[Reboot Volume] Chapter 216: The Clueless Teammate!

Hades Training Ground.
Arena No. 21.
Yang Tianqi and several other instructors were watching the duel unfolding on the platform.

“Beep—”
With the referee’s whistle, Instructor Yang Tianqi marked scores for the two students on his evaluation sheet.

The freshman practical combat assessment featured a setup where each arena had one referee and four instructors. The referee, naturally, was responsible for ensuring fairness and determining the match outcome, while the four instructors scored the students’ performances accordingly.

Yang Tianqi held a somewhat unique role—he moved between arenas to monitor matches while also scoring students. He jokingly called himself the “stationary scorekeeper with a mobile instructor.”

“I’ll go check out other arenas first.”

“Alright, take care!”

After greeting the other instructors, Yang Tianqi left Arena No. 21.

As he weaved between arenas, pondering where to observe next, he happened upon a burst of surprise from Arena No. 6 and headed over.

The students parted to let him through upon seeing him approach.

“Old Yang, you finally came!” Instructor Long Lian sighed deeply.

“What’s going on?” Yang Tianqi asked.

“Mo Xing… he’s on a six-match losing streak—”

Before Long Lian could finish, Mo Xing was struck and thrown off the platform by his opponent.

“Make that seven consecutive losses,” Long Lian corrected grimly.

“What happened?” Yang Tianqi rushed over to the fallen Mo Xing.

“Teacher Tianqi…”

Mo Xing opened his eyes slowly and spoke with difficulty.

“You were fine just the day before yesterday! How did you suddenly get like this?” Yang Tianqi’s voice rose sharply.

“Sigh, it doesn’t seem like his ability has declined,” Long Lian muttered.

“He must be troubled by something on his mind.”

Upon hearing this, both Yang Tianqi and Long Lian turned their heads to see Instructor Su smiling gently nearby.

“Brother Yunzhou?” Yang Tianqi frowned. He and Su Yunzhou were old acquaintances, having joined the Sacred Sky Royal Academy the same year and kept in touch regularly.

“He was fine during the theoretical exam this morning. Most likely, something happened at noon that distracted him,” Su Yunzhou explained.

“So that’s it…” Yang Tianqi nodded thoughtfully. “Mo Xing, if something’s weighing on you, you can talk to us. Don’t bottle it up and let it affect your matches.”

“I… I want to focus, but I can’t stop worrying about her…” Mo Xing said slowly.

“Who is she?” Yang Tianqi asked.

“Shi… Shi Yan,” Mo Xing replied.

“Did the young man get rejected after confessing?” Long Lian whispered nearby.

“I heard she was poisoned and sent to the hospital,” tears welled in Mo Xing’s eyes. “I don’t know why, but I’m so worried about her…”

“Pull yourself together!” Yang Tianqi suddenly shouted. “Stop acting like a little kid, crying all the time!”

Mo Xing was stunned—normally gentle Yang Tianqi’s sudden outburst startled him.

Nearby instructors and students gathered, curious about the commotion.

“Yes, when you first registered, the crystal ball showed you as Level Zero. Everyone looked down on you then, but did you ever lose heart? No! Didn’t you prove your strength back then? So what’s wrong now? Why give up so easily? Ask yourself that honestly!” Yang Tianqi pointed sharply at Mo Xing’s chest.

“Exactly!” Long Lian chimed in, seeing Yang Tianqi was being harsh, “Shi Yan wouldn’t want to see you like this either. She’d want you to pass the assessment, so you have to pull yourself together!”

“She’s got doctors to save her from the poisoning. If you fall, you have to rely on yourself to get back up,” Instructor Su said firmly.

“Mo Xing, get ready for your next match!” the referee called through a small megaphone.

After a brief silence, Mo Xing slowly got up, wiped the tears from his eyes, and nodded to the three instructors.

“All right, I’ll do my best!”

At 6:30 p.m.

A light rain fell from the sky. The lighting technician focused spotlights on the center of the arena. Photographers positioned their cameras. The spectator stands were packed, some fans holding glowing support boards. All the students had finished dinner and were preparing for the practical combat team assessment.

“Your student is doing well—finally pulled himself together,” Instructor Su said from the stands.

“Yeah, he’s somewhat recovered. In the last three matches this afternoon, he won two and lost one, ending the individual matches with two wins and eight losses,” Yang Tianqi shook his head. “Still hasn’t performed at his usual level.”

“Oh, Old Yang!” Long Lian teased, “Are you expecting him to be a novel’s protagonist? That he’d suddenly burst with power after a little push? It doesn’t happen that way.”

“I’m just worried if he doesn’t break through, the evening’s team match will be tough.”

Yang Tianqi watched Mo Xing and his teammates silently beside the arena.

The gray sky continued to drizzle.

...

Arena No. 24.

This was where Mo Xing’s evening assessment would take place.

The team assessment featured five players on each side, mostly strangers to one another—some had never even met. Coordination was far from guaranteed.

Mo Xing felt his mind calm a bit; he was no longer distracted by worry over Shi Yan. Yet the situation wasn’t promising. His weak performance in the individual matches left him with a disappointing record. Without a strong showing in this team match, elimination loomed.

In the individual assessment, each student had ten chances to spar against different opponents. It tested personal skill and mindset. Some grew stronger with each battle, some weaker, and some fluctuated—Mo Xing was clearly in the last group.

The team assessment gave each student only one chance. Both teammates and opponents were assigned by the school. The focus was on teamwork and adaptability. Opponent strength mattered less; the biggest challenge was often uncooperative teammates.

In short:
“Fear not the formidable opponent, but the useless teammate.”

“Mo Xing? We meet again!”

Hearing cheers, Mo Xing turned to see Li Xiangcao standing behind him, eyes sparkling.

“Uh… classmate?” Mo Xing looked puzzled. He wondered if she was one of his teammates.

“This is amazing! My idol is on my team!” Li Xiangcao shouted excitedly. “My team assessment is saved!”

“Actually, I’m not as strong as you think,” Mo Xing explained. “I only won two individual matches.”

“Ah?” Li Xiangcao was stunned.

“Yes, really just two,” Mo Xing nodded seriously. He wanted the girl to face reality early, not build up unrealistic expectations.

“Idol, you’re being modest!” Li Xiangcao laughed. “You’re just holding back so your team can pass!”

“I might not even pass myself, so why would I hold back for others?” Mo Xing smiled faintly, unimpressed by her exaggerations.

“Um…” Li Xiangcao hesitated, falling silent.

The referee took a sip of water, cleared his throat, and called through the megaphone:

“Next group!”

“Blue Team: Mo Xing, Li Xiangcao, Liu Shuguang—”

Mo Xing stepped onto the arena and surveyed his teammates and opponents.

Li Xiangcao was somewhat familiar, though her strength was unknown. She wielded two swords, likely a magic swordsman combining magic and blades.

Liu Shuguang was a chubby fellow with decent features, holding a staff. He didn’t seem like an elemental mage—perhaps a healer?

Another teammate was a blonde wielding a greatsword, probably a berserker.

And a girl with a bow—clearly the archer.

Mo Xing himself was an elemental mage.

The opposing team had a berserker, an archer, a heavily armored knight, a healer, and a gunner.

His team’s advantage lay in burst damage and his slight crowd control, while the opponents favored defense, counterattack, and ranged harassment.

Looking at his silent teammates, Mo Xing felt the team seemed to lack a certain soul.

“Beep—”

The referee’s whistle blew.

“Match start!”

No sooner had the words fallen than the blonde berserker charged forward with his greatsword, unleashing “Raging Flame Assault.”

“Wait!”

Mo Xing tried to stop him, but the berserker, like a bull seeing red, barreled into the enemy ranks. The opponents promptly “invited” him off the arena.

Blue Team had already lost a major player—the better term being a useless teammate—in the opening moments.

“Everyone listen! We need to—” Mo Xing realized the team lacked a commander and strategy.

“Enough!”

The archer girl cut him off, trembling, “Four against five… what chance do we have?”

“Don’t… don’t lose heart, the match’s just starting,” Mo Xing hurriedly said. “We still have hope—”

“Dodge!”

Li Xiangcao shouted. Mo Xing turned to see the opposing gunner firing five or six missiles. He dove toward the floor but was still grazed by an explosion.

“Find a safe spot! Cough, cough!” Mo Xing shouted but was choked by nearby smoke.

Suddenly, the enemy berserker appeared out of nowhere, striking the archer girl with “Dragon Slash,” sending her flying. The opposing gunner gathered energy and fired a “Focused Beam Cannon” in that direction. Mo Xing watched helplessly as another teammate was blasted off the platform.

...

“This is the campus event broadcast! The central screen will now switch to live footage from Arena No. 24!”

As the announcer finished, the crowd erupted into noise:

“Look at the big screen!”

“Oh my god! It’s Mo Xing!”

“What’s happening on the field?”

“Looks like Mo Xing’s team only has three left!”

“They’re being relentlessly chased!”

“So passive!”