Chapter 1681: Bruce Wayne and the Secret Room (Part 7)

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The first class at Kamar-Taj Magic College surprised all the newcomers. There were no lectures, no repeated instructions. Instead, they heard just one word from the Holy Sword Archmage: “Run!”

At 6:30 AM, at an altitude of 6,000 meters, running through endless snowstorms—what does it feel like?

Harley, Little Bruce, and Barry still had the magic aiding their adaptation to the plateau’s high altitude, so they weren’t yet dealing with oxygen deprivation. However, the snow, which had already buried their calves, made every step difficult.

The other students, on the other hand, seemed perfectly adapted, running at full speed on a flattened mountaintop turned into a large field. The Holy Sword Archmage stood in the middle, wielding his giant sword, and shouted in a commanding voice:

“Move faster! I better not catch anyone slacking off. The first rule of dealing with demon gods is that you’d better be strong enough to knock them out with one punch! Speed up, those at the back! Pick up the pace!”

“The two new students, hurry up! Those younger than you are already running faster! Get your legs moving, swing your arms! And you, Harley Quinn, stop looking around, no more yelling! Run!”

In the U.S., elementary schools do have physical education classes, but typically, they don't involve such intense exercises as running laps. Most of the time, students line up to take balls from the equipment room and either play basketball or soccer, or just hang out if they don’t like sports.

The intensity of the physical education class at Kamar-Taj Magic College far exceeded their expectations. The class lasted only half an hour, but the three of them felt like they had been running for months.

Little Bruce was still not the strong Batman. He was just a young man who had recently lost his parents. Barry wasn’t the fast Flash yet either; he was attending a more relaxed public school in the U.S. This half-hour of exercise felt like a year’s worth of activity.

Harley was the only one who fared a bit better, partly because she was older and had developed more quickly, and partly because surviving in Gotham required speed. She didn’t just survive; she could also take action. Her ability to carry four corpses at once was impressive even among her peers.

When the Holy Sword Archmage finally shouted “Class dismissed,” none of them understood Chinese, but not a moment was wasted. They immediately collapsed onto the ground.

They were too exhausted to speak, and what was worse was that they could feel the magic helping them adjust to the plateau’s altitude gradually fading. This meant that if they had another class like this tomorrow or the next day, they might not make it out alive.

“Are you okay?” Even though it was snowing heavily, Helen, who was still wearing only a thin school uniform, walked through the snow to Harley’s side. Harley was completely collapsed on the ground, looking somewhat delirious.

“This is crazy,” Harley gasped, speaking in a tone full of resignation. “It’s only seven in the morning, and I’ve already exhausted all my energy for the next week. I feel like my lung cells are dancing the steel pipe dance on my ribs!”

Helen was amused by her analogy. She sat down beside Harley and said, “You’ll get used to it. I felt exhausted when I first got here too, but soon you’ll realize that running for half an hour in this cold weather is actually a pretty good warm-up.”

Harley let out another groan, and Helen stood up, grabbing her arm to pull her up. “Hurry up, we’ve got four required classes to attend this morning. Around ten o’clock, we’ll have electives.”

“You haven’t chosen your electives yet, and I’m planning to skip mine. Let’s go to the library and check the materials while it’s still quiet. Don’t waste time; shouldn’t we make a good impression on all the professors?”

Harley walked to the next class with a defeated expression, and as soon as she entered, she saw a handsome man with black curly hair and green eyes standing by the podium, fiddling with a stack of documents.

“Is that Loki Odinson?” Little Bruce slowly walked ahead, and Barry moved even slower. Both of them felt as if their legs weren’t their own.

“I’ve been wondering, why Odinson? Isn’t Loki the younger brother of Odin in Norse mythology? Odin’s father isn’t even named Odin!” Barry asked, confused.

“In our world, Loki is Thor’s younger brother. They are both children of Odin. Thor is the God-King of Asgard, and Loki is the prince of Asgard.”

A voice from behind them interrupted. It was Shirila. She gently pushed Little Bruce and said, “Go ahead, sit in the front. I bet Professor Odinson will like you.”

Little Bruce scanned the room but didn’t recognize anyone familiar, so he settled into a seat in the second row, towards the side.

“I’m happy to see new faces among you,” Loki said, standing in front of the class wearing a wizard's robe. His hair was neatly combed back, and his crown was placed just above the knot in his hair. Holding a scepter, he wore a ring with a shining gemstone. It was clear that every detail of his appearance had been carefully arranged.

Unlike the Holy Sword Archmage, Loki didn’t mix several languages. He spoke in slow, clear American English to everyone: “It’s great to see fresh blood coming into this school, and I’ve got another piece of good news for you.”

“Last night, I spoke with several professors here, and we all agreed that we should conduct a progress assessment of your studies so far.”

Loki paced in front of the podium, always with a slightly mischievous smile. He continued, “Don’t think I’m going to pull out a stack of test papers and hand them to you. In the world of Mysticism, competition is always about one thing: who’s got the bigger fist.”

The students immediately became excited, almost like boiling water. Everyone except the three newcomers seemed completely unaffected by the previous physical education class, their faces filled with excitement.

“In the next three weeks, Kamar-Taj Magic College will host over twenty rounds of magical combat in the indoor arena next to the sports field. Any student can sign up. The competition isn’t limited to magic wand spells.”

Loki paused, turning his head and making eye contact with a few larger students. “If you can knock someone out with a punch, such violence will be temporarily forgiven. But remember, this only applies in the arena.”

“Of course, some clever students have already enrolled in my magic and illusion courses. Some of the top performers have already learned to become invisible and create clones. These techniques can also be used. Are you ready to confuse your opponents?”

The buzz in the room grew louder, but Loki seemed unaffected as he continued, “And don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten. Although magic energy is abundant in the magical realm, if you manage to trick demon gods into giving you more, we’ll certainly give you an ‘Excellent’ on your final exam.”

“When many of you started communicating with mysterious entities from other realms, some of you only vaguely heard the call, while others have already chosen their pact partners. Some of the more talented students have even established a mutual connection with their chosen demon gods.”

When Loki finished speaking, a few students in their seats subtly raised their heads, clearly proud to be among the top students he mentioned.

“But your perceived advantage isn’t necessarily an advantage,” Loki said with a slight shake of his head. “Whether your cooperation with certain demon gods truly helps you will have to be tested in practice. Now, the opportunity has arrived.”

“This will be the first large-scale event in Kamar-Taj Magic College’s history. I’m sure you can see how much the school values this. It could impact your future in the magical realm.”

“So, children, I’m giving you study time for this class. You’ll have enough time to decide whether to push forward with gaining more power or continue building a solid foundation. The result is up to you… class dismissed!”

After Loki finished speaking, he collected the documents in his hand and walked out of the classroom with the same graceful and slow pace. But the students inside didn’t move for a few seconds. After a brief pause, the room erupted into intense discussions.

Little Bruce didn’t understand much of the conversation, but he could tell they were talking about the competition format, schedule, and whether or not they needed teammates. He just wanted to go back and sleep.

The night before, as Little Bruce was leaving the Dreaming Celestial Institute, he asked Stark not to erase his dream memories like the other students, because the knowledge Stark shared about the Ark Reactor and magical energy was extremely enlightening. He didn’t want to forget it.

However, this led to a sad consequence: his brain couldn’t handle running for twenty-four hours without rest. Before the morning’s physical education class, he could still manage on instinct, but now, after the class drained all his physical strength, the fact that he could still stand felt like a miracle.

Barry noticed something was off with Little Bruce but didn’t know what dream he had. Acting out of kindness, Barry helped him back to their room to rest. Once Little Bruce fell asleep, Barry didn’t intend to sleep; he planned to find Harley and ask her about her thoughts on the competition.

On his way to the girls' dormitory, Barry ran into Jennifer Mavi. She was no longer shy; instead, she looked fearful and frantic.

“God, what are you doing here? Someone’s gone crazy in the girls' dorm! She’s screaming and running towards the single dorms. I was just about to find a professor!”

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter =>Chapter 1682: Bruce Wayne and the Secret Chamber (Part Eight)