-Roughly Two Years after the Collapse of the DPZ-
"GAO," at that moment, a sleepy cat lumbered into the room, causing Brance's frown and embarrassment to shift rapidly.
"Morning, Milo," Gabby cheerfully greeted her now housecat-sized pet as he flashed across the room and stretched out between his parents, demanding good morning scratches.
At that moment, the sound of multiple camera flashes came from the Holo-Tv, as an impressive-looking man in a sharp blue suit stepped up to the podium before staring directly into the camera and inadvertently at the Members of MyrkLys watching from their dorm living room.
The man, who everyone knows to be President Lallinstien, cut an image of strength, wisdom, and authority. Under that tailored suit, nobody could doubt that he was chiseled muscle with that almost seven-foot height frame.
His clean-cut crimson hair and matching eyes gave him a striking and unapproachable appearance, and as he stepped up to the podium, a hush fell over the crowd.
Evander Lallinstien was a war hero, champion of the people, and the Elected President. More than that, he was also at the Peak of Tier-6, or so the rumors stated. No one had seen the President fight in decades, but as Cynrik analyzed the man's body on screen, he quickly surmised that there was more to those rumors than the general public knew.
Unfortunately, without seeing the man in person, there was only so much Cynrik could observe through a screen, and as such, he didn't bother delving further to satiate his curiosity.
"People of our great Nation, I come to you this morning with a few important announcements that will no doubt cause some of our people frustration. But before I speak, please keep an open mind and hold back your judgment, as everything I do is for the prosperity of our Nation's people."
"After the unseemly event which occurred during this year's Competition...I have decided to make some referendums and amendments to our constitution, all of which have been approved by Congress and the Senate."
"Yep, he's pissed at Big Bro." Benny was the first to vocalize his opinion...
With every member having Maxed out their stats and now focusing on improving the proficiency of their Affinity Control and Skills, partnered with the lackluster rewards, which otherwise would have been fantastic for anyone else, Cynrik simply felt it was unnecessary to continue competing.
Sure, there were abundant awards for coming out on top, but they were targeted at Students between Initial to Peak Tier-3 and no longer held any value apart from monetary for MyrkLys.
Thus, before their Third Competition even began, he had told everyone it would be their last, which surprisingly went over well because everyone had the same issue...how annoying Garrison and Geralt would become in the months leading up to the Competition every year.
With the stressful nagging and awkward training becoming a thing of the past, the members of MyrkLys were more than happy to give up on their chance at subsequent Yearly Competitions.
"Setting aside the matters about the Competition, I want to announce two crucial bits of information.
The first is one that many of the younger generation of our Nation will no doubt be unhappy with, and first and foremost, from this moment onward, I am announcing that I will be increasing the legal age for allocation of Tier-4 advancement resources from 17 to 21." Clasping his hands together on top of his podium, President Lallinstien leaned forward while wearing a serious expression.
"WHAT THE FUCK DID THIS BASTARD JUST SAY!" the moment the words came across the Holo-Tv speakers, Cynrik's unbridled rage manifested in the form of Killing Intent and Aura.
"I want you all to understand, as time has passed, it has become increasingly more challenging to mine and gather the yearly allotments of Tier-4 advancement resources; as such, some changes needed to be made as we are currently hemorrhaging funds and resources at an unsustainable rate. That is the primary reason the other governing bodies and I have decided on this change."
"THIS IS A BLATANT DECLARATION OF WAR AGAINST US!" Cynrik howled with so much power behind his voice that the entire room vibrated with Mana.
"But I ask for the Younger Generation to worry not, as I have come together with all of the Nation's Academies and our Allied Nation's academy leaders to come up with a secondary solution, and that leads me to the final topic of today's gathering, and that is the formulation of what we are calling...The Advancement Strife."
"The Advancement Strife will be a CSH Certified Event that any non-blacklisted Academy Student who has reached the Peak of their Tier can enter to earn the proper resources to continue growing their strength. This event will be hosted at the end of Every school year and will take place in a realm created by the strongest of each Nation in a joint effort to promote Fairness and Unity."
"Mother...fucking...bullshit... I'LL KILL HIM; I WILL FUCKING TAKE DOWN THE ENTIRE ESTABLISHMENT IF I HAVE TO TO PAY BACK THIS TRAVISTY!"