My Borderline Supervillain-Slash-Hero System
Chapter 99 Tournament: 1ST Phase

Chapter 99: Chapter 99 Tournament: 1ST Phase

On the stage, Frankie Grenora stood still, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. The moment his willful eyes met the freshers’, all their chatter stopped.

Unlike the previous speaker, Frankie was no-nonsense.

The atmosphere instantly turned solemn.

He began his announcement:

"Listen up, Freshers!" he called out, his voice sharp and commanding. "After long internal discussions, debates, and thorough assessments by the Student Board Ranking Committee and our teachers, we’ve come to a conclusion. This year, there will be certain changes to the tournament."

A wave of displeasure spread through the crowd—grumbles and murmurs broke out among students, even among some seniors and a few teachers. Clearly, not everyone welcomed change.

"Whether you like it or not, we don’t care," Frankie said bluntly. "The decision has already been made."

Especially those from noble families and super-clans frowned in disapproval—they had clearly been planning to exploit loopholes to gain better rankings.

Frankie only smiled as he observed their expressions.

"Good. Now listen carefully," he said, pausing for effect. "I’ll state all the new rules and required information for the first phase of the tournament. I won’t repeat myself. I don’t have the time."

The crowd settled into silence again.

"Fair enough. Rankings will no longer be based solely on strength. Other factors will also be considered—your wit, adaptability, survivability, endurance, and attitude."

He raised his hand and pointed toward one group.

"Eastern Tower," he began, then continued listing, "Northern Highland Tower, Western Frontier Tower, Southern Lowland Tower, and Island Nations Tower—these are the six groups representing our six regional offices."

"You all come from across the Western Continent. This year, we have exactly 29,599 freshers enrolling in the Academy. But remember—inside these walls, things are far more brutal than you imagine. Your dignity, your needs, your privileges—everything will depend on your ranking."

"The top 1,000 will enjoy the best facilities the Academy has to offer. Those who make it into the top 500 will gain even greater perks."

He raised a finger for each as he listed:

"Top 100—enrolled into the exclusive Special Ivy League Program.

Top 50—perks classified.

Top 30—creamier perks, still classified.

Top 10—allowed to choose their own mentors, including from among the deans.

Top 3—granted access to the Academy’s Space Research Team, and much more.

The First Ranker?" Frankie chuckled. "He or she owns the entire First Year. If they want something... then that something is theirs."

The crowd grew increasingly tense.

"Alright, moving on," Frankie continued. "Since today is your first day, the Student Board Ranking Committee has decided to begin with a simple task for Phase One of the tournament."

"At first, we considered selecting the top 100 from each tower. But since the towers have uneven numbers of students, that wouldn’t be fair. So instead, the top 600 students overall from Phase One will advance to the Second Phase."

He gestured with his hand.

Two third-year seniors came forward, carrying a glass box filled with ten folded slips of paper. Each had a hole in the top just large enough for a hand to reach through.

"These papers each contain the name of a planet or moon in our solar system," Frankie explained. "You’ll be sent to one of them. Don’t worry—they’ve all completed the final stages of terraforming. They’re completely safe for training."

"Alright, I’ll pick."

He inserted his right hand into the box and pulled out a slip. As he unfolded the paper, a hovering drone projected the contents onto a massive screen in the air above.

"The Red Planet..." Frankie read aloud, then raised his voice for all to hear:

"Mars!"

Shelby leaned closer, whispering in Zane’s ear, "Boy, do you see the simple trick here?"

Zane shook his head.

"All the papers in the glass jar say Mars, every single one," Shelby muttered with a sneer.

"Why?"

"I don’t know." Shelby shrugged. "Maybe we can ask the president of the Student Board Ranking Committee."

Frankie continued, "Alright, I believe most of you have already studied the articles regarding the terraformation of Mars. But I’ll repeat them here briefly.

Long before the Age of Awakening, humanity set foot on the surface of the Red Planet. For decades, we poured trillions into terraforming efforts. But Mars’s atmosphere was wildly unstable—tornadoes erupted constantly, and our efforts failed again and again.

Then came the Awakening Age. With it, came hope. Scientists proposed that planting seeds of the Divine Tree on Mars might stabilize its environment. So, ten seeds were planted across the planet. Each one took root, grew tall, and began purifying the air, enriching the mana. Mars became habitable."

He paused, and then added with a shift in tone, "But not for long.

In the years that followed, hundreds of dungeons began appearing all over the planet. We had predicted this to some extent, but the numbers went far beyond expectations. Over 25 of these dungeons failed to be cleared in time. Monsters broke loose. Most of them were corrupted mana beasts."

Frankie clapped his hands once. "Seniors! Pass out the cards."

The upperclassmen moved through the crowd in orderly waves, handing each fresher a small green card.

Frankie raised his voice again, "That green card is the key to your mission. Your task: gather as many mana core stones and clear as many dungeons as possible within a one-week timeline.

Your ranking will be based on the quantity and quality of the cores you collect.

Combat is permitted. Killing your fellow students is not. That’s all for the rules."

He turned toward the teachers’ section and said, "Please do the honors, my dearest masters."

Sixty academic teachers rose and began floating in the air before slowly descending onto a large platform.

Ten of them stepped forward and sat in a circle at its center. Mana surged from their bodies, flowing directly into the stone beneath them.

They began chanting, each using a different incantation. Arcane patterns—like a glowing spider web—began spreading across the platform. The air trembled.

Zane felt the tremor beneath his feet. At first, he thought it was an earthquake.

Then, six stone gates rose from the platform.