Chapter 239 Gasp
[A few minutes ago]
[Ren Hilton's POV]
Fighting alongside others isn't my cup of tea. It's uncomfortable—
'Shut up,' Blaze grumbled, evidently upset that he didn't get a share of the chewing gum Erik gave me.
I'm not sure where Erik found that stuff, but as soon as I saw it, I asked for some. Fortunately, he handed it to me while I was climbing the stairs.
Blaze wanted some of it too, but now he's angry because I didn't share. Dude, you're a cat—you don't need chewing gum.
'Get lost. Just admit you wanted it all for yourself, you greedy fuck,' Blaze hissed in my mind.
Anyway, I focused ahead—Lucas, huh? He's from Class A, which might mean he's quite skilled.
The professor initiated the match.
I waited for Lucas to make the first move, but he didn't budge, merely strengthening his stance.
"Hey, wanna bet?" Blaze queried in my mind. "Defeat the guy in, like, the next thirty seconds, and I'll teach you a powerful spell."
Shifting my left foot back, I infused mana into my right leg, fortifying it alongside both forearms.
My feet tapped as the world around me seemed to slow down and fall silent simultaneously. I exerted force against the ground beneath me, propelling myself forward.
There was a slight flicker in Lucas's eyes as I noticed a small trail of wind forming in his left palm, but it was... slow. Quite slow.
Extending my left forearm, I cupped the left side of his face in my hand, securing my left foot and striking around his ankle. He rose slightly off the ground, and I pressed down on his cheek.
Thud.
I allowed him to fall to the side, placing a foot on his face to halt his movements.
"Ren Hilton! Won!"
I heard the announcement, narrowing my eyes a bit to check if there was any significant injury, but aside from a trickle of blood coming from his ear, he seemed... alive.
"I won," I said to Blaze, who stared at me with deadpan eyes.
"Have you ever wondered how much you contradict your own actions and statements?" he asked.
I stepped down from the stage. "What do you mean?"
"Really? You said you'd like to keep a low profile—putting on such a display—do you think you are keeping a low profile anymore?" he asked, clearing his throat as I approached him.
Glancing around the silent Arena, with everyone's eyes on me and the professors whispering among themselves, I clarified, "I never said that I want to keep a low profile. I said that I don't want to mess up with the storyline, so I'm free to do things that don't mess up with the storyline."
Suddenly, a second announcement caught my attention. "Erik Weller! Won!" I turned to see the huffing nerd standing above his fallen opponent.
"Hey! That's not it! I was distracted?!" Jason, the boy who was battling him, shouted as he tried to shake off the boulder from his chest.
An earth elemental mage huh....
Erik, looked around in confusion, as if he didn't believe what he had done. His eyes fell on me, and I simply nodded at him to encourage him before moving back to the rear of the group.
"Helen Gumner! Won!"
As the Arena reverberated with the announcement of winners, the crowd erupted into cheers, the thunderous applause signifying the conclusion of the round. It seemed the spectators had moved on from the impact of my match.
The second-year rounds followed, with unfamiliar faces engaging in battles that didn't resonate much with the audience. The third-year matches mirrored the same sentiments.
Then came another round for the first-year students, trimming down the number of contestants even further. In the end, only 24 students from each year remained in the fray while the last round was still going on- and yes I already know the outcome.
Among the talked-about matches were Adam's, Mary's, Raven's, Cecelia's from the second year, and Aron's and Isolde's battles. Adam's surprise match against Elsa, the princess, resulted in an expected triumph for him, showcasing his considerable strength and improved fighting skills. There was a glance he stole during his match, perhaps directed at Helga.
Mary Kleine, though victorious, seemed somewhat lackadaisical in her duel, displaying a hint of distraction throughout. Raven, unsurprisingly, emerged victorious in her match, her gaze drifting over the first-year students—
likely searching for me, though I remained out of sight, unintentionally blocked by the seated crowd.
"You're practically glued to the ground. Few girls shifted places, thinking you were eyeing their backsides," Smokeball teased as he approached me.
Aron's battle showcased his usual style, resulting in a win for him, while Isolde's match exuded dominance within the ring. As for their power levels, Adam was nearing a significant leap from six to seven stars, Mary stood at a complete five stars, while Elsa, Helga, and Raven were four-star mages—especially impressive for Helga, proving her prodigious talent.
Aron's power hovered close to reaching his fifth star, a considerable feat considering his unexpected rise from a two-star mage, a puzzling mystery. Isolde mirrored Adam's status, on the brink of transitioning from six to seven stars.
"Why even list their power status?" Blaze queried, a sentiment I couldn't help but agree with. Who cared about such details?
Nevertheless, the trajectory seemed set—Adam and Mary representing the second year, Helga and her unnamed friend, a first-year, along with Isolde and the Students' Council Manager for the third year. A bizarre choice in the game's narrative, the developers curiously designated Adam as the sole male representative from the Imperial Academy's team for the Mage's Gambit Arc.
"!!!?"The Arena was filled with an intense buzz, everyone on edge after the matches and the intense atmosphere that had consumed the place.
***Thaadddd***
Suddenly, a thunderous explosion shattered the silence. I shot up from my spot, my eyes locking onto the stage where chaos had erupted.
My eyebrows shot up in astonishment at the scene unfolding before me. The guy, along with everyone else, was hurled off the stage in a sudden, violent upheaval. Ice spikes erupted from the stage, piercing the air and catching everyone off guard.
"What the fuck....." My voice echoed among the bewildered murmurs of the crowd.
My gaze darted to the source of this unexpected chaos—
Vexa. Her platinum blond hair seemed to glint amidst the chaos, her cold, glowing eyes scanning the surroundings.
The floor was now an icy cold mess, and in her hand, Vexa wielded an ice spike, exuding an aura that sent shivers down my spine. The sudden shift from normality to this menacing scene had everyone baffled and alarmed.
"What in the world just happened?"Someone shouted...The same question lingered in my mind, mingling with the stunned murmurs and whispers that reverberated through the Arena.
Vexa's lips moved in a silent conversation with the professor stationed near the stage. The exchange was swift, almost imperceptible to most, but the urgency in their gestures hinted at something urgent.
An abrupt announcement from the professor rang out, his voice carrying a note of panic, "Results for this round will be postponed until tomorrow! We need healing potions—
now!"
Confusion rippled through the Arena, mingled with shock and disbelief. The sudden turn of events had everyone on edge.
.....why the fuck this girl seems more and more mysterious and boring at the same time?
[A/N:.....Dem,]
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