testing method due to its ability to conceal the contestants' combat moves.
The Moon had taken a similar approach, although their test was rather straightforward. They had designed a test focusing on the student's primary skills during combat such as soul energy, GN force control, and speed. The second phase of the test was virtual combat. However, the students' opponents were virtual combat bots instead of real humans.
Patroclus and his family members were determined to do well during this year's tournament on their home planet. Even a minor defeat would be disgraceful to the sacred battleground of the legendary Sky Arena.
Meanwhile, on Mars, the qualification process was much more straightforward, as they had adopted the traditional one on one fight. The Martians despised the shady methods of the Earthlings and the Ivantians, and they believed that their tricks would only make them grow weary and weak.
Li Jian, Michaux, and Princess Heidi had significantly beefed up the rank of Martian contestants. The Martians were determined to defeat both earthlings and Ivantians on the Moon and usher in a new age, in which the Martians dominated the landscape of METAL combat.
All planet-wise qualification matches would be wrapped up in a few days. The Moon government had readied the city for the arrival of all qualified fighters.
Before the playoffs of the tournament happened, another exciting event would unfold first. It was the fight between Einherjar Wannabe and Zambrotta, the lord of the War Drum Hall.
Ever since the Blade Warrior, no one expected Einherjar Wannabe to have given people so much hope for breaking the boundary between what was fiction and reality.
After Einherjar Wannabe defeated all the powerful fighters of his age, he had inevitably come to face even more powerful fighters. This time, his opponent was a professional elite fighter—Zambrotta, the top ten fighter of the confederation. This fight was bound to be a cataclysmic event that would shake the landscape of the PA system, regardless of its outcome.
After finishing the qualification test, Wang Tong could finally enjoy watching the fight between Mr. Wannabe and Zambrotta undisturbed. To Wang Tong, watching a fight between two powerful fighters was like appreciating a piece of fine art. Although the supporters of Einherjar Wannabe were loud and feverish, there were also many who supported Zambrotta for his courage. Many fighters at his level had long since succumbed to content.
Zambrotta had carefully prepared for this fight. He didn't let the opponent's age lower his guard. As long as he was on the battlefield, he would do his best.
DREAM had finished reconstructing Zambrotta's legendary weapon—the Thunder Drum—in the virtual space. They had guaranteed that it was as good as the real one, and it would not hinder the execution of his coup de grace. Hearing this news, Zambrotta simply shrugged, since he had never intended to use his coup de grace in the fight.
The virtual area was packed with audiences already, waiting impatiently for the fight to start. The mysterious seventeen-year-old boy had lit up the curiosity in everyone's eyes. Even if the boy failed to deliver a solid performance, watching Zambrotta execute his renowned tactics would be well worth the price for the ticket to the duel.
Before the fight, Wang Tong and signed a contract with the DREAM on the behalf of Mr. Wannabe. Based on the contract, ten percent of the income generated from the ticket sale would go to Einherjar Wannabe. After having experienced so much financial struggle, Wang Tong conceded that although money was not everything, it did make the world go around. After all, he didn't want to always resort to performing dance shows every time he needed money.
As Wang Tong grew up, he started to see the importance of money. That being said, he didn't intend to use the money to improve his life qualify. Instead, he needed money to achieve his higher goals in life.
Wang Tong knew the revenues from the ticket sales would not be a small number. Although his offer of 10% had been modest, it was the 'Goldilocks' market value that Charcoal had calculated after he had tapped into the market database. Charcoal's hacking ability had also helped to conceal the path of the money transfer. He would make sure that no one would be able to trace the final destination of the fund, thus protecting Wang Tong's secret identity.
After having experienced his first fight in centuries, Mr. Wannabe appeared to be calmer than the last time. He could also feel that this opponent was much stronger his time around.
Zambrotta didn't show up until five minutes after Einherjar Wannabe had arrived. Like anyone else, Zambrotta needed money for his family, and therefore, he had also charged PA system for his participation.
Zambrotta was fashionably late like all famous people. He was in a black shirt, that was decorated with the emblem of the Thunder Drum. On Mars, thousands of Zambrotta's followers cheered for their leader, and no one seemed to be paying any attention to Einherjar Wannabe.
On the other side of the Arena, Mr. Wannabe's patience was thinning. The smug look on Zambrotta's face made him want to finish him off then and there.
However, something at the back of Mr. Wannabe's mind —a Déjà vu—suddenly calmed him down. His opponent seemed to be powerful enough to be able to tease out a sliver of his forgotten memory. However, as soon as Mr. Wannabe tried to engage that memory, it evaporated into thin air.
After Zambrotta stepped into the arena, he cast a glance at the opponent, and the smug on his face suddenly disappeared.
Brows furrowed, Zambrotta held the drumstick in his hand and hesitated to attack.
"Something is not...right. Why am I feeling a more powerful presence than Lie Jingtian?" Zambrotta asked himself as his mind raced to find an answer. Although Einherjar Wannabe didn't move a muscle, his watchful eyes followed every minute detail in Zambrotta's movements, from the slightly trembling hand to a twitch on the face.
The audiences murmured to each other as they were perplexed by what was happening. Einherjar Wannabe looked like he was mired in his troubled memory, while Zambrotta hesitated to attack, as if he were faced with the toughest opponent in his life.
The scene in the arena was quiet, but dramatic nonetheless.
The two fighters stood still while staring at each other, dragging out the silence.
Finally, Einherjar Wannabe heaved a sigh and then said, "It has been a while since I heard the beat of the war drum. Please, indulge me."