BXBX NOVEL Chapter 127: Hope
For the first time in two decades, the students kinda lost interest in the Adventurer Academy Competition.
It was understandable though as Havan Lestor\'s generation got brutally destroyed by the golden generation of Prociere Academy, a usually trashy academy that couldn\'t even achieve a top 256 finish.
Colzen Academy became a mere stepping stone for the usually garbage Prociere Academy who ultimately ended up losing to Colzen\'s rivals, the Shadowglade Academy, by a narrow margin, only achieving top 128 in the end.
As for Colzen, this was the third time in the history of the academy that they were defeated in the first round of the tournament which not only ruthlessly destroyed the enthusiasm of Colzen students, but also decimated the reputation of the academy.
Naturally, the deans, the instructors, the representatives, and the students of Colzen Academy were heartbroken and ashamed due to the unexpected early exit.
This year, the greatest golden generation of Colzen Academy was supposed to restore the glory of the academy and even surpass the academy\'s previous achievements under the leadership of the legendary Shye Crowley.
However, who would\'ve thought that he would disappear inside the advanced adventurer zone after an unfortunate accident one and a half years ago? Although the rumors stated that he was alive, the students didn\'t believe so.
They thought that the academy was just keeping his death a secret to prevent the morale of the students from plummeting.
Most of the students tried to discern something from the expressions of the "potential" representatives such as Kiin Wujin, Ian Izanagi, Siegfried Lionheart, Harry Copperfield, and David Houdini.
Unfortunately, the representatives seemed to be as still as water, as if the disappearance of Shye Crowley didn\'t have anything to do with them.
Even the deans and instructors had the same enthusiastic expressions plastered on their faces, seemingly not caring one bit about Shye Crowley.
Naturally, they weren\'t as calm as they seemed.
Their hearts were currently consumed by endless regret and dejection as thoughts of "If Crowley was here then we would surely achieve a higher rank." were popping up in their uneasy minds.
Although every single one of the potential representatives was confident in themselves, they couldn\'t help but think about what could the results be if Shye was around, unknowingly setting themselves up for failure.
Still, their calm exteriors managed to convince the students that although Shye Crowley wasn\'t here, the remaining representatives would continue on and achieve what the past representatives couldn\'t, gradually bringing life to the gloomy Representative Selection Day.
Seeing that the atmosphere was changing for the better, Dean Privett masterfully grabbed the chance to start the ceremony as different kinds and colors of fireworks erupted in the skies, blowing away the dark clouds looming over the academy– everyone\'s mood becoming livelier and livelier.
"Students of Colzen Academy, rejoice! An auspicious future is upon us. This year, seven of the most talented students in the history of the academy shall carry everyone\'s hopes and dreams!"
"We, the deans, are aware that the unfortunate events during the recent year cast a dark cloud in everyone\'s hearts."
"It might be difficult for some of you to believe in the capabilities of the academy right now, however, let me set an example to everyone."
In just a few sentences, Dean Privett managed to skillfully grab everyone\'s attention and then turn their uninterested expressions into one of confusion.
\'Set an example? About what?\'
\'Will Dean Privett show off her strength to show everyone the potential of the academy?\'
Such questions popped up in the minds of the students as they fully invested their attention towards the grand stage.
Unknowingly, although they were currently unconvinced, they were at least interested in listening to the deans now, which was Dean Privett\'s main goal.
Naturally, the dean didn\'t plan to stop at just grabbing the attention of the students, she had a plan on how to stimulate the students\' expectations.
Such a gloomy mood in the academy will not only lessen the motivation of the students to work harder but it would also set up the academy for an endless cycle of mediocrity.
Fed up with such a notion, the four deans decided to risk everything in an all-or-nothing gamble. If the remaining representatives manage to pull off the impossible even without their best student, Shye Crowley, then their academy\'s rise shall be inevitable.
If the representatives fail, however, then the academy will probably slowly decline, becoming a shadow of its former glorious self, possibly even failing to retain its status of mediocrity in the future.
Still, they were willing to risk everything.
These representatives were the best batch they ever had even without Crowley and they still had a fair chance of pulling off the impossible, thus, after a long meeting with almost endless arguments, the deans forcefully decided to go through with the operation: risk everything.
Preparing herself to answer the questions in the minds of the students, Dean Privett silently took a deep breath before dropping a verbal bomb.
"How, you ask? I shall set an example in "believing". As proof, I shall proudly declare that this year, the academy will surely achieve at least a top 8 finish in the Adventurer Academy competition!"
Almost every student, staff, and instructor was stupefied after hearing the bold declaration from Dean Privett as varied emotions swirled in each of their hearts.
Yet, in that very moment, amid the diverse array of emotions, a common sentiment resonated in their hearts — Hope.
It didn\'t matter whether the person was a simple staff member, a seasoned instructor, or an innocent student.
Their experiences in life varied but all of them hoped that their beloved academy would indeed soar to the skies in the upcoming Adventurer Academy Competition.
Even the instructors who strongly argued against such bold declarations hoped that the deans and the representatives would prove them wrong.
Thus, after a few moments of deafening silence, the students erupted into wild cheers; by far the wildest in the history of the academy while the staff members and instructors clenched their fists, experiencing goosebumps as they let themselves be swept away by the waves of faith.