After spending nearly two hours going through a meditation session, which was very exhausting for Shaan's mind and energy, Mr. Luis finally ended the meditation session for the day. Knowing it, Shaan instantly lay his body down on the grass around him.
"Ah, finally." Shaan stretched his body, which began to feel stiff. "It turns out that meditation sessions are not as easy as I thought."
[Congratulations, you managed to do meditation well, your bond increased by +5]
'Good, at least my bond increased. If I keep practicing my meditation skills and keep will. I'm sure my bond with Robin Hood will be even stronger.'
"After today's meditation session ends, you will be given a few hours to get ready and eat. Exactly at 10:00 am, you must all be in the training room to start the next session," said Mr. Luis in a loud voice. "Do you all understand?"
"Oh my God, there's still another session?" Shaan slapped his forehead. "Ugh, I thought I could rest now."
"Yes, Sir. We understand," the people there replied in unison.
"Good, hurry back to your rooms before the next session starts."
Without wasting any time, everyone on the field immediately scattered, leaving the area. Shan quickly joined the crowd and followed them until he finally arrived back at his room.
"Now, time to shower and get ready before the line at the main kitchen gets any longer." Shaan grabbed his clothes and headed into the bathroom.
After he finished cleaning himself up, without waiting for long, he immediately ran towards the main kitchen. But when he arrived, his worst fear had come true. A long line, snaking like a serpent, stretched farther and farther by the minute. Damn. Turns out he wasn't the only one who thought of heading to the main kitchen early.
"Ah, finally. Luckily, I can still get a seat, even though the queue is long." Shaan took a big gulp of his vegetable soup. "I'm just wondering what the next session will be like-
"Oh my, it's her!" the woman wearing glasses at the table next to Shaan pointed her finger forward. "That's the woman who defeated Theo in the simulation test."
All the people at the table with the woman with glasses reflexively looked at the blonde woman who had just stepped out of the long food queue. She was seen holding only a box of milk and some protein bars in her hands, then walking away from the main cafeteria area without saying a word.
'Strange? Where the heck is the blonde woman going?' Shaan furrowed his brow. 'Such a mysterious woman.'
Upon seeing the incident, for a moment, Shaan stopped eating his food. For some reason, his head had suddenly been filled with all sorts of questions about the blonde woman's attitude. However, Shaan tried to ignore it and continued with his meal.
***
Crowds of people had filled the training area a few minutes before the appointed time. Interestingly, it seemed that everyone was familiar with Mr. Luis' disciplined nature, and certainly no one wanted to suffer the fate of the fat man.
When the clock struck 09.58 am, Mr. Luis appeared along with a few officers. Strangely, the officers were seen pushing a machine that resembled a lottery spinning wheel that used to appear on one of Grandma Isabel's favorite shows. However, in the center of this spinning wheel, there was a fist-sized clear white crystal connected to the spinning wheel, making it look more futuristic.
'What's that heck is that?'
"Good morning, everyone. "Mr. Luis directed the attendant to place the machine right beside him "Now we will start the next session, the sparring session. In this session, you will fight each other to see how far you have progressed in your training with your mentors." he directed his gaze towards the spinning wheel draw machine beside him. "This machine is called SWID ( Spinning wheel interactive digital), which is used to determine opponents in sparring sessions. On the spinning wheel, there were several segments, each labeled with one of your names. When you place your palm on the crystal, the machine will automatically spin the pointer and randomly select a name — the person who will become your opponent. The technology behind this machine is highly advanced, so the chances of being matched with the same opponent more than once are extremely low."
'What an interesting device. I had no idea this place had something like that, Shaan thought.'
"Alright then, each of you, step forward one by one and place your hand on the machine." Mr. Luis instructed.
"Yes, Mr. Luis," everyone in the room responded in unison.
One by one, the beginner daemonists stepped forward and placed their hands on the crystal. Within seconds, the name of their opponent appeared on a holographic screen attached to the SWID machine.
'Alright, now it's my turn. I just hope I can get an opponent who is equal to or weaker than my strength.'
When Shaan placed his hand on the crystal, a blue light suddenly sparked inside the crystal. The light then caused a pointer to quickly circle each name that still did not have an opponent listed.
'Ding!'
[Interactive digital Spinning wheel machine successfully found your opponent]
[Your opponent: Theo Lancaster]
'Wh-Whattt? Th-Theo Lancaster?'
Shaan's heartbeat seemed to stop for a moment when it turned out that this opponent was a figure from a noble family who was known to be very good with a sword. Damn. It seemed that Shaan's chances of defeating Theo were slim, but he continued to remain optimistic with the strength he had now.
'I'm sure I can beat. Theo. You can do it!
After everyone managed to get their opponents, Mr. Luis then directed them all to a large area inside the building. On the right side of that place, there was a collection of various weapons placed on a long brown table.
"Alright, before the sparring session starts, I will explain the rules first. "Mr. Luis then took out a piece of paper from inside his pocket. "In the sparring session, amateur Daemonists are allowed to use their special abilities to perform attacks. The time for each fight is only 30 minutes, and if within 30 minutes, both fighters are still able to fight, then the match is considered a draw. Do you understand?"
"Yes, we understand," said everyone in the room simultaneously.
"Then we will start the first Sparring session. Garrick, you are first. Please choose your weapon and enter the field.
"Alright, Mr. Luis," said a burly man, picking up a large axe and walking onto the field.
'I'm just curious, who is this guy's opponent?"
"Nalira, you will be Garrick's opponent based on the SWID machine results. Please take your weapons and enter the field."
When that name was mentioned, Shaan rolled his eyeballs. He did not expect that Garrick's opponent would be the yellow-haired woman who had defeated Theo. With a calm step, the woman walked over and picked up the sword on the table, then walked to the center of the field.
"I'm ready," Nalira confidently spoke, looking at Garrick with a serious face.
"Alright, then the sparring session begins!"