SSS Grade Saint Knight - Chapter 113

Chapter 113: The Free Challenge Begins! Liu Jing Provokes Again!

TL: Etude Translations

In midair.

The colossal holographic virtual leaderboard, projected by drones, appeared grand and majestic. Its edges were adorned with intricate decorative patterns, exuding an air of luxury.

The top fifty names were specially marked to signify their distinction.

At the very top of the leaderboard, the names of the top three were significantly larger and more eye-catching than the rest.

Among them, Zhou Yi’s name, as the first place, was the most prominent, radiating a brilliant and dazzling golden hue.

“Zhou Yi is actually first?!”

Shen Lingfeng’s face darkened.

The icy killing intent that involuntarily emanated from him caused the face of the special admissions student standing beside him, who had attended the same high school, to stiffen awkwardly. That student stammered:

“Th-this must be a mistake, right?”

“Suhang University never makes mistakes on matters like these.”

Shen Lingfeng narrowed his eyes as he gazed at Zhou Yi’s terrifying completion time, finding it unbearably glaring.

“12 minutes and 16 seconds, plus 1 minute and 12 seconds—he actually surpassed me by that much.”

“Zhou Yi, no matter how you managed this.”

“In the second stage of the competition, I will thoroughly trample you underfoot!”

A sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

As someone who had always been proud, when had he ever endured such humiliation?

Not only had he been robbed of the title of top scorer in the college entrance examination, but now even the first place in the New Student Competition had been taken from him!!

The honor of being from one of Jiangning’s Eight Great Families would not allow him to lose to some guy from the impoverished north!!

…

…

“Second place among new students? It seems you’re stronger than Shen Lingfeng, but why did you exit the dungeon after him?”

Zhou Yi was unsurprised by his first-place ranking.

After all, when he exited the dungeon, there hadn’t been a single other new student on the training field.

However, what puzzled him was Jiang Churan. Although she exited the dungeon after Shen Lingfeng, she somehow ranked higher than him.

“Maybe because I spent some time picking up equipment.”

Jiang Churan explained with a cheerful smile.

“You spent time picking up equipment? That’s odd. Including the additional stages, only two pieces of equipment dropped for me.”

Zhou Yi frowned in confusion.

Besides, picking up equipment only required putting it into one’s spatial bag, which shouldn’t have taken much time at all.

“Huh? You only got two pieces of equipment? I picked up five pieces.”

Jiang Churan’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she grinned.

Just identifying the type and abilities of these items using appraisal techniques had taken her over two minutes.

Zhou Yi: “…”

Damn lucky draw queen!

…

“Indeed, the default number one freshman! The gap is just too wide!”

“I watched his college entrance examination dungeon video. He took a violent approach as a powerful Saint Knight, and I thought he might burn out after a month.”

“But now it seems he’s still the number one freshman!”

“Wow, he cleared the additional stage in only 1 minute and 12 seconds—how on earth did he manage that?”

“…”

After being thrashed by the Bear Monster dungeon, these prodigies from across the country began to realize that their rankings largely aligned with Suhang University’s assessments, with only minor differences.

Thus, they turned their discussions toward the top-ranked individuals.

Zhou Yi, being the default first-place freshman, had reclaimed the top spot in the New Student Competition.

Naturally, his achievement carried immense weight, making him the subject of admiration and speculation.

However, many were curious about how Zhou Yi managed to completely annihilate the Bear Monster Wraith, which had the ability to revive ten times, in just 1 minute and 12 seconds.

“Holy crap?! What’s going on! Zhou Yi is still in first place!”

“12 minutes and 16 seconds, plus 1 minute and 12 seconds—damn, that’s insane!”

“This is absurd. Those who said he’d wasted the past month living in luxury, step forward. I’ll smash you with a hammer right now!”

Upon seeing the rankings, the special admissions students quickly realized the truth.

It turned out that Zhou Yi hadn’t been indulging in a life of luxury. On the contrary, he had likely been undergoing some sort of secret training.

“I told you! Brother Yi couldn’t possibly fall from grace.”

Hidden among the crowd, Wang Li—who had once tried to sell his services to Zhou Yi during the special admissions meeting—grinned widely.

His strength had improved significantly, and this competition had allowed him to climb four ranks.

In other words, if he could maintain his ranking during the upcoming second phase, he would earn an additional reward of 200 credits for his progress.

Of course, if he succeeded in challenging a higher rank, the credits he received would increase further!

Naturally, some progressed while others fell behind.

Among the special admissions students, many had dropped in their rankings.

Some of the top fifty spots had even been taken by ordinary freshmen…

…

“The first stage of the New Student Competition is over. Now, the second stage—the Free Challenge—officially begins!”

“Each person is granted three challenge opportunities. After each challenge, there will be a five-minute rest period!”

Boom!

Under the control of the dean of the Elemental College, the white-silver secret realm gate at the rear of the training field slowly disappeared.

As the secret realm gate vanished, numerous pitch-black openings suddenly appeared across the previously flat ground of the field. Twenty combat arenas rose from these holes.

Each arena measured a standard 10 meters by 10 meters.

Unlike ordinary arenas, these were constructed entirely of magical machinery.

Through the gaps in the black exterior coating, faint blue energy waves could be seen flickering inside.

“The second phase of the competition has finally begun! I challenge the 154th rank!”

“Heh, my profession isn’t suited for dealing with monsters, but it’s quite effective against humans. I challenge the 86th rank!”

“…..”

Although the Bear Monster dungeon could measure some people’s abilities, certain types of strength couldn’t be assessed by fighting dungeon monsters.

Take, for example, hidden professions like the Mentalist.

Mentalists grew stronger the smarter their opponent was. Conversely, the less intelligent the opponent, the less effective their abilities became.

In addition to Mentalists, other unique professions also prepared to give their all as the second phase of the competition began, launching one challenge after another.

Of course, there were also those who simply picked someone they thought was an easy target, challenging them on the spot.

After all, these rankings directly affected the future allocation of credits and housing.

With only three challenge opportunities, it would be a waste not to use them!

With this mentality, the area behind the training field soon filled with activity as all twenty combat arenas gradually became occupied.

Meanwhile, the deans and instructors sitting on the ceremonial stage observed the freshmen’s performances from above.

Some celebrated their victories with unrestrained laughter.

Others cursed and regretted their losses.

The entire training field was lively and chaotic.

As the first-ranked freshman, Zhou Yi appeared to have little to do at the moment.

Just as he stood idly at the front, feeling somewhat bored, a voice suddenly called out his name.

“I challenge Zhou Yi! His ranking is undeserved!”

The voice wasn’t loud, but as soon as it fell, the previously bustling No. 1 training field quieted significantly.

Countless surprised eyes turned to look at the speaker.

When the challenger was revealed, some of the special admissions students were even more shocked.

“It’s Liu Jing! What’s gotten into him? He actually dares to question Zhou Yi’s ranking?”

“Even though Liu Jing’s rank has risen from 38th to 20th, this arrogance is completely unwarranted!”

“Could it be that Zhou Yi’s whip kick during the special admissions meeting damaged his brain?”

…