Gardener of Eden

Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Second Round

As dawn broke over the Colosseum, the quiet calm of the morning was shattered by the deafening roar of the packed arena. Golden light flooded the main floor as tens of thousands of spectators filled the grandstands, eagerly anticipating the most ruthless phase of the Initial Competency Testing Trial

Over the central arena floor, the massive floating holographic displays flared into a stark, radiant gold and obsidian layout, displaying the revised parameters:

[INITIAL COMPETENCY TESTING TRIAL - SECOND ROUND] Remaining Competitors: 500 Advancement Cutoff: Top 10 Only Elimination Rate: 98%

Down in the preparation tunnel, Squad 07 stood in formation. Rowan adjusted the brim of his enchanted straw hat, resting the Hoe of the World-Tiller shoulder-high as he checked his team’s readiness. Beside him, Seraphina double-checked her alchemical catalyst vials, Barney rolled his broad shoulders with his massive hammer at his side, Caelen held his silver-hilted blade with steady focus, and Mirei checked the tension of her longbow string.

”Filtering five hundred cadets down to just ten,” Barney grunted, a wide, eager grin spreading across his face. ”They aren’t holding back today.”

”Ninety-eight percent elimination,” Caelen observed, his eyes scanning the glowing bracket boards. ”One mistake, one second of hesitation, and you’re out.”

”That just means we don’t make mistakes,” Seraphina said smoothly, her expression sharp and confident.

Rowan turned to face his squad, a calm smirk on his face. ”Remember what we promised the Princess last night. We came here to take top standing, not just pass. Stick to your pacing, adapt fast, and execute cleanly.”

”Understood, leader!” the squad replied in unison.

As Squad 07 marched out of the dark archway onto the gleaming stone floor of the colosseum, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Thousands of eyes were locked onto the floating leaderboards, tracking the elite performers from yesterday’s opening trials.

Up in the glass-paneled royal pavilion overlooking the field, Head Dean Sterling stood beside the Crown Prince and the youngest princess. The princess leaned forward against the balcony edge, watching Squad 07 take their positions with eager anticipation.

”They look completely unfazed by those numbers,” the Crown Prince remarked quietly, folding his arms as he watched Rowan and his squad line up.

”Squad 07 doesn’t break under pressure, Your Highness,” Dean Sterling said with a subtle, approving nod. ”If anything, high stakes only sharpen their focus.”

The arena announcer’s voice boomed across the entire complex, vibrating through the stone stands:

”Cadets of the Empire! Five hundred of the academy’s finest remain standing after yesterday’s evaluations. Today, only ten will earn the right to advance to tomorrow’s championship finals! Prepare yourselves—the Second Round begins now!”

A deep horn echoed across the stadium, and the environmental barriers surrounding the arena floor surged with high-grade mana, signaling the start of the ultimate filter.

***

In the crimson-lit arena ring, Caelen faced a grueling sequence of high-intensity duels against elite martial cadets. Drawing his silver-hilted blade, he adapted seamlessly against varied weapon styles. Though exhausted after back-to-back rounds against upper-tier martial specialists, Caelen held his ground through sheer tenacity, locking in 8th place overall in the Melee Combat division.

Directly following the melee duels, the arena floor reconfigured into dynamic long-range shooting galleries. Mirei stepped onto the marksman platform, her posture calm and focused. As target drones and simulated shadow-beasts crossed the firing field at high speeds, Mirei released volley after volley with pinpoint accuracy. Her reaction speed and high critical-hit percentage secured her 4th place in the Ranged Combat division.

Over in the high-heat forge sectors, Barney unslung his Hammer of the Sunken Bastion and threw himself into the Forgecraft & Equipment Mechanics trial. Working under strict time limits and raw material constraints, Barney pounded heavy metal ingots with rhythmic precision. Battling top artificer representatives from across the academy cohorts, his reinforced armor weld passed rigorous strain tests, placing him 4th place in the blacksmithing standings.

Simultaneously, in the Alchemical & Auxiliary Support lab stations, Seraphina conducted high-speed reagent extractions and complex potion brews under expert evaluation. With effortless dexterity, she stabilized volatile mana catalysts and crafted peak-purity solutions, earning high marks from the evaluators and locking in 2nd place in the alchemy competition.

As dusk approached, the arena floor shifted to the Territorial Cultivation & Domain Management trial. Rowan Vance stepped onto the damaged, mana-starved soil plot holding the Hoe of the World-Tiller, his enchanted straw hat pulled low over his eyes.

Activating his domain skills, Rowan channeled the Breath of Eden and executed precision Terra Tilling, purifying the corrupted leyline node in record time while cultivating high-purity spirit flora. The evaluator displays flashed a perfect 100% efficiency rating, crowning Rowan in 1st place once again in the farming and herbology category.

As the closing horns echoed across the colosseum, the central holographic screens refreshed to display the aggregated daily results:

Rowan Vance: 1st Place — Territorial Cultivation & Herbology

Seraphina: 2nd Place — Alchemical & Auxiliary Support

Mirei: 4th Place — Ranged Combat

Barney: 4th Place — Forgecraft & Blacksmithing

Caelen: 8th Place — Melee Combat

Gathering back in Squad 07’s reserved section in the stands, Caelen rolled his shoulders with a satisfied grin, while Mirei let out a relieved breath. Barney chuckled, extending his broad fist to Rowan, Seraphina, Mirei, and Caelen in turn for a round of solid fist bumps.

Every single member of Squad 07 had finished comfortably within the top 10 of their respective categories, cementing their standing as one of the most formidable and versatile squads in the academy cohort.

***

Following the echoing roar of the closing ceremony, Squad 07 made their way through the grand stone corridors of the Colosseum. Leaving the thunderous applause of the arena behind, they entered their assigned private suite, where the thick acoustic wards instantly sealed behind them, muting the stadium crowds to a low, distant hum.

Relieved to finally step out of the public eye, the squad began unbuckling their tactical gear. Rowan set the Hoe of the World-Tiller securely against the weapon rack and unclasped his enchanted straw hat, shaking out his dark hair. Beside him, Barney unslung the heavy Hammer of the Sunken Bastion with a resonant clatter, while Caelen, Seraphina, and Mirei took their seats around the heavy oak dining table.

A soft chime echoed through the suite as the wall’s brass compartment slid open, delivering a steaming, multi-course feast of mana-enriched roasted meats, vibrant spirit-grain breads, and savory broths designed to restore spent stamina and mana reserves.

”Man, I don’t think I’ve ever earned a dinner this much in my life,” Barney grunted with a wide grin, pulling out a chair and helping himself to a hearty portion. ”Fighting through high-heat forge trials for hours really works up an appetite.”

As they began eating, Seraphina tapped the console at the edge of the dining table. A crisp, pale-blue holographic display materialized over the center of the table, pulling up the official overall academy team standings.

”The aggregate point tally just finalized,” Seraphina said, her sharp eyes scanning the fast-moving list of numbers. ”Let’s see where our individual placements put Squad 07 overall.”

The team watched as the leaderboards calculated the cumulative scores of hundreds of participating squads—a cutthroat roster filled with high-born military dynasties, senior martial lineages, and the Empire’s most elite cadet cohorts.

The display flashed bright amber, locking in the top tier:

ACADEMY COMPETENCY TRIAL — OVERALL SQUAD STANDINGS

1st Place: House Ignis Elite (Senior Martial Cohort)

2nd Place: Crown Vanguard (Imperial Officer Cadets)

3rd Place: Squad 07 (Rowan Vance, Seraphina, Barney, Caelen, Mirei)

Caelen paused mid-bite, his eyes widening as he looked up at the floating runes. ”Third place? Out of the entire empire?”

”Against the Empire’s absolute best and brightest,” Mirei added, letting out an amazed laugh. ”We’re sitting right on the podium behind an elite academy and the Crown’s direct line.”

”Not bad for a squad led by a farmer and rounded out by a blacksmith, an alchemist, a marksman, and a swordsman,” Barney laughed heartily, clapping Caelen on the back. ”We beat out every single major noble house in the freshman and sophomore tiers.”

”Look at the point distribution,” Seraphina analyzed, tracing the sub-breakdown on the screen. ”Caelen’s 8th place in melee and Mirei’s 4th in ranged gave us a solid baseline in direct combat. Barney’s 4th in forgecraft and my 2nd in alchemy locked down the auxiliary points.”

She glanced over at Rowan with a smirk. ”But it was Rowan’s perfect 100% score and 1st-place finish in Territorial Cultivation that pushed our point total past the High Guard squads into 3rd.”

”It was a complete team effort,” Rowan said with a calm smirk, taking a sip from his glass. ”Everyone pulled their weight under immense pressure today. Ranking 3rd overall proves that Squad 07 can match anyone in the Empire in raw capability.”

”To 3rd place,” Caelen said, raising his goblet with a proud grin.

”And to taking 1st next time,” Barney added, knocking his cup against Caelen’s.

Rowan, Seraphina, and Mirei raised their glasses as well, the clinking of goblets filling the quiet chamber. Settling into their comfortable seats, Squad 07 enjoyed their hot meal together, their bond stronger than ever as their victory echoed throughout the Empire.