Chapter 83: Drink This Cup of Water of Life!
Inside the Battle Simulation Room.
Homeroom teacher Finn and Napoleon were following the race live, broadcasting the footage to the waiting area for the reserve contestants while enthusiastically providing commentary.
"The race has just begun, and everyone's already going all out!
"It's clear that everyone wants to break ahead from the start and take the lead. But since everyone is thinking the same way, they all sprinted at full speed right from the starting line, resulting in the track being jam-packed, with no one able to break through.
"In this situation… will any team be able to break away?"
On the magical projection, a team suddenly escaped the pack.
"Wait, someone's taken the lead, and that is…
"The team of Mochizuki Eikou from Britain!"
On screen, Eikou was pedaling alongside the two Round Table Knights while continuously unleashing various skills to buff them.
[You have activated "Numeral of the Saint E"]
[Under direct sunlight, your Strength is significantly enhanced.]
[You have activated "Protection of the Lake C"]
[Your team's stamina is greatly restored, and Gawain's and Tristan's Magical Energy is increased, allowing them to more quickly unleash their Noble Phantasms to hinder other contestants.]
[You have activated "Dreamlike Charisma C"]
[Your team's power is boosted, pedaling becomes more forceful, and offensive capability rises. With this forward momentum, you smash through the blockade of bikes blocking the way!]
"I've been stockpiling Servant skills all this time just for a moment like this…!"
Eikou spoke with a look of full confidence.
If it weren't for last night's diarrhea and insomnia—which temporarily lowered his personal stats and skill levels by one rank—the effects would've been even stronger.
But this was already more than enough—with abundant support skills, the gap between them and the other Servants widened significantly.
Ahead was a broad, smooth highway without any obstacles; the other contestants had already been left far behind.
With his stockpile of pre-prepared skills, Eikou had secured the advantage right from the start.
From the Simulation Room came the proud commentary of Homeroom teacher Finn:
"Mochizuki Eikou and those two Round Table Knights—my most pride-worthy students! Keep it up, maintain the lead—just widen it a little more and victory will be yours!"
"Haha, not so fast."
Napoleon spoke up, a confident smile on his lips.
"This course is long and full of variables. A small lead at the start doesn't prove they'll win in the end."
"You mean… like your Waterloo?"
"Hahaha, bold words." Napoleon just laughed heartily. "We'll see soon enough. The mighty forces of France United are no small thing. And look there… the variables are about to appear."
Through the magical projection, it could be seen that Eikou and his teammates had reached the first checkpoint.
[Thanks to your advantage at the starting phase, you have gone straight for 10 km.]
[You are the first team to reach the checkpoint.]
[At each checkpoint, you will encounter a random event chosen by the school: it could be a useful Craft Essence, a penalty, or a special challenge that can be both beneficial and harmful.]
"This is no different from item racing in Mario Kart, right?!"
Eikou couldn't help but blurt out his complaint.
But thinking about it, it made sense — not every Servant was good at cycling and speed racing, so there needed to be many random events to balance things out, giving contestants who were less skilled in certain areas a chance to turn the tables.
[You pass the checkpoint, proceed to the Luck check.]
[The one to be checked is… Tristan!]
Damn it, right from the start and they got stuck with this E-rank bad luck!
If they wanted this "god of misfortune" to avoid disaster, they had to roll a "Great success."
But if he could actually roll a "Great success," Tristan wouldn't be Luck E in the first place…
A die rolled down.
[Result is B, Luck check failed.]
[You have drawn a negative random event.]
[The checkpoint staff takes out a bottle of "Water of Life" with an alcohol content of 96°, ordering you to drink it all immediately, or you will not be allowed to proceed.]
The road ahead was blocked.
Seeing the Water of Life handed to them by the staff, all three instantly went silent.
If they didn't drink the whole bottle, they would not be allowed to pass.
Bang!
Eikou slammed the table hard.
"Damn it! Who's the idiot who designed this random event? Playing a Grand Blue parody at a time like this?! Do you really think Water of Life is something you can just drink for fun?!"
Tristan patted his shoulder: "It's fine, we've biked ten kilometers already, we're thirsty anyway, just treat it like wetting your throat…"
"Drinking this would make you lose all sensation in your throat!"
…
"Ha ha ha ha!"
In the commentary room, Napoleon burst into laughter when he saw the three hesitating before the terrifying bottle of liquor.
"Didn't expect the plot twist to come so fast. Your class's students are really unlucky, pulling the unluckiest black lot."
He explained while trying to suppress his laughter:
"Water of Life is 96° alcohol. Drinking it straight is life-threatening; even diluted, it takes a long time to finish. By then you'd be both drunk and full — basically eliminated!"
"Hmph."
Homeroom teacher Finn only smiled confidently:
"You underestimate my students. A little Water of Life like this cannot block their path to victory!"
Gulp gulp gulp.
In the magical projection, Eikou tilted his head back, without a trace of hesitation, and downed the entire bottle of Water of Life.
That cool, fearless posture — the strong liquor evaporating into fumes the moment it touched the corner of his lips.
Napoleon's eyes widened:
"What? This brat… drank the whole thing straight?!"
No dilution, no sharing — he just drank the entire 96° bottle himself!
"Finn-sensei, what kind of student is yours exactly…?"
In response to Napoleon's shocked question, Finn smiled with pride:
"Ha ha, not to hide it from you, last time when I inspected the dormitory, I found a bottle of whisky in Eikou's locker. When I asked, he innocently replied: 'Sorry, I just grabbed this 'water' from the party last time.' That's when I knew — Mochizuki Eikou… is a born genius!"
"That's what you call an idiot!"