Chapter 129: The Freshman Talent Show (1)

Chapter 129: The Freshman Talent Show (1)

Vikir walked into the lecture hall in search of class B of the Cold Class.

A large group of people were gathered in a circle, drinking, and in the center of the room, one by one, the new students came forward to perform a talent show.

As Vikir walked into the classroom, he heard a welcoming voice right by the door.

"Vikir, you're back! Why are you so late?"

It was his roommate, Piggy.

Piggy was so happy to see him that he rummaged through a box on the table and pulled out a nametag that read, "'Vikir, class 20′".

"It's my job to hand out name tags to everyone who comes in. Here's yours!"

"... Why are you doing this job?"

Handing out nametags to newcomers is usually the job of the second-year seniors.

Since Piggy is also a newcomer, why is he doing the chore of handing out name tags to his classmates?

Vikir wondered.

Then Piggy smiled wryly.

"Oh, the seniors said it's a hassle to keep track of all the name tags, so they asked me to help out a little."

Vikir's head snapped up at that.

Sure enough, several of the sophomores who had deferred to Piggy had mingled with the crowd, watching the newcomers' talent show.

"Whoa! Tudor is awesome! Encore!"

"Swoon! Cold Class! Go Tudors!"

"You're the best, Tudor! My sister's already a fan, eek!"

A pretty tough bunch, even for sophomores.

To get to know the newcomers who seemed to be doing well, they had already assigned chores to Piggy, who didn't seem to have any ability or backbone, so I thought they were definitely quick to understand.

Meanwhile.

In the center of the stage, the newcomers who have completed the talent show are seated in rows on one side of a long table.

On the other side of the table are a few professors, teaching assistants, and seniors.

The seniors are few and far between, as they are preparing to enter the workforce.

St. Dolores, the student council president, was making the rounds to each class, stopping to check on the remaining juniors.

"The president is here!"

"Saint, I would be honored if you would accept my cup!"

"Sister, you're here to write an article for the Cold Clas's senior and junior reunion, right? Please take care of the article!"

"I love you president! Kyaaak!"

Dolores was a hit with everyone; she was the center of attention.

At this point, the sophomore emcee grabs the mana-filled megaphone and makes a comment.

"Yes, it's time for the next talent show, and the one everyone's been waiting for, the Super Rookie of Class 20, Ms. Usher Bianca, please join us!"

Thunderous applause erupted.

Then, with all eyes on her, Bianca stepped forward.

Her complexion was calm, as if she had just received a rooftop confession.

However, her breathing was slightly uneven, as if she had rushed down from the rooftop.

She then bowed her head in front of the seniors.

"I, a junior who is lacking in many ways, dare to raise a drink to you seniors."

Bianca nonchalantly picked up the bottle and popped the cap.

And then.

Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!

She grabbed the bottle and gave it a quick shake, sending the liquor flying through the narrow neck.

In the space of a single sip, it flew a long way, over the heads of the people in front of her, and landed precisely in the glasses on the table behind her.

Clink, clink, clink, clink!

The seniors let out a collective exclamation of admiration at this strange trick of throwing liquor from several meters away and filling the glasses.

Bianca kept the mood high for a short but intense moment, then bowed her head.

Then she turned back to the crowd and thought to herself.

"Whoever this is, they're going to have a hard time with the next one.'

Bianca's stunt, while entertaining, didn't really deserve the cheers it received.

The outpouring of support was probably due to her background, abilities, and appearance.

Then Piggy threw another tantrum.

"Me, are you serious? Well, of course I'm tone-deaf, but... ... ."

"It's okay. Anyone can do it."

Vikir shook his fist at Piggy, first from top to bottom, then from bottom to top.

It was a simple dance, really, requiring only that he repeat the motion and stomp his right foot each time his fist came down.

"Uh, uh, uh... can you make this work?"

"That's enough. Just make it hard, and make sure you bow."

Vikir grabbed Piggy by the shoulders and led him to the center of the crowd.

Then, as everyone watched, Vikir's song and Piggy's dance began.

...?

The gazes of the hosts and seniors became slightly subtle.

Surprised, yes, but not with admiration....

"What is this?

They all looked confused, unable to grasp the situation.

He was right, the song Vikir was singing was a completely different kind of song from what the newcomers had been singing.

"High mountains, deep valleys, deserted mountains, snowy fronts, here we come."

A military song.

The kind of songs they used to sing on the front lines.

Vikir didn't have any particular talent to get the crowd going.

He'd spent his entire life wandering the battlefields of the Nine Rivers without the luxury of hearing a single popular song.

...But only one thing.

He knew one song that could move anyone, that could make anyone shudder, that anyone could relate to.

In those days, when the bodies piled up into mountains and the blood flowed into rivers.

'The Age of Destruction.'

A song that could be sung by anyone who had ever held a sword and fought a demon.

It was a war song that was shared and enjoyed by all.

"The spot where a young soul died. The wounded old pine forgot his words."

A monotonous shaking of fists and stomping of feet.

But the thrill, the emotion, the heart and soul of those days when thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of millions of people rolled and cried and sang together.

Vikir scanned the faces of his seniors and classmates gathered in the academy.

Brothers who had died in long wars, old comrades who had stood shoulder to shoulder guarding the borders, brothers who had shed tears of blood for him, even to the point of being falsely accused and executed, still sat there, green and young and frail.

Vikir looked at them and swallowed back the bitterness and longing.

"Do you hear, comrade, that angry voice?"

A hound from an age of destruction, understood by none.

Can you see it, comrade, the tearful eyes.

And with that, Vikir finished the last verse of the song.

When he was finished, Vikir gave a respectful salute.

He turned around, gave a quick bow, and disappeared into the crowd.

....

There was a strange feeling in the air that was hard to describe.

The excitement was definitely dampened, but not in a bad way.

One way or another, Vikir's song had left a mark on everyone's hearts.

"What, what's with this creeping vibe?"

"Are you an old man? What are you doing all of a sudden?"

"What's with this atmosphere~"

Most of the people complaining about the dampened excitement were younger students.

However.

The atmosphere in the hall slowly began to change.

"...oh."

The old professors sitting in the front row suddenly burst into tears.