Raffle is Nice

The tournament has been going on for a long time. Ever since it was implemented as an annual celebration, the event never went away. Even amidst a brutal war, the tournament served as some sort of propaganda to instigate the burning passion of the youths.

As time went by, the rules of the tournament were slightly altered to suit the needs and demands of the period. But at the end of the day, the tournament is the way of Central to determining the prospects of their students.

Aside from the battles and top 8 placings, there is one aspect of the tournament that has never been changed, it was the raffle draw.

"So what does the raffle draw do?" Ever since his name was called out, Ye Han has felt the gazes of his classmates. The looks directed at him were varied, it ranged from pity to envy. Why do his classmates hold different opinions about the raffle?

"When your name was drawn from the raffle you automatically advance to the second the round of the tournament."

"There are two rounds in the tournament?"

How can someone be smart and stupid at the same time? This thought haunted Bryn. Even Alice that was beside them had her hand hovering near her face, endangering to slap it.

"Listen here. The tournament is comprised of 2 no, scratch that, 3 rounds. The testing, 1st and 2nd rounds."

"Should the testing be called the 1st round?"

"Shut it."

This made Ye Han silent.

"Testing assesses your overall statistics. There are 6 attributes to be tested. Strength, Agility, Endurance, Intelligence, Energy Reserves and Energy Control. The attributes are self-explanatory, so there's no need to explain them. The data gathered are then distributed to the public."

"Isn't it dangerous to spread information about participants?"

"The attributes won't dictate their true capabilities. Sure the attributes present an overview of participants, but if the champion is determined by the attributes, there should be no need for the 1st and 2nd round. Testing rounds are basically for warm-up and publicity."

Initially, the Testing Round was of confidential data. But with the media slowly encroaching the school and students surpassing expectations, it was eventually made public. Now, the main purpose of the attributes is for articles that will be written about the students during the 2nd round. Who does not want free publicity?

"The rules of the 1st and 2nd round for this year are significantly different from the previous ones. The 1st round is now an individual competition, while the next round will have 64 as opposed to the usual 16.

The 1st round changes were made to thoroughly weed out participants who were carried by someone formidable and the 2nd round changes are to cater more capable students and to make the matches more exciting."

"Wow. That's abrupt."

"I don't think so. Those problems were already prevalent some time ago. And Central is going to implement the changes for future tournaments."

"But what does the raffle draw mean?"

"As I have told you, it advances you to the 2nd round. Some may call it a blessing while some call it a punishment. If you're weak, that's punishment. Being directly sent to the 2nd round means that you'll become a free mop for the stage. In short, you'll be humiliated. There's a lot of cases in that scenario happening. But if you're strong, it's a blessing since it will conserve you of your strength. Another thing is that you are not obliged to attend mandatory training. Think of it as a mini-vacation."

'That's a blessing for me. I could work for a full week with that.' Ye Han thought. "So when will be the mandatory training?"

"Considering the abruptness of the announcement, it could happen next week. This could be a 2 week-long excursion. For the venue, I'm not so sure. They typically announce it during the day of the excursion. After the training camp is a 3-day break and the tournament officially starts. The testing and 1st rounds happen consecutively. It lasts for at most 3 days. After that is 1 day of rest in which the main event will formally start."

'That's a lot of free time. And a lot of cash. I could buy new clothes for me and Lily next week.'

***

The class ended uneventfully, though 2 things seemed out of place. The Inquisition bros are wrapped in thick bandages, they kept on sobbing as they looked at each other apologetically and lastly Ye Han is not sleeping. But he still kept his habit of not listening in class by playing games.

Now, it's time for Ye Han to go and meet his class adviser.

'What does she want to talk with me about?' He thought.

The teacher's office's main purpose is a facility that caters to a teacher's needs. Like a classroom, the teachers are gathered inside as a group so that they could freely communicate with each other when needed. But not all teachers stay in the teacher's office. Some of them are given their own private offices. It all depends on their position.

Standing outside of her office is a nerve-wracking experience for normal students, but not for Ye Han. His instincts told him that something good might happen. Not sure what something good that terror might provide him but making her wait is not something on his list.

The office reeked of scented candles. The surroundings appeared dim as the only source of light came from the dancing fires emitted by the candles. 'Is this what an office should look like?'

A pink hazy cloud wafted in the room. He was almost given a scare when a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders.

"You're here." She whispered. Ye Han could feel her warm breath tickle his earlobes. "Sit here." She then guided the confused Ye Han to a chair in front of her desk.

Ye Han got a better look at her. Her usual strict and professional demeanor is now gone. The always organized blouse has 2 buttons undone, showing a glimpse of her ample chest. The skirt became shorter to accommodate the lecherous gazes at her milky white thighs. The usually tied hair became undone. Gone is the oppressive class adviser, in her place is a thirsty woman hoping to seduce a young boy.

'What am I getting, though? My instincts never lie.'