Chapter 213: Your Song, Your Beats "Excuse me," Professor Arienna stopped the first person she saw in the dormitory’s common room. "Can you tell me the room number of Alex Stratos?" Coincidentally, the person she asked was not only Alex’s friend but also the Dorm Leader of the First Years—Nessia. "Alex?" Nessia blinked a couple of times after hearing the Music Professor name the young man. "He’s in room number 13. Did Alex do something bad, Professor?" "Oh, no. I just want to talk to him about something important," Professor Arienna said. She couldn’t possibly admit that she had come to personally challenge the reigning Singing King and force him to relinquish his throne. When she arrived at Alex’s room, the professor knocked twice and waited for an answer. She didn’t have to wait long. A moment later, the door opened, and a handsome young man with short red hair and bright red eyes appeared before her. "Hello, Professor Arienna," Chuck, who immediately recognized the visitor, greeted her politely. "I swear I wasn’t the one that broke the violin in the music room!" "Hello, Mr. Rizz," Professor Arienna replied. "And I know that you’re not the one who did it." Chuck was one of the students in the Music Class, so he was no stranger to her. "Is Alex Stratos here?" Professor Arienna asked directly, unwilling to spend any time on small talk. "He is." Chuck nodded. "But he is currently napping. Should I wake him up?" "Yes, please." Professor Arienna smiled faintly. "I have a very important matter to discuss with him." Chuck didn’t hesitate to shake his roommate silly until the latter woke up from his slumber. "Is it dinner time already?" Alex asked after opening his eyes. "Not yet," Chuck answered. "Professor Arienna is looking for you." "Professor Arienna?" Alex was still half-asleep, so it took him a while to put a face to the name. When he finally remembered who Professor Arienna was, he propped himself up from the bed and looked at the Professor, now seated in the chair facing him. "Chuck, can you leave Alex and me for a while?" Professor Arienna requested. "I need to talk to him in private." "Of course, Professor," Chuck agreed easily, but not before giving his roommate a light pat on the shoulder to wish him good luck for the upcoming conversation. After Chuck left the room, Professor Arienna stared at Alex, who stared back at her. The two held each other’s gaze for nearly a minute before the young man coughed lightly. "Professor, I know I am good-looking," Alex said with an awkward but polite smile. "But if you keep looking at me like this, even I will feel embarrassed." The young man’s attempt to ease the tension worked, eliciting a soft laugh from the Music Professor. "Indeed. When it comes to good looks, you have what it takes to be a performer," Professor Arienna commented. "Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for your singing." Alex arched an eyebrow. The Music Professor’s words implied that his singing skills were lacking. However, his head bloated from the fact that he had just become the top ranker of all the challenges in the Seventh Training Room, he simply smiled and wholeheartedly believed that the Professor must be teasing him. "I’m sure you came to see me for something important, Professor," Alex stated. "How about we talk about that first?" Professor Arienna nodded. "You’re right, Alex. The reason I came here is to ask you to step down from the top rankings of the Seventh Training Room. "Of course, I’m not asking you to do it for free. I will compensate you with academy points. How does five thousand points for each challenge sound? It’s not a bad deal, right?" Alex frowned. This wasn’t a topic he’d expect to discuss as soon as he woke up. "I’m sorry, Professor," Alex answered. "While academy points are good, I’m good with what I have now." "So you are after glory after all." Professor Arienna sighed. "But, you see, as the Head of the Musical Department, I cannot allow you to keep your rankings in the Seventh Training Room. Doing so will tarnish our reputation." "Tarnish your reputation?" Alex tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean by that, Professor?" "I’ll be honest, Alex. You’re not cut out for singing." Professor Arienna shook her head. "The top ranker of each year will represent the academy in the inter-academy singing competition. I cannot allow you to participate in it, for it will make Frieden Academy the laughing stock of the continent." "I see." Alex nodded. "So, Professor, what you’re saying is that I still have a lot to learn when it comes to singing, right?" "Well, you can put it that way." Professor Arienna didn’t want to sound too harsh, so she decided to approach this matter gently. "Alex, it is my opinion as a Professor and a professional that you just don’t have what it takes to represent Frieden Academy." Alex didn’t reply right away. He simply tried to recall any information about the Inter-Academy Singing Competition, as well as the prizes that could be won in that tournament. Since Astrea was one of his Queens, he had accompanied her to the singing competition many times. As such, it didn’t take long for him to remember the prizes that competitors stood to gain. After remembering that he could get a Legendary Item as one of the prizes in the competition, Alex only grew more determined to participate in it. "I’m sorry, Professor, but I think I am qualified to represent the academy," Alex said with pride. "After all, I am currently the Singing King." The corner of Professor Arienna’s lips twitched. She was very tempted to tell Alex that the only reason the fairies awarded him that title was because they didn’t want to suffer anymore. They didn’t want to go to therapy, nor did they want to suffer PTSD for the rest of their lives. Even she had to admit—if she also had to listen to Alex’s singing everyday, she would start hating music even though it was her only passion. The Professor had already expected this outcome, so she initiated her backup plan. "Very well. Prove to me that you have what it takes to represent Frieden Academy in the competition," Professor Arienna said. "Fight me in the Battle Choir. If you win, I will no longer pursue this matter. However, if you lose, you will relinquish your titles and no longer enter the Seventh Training Room to challenge it again." Just as Alex was about to reply, he heard a notification sound in his head before a window screen appeared in front of him. ——— < Hidden Quest Unlocked! > Mission Name: Your Song, Your Beats. Objective: Defeat Professor Arienna in the Battle Choir! Rewards: 5,000 Arcana Points. ——— "Deal!" Alex replied as soon as he finished reading the information that was presented to him. Right now, what he really needed wasn’t Academy Points but Arcana Points. He needed to buy the Multitask Skill Book as soon as possible as it would help him greatly in the upcoming Battle Royale. Since an opportunity had presented itself to him, the young man no longer hesitated and accepted the Professor’s Challenge, which made the beautiful woman grin. "At least you have the spirit to compete against me." Professor Arienna now had a more favorable impression of Alex. She had thought that the young man would refuse her challenge out of the fear of losing. But seeing the excitement on his face, it seemed that she had just been overthinking things. "Since a special event will happen several weeks from now, we need to settle this as soon as possible," Professor Arienna added. "How about we meet at the Seventh Training Room tomorrow, four in the afternoon? Does that time work for you?" "Yes." Alex nodded. "Good." Professor Arienna stood up and extended her hand to Alex. "I look forward to our battle." The young man also reached out to shake the Professor’s hand, smiling confidently. He couldn’t wait to get his prize after clearing his hidden quest! In his ears, he was the best singer he had ever heard. Winning against even a Professor was more or less automatic. Both smiled at each other, assured of themselves. But only one of them would survive in a battle that would decide the fate of the academy in the Inter-Academy Singing Competition that would take place five months from now.