Chapter 121: The Beginning of Academy Life

The next morning, we gathered at the square where I had experienced my first fake kidnapping in my life. Everyone was excited, carrying large and small bags, quietly waiting for the school bus to arrive.

After about half an hour, an ordinary bus pulled up by the roadside. The driver stuck his head out and asked, “Are you all freshmen of Golden Dragon Academy?” We all answered in unison, “Yes.”

The driver said, “Alright, get on.” We boarded the bus, which was practically empty. Once seated, the bus started moving. On the way, the driver asked again, “Are you really freshmen of Golden Dragon Academy?”

Long Xin replied, “Actually, my brother is. We were just invited, so we’re sort of transfer students.”

The driver said, “I see. Then you must be prepared. That academy is not as simple as you might imagine.”

I asked, “W-what do you mean?”

The driver replied, “Nothing. You’ll understand when you get there.”

As he spoke, the bus entered a long tunnel. It took about half an hour to pass through, then we drove on a highway for about ten minutes before finally arriving at the gates of Golden Dragon Academy. The bus stopped, and we got off one by one. After everyone disembarked, the driver said, “Everyone, be careful when playing games. Once you enroll, you cannot leave the academy except during winter and summer breaks, understand?”

I said, “Got it, thank you.”

“Good luck!” With that, the bus drove away.

“That was a strange driver,” Xiao Ai whispered.

“Brother Long, what a grand entrance gate! Amazing. I guess the gates of Tsinghua or Peking University aren’t much different,” Xiao Xi admired the marble gates.

I smiled, “Who knows? Let’s go inside quickly.”

Inside the academy, the lively scene continued. Just then, Zhao Bo appeared before us and said, “Long Ling and your friends, welcome to Golden Dragon Academy.”

“Brother, who is he?” Long Xin asked, pointing at Zhao Bo.

Zhao Bo smiled, “Little sister, my name is Zhao Xing. I’m the head of this academy—the principal. But you can just call me Uncle Zhao; that’s more accurate.”

“Such a strange old man,” Xiao Ai muttered.

“Never mind,” I said, then turned to Zhao Bo. “Uncle Zhao, we want to handle the enrollment procedures.”

Zhao Bo said, “Follow me.” We followed him to the principal’s office. After submitting a pile of paperwork, we went to finance to pay tuition and accommodation fees. Then, it was time to assign dormitories.

Long Xin asked, “Where’s everyone’s dorm? I’m in Building 2, Room 302.”

Feng Xiaoyue said, “I’m also in 2-302. What about you?”

Xiao Ai said, “I’m in 2-303, right next to Sister Yue.”

Ye Shuang said, “Xiao Xi and I are in Building 1, Room 405.”

Xiao Xi asked, “Brother Long, which room are you in Building 2?”

After checking my information, I said, “I’m not in Building 2, but in Building 5, Room 204.”

Feng Xiaoyue frowned, “That’s strange. According to the records, Building 1 is for boys, Building 2 is for girls. Why are you in Building 5?”

I shook my head, “I don’t know.”

Long Xin said, “It’s simple. My brother was officially admitted, but we were admitted in an expanded intake, so we were assigned differently.”

Feng Xiaoyue nodded, “Long Xin makes sense. Many schools worldwide have such arrangements. Not surprising. Alright everyone, go find your dorms.”

Everyone dispersed for a while. Suddenly, an announcement echoed: “Attention students, welcome to Golden Dragon Academy. Please assemble at 2 p.m. in the multimedia hall of Building 6 for an important student meeting. Attendance is mandatory.”

The announcement repeated three times. I wandered around but couldn’t find Building 5. Unsure what to do, I tapped a passing girl on the shoulder to ask.

“Hm? You’re a freshman? You need to get to Building 5? Then turn right...” The girl turned, glanced at me suspiciously, smiled, and walked away.

She was quite attractive, but I had no time to linger. I needed to find my dorm first.

I arrived at Building 5, which looked much newer than the others, almost brand new.

“Hey, you’re in this building too?” A cheerful voice suddenly came as I entered the lobby.

“Yes, I am! I live in Room 205,” I smiled and sized up the man in front of me.

He was about 1.8 meters tall, robust, a typical northerner with dark skin.

“Hi, friend! Lucky you got assigned here! I’m Zhao Tianxiang. What’s your name?” While I was still examining the burly man, a thin man walked over.

“I’m Long Ling. Nice to meet you,” I said.

The burly man said, “Hello, I’m Lin Qiang.”

“Another newcomer! I’m Murong Bai!” An elegant voice arrived. All three turned to see a handsome young man walking over.

Murong Bai asked, “Which dorm are you in?”

“205,” I replied.

Murong Bai grinned, “Good luck! I thought you’d be joining us in the duty room. By the way, the guy who opens the iron gate hasn’t come yet, so you’ll have to wait until evening to get in. You can put your luggage down first. I suggest we go out for a big feast later. My treat—a way to make friends.”

After some friendly banter, the four of us quickly bonded, already calling each other brothers.

Murong Bai, 21, the eldest and the leader here.

Zhao Tianxiang, 20, second in rank.

Lin Qiang, 19, third.

Me, 18, the youngest. There was also an older man, the dorm leader and security guard, who only worked nights.

After resting for a while, we went out to eat: 100 skewers of barbecue, ten big dishes, two cases of beer, countless small dishes and grilled skewers—all devoured by the four of us.

After resting in the duty room, I went to the meeting hall on time in the afternoon. When I arrived, the place was packed—at least a thousand people. Zhao Bo took the stage and said, “Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to our school. You should know this is no ordinary school; it’s specifically founded to cultivate electronic sports talent. Everyone knows the world’s most famous gaming company, Dragon Soul Group. After investing billions and 20 years, they collaborated with over twenty countries and thousands of renowned enterprises worldwide to develop the game ‘Second World,’ which has been running for some time now. Here, besides studying basic courses, you must also advance in research and exploration related to ‘Second World.’ Among you, five will represent our school in the global ‘Second World’ virtual esports grand tournament.”

“Really?!”

“Amazing! I’ll work hard.”

“Indeed, entering this school was the right choice.”

The students buzzed with excitement until Zhao Bo slammed his fist on the table and shouted, “Quiet!” Silence fell instantly.

He continued, “Alright, now I will explain the academy’s rules. Our term lasts six years. During this period, each class must participate in at least one class battle per week. Class battles are PK matches in the ‘Second World’ PK zone. Each class must form a team for these battles. Winners and losers receive rewards and punishments accordingly. This is the academy’s rule.”

A student raised his hand, “Uncle Zhao, what are the rules, rewards, and punishments for class battles?”

Zhao Bo said, “Simple. Each week, every class can declare war on any other class and must hold a battle. The challenged class may refuse, but if no class battles occur that week, we will force two random classes to fight on Sunday night—no refusal allowed. As for rewards and punishments: winners receive system rewards plus additional campus rewards. At the end of the year, the class with the most wins will have every student awarded a scholarship. That’s the reward. The punishments are strict. Although the system won’t punish the losing side, we will require all students in the defeated class to attend remedial basic courses and forbid them from declaring war for three weeks. Additionally, at the end of the year, the class with the most defeats will be disbanded, and all students expelled!”

“Understood? If yes, respond! If not, respond as well!” Zhao Bo banged the table loudly.

A thousand voices shouted in unison, “Yes!”

And so, my bizarre life at this academy began!