Adrian placed his cutlery on top of his plate, marking that he had finished his meal.
He then reached for his napkin and wiped his mouth gracefully.
The waitress soon approached the table, clearing the dirty plates and serving refreshments and fragrant Earl Grey tea.
Glancing to the side, his white hair glimmered under the sun and fluttered softly in the breeze.
As he looked into the distance, his cerulean eyes were drawn to the many students passing by and the numerous booths bustling with activity.
Due to the three-week duration of the midterm test, the Academy provided a much-needed break by organizing a week-long festival to help students refresh their mental health.
"Ian…"
When a girl's voice pierced his ears, Adrian glanced sideways and found a girl with pink hair; it was Sylvina.
Her gentle smile lit up her face as she spoke.
"I wanted to thank you for tutoring me over the past month."
"Yeah, me too; thanks, Ian!"
Rhea jumped in, and Ralph, along with Péréz, nodded their heads in agreement.
"Oh, don't mention it."
Currently, they were on the balcony of the Academy cafeteria, enjoying their brunch on the third floor.
The sun shone brightly, casting a warm glow on their faces as they chatted and laughed.
—Ring —Ring —Ring
As his Telesphere was ringing, Pérez quickly excused himself.
Moments later, the wheat-haired boy returned, however this time, his face beaming with excitement.
Taking his seat on the chair, he spoke with a lighthearted tone, a smile on his face.
·?θm "Hey! I just received news that the Academy will hold the famous 'Treasure Hunt' game!"
"Sounds interesting; tell me more."
Rhea asked before sipping her tea.
Péréz grinned and explained.
"Just as the name suggested, it's a game dedicated to finding treasure!"
The Treasure Hunt was an exciting adventure game.
It lasted for three days and required a team of five members to participate.
The game was set in a vast forest, and the teams were required to navigate through the forest to find the treasure.
The members' Telespheres would be injected with live maps of the locations of monsters scattered throughout the forest.
Teams had to defeat monsters to get a chest containing a map that showed the location of the treasure.
It was said that the treasure content of 75% of valuable items and 25% of junk items.
Intently listening, Ralph eventually responded with a nod.
"I see; no wonder the game has gained such fame."
Sylvina and Rhea nodded in agreement.
However, Péréz shook his head.
"No, the game is famous because no one has ever beaten it since its introduction years ago!"
Ralph looked puzzled, prompting Péréz to elaborate.
"First, the treasure we discovered will become ours as the prize for participating. Second, if we make it to the top 10, we'll receive another prize. But wait, there's more!"
Unexpectedly, the wheat-haired boy leaned forward, and the others mirrored his movement.
Within seconds, they were huddled together, their heads almost touching.
Then, in a barely audible whisper, the boy spoke.
"So, when the monsters in the forest are wiped out, it will trigger a hidden treasure event!"
After a brief silence, Péréz continued.
"According to the rumor, the treasure's contents will bring great joy to those who participate in this game!"
"Do you perhaps know what's the content of the hidden treasure?"
Sylvina asked.
Péréz straightened his posture and shrugged before responding in a normal tone.
"Well, since no one ever opens the hidden treasure, I don't know much."
Ah, Adrian had read about this in the book.
Unlike the typical treasure hunt, where they had to defeat a monster to obtain a treasure map.
The Hidden Treasure would appear randomly with its Guardian only after all the monsters had been wiped out.
In order to open the hidden treasure, its guardian had to be defeated first.
However, what prevented anyone from beating the game was the fact that no matter what the participants did, they couldn't inflict any damage on the monster.
Despite launching various attacks, the monster remained motionless like a statue, leaving the players perplexed.
They suspected there might be a trick to defeating it, but they were unable to uncover it.
"So, what are your thoughts? Would you like to take part?"
Péréz asked, and Rhea answered.
"Even if we can't open the hidden treasure or fail to make it to the top 10, we'll still receive the prize, right? For me, that's a victory, so I'm in."
Péréz turned his gaze towards Sylvina and Ralph, who both nodded in agreement to participate.
"Count me in, please!"
Sylvina said, and Ralph added.
"I'm in as well."
Soon, they landed their eyes on the white-haired boy who was sipping his tea solemnly, patiently waiting for him to finish his tea.
Adrian lowered his teacup; he returned the gaze and gave his answer.
"I'm in."
The reason why he was interested in participating wasn't because of treasures—although he liked treasures, but fighting monsters came first.
It was a good way to train his physical abilities in real combat.
After fighting Orcs in the practical midterm, he realized his physical abilities were weak and needed more training.
"Excellent!"
Péréz exclaimed and continued.
"Then, don't forget to gather at the training ground at 8 am."
Ralph creased his forehead and voiced his thoughts.
"Don't we need to register? Or something?"
The wheat-haired boy shook his head.
"Nah, I've taken care of everything."
"What?"
Ralph was baffled.
"Wait—did you register us without our consent?"
Nevertheless, Péréz shrugged nonchalantly and rolled his eyes in boredom.
"If I don't act quickly, the registration will have already closed. Participation is limited to only 25 teams, and many people want to join."
Putting down the teacup on the saucer, Adrian conveyed his mind.
"I have to agree with his action this time. You did a great job, Péréz."
Otherwise, he would miss the chance to train in real combat against the monster, which would be a shame.
"See? Even Ian agrees with me!"
Perez crossed his arms and legs, leaned back, and exuded an air of self-importance.
The trio rolled their eyes at his arrogance and decided to enjoy their tea.
Adrian had already voiced his thoughts, leaving nothing more to be said.
.
.
.
In the blink of an eye, the night passed and the day of the Treasure Hunt game had arrived.
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