Reincarnated as the Only Male in an All-Girls Magic Academy!-Chapter 70: WARNING! Do Not Unlock this - !!

[Warning! Do not unlock this Chapter! It is an error in the stockpile arrangement and is set to be officially released in a few days! Sorry for the inconvenience!]

The witch-like instructor raised her gnarled hand, and the gesture cut through the arena’s atmosphere like a blade through silk.

Her weathered face bore an expression of theatrical seriousness that suggested this next moment carried significance beyond the obvious.

The way she held herself, staff planted firmly against the stone floor, spoke of someone about to reveal something crucial.

"But before I begin," she announced, her voice carrying that perfect acoustic clarity that filled every corner of the massive space, "I would like all of you to stand up and take a very careful look at your chairs for exactly thirty seconds."

The request hung in the air like a puzzle waiting to be solved.

Hundreds of prospectives exchanged glances of confusion and curiosity, but the instructor’s tone brooked no argument or delay.

This wasn’t a suggestion, it was a command delivered with the kind of authority that expected immediate compliance.

Ren rose from his seat with fluid grace, his mind already working through the implications of such an unusual request.

Nothing in a setting like this was arbitrary, especially not instructions given by someone of the instructor’s obvious seniority and power.

Every detail had been planned and considered, which meant this seemingly simple task served a specific purpose.

As he looked down at his chair, Ren’s enhanced senses and trained observation skills began cataloging every detail.

The seat was constructed of dark wood that had been polished to a subtle sheen, with metal reinforcements at key stress points that suggested both durability and careful engineering.

The grain patterns in the wood were natural but had been selected for both beauty and structural integrity.

But it was the small details that caught his attention and triggered his analytical mind.

Tiny scratches on the armrests that could indicate previous use by nervous or agitated occupants.

Wear patterns that suggested the chairs had been moved and repositioned recently, perhaps even rearranged specifically for this event.

Most telling of all, barely visible markings on the legs that looked like they might be position indicators.

’They’re memorizing seating arrangements,’ he realized with growing certainty.

The instructor wanted them to remember exactly where they had been sitting, which meant that information would become relevant later.

In a tournament setting, seating arrangements could determine team assignments, bracket positions, or even tactical advantages and disadvantages.

His mind raced through the possibilities. Perhaps they would need to return to specific seats for scoring or elimination announcements. Maybe the seating pattern contained clues about the upcoming trials?

Or possibly, the positioning was designed to create specific groupings that would influence how the competition unfolded.

On his left, Mirabella stood with the same focused intensity she brought to every challenge, her sharp eyes taking in details that most people would miss entirely.

Her posture was perfectly balanced, ready to move in any direction at a moment’s notice, and her expression showed the kind of concentrated analysis that marked her as a serious tactical thinker.

She was clearly reaching similar conclusions about the significance of this seemingly simple task.

Lia, positioned on his right, displayed her own version of careful observation despite her earlier morning chaos.

Her natural intuition for reading situations served her well now, and Ren could see her mind working through the implications with the same intensity she brought to combat analysis.

All around them, other prospectives were conducting their own examinations with varying degrees of thoroughness.

Some simply glanced down and looked back up, treating the instruction as a minor formality.

Others, clearly recognizing the potential importance of the moment, studied their seats with the kind of detailed attention usually reserved for enemy fortifications.

The thirty seconds stretched like a held breath, filled with the subtle sounds of fabric rustling and wood creaking as hundreds of young warriors conducted their careful examinations.

When the allotted time expired, the instructor’s smile was both mysterious and satisfied, as if the prospectives’ responses had confirmed something she had been curious about.

Her weathered features arranged themselves in an expression that suggested she had gathered exactly the information she had been seeking, though what that information might be remained tantalizingly unclear.

"Excellent," she said simply, offering no explanation or clarification about the purpose of the exercise.

The single word carried undertones of approval and assessment, as if she had been evaluating their responses rather than simply having them follow instructions.

The lack of further commentary was almost maddening in its incompleteness.

Clearly, the chair examination had served its intended purpose, but the instructor had no intention of revealing what that purpose had been.

This was someone who understood the power of incomplete information and used mystery as effectively as any weapon.

Ren filed the interaction away for future reference, certain that its significance would become clear eventually.

In his experience, details that seemed random or arbitrary at the time often proved crucial later, and he had learned to pay attention to everything that seemed even slightly unusual.

"Now then," the instructor continued, her voice taking on a tone of theatrical anticipation that suggested the real excitement was about to begin, "let me explain the details of your first trial."

She gestured toward the smaller arenas that surrounded the massive central space, each one a perfect circle of polished stone designed for optimal combat and spectator viewing.

The construction was both elegant and practical, providing clear sightlines while maintaining the kind of protective barriers necessary for intense magical combat.

"This will be a free-for-all gauntlet," she announced, and the words sent a visible ripple of excitement and apprehension through the assembled prospectives.

"Each of the nine smaller arenas will be filled with exactly five hundred randomly selected students from all three blocks combined."

The implications were staggering. With forty five hundred total prospectives spread across nine arenas, the competition would be intense beyond anything they had previously experienced.

The random selection meant that traditional alliances and training partnerships would be scattered, forcing everyone to adapt to unfamiliar opponents and unexpected tactical situations.

"In each arena, you will engage in free-for-all combat until only fifty participants remain," she continued, her voice carrying easily over the growing murmur of conversation.

"These fifty survivors from each arena will advance to tomorrow’s second trial."

The mathematics were brutal but elegant. From forty five hundred hopefuls to four hundred and fifty survivors, it was a merciless reduction!

This was a harsh culling designed to identify only the most capable and adaptable candidates.

"Victory is achieved by remaining on your designated platform," the instructor explained, her staff tapping against the stone floor for emphasis.

"Once you are thrown off or forced to leave the combat area, you are immediately disqualified and eliminated from the tournament entirely."

"You may use any technique, ability, or strategy to maintain your position," she continued, and Ren could see the predatory gleam that appeared in many eyes around the arena.

The permission to use "any" technique opened possibilities that ranged from clever to brutal, depending on each individual’s moral flexibility and tactical creativity.

"However," she said, raising her voice to cut through the excited murmur that had begun to build, "there are three absolute rules that cannot be violated under any circumstances."

The instructor’s expression became stern and unyielding as she prepared to outline the boundaries that would govern the chaotic combat to come.

These rules would be the only things standing between organized competition and complete mayhem, and her tone made it clear that violations would be dealt with harshly.

Th𝓮 most uptodate nov𝑒ls are publish𝒆d on freew(e)bnove(l).𝓬𝓸𝓶