Night had fallen over Star City High.
It was the first day of school for the freshmen. Logically, after such a long and busy day, the new students should have been in their dorms, quietly waiting for sleep to claim them.
But at this moment, the dormitory area was a ghost town. Every student on campus was glued to the various large screens scattered throughout the school, their eyes transfixed by a truly earth-shattering duel.
A teacher versus a teacher. A spectacle like this was an incredibly rare sight!
On the screen, within a standard, football-field-sized battle arena, stood Mr. Carter and Mr. Ironside.
Both men had already summoned their respective Beast Totems.
Judging by the mirage behind Mr. Ironside, his Beast Totem was a Great Azure Bull. Its body was as massive as a sixteen-wheeler truck, its four thick, black legs stood like dark iron towers, and the horns on its head jutted upwards, as sharp and menacing as a knight's longswords.
Mr. Carter's Beast Totem, meanwhile, was a giant yellow bear. When it stood, it seemed to be over three meters tall, with powerful limbs and razor-sharp claws and teeth. It radiated an aura that screamed, "Do not mess with me!"
Both men were power-type warriors. They unleashed their signature skills, moving with incredible speed, each collision of their blows ringing out like a clap of thunder.
The freshmen had never witnessed such a scene. They held their breath, their focus absolute, not daring to make a sound as they watched the contest unfold.
It was difficult for low-level warriors to discern the intricacies of a duel between masters, but if they could grasp even a fleeting moment of insight, it would be immensely beneficial to their own martial training.
Mr. Ironside's voice boomed, "Carter, isn't it time we got serious? The winner gets Fly in their class!"
As he spoke, a three-foot-long greatsword materialized in his hand. The blade was shaped like a bull's horn, its tip wickedly sharp, and its body was etched with spiraling grooves. This was clearly one of his most prized Skills.
Mr. Carter retorted, "Hmph! That's exactly what I was thinking!"
With a furious roar, Mr. Carter's right arm swelled to several times its normal size. Yellow fur sprouted from his skin, and sharp claws extended from his fingertips... he had actually "bear-ified" his entire arm!
Mr. Ironside let out a cold laugh and charged forward, his horn-shaped greatsword aimed for a piercing strike. Not to be outdone, Mr. Carter swung his massive "bear paw" to meet him head-on.
The two men clashedâone charged like a knight, a piercing sunbeam; the other pounced like a ferocious bear, an unstoppable force of nature!
With a deafening BOOMâ, the two masters' Skills collided, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and debris at the center of the arena. Every student watching couldn't help but cry out in shock, craning their necks, desperate to see the final outcome of the duel.
After a long moment, the dust settled. Flashes of lightning flickered within the arena, and the massive mirage of a beetle slowly materialized at its center. A scholarly-looking teacher stood between the two combatants, his left hand gripping Mr. Ironside's greatsword and his right hand blocking Mr. Carter's bear paw. Who else could it be but the Dean of the freshman year, Dean Sterling?
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The Dean's power was truly unfathomable. He had so effortlessly nullified the attacks of two powerful teachers.
Then, his calm voice echoed through the arena and out of the screens, "Good evening, students and faculty. I am Dean Sterling of the freshman year. This match is now over. It is getting late. All students, please return to your dormitories in an orderly fashion."
Following his announcement, the broadcast screens across the school all went black.
It was a great pity that such a clash of titans had ended without a clear winner. In the days that followed, this duel, much like the one between Fly and Jett, became a legendary topic of conversation among the students of Star City High.
...
Back in the virtual arena, Dean Sterling stood with his arms crossed, a dark expression on his face as he stared down Mr. Carter and Mr. Ironside.
"Alright, explain yourselves. What was this all about?"
It was only the first day of school, and a brawl between two teachers over a student had already broken outâand become a public spectacle, no less.
The potential damage to the school's reputation was considerable.
The only silver lining was that the duel had been stopped in time, and no one was injured. Otherwise, things could have escalated to the point where even he, the Dean of the year, would have been held accountable.
Seeing the displeasure on the Dean's face, both Mr. Carter and Mr. Ironside finally reigned in their tempers.
Mr. Carter spoke first, seizing the initiative. "It's all Ironside's fault! What was he thinking, trying to poach my student? It's a disgrace that things got so out of hand."
"You...!" Mr. Ironside started to retort, but then hesitated. Perhaps it was a guilty conscience, or perhaps he didn't want to lose his temper in front of the Dean, but in the end, he swallowed his words.
Dean Sterling let out a slow sigh. He had been teaching for many years and had seen plenty of student fights, but this was the first time he had ever seen teachers come to blows.
"Technology is advancing. This isn't the same era as when you were students. Back then, there were no cell phones, and the influence of online platforms wasn't nearly as pervasive. But things are completely different now. The moment anything happens at our school, someone can take a video, upload it, and it can become a trending topic in minutes."
He paused, his gaze sharp. "This is especially true for our school, Star City High. We are number one in the city, which means countless eyes are watching us. Being at the top is not an easy position to maintain. So many other schools are just waiting for us to slip up so they can take our place. Under these circumstances, you, as homeroom teachers, must be extra cautious in your words and actions. Do not give the public any ammunition."
"As for which class Fly ends up in," he continued with a slight smirk, "it's pointless for you to fight over it now. Everything will be decided after the Power Assessment Test. A student with his talent, a Perfect Affinity no less, is guaranteed to be placed in the Rocket Class. If you two want to fight over him, you should be fighting over which one of you gets to be the homeroom teacher of the new Rocket Class."
"This..." Mr. Carter and Mr. Ironside exchanged glances, momentarily speechless.
"If you want to be the Rocket Class teacher, then you will not cause any more trouble for me in the meantime. Remember, when it comes to major decisions concerning our year, I, as the Dean, have a considerable amount of say."
With that, Dean Sterling snapped his fingers, and the virtual battleground slowly dissipated.
He then turned and walked away, his figure gradually disappearing down a campus path.
...
The next few days were remarkably calm. No other major incidents occurred at Star City High.
After upgrading his Beast Totem to the Mythical Species Thunder Roach, Fly immersed himself completely in his training. With the help of his system, he made rapid progress, quickly adapting to the brand-new abilities of his evolved totem.
During this time, he also visited the campus store to purchase several blank Skill Cards and a few suitable Skills. The money he had "extorted" from the teachers now came in handy. After all, no matter how powerful a Beast Totem was, it was useless without the right Skillsâlike a general without a warhorse, or a warrior without a weapon.
Jett, for his part, proved to be a resilient character. After his defeat and a brief period of self-doubt, he quickly bounced back and threw himself back into intense training, determined to prove himself anew at the Power Assessment Test.
As for Mr. Carter and Mr. Ironside, there were no new conflicts. After the incident, both teachers had tempered their behavior, focusing all their energy on applying to become the homeroom teacher for the Rocket Class.
The entire freshman year, both students and faculty, had their eyes fixed on the challenge that lay just ahead. Everyone was busy with their own preparations, with no time for anything else. The days were calm, yet they crackled with the scent of gunpowder.
And then, the day of the Power-Assessment Test arrived...