"Miss Reina, what are your opinions on Dominic's Zenith"?
"A Zenith is the pinnacle of one's ability to use their technique, this is more of a Witch's oath rather than a Zenith, a Witch's oath is more or less a contract that takes away an aspect- like identity, emotion or a technique to give or boost another aspect- like extra strength or more magic output".
Reina laid back in her seat, her legs rested on the table as she narrowed her eyes.
"He gave away any sense of self for a boost in pure magic output, he tried imitating a mutant type through enhancing his body with sheer mana, in doing so he lost his mind and his technique".
"I'm sorry but I didn't understand a single word you said".
Reina sighed as she pressed her cheek against the cold table's surface.
"So in summary, a Zenith is a maximum technique achieved with pure skill and effort, a Witch's oath is reaching your maximum by sacrifice, that's what Dominic is doing".
"With the amount of mana he has, he's definitely a reincarnated".
The host raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean by that"?
"There exist two souls inside his body, allowing him to access a larger pool of mana, they're usually very rare since only strong souls can reincarnate". She explained. "Mana is the essence of the soul so it gives a larger pool of mana, in my case I have Robin Hood as my other, which sucks because he won't stop talking about stealing from the government".
"Really? I didn't know that".
"Dominic's other soul is able to interact with him even if he's in a Witch's oath, that's how he woke up, when a reincarnated soul fuses with a new one, their mana pool doubles or it could sometimes kill them, their personality is in control usually but on rare occasions, the hero or villain from the past can take over".
"How interesting! Since Dominic Walker has been kicked off the leaderboard by the underdog from the Walker family , who do you think has potential to reach a high rank"?
Reina smiled as she leaned on her arm, her eyes peering through the screen.
"I would like to be biased and say Hoshimi but knowing him, he doesn't like fighting. I have my eyes on Sarah Williams, normal telekinesis can only move things under 30 pounds, she can push and pull any object from 20 meters away based on her strength".
"So she's really strong right? Then why is she only 4th place"?
Reina pointed at the screen, her long nails dragging across the bright light.
"Look at her, she's been barely doing anything since the exam began, it's like she doesn't care but she's still racking up points tremendously".
"But still, I'm surprised you didn't say anyone from one of the four great families".
Reina stared at her long ginger hair, swirling it with her fingertip.
"On that topic, surprisingly the Millers aren't sending anyone this year, I wonder what they are thinking".
"They're usually very picky with who they send out, even then they have hundreds of children under their name, I wonder why they didn't send one out".
Reina looked away from the screen, staring at her fingernails, her face filled with a look of boredom and her voice filled with a fake enthusiasm.
"MaYbE bEcAuSe ThErE wAsN'T aNyOnE StrOng EnoUgh".
"And would you look at that! David Smith's first place on the leaderboard has been completely stolen by a newcomer! Hoshimi Shirogane"!
Reina's eyes widened, all of the hairs on her body started to shake as she turned her head towards the screen.
"LETS GO"!!
She grabbed the monitor and started rapidly shaking it.
"THATS MY BOY"!
"Miss Reina, please calm down and don't yell into the microphone, we're broadcasting directly to the public".
"Man".
Reina flopped down on her chair as she sighed audibly.
"My bad, I just got really excited for a second".
A smile spread across her face.
"I raised that boy for ten years, he used to be so reserved, to be honest he still is. But do I not have permission to feel proud as a mother figure"?
"I wonder how he managed to sneak in an entire handgun with all of the tight security we have around here? And where would he even get it from"?
"That's my gun, I thought he would've thrown it away but seems that he disassembled the gun and sneaked it in by disguising it as armor".
Reina explained.
"He's quite crafty and rather quick at learning, but there definitely is something wrong with him in the head".
"Let's shift topics shall we? Anyone who drops out of this exam is immediately branded as a rogue witch, so don't you think that this exam is too harsh? Last year they allowed 60 percent of all applicants, now it's only 40".
"More witches require more resources to maintain and it seemed that a percentage of last year's witches were taking away the resources while giving nothing in results, that's the reason for the decrease".
Reina dismissively waved her hand, as she looked away from the screen and snorted.
"It's Hex Academy after all, what would you expect? When I first went through these exams, everyone had guns and it was a straight up battlefield".
"Wow, isn't that interesting, thank you so much for the insigh-".
Reina immediately interrupted him.
"Y'know I had to see people get shot right in front of my eyes, you know how traumatizing that was for 17 year old me"?
"Thank you for tellin-".
She interrupted him again.
"Kids these days have it so easy you know? Look at Hoshimi, that kid is sleeping in a battlefield and still miles ahead, he's doing this out of spite".
She bit her fingernail.
"Ahem, thank you for explaining that to us". The host smiled nervously. "There have been some debate among the public regarding the ethics of students being allowed to kill one another, so what are your opinions on the matter"?
"That again"? Reina groaned as she slouched in her chair. "I've been asked that so many times, are you trying to get me in trouble? You're broadcasting me for the public". She rubbed her temples. "Legally as an employee of Hex Academy, I cannot state my opinions on the matter".
"But Miss Reina, don't you think Hex Academy is pushing it too far? We've already recorded 123 confirmed student deaths, 6 of which were recorded in full detail, imagine what their parents would think".
Reina sighed even louder.
"As much as I feel sorry for the kids, it's a mandatory service that all witches need to fulfill whether they can fight or not".
She looked at him from the corner of her eye.
"If you have a problem with it then tell it to the government, I might be a government official of the witch's department but I barely have any choice in the matter".
The host hesitated before speaking.
"Still some people are calling this child exploitation".
Reina gritted her teeth as her brows furrowed.
"Most people are normal humans anyways, so why do they even care? Aren't we just livestock to you"?
"Let's not compare children to livestock on live TV-haha…"
"Well then….. shifting back to the leaderboard". The host awkwardly adjusted his papers. "With Hoshimi in the lead, how do you think this will progress"?
Her personality immediately shifted within an instant, a soft smile appearing across her face as her voice immediately became cheery.
"He's definitely not going to stay at first place, he's going to barely get into the Top 10 on purpose, he has a 100 point lead from second place after all".
Reina laced her fingers together.
"He doesn't want to spend more effort than he needs to. We still have a whole day left so Neila and Dominic can definitely make a comeback".
"What are your opinions on the second place, Kira Aamon"?
"Her"? Reina gave a faint smile. "Her mutation mana type is no joke, she's killing all of the students around her, but she's being too passive, she seems scared of everything".
"How about Neila Shaw"?
Reina paused for a second.
"She's very smart, rather than a death match, she's treating this like a game, she has been gathering other students to do the work for her and gather their coins, she's playing monopoly in a battlefield, I believe that she's getting first".
"And Lucy Walker"?
"She's too heroic, it turns me off, she's actively saving people in a place where witches are supposed to kill one another, she's a detriment to herself".
Her eyes dimmed for a moment, she saw herself in Lucy, an optimism not fit for this world.
The host cleared his throat nervously. "Well then, thank you for your colorful insights, that's all the time we have for today, we'll see you all next time".
Hex Academy current rankings.
13 hours remaining.
1st-Hoshimi Shirogane- 250 points
2nd-Kira Aamon- 174 points
3rd-Neila Shaw- 170 points
4th-Lucy Walker- 166 points
5th-Sarah Williams- 164 points
6th-Edward Nio- 162 points
7th- Dominic Walker- 145 points
8th- Aya Lin- 140 points
9th- Seraphina Shaw- 138 points
10th- Akari Clover- 135 points