No! I don't want to be a Super Necromancer!

One guy was running in circles with his hand raised. "I'm emotionally stable and good at logistics! Please! Anyone!"

It was a full blown marketplace riot.

Over by the HNU delegation, the seven Americans simply stood in formation.

They were already grouped and were watching the Pearl first years in fascination.

Damien Bloodbane stayed where he was.

He made no effort to join a team.

It didn't really matter who joined him. He alone was able to destroy his opponents. If required, he could even take on every living person in the field by himself. Instructors included.

But of course, it was not his fate to be alone.

He was like gravity, and people couldn't help themselves but to want to be with him.

"Boss!" Fatty thundered over, his face glowing with sweat and panic. "You! Me! Life and death! Bonded by trauma!"

Damien Bloodbane shrugged. "Sure."

Ji Chen walked up next, wind mana swirling faintly at his feet. "I trust you more than the rest of these lunatics."

"Mutual," Damien Bloodbane replied.

Then, as if summoned by fate, or perhaps mutual disdain for nonsense, or simply because of feelings, Jiang Xiao Yu stepped wordlessly into their little circle.

She said nothing. Just folded her arms and stood beside Damien Bloodbane like she'd always been there.

Then, crack!

Lightning danced across the dirt as the Mu Triplets strolled over, glowing with confidence and power.

Mu Qingxue flipped her hair. "Bloodbane. You're strong enough not to slow us down."

Mu Qingling nodded. "And you three are above average."

Mu Qingyu, munching on a sugar cube, added, "We'll carry Fatty if he dies early."

Fatty pointed at her. "Hey. I've got at least five minutes of glorious combat in me."

"Then we'll use your body as cover for the sixth minute," Mu Qingyu replied cheerfully.

Damien Bloodbane sighed but didn't object.

With that, their team was set:

Damien Bloodbane, Fatty, Jiang Xiao Yu, Ji Chen, and the Mu Triplets.

Possibly the strongest combo.

Balanced. Versatile. Dangerous.

Meanwhile, another student cried out, "I HAVE THREE EARTH MAGES AND TWO BEAST TAMERS! THIS IS A FARM, NOT A COMBAT SQUAD!"

Professor Kong Hu raised his hand and activated the field's outer mana barriers. The ground shimmered as the battlefield lit up.

"Group formation time is over," he said flatly.

"Begin."

A thunderclap of energy surged through the arena as the mana suppression field lifted.

And then… Chaos.

Dozens of groups exploded into motion at once.

Spells flew. Students yelled.

Dirt erupted into the sky as elemental forces clashed in a full-blown magical riot.

Fireballs, lightning, blades of compressed wind, summoned beasts, flying swords—everything was being thrown at everybody within the first thirty seconds.

One team accidentally blew themselves out of the ring.

Another was immediately disqualified when two members turned on each other mid-strategy.

Someone summoned a mana chicken. No one knew why. The chicken was promptly vaporized.

Meanwhile, at the center of the battlefield, Harvard National University moved like a machine.

They didn't run. They strode forward, controlled and confident, like seven apex predators released into a zoo full of squabbling monkeys and chimpanzees throwing bananas at each other.

Their mana signatures surged—refined, powerful, terrifyingly efficient.

The tall, rune-etched leader, Blake Johnson, threw out both arms, and an explosion of red-gold fire detonated in a wide arc, launching three nearby teams into the air like broken dolls.

"Move!" he barked, and the HNU team fanned out with lethal coordination.

To his right, Vanessa Smith the silver-haired precision mage snapped her fingers. Twin needles of mana pierced a defensive earthen barrier like it was made of paper. The defenders inside didn't even see her coming.

Behind them, Jason Park the tower-shield tank slammed his feet into the ground and summoned a shockwave that flattened the terrain around him. His shield flared with energy and reflected a lightning strike without even cracking.

The Storm Twins—Zara and Zoe—launched into the fray next, lightning and wind tearing through the battlefield like twin hurricanes. One launched into the air, casting a wide arcing bolt that chained through four students. The other blasted forward in a wind-dash, knocking back a team before they could even form up.

And Felix Crane, the sleepy illusionist, simply yawned, flicked a wrist and caused a section of the field to melt into illusory fog, confusing another squad so badly they ended up attacking each other.

The crowd was stunned. Even the Pearl instructors watching from above leaned forward in horror.

They did not expect such a brutal massacre to take place!

Then... Impact.

The HNU team crashed straight into Zhao Rui's group.

It was like two storms colliding.

Zhao Rui led the charge with fists blazing, his fire aura roaring around him like a furnace. "Let's see how tough you really are!" he shouted, driving forward with a flaming uppercut.

BOOM.

Blake Johnson caught it with one hand.

The earth around him shook.

Zhao Rui's eyes widened as Blake Johnson grinned. "Strong. But not enough."

The massive American spun and slammed a flame-imbued elbow into Zhao Rui's chest, knocking him backward. Zhao Rui flipped mid-air, landed on his feet, and surged back in.

From the side, the Lin Triplets exploded into action.

Lin Fei launched twin spears of mana that arced around the battlefield. Lin Xiu blinked into position behind the HNU twins, aiming for a flank. Lin Bao charged forward like a battering ram with a spiked hammer spell at full charge.

"Don't hold back!" Lin Fei shouted. "Target their support!"

But the Storm Twins didn't flinch.

Zoe spun mid-air, forming a wind barrier that redirected Lin Xiu's attack entirely, while Zara pointed a single charged finger at Lin Bao and released a close-range lightning strike that knocked him into a rock formation.

Jennifer Aquafrost slashed her way through the chaos, dual ice blades forming as she ducked under Jason's massive shield and aimed straight for Vanessa Smith.

Vanessa Smith's cold eyes flicked toward her.

Jennifer Aquafrost vanished in a flash of frost, and then reappeared behind the American.

An blade was already swinging towards her neck.

But Vanessa Smith moved just enough—one shoulder twitch—and parried with a blade of mana so thin it was invisible until it struck.

A shink of energy, and Jennifer Aquafrost flipped backward, skidding across the dirt.

But she was smiling.

"Finally," she muttered. "A challenge."