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Chapter 55: World Record

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The next morning, all the seats began to fill up in the stadium as families and friends came to watch the students fight it out. The Inter-School Tournament takes place at 8 in the morning all the way until noon. They recently changed the timing so that the Vytal Tournament, which consisted of the high-schoolers, takes place in the afternoon. This gave more time so that families could enjoy both tournaments if they desired. This definitely isn't because the author forgot to take into account the timing. Definitely not.

The holographic big screen appeared and showed three individuals sitting at a desk. All three were students that came from various academies, but the one thing they had in common was energy. Stage fright wasn't a problem as they started to talk into their microphones without a stutter. The first to speak was a handsome purple-haired boy.

“GOOD MORNING VALE! How are you today?!”

Cheers erupted from the audience, excitement and expectations were rising for the tournament, and it was the job of these three students to get the audience as excited as possible.

“I don't think I can hear you. I said HOW ARE YOU TODAY?!!”

They cheered even louder in response.

“Now that's what I'm talking about! My name is Percy. I'm here today with Mina and Geoff. We'll be your hosts for the Inter-School Tournament. How are you two doing?”

The girl with pink hair spoke up with smile on her face.

“I'm fine, Percy. Thanks for asking.”

The green-haired boy named Geoff also replied similarly.

“That's great! Geoff, why don't you give the viewers at home a run down of what's happening today?”

“With pleasure, Percy. Today we'll be beginning the main part of the Inter-School Tournament. There will be three rounds. Round 1 will slim down the contestants from 64 to sixteen. Round 2 and 3 will be 1v1 Event Rounds held immediately after Round 1 with only half the fighters moving on to the next round. The resulting top four fighters will duke it out in the Semi-finals and Finals tomorrow. Unlike today's Event Rounds, tomorrow's Semi-finals and Finals will be a classic 1v1 tournament-style duel. Last Hunter or Huntress standing wins.”

“Wow, we have a jam-packed schedule today don't we?”

“Percy, you don't know half of it.” Mina said. “Round 1's event is Maze Runner. All of the fighters are split into teams of 4 and positioned outside of the maze. When the timer starts, all teams rush inside and try to be the first to reach the center which contains 4 different orbs. Upon obtaining one of these orbs, the corresponding team reaps the benefit of altering a section of the maze to their bidding as well as access to security cameras monitoring the maze. At the end of the time limit of one hour, the four teams with possession of an orb moves on to Round 2.”

“Seems simple enough. But only at first glance right? This is an event that's normally held during the Vytal Tournament for the high-schoolers. The maze contains many [treasure] rooms and traps that can both help and impede the progress of any team. Furthermore, unlike the high-school division who are familiar with their teammates, these teams were formed only yesterday. Their ability to cooperate with one another is another factor. Moreover, the maze itself is huge already. The difficulty of this event is not something to scoff at.”

Geoff nodded.

“Indeed. Contestants are not allowed to jump over the walls at any time, and they are limited to only 10 Greater Elixirs. The shortest time any team has reached the orb is 15 minutes 25 seconds. Furthermore, after the orbs are retrieved by a team, they immediately begin to emit a pillar of light. This allows the rest of the fighters to become aware of the location of the objective, subsequently converging on the team that holds it.”

“After all this talk about Maze Runner, I'm sure the audience now grasps just how difficult this event is, so I would like to move this conversation towards a different topic. With all this in mind, who do you guys think will emerge victorious?”

“That's hard to say, Percy.” Mina said. “If you were asking which four teams will win, I couldn't tell you. Many of the favored winners and tough fighters have all been scrambled into ridiculous team match-ups as if some weird twist of fate didn't want them to win. However, there is one promising team that I think Geoff is also keeping an eye on.”

“If we're talking about the All Star team, then yes I am. The team at entry point 9 consists of third-year Diane Geotal, first-year Weiss Schnee, first-year Pyrrha Nikos, and first-year Robin Wolfheart.

Diane is a well known face. She currently stands as the strongest student at Myriad and is the leader of Team DiGiTaL (DGTL) which includes the rest of the Myriad Student Council. Together they are known as the Cruel Four.”

“Cruel Four?”

“You never heard of that nickname, Mina? Unlike their calm and caring demeanor in school, during their missions, Team DGTL is widely known for ruthlessly striking down all those that stand in their way.

For example, Gaea Bronzewing is said to only aim for headshots whether it's Grimm or fellow Huntsmen and Huntresses.

Ted Turncoat, who before being tamed by Diane, was a wild, solo Huntsman.

Liela Atkinson, who is a faunus, is able to crush bone into powder using just her bare hands.”

“Oh my!” Mina exclaimed. “But what about the head of the team, Diane? What makes her part of the Cruel Four?”

“Diane's class and semblance are no secret. Her class is a Hacker, and her semblance is Zaborg, which allows her command over electricity. The firepower of her electricity is something we have all witness. Yesterday in the preliminary round, just one burst of energy wiped out dozens of Hunters and Huntresses. The worst part is she never pulls her punches. There are even some rumors that the students that disobey the Student Council are personally punished by her in an electric chair powered by Diane herself.”

Geoff and Mina nodded at one another. Just one blast eliminated that many fighters. To be tortured by her? Such a thought was truly terrifying. However, Percy pulled the two out of their silent atmosphere.

“Rumors like those can be extremely biased. Lets not get ahead of ourselves here. What about the rest of their team? What can you guys tell us?”

Mina took the lead for this one.

“The other three are Weiss Schnee, Pyrrha Nikos, and Robin Wolfheart. Weiss Schnee is second in line to inheriting the Schnee Dust Company everyone is familiar with. Since this is her first debut in a tournament, her class is unknown, but we do know that her semblance is Glyphs.

Glyphs is a recognized rare and unique semblance that is inherited only in the Schnee family. With its power to amplify qualities of their user, it isn't a small exaggeration to say the participation of a Schnee family member can change the outcome of any battle. Moreover, rumors say that Weiss is a special case in the Schnee family since she is able to utilize Glyphs with effects that have been never seen before.

Next is Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl. She is a star athlete known even by little children. As many know, every year we host a Junior Hunter Weapons Competition open to the ages 4-12. Unlike the Junior Hunter Tournament, this competition allows weapons users only.

To the amazement of everyone, she emerged at the age of 8 and took first place for four years in a row. Her mastery of her weapons is something shocking to many and was deemed a true battle genius. Despite her fame, it is currently unknown what her class and semblance is. However, there is no doubt whether she lives up to the rumors.

In yesterday's battle, she was also on Weiss Schnee's team and single-handedly protected her team's standing on the hill against dozens upon dozens of Hunters and Huntresses using only her strength and speed rather than AOE skills like many fighters did.”

“Unbelievable. And we're sure these two are first-years?”

“Hm.” Mina nodded.

“Amazing, and what about our last Hunter: Robin Wolfheart?”

Both Geoff and Mina exchanged glances.

“This..I'm afraid I don't know any data on Robin.”

“What?”

“He's a first-year just like Weiss and Pyrrha, but unlike them he has yet to reach level 70's. His name also isn't really widespread among the contestants.”

“No wait, Mina!” Geoff interrupted. “Wasn't the reigning champion for the Junior Hunter Tournament for 5 consecutive years a boy named Robin?”

“Wait really? It's been over 10 years, so I don't recall.”

“Hm...”

Robin's name not being known was not something to be shocked about. The only times he made a name for himself was when he won those tournaments, but the shock of Pyrrha reigning a champion for 4 years in a row was more shocking than Robin for 5 years. The reason was simple. He was a faunus. When advocating the “success of a genius”, news reporters would rather flock to the beautiful girl than the “country bumpkin” faunus. Most likely, his success was downplayed a lot by the press.

Not that it really mattered. At the time, he was gonna be inside the Kingdom of Vale for a mere four days each year. What was unknown about him didn't really hurt him. It's better if he remained under the radar. At least, that's what he told himself.

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At the moment, all the Hunters and Huntresses were doing their final stretches on the field and going over their Inventory once more for last minute check ups. The announcer's voices were loud and clear, and a simple glance would let them see that Robin's team was currently being displayed on the huge holographic screen.

= As expected, even if I try to tell myself, it still hurts to go unnoticed like this. =

Robin scratched his wolf ears on his head.

= I mean, come on. I won 5 years in a row. That's gotta count for something right? =

No matter how he tried to spin it, it really felt like he was the outsider in the group. He was used to such feelings since he grew up as a faunus, but on a grand stage such as this unnerved him differently than when he was walking in the hallways. If it was then, they would say something and look away. Here, he was the center of attention from beginning to end.

“Well that's no fair. You tricked me.”

“?? What do you mean Pyrrha?”

“I mean you acted as if you're not famous yourself. Isn't winning a fight in hand-to-hand a lot more difficult than armed combat?”

Robin was no fool. While she was showing obvious praise for his feats and teasing to lighten the mood, he could tell she was trying to cheer him up. To let her know he appreciated it, he gave a wry smile. She returned it back. Robin then shifted the conversation to Diane.

“Hey, they seemed to be aware of your class, Diane. Are you sure our plan will work?”

Their current battle plan hinged on Diane's ability as a Hacker after all.

“What are you asking at this point and time, boy? I am confident in my skills even if they threw in an extra firewall or two. Besides, worst come to worst, we play normally right?”

“True.”

A loud Ding gathered the attention of all competitors, and then a loud voice went over the intercom.

“Hunters and Huntresses get ready to embark, we will begin the round momentarily.”

It should go without saying each fighter was already prepared without the reminder. Robin's nervousness disappeared and the feelings were replaced with apprehension toward the upcoming fight.

“The event is Maze Runner. Out of the 64 participates, only 16 will move on to the next round. The time limit is one hour...”

The gates at their entry point shifted inward revealing a long corridor with stone pavement and walls with pulsating blue veins. A holographic screen appeared above the enormous maze, allowing those inside to see by looking upwards.

Time Remaining: 01:00:00

“Begin!”

Roars spread throughout the crowd as all the participants rushed into the labyrinth at their respective entry points. All of them, except for Robin's group. The four of them casually walked into the maze. After all the fighters entered, the gate that had opened now closed behind them and sealing them inside. Instead of rushing anyway, Robin, Pyrrha, and Weiss stood still and watched Diane. The person in question placed her palm on a wall and sent her Aura into the wall.

Live Hack

As a Hacker, there were two ways for Diane to hack into a device. The first was Auto Hack. This is basically the kind of hacking Robin was capable of. The individual would send one's Aura into a device and then forcefully crack the code and manipulate it as one wished. However, this was slower and required an accurate of normal hacking in order to obtain the skill. The gain was that it was done unconsciously, so as long one activated the skill, they could concentrate on other issues while the skill worked its magic.

The other kind of hacking was Live Hack. A skill exclusive to only Hackers. It manually sent one's conscious into the device to hack the device. The speed of the hack was many times faster than Auto Hack, but required sending the conscious into the device. Normal hacking was looking at code, interpreting it, and then taking action. This was different.

Inside the device- no the maze- Diane's conscious stood like a human and the surrounding was all blue. In front of her was a door locked so tightly, it would be unthinkable for it to be opened by just her alone. In live hacking, security systems were like doors, only letting specific personnel through. But a door opens so long as you have a key.

With no effort at all, Diane tapped the door and it opened her way into the mainframe.

“...Too easy.”

The amount of time she came in contact with the wall was approximately 10 seconds. In order to not make it look too outrageous, she delayed her hacking purposefully, but the result was still the same. The moment she finished hacking, the wall pulsated. No, the entire maze pulsated. Walls began to move, traps were dismantled. The winding and blocked paths began to open up and the result was a long corridor from Robin and his team to the center of the maze. A straight path from the outside of the maze to the center that didn't exist before appeared.

“With or without a terminal, so long as it runs on electricity, it is mine to command.” Diane said to nobody in particular.

It didn't matter anyway. Robin and the others were speechless. When Diane came up with this plan, they had their doubts about her hacking the entire maze, but seeing was believing.

= …Overpowered doesn't begin to describe this. =

Maze Runner was an event held regularly in the Vytal Tournament. If it was so easy to hack into, it wouldn't be used at all, yet this girl did it in 10 seconds. Robin looked at his palm.

= Could I do that too? Is my Mercenary class capable of grasping that kind of power? =

He gulped. With Diane leading the way, the four of them headed to the center as if they were walking in the park. Silence. If a pin dropped on the ground, it could be heard throughout the entire audience stands. The three announcers stared dumbly. The first to speak was Percy.

“...Mina, how long has it been?”

She looked at the clock on her desk and gasped inward. Her voice was heard throughout the entire stadium, every shop, and every home that was watching.

“...35 seconds.”

The world record by matches in the high-school division was 15 minutes and 25 seconds. This same record was beaten by almost 15 minutes. They saw it, so they understood it, but they could not believe it.

“Wait!” Geoff shouted. “Is this even legal? Tampering with the layout like this?”

“Everything is legal the moment the round starts.” Percy said absently, his eyes lock onto the beauty that made this feat possible.

“Otherwise how could someone alter the terrain with explosions and bullets. So long as nothing is done beforehand, it's ok.”

“There should've been firewalls, viruses, at least some kind of defenses set up to prevent something like this from happening right?” Mina asked.

“Of course, that's a given. This isn't the first time a Hacker class has been seen. The security has always been tight for something like this.”

“Then, does that mean she somehow obtained the passwords to the security?” Geoff asked questioningly. His suspicion was obvious. This was done way too quick.

“Don't be foolish.” Percy glared at him and snarled. “If something like a password was all it took to crack this maze, why would the standing record be 15 minutes and 25 seconds? To hack a maze at this size requires immense talent and familiarity with the line of work. It's not something that can be done at a flip of a switch, yet that's exactly what she did.”

Listening to his words, whether it was men or women, human or faunus, those at home or currently participating, all held a gaze of respect and awe towards Diane. No doubt the government would recruit her in the future. If that was the case, the Kingdom's future was a bright one. That was, if she was on their side. Diane chuckled slightly as she felt the stares on her back. From the blackmail of the Schnee Family, the disorientation of teams, fame, and now she was set for a high position in government. All was going according to the plan.

Security

After hacking into a device, Diane was able to mold her Aura similar to Robin with his Aura Limbs. By doing so, she was able to create security cameras and move them at her will using her Aura. Floating blue holographic screens made of her Aura appeared in front of her. In addition to the cameras that already existed in the maze, she had access to the ones she created herself, and they were all displayed on the screens in front of her. Upon looking at the cameras, Diane frowned. Robin noticed the subtle change.

“What's wrong?”

“It seems we're not the only ones that had an early lead.” she responded.

After she said that, the earth beneath them rumbled. They then also heard the sound of something crumbling in the distance. The audience began to clamor and they also heard the noise. The three stooges at the microphone spoke up.

“Wh-what! What's happening?” Mina asked.

Both she and Geoff searched the field to see the change but Percy was the first to notice. With a finger, he pointed towards the center of the maze. Mina and Geoff followed the finger and the holographic screen changed to the image Percy was seeing. With his hand trembling, Percy spoke words everyone thought they heard wrong.

“...4 more teams have made it to the center.”

Author's note: I don't really have much to add here. Wondering about your thoughts so far? I realize the paragraphs are more clumped up than usual. Does it affect your reading?