The voice of the mighty black dragon woked Ma Feng to reality. He immediately stood up from his knees and walked away from the cafeteria.
Everyone was shocked and confused.
No one knew what had just happened.
—————
The news of the cafeteria fight spread throughout the Third-Year students since Alkair and his gang were in the Military Department, Third Year Lower, and they were classmates of Xi Jing.
Once the closing bell rang, the students exited the school building.
Ma Feng and Romeo were spotted leaving their classroom while walking amongst the crowds. Eyes were on them. Romeo was the only one feeling the strangeness in the air, but Ma Feng could care less.
After all, he had suffered something far worse than what was happening now. Ma Feng kept his hands in his pockets as they passed through the crowds of students and began climbing down the stairs.
"Ma Feng, you were hurt when taking the beating from Alkair. Why are your wounds completely healed?" Romeo asked. Ma Feng placed his hand on his lips and nose, then realized Violet had already healed his wounds.
"Shit... why would Violet heal my wounds so easily? I could've avoided this kind of question," Ma Feng said to himself, then wore a bright smile while staring at Romeo as they went down the stairs.
"Well, I got lucky... my injuries weren't fatal and they healed up afterwards," Ma Feng said.
"Oh really? Then that's good news. I was thinking about taking you to the clinic to get yourself treated, but since you're just fine, let's get going then," Romeo said with a smile on his face as Ma Feng sighed.
"Where are we going, Romeo?" Ma Feng asked as they started sprinting. Romeo chuckled while increasing his speed. They passed through the crowds when Ma Feng leapt. They continued running non-stop.
"We have been summoned by the school authority," Romeo answered as Ma Feng frowned. Romeo's expression immediately changed from smiles to shock when a hand grabbed him from behind.
Romeo turned to see Ma Feng standing behind him.
"How did you get over here?" Romeo asked with a smile on his face as Ma Feng released his grip on his hand. Ma Feng took a deep breath with a stern look on his face while staring at Romeo.
"Romeo, you mentioned that we have been summoned by the school authority just now. What does that mean?" Ma Feng asked as Romeo's confused expression turned to a smile, and Ma Feng sighed.
"The school board of directors made an announcement for the upcoming Exhibition Showdown between classes—a competition made for us Third-Year students—and we've been summoned," Romeo said.
"Exhibition? Enlighten me more... I'm still confused," Ma Feng said.
"Mr. Rolex, the principal of our academy, created an Exhibition Showdown—a competition between us Third-Year students and those below—to show our talent and cooperation to the Sterling Federation," Romeo said.
"So basically, what you're saying is that there's a competition created to test our abilities. Am I right?" Ma Feng asked, and Romeo nodded. Ma Feng clicked the teleportation button on his Erafel device.
Romeo placed his hand on Ma Feng's shoulder, and they both vanished.
They appeared on the sports field to see tens of students flocking around. All the Third-Year students from the four departments were gathered together. Ma Feng sighed deeply.
"Mr. Rolex wanted this exhibition to show which class is more superior. But there would be no chance for the Crescent Department since many of them aren't combat-type students, so it's a mixed exhibition," Romeo said.
"So how is the exhibition going to—" Ma Feng couldn't complete his statement when Mr. Rolex, the principal of Scarlet Academy, appeared on the giant platform of the school sports field. Everyone stopped what they were doing.
Mr. Rolex didn't appear alone. Since he was the principal, the two vice principals stood behind him, along with a few members of the Punishers, who were called to maintain order in the school court.
"Greetings, Third-Year students of Scarlet Academy. I am Mr. Rolex, principal of this great academy, as you all know. I will be addressing the issue of the rumored Exhibition Showdown of the Third Year," Mr. Rolex said.
"We, the school board, specially chose the Third Year for a special reason, but we would like this competition to be a free and fair one. I believe all the Third-Year students are gathered."
"There will be ten teams in this Exhibition Showdown, and each team will have five members. A team without students from all four departments will be cancelled and disqualified at once."
"You will be given numbers on your Erafel device... I wish you good luck," Mr. Rolex said.
Ma Feng heard a beep sound on his Erafel device. He looked down to see the number seventeen boldly displayed on his wristband. He turned to Romeo, whose number was eighty-six.
"Students, I am certain by now you've received the exhibition numbers given to you by the school board. All ten teams will be paired by the numbers, and whichever group your number appears in—"
"That will be your team. The Exhibition Showdown will begin in seven days," Mr. Rolex said as he stared at the students. He smirked while looking down upon the Third-Year students in the school courtyard.
"I wish you all the best," Mr. Rolex said, and he immediately vanished from the scene. The two vice principals followed, with the members of the Punishers being the last to leave the scene.
"So my number is seventeen. I wonder what team I've been posted to. And besides, this Exhibition Showdown hasn't even revealed how it'll go down. No one knows what the competition even is," Ma Feng said to himself.
He caught a stone thrown at him without even turning back and sighed.
Ma Feng tilted his gaze to see the figure who had thrown the stone. A short girl walked up to him while holding an umbrella. She had a little, cute face, which made Ma Feng slightly smile as she approached him.
"Hey, stop smiling... you're creepy!!" the girl's tiny voice snapped Ma Feng out of his thoughts.
Her voice was so high-pitched it could almost squeak. Ma Feng looked down to see her staring up at him. Suddenly, he heard a beeping sound. He turned to the stone in his hand—and it exploded.
The explosion drew attention to them as clouds of smoke engulfed Ma Feng. The little girl chuckled. But she was surprised when Ma Feng walked out of the smoke—his expression unchanged after the explosion.
"How is that possible? You don't look terrified after the explosion," the girl said.
"Terrified? Why would I look terrified after being attacked with such a mediocre explosion? Although it's quite surprising, I must commend you... Pink Killer—Ashley," Ma Feng said as the girl wore a stern look on her face.
"So you knew who I was all this while? Why then did you not avoid that explosion? You could have avoided it with ease," the little girl, whose name was Ashley, asked. She looked like a cute little princess.
"You are Ashley Edan, daughter of a warlord and a student of the Assassin Department. I did my research quite well—and besides, I wasn't aware of your explosion until now," Ma Feng answered with a smile on his face.
Of course, he had no idea who she was until Violet gave him the information he needed. The mysterious system inside him had been very useful since the moment of his reincarnation—and he loved it very much.
"It seems like you aren't the type to be messed with, am I right? I am your teammate, number eighteen of Team Seven. I hope you die a painful death," Ashley said as she calmly walked away.
"Argh... so this little cutie is a member of the Assassin Department, huh? She's just like Rose. Both are quite cute but extremely dangerous... Perhaps I'll use this opportunity to get the information I need."
"After all... I will soon be going into the Underworld!" Ma Feng said.
"Uhmm, are you Ma Feng? Number seventeen?" a masculine voice asked. Ma Feng turned to see a grey-haired young man standing before him with a book in his hand while wearing glasses.
"Great, another four-eyes is going to be on my team," Ma Feng muttered while staring at the mysterious figure, who continued reading the book he held. Ma Feng cleared his throat afterward.
"Ehmm... yes, I am Ma Feng. How may I help you?" Ma Feng asked.
"I'm going to be your teammate in Team Seven. Nice knowing you, Ma Feng. And besides, I'm Walter, Crescent Department. I wish you the best," the grey-haired guy, whose name was Walter, said.
"Well, it's nice knowing you too, I guess..." Ma Feng said as he turned to see Crystal and Xi Jing were in the same team. They had both been chosen to be in the Second Team—and Ma Feng could feel the jealousy flowing through his veins.
He had seen two of his new teammates, but he hadn't seen the remaining two.
"The Exhibition Showdown begins in seven days' time, so it's not by force to know all my teammates now. The worms in my belly are already dancing... I need to eat," Ma Feng said while smiling.
A student walked past him when Ma Feng swiftly stole the student's wallet without hesitation. No one suspected him. He removed a few amounts of money before putting the wallet back.
Ma Feng walked away whistling out loud—then vanished from the scene!
Ma Feng appeared in the cafeteria to see that no one except himself and the chefs were present in the café. Only during break periods were meals free for students—during all other hours, they cost money.
"Please, can you bring me some delicious ramen with your favorite ice cream—the chocolate flavor," Ma Feng said, licking his lips. He was still waiting for his food to be served when he sensed an unfamiliar presence.
The vendors handed over the food to Ma Feng. Immediately after Ma Feng grabbed his food, the chefs all fainted—falling into a deep sleep. Ma Feng turned to see a being resting his back on the wall.
He was covered in a black robe. Ma Feng walked up to one of the seats in the cafeteria and sat down, placing his tray on the table before him. The dark figure walked up to him and sat down across from him.
"Uhmm... you seem strange to me. How may I help you?" Ma Feng asked.
"Your name is Ma Feng—adopted son of King Ezerel, King of Marcel Kingdom, and brother to Jo Jing, leader of the Punishers. I am nothing but a simple messenger, and I bring you words from The Syndrome."
"We would like to make you an offer!!"