Chapter 206

In an environment filled with familiar faces, the visit of an outsider naturally drew attention. This was no different for the students of Valient. “If I knew it would be like this, maybe I should’ve gone to another academy. I could’ve easily taken a starter position there.” “Shut up.” “Did I say anything wrong? Everyone here got some kind of admission recommendation letter, didn’t they? They just didn’t qualify to get in anywhere else, so they’re reigning over smaller ponds. If I had gone, I’d be like a pearl in the mud.” A bit farther from the man blabbering away, there were others who simply listened to the conversation. “I don’t think that’s entirely true…” When Selberton, a tall man with short hair, said this, a woman of similar height responded. “But it’s not entirely wrong, either, is it? They didn’t qualify, so they went somewhere less competitive to show off.” Selberton shook his head. “But there are still those who received recommendation letters but chose other places, aren’t there?” “Huh? What kind of idiot would do that…” The reasons varied. “Maybe their home is closer, or they were promised better benefits—things like that.” Since their recruitment ranking was low, they couldn’t offer many benefits, and other academies often took the opportunity to lure them away. “Or maybe it’s due to family circumstances.” At Selberton’s continuing remarks, the woman furrowed her brow. “Am I imagining things, or does it sound like you’re pointing at me specifically?” Selberton realized his mistake. The woman before him, Saila, was here because she had fought and defeated her older sister Silla under absurd conditions. The condition was that the loser would tear up Valient’s admission letter and enroll at Frostheart instead. As expected of the prestigious swordsmanship family, Lionheart, graduating from Valient was a given, and failure would leave a fatal stain, even jeopardizing succession rights. “Relax, Saila. It wasn’t intentional. But still, Silla must’ve come too, right? If I ask about how my brother’s doing, will she answer?” “Selberton, your problem is that you often say things without thinking.” seaʀᴄh thё nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. “What? Is it because I mentioned a name you didn’t want to hear? I swear I meant no harm.” “…And that’s exactly why it’s worse.” Selberton and Saila continued walking toward the Arcadia Hall. It was for their practice match against Ever Blaze. However, at a name that came up in the men’s conversation, the two turned their heads simultaneously. “Did you see it? Hersel Ben Tenest showed up here.” “I did. And did you hear the news? That guy became the student council president.” “What?” “Someone overheard him chatting with Maros, Scarlett’s president.” Selberton scoffed incredulously. Saila’s reaction was no different. “Wow, I never thought I’d hear such nonsense in my life.” “Exactly. A thug like that, the student council president? Ridiculous.” “Have you met him before?” “Of course I have. Just thinking about how that bastard bullied my brother still makes my blood boil.” Selberton dismissed it as a mere rumor and stopped paying attention to them. But Saila’s steps came to a sudden halt. “That’s strange.” “What? Maybe they mistook someone else for him. In a world this big, there’s bound to be someone who looks similar.” “Why are you and your brother so close?” “Oh, so that’s what you meant…” At Saila’s question, Selberton scratched his head. Just as he was trying to come up with an answer, Saila spoke again. “I heard that your family even favors your brother more.” The implication was about the disparity between the eldest son and the second son in their family. Given such negativity, their apparent closeness seemed unusual from Saila’s perspective. But Selberton actually found the favoritism comforting. “Don’t get me started. I honestly feel lucky to have an older brother.” He shuddered as he recalled their mother spoon-feeding soup directly into his brother’s mouth. It was only two years ago. His mother’s overprotectiveness was so extreme that it was well-known even among the residents of their estate. Her warped maternal love was practically an obsession. “…That’s the first time I’ve seen you with such a serious expression.” “I still sometimes find my mom scary. My brother only realized it later and ran away to Frostheart.” As they resumed walking, a conversation among female students tickled their ears. “His personality’s just as nasty as the rumors say.” “Is that all? Did you see the faces of the girls he slung his arms around? They looked terrified. I’m sure he’s got some kind of dirt on them.” “Are you sure they didn’t see wrong?” “Otherwise, why would they have stayed quiet? If they’ve been selected as starters, they must be strong. Surely they wouldn’t let Hersel walk all over them.” Saila spoke in a flustered voice. “That guy’s name keeps coming up. It seems like it’s true.” Even Selberton had no choice but to acknowledge it. “It’s probably him. He’s the only one who’d openly pull such stunts after coming here.” A knight statue came into view. As they approached the front entrance of the Arcadia Hall, a loud voice pierced their eardrums. “Is he really the biggest troublemaker in the northeast?” A tanned, large-built blond man grinned slyly at the male students. Selberton averted his gaze from the man and corrected his earlier words. “Oh, we do have our own troublemaker too.” “That brat from the south…” The troublemakers of the northeast and the south were gathering in one place. Selberton instinctively knew there would be no peace. Hoping Hersel and Roan wouldn’t cross paths, he pushed open the door. *** I was casually munching on dried banana chips as Selberton and Saila entered. Neither greeted anyone. However, Selberton glanced at me, his eyes widening in surprise. Hmm, shouldn’t he be more shocked to see Limberton than me? His own brother became a starter, after all. “Today’s practice match is with Ever Blaze. But why are you here?” Selberton asked, and the Ever Blaze student council president answered in my stead. “We permitted him to observe. Valient shouldn’t mind; they’re always open to outsiders.” “Is that so.” “Don’t act so arrogantly. Do you think I’m your secretary or something?” “But these dried bananas are quite tasty. Compliments to you.” “Ahem, you’ve got good taste.” As he chatted with the student council president, I discreetly observed Saila’s reaction. As expected, she gave me a brief glance before brushing it off as unimportant. In contrast, Silla’s eyes burned with intensity. Understandably so—if not for her younger sister, that position would have been hers. At that moment, Limberton suddenly stood up. “Hey, Selberton!” Only now did Selberton notice Limberton’s presence. It seemed his short stature had kept him hidden until now. “Brother?” Selberton stared at Limberton with a face that couldn’t discern if he was dreaming or awake, then broke into a bright smile. “What, you’re a starter? Is this for real?” “Yes, it is.” “You must have worked so hard! Come on, tell me everything. What happened?” Selberton shook Limberton’s shoulders, seemingly genuinely happy for him. Caught up in the excitement, Limberton almost let something slip. “Well, actually, it’s because of the bow—” “Limberton.” My chilling voice cut him off, and Limberton glanced at me nervously. I shot him a sharp glare, reminding him of the prior instructions. “Ahem, well, it’s because the plague spreading through the labyrinth killed all the capable people. That gave me an opportunity. It’s all thanks to Meldon, the first infected.” Exactly. Even his tone, like reading a textbook, was satisfactory. As expected, Selberton alternated sharp gazes between me and Limberton. “Brother, are you really living under that guy’s thumb too?” Limberton’s demeanor had shifted strangely the moment I interrupted him. The clues were obvious. Sensing my chance, I beckoned with my finger. “Stand properly, Limberton.” “Huh? Oh…” Limberton quickly scurried over, and I grabbed his head, shaking it playfully. “Your brother seems to think I bully you. Have I really done that?” Limberton grimaced and whispered quietly. “Hey, Hersel, how long are we going to keep up this ridiculous act?” “…Just hold on until we’re out of here.” “Ugh.” Limberton sighed and raised his voice slightly. “Of course not. Hersel treats me very well.” Though it sounded unnatural, the awkwardness made it seem even more believable—because it was so forced. I smirked smugly at Selberton. “You heard him.” Selberton glared as though he wanted to kill someone, but the Ever Blaze student council president diverted the topic. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but we’re past the scheduled time. Why is it just the two of you here?” Saila responded in Selberton’s place. “They have a bit of a loose concept of time. I hope you’ll understand.” The student council president let out a long sigh. Though it might have been irritating to be disregarded, at least these two had shown up on time. They likely recognized there was no point in getting mad at them. “Well, how about we start with the two of you and two of us for now?” “That sounds fine. Let’s hope the others arrive in the meantime.” Saila answered while grabbing a wooden practice sword from the display. Clack! With a crisp sound, one of Ever Blaze’s playable characters collapsed to the ground. Saila’s swordsmanship was fascinating enough to draw admiration from Donatan, who kept muttering in awe. ‘It’s similar to that woman Silla’s swordsmanship, yet with distinct differences.’ Curious, I decided to test him by asking a question. ‘What differences?’ ‘The swordsmanship suits that woman more.’ That was a fair answer. The Lionheart family had been large-framed since their ancestors. Their swordsmanship naturally evolved to match their physique. For someone like Silla, who was short and petite, it was as if she were wearing an ill-fitting garment from the start. However, Silla still had certain advantages over Saila. ‘She lacks precision in targeting vital points. Excluding physique, Silla’s other talents slightly surpass Saila’s.’ Impressed by his keen observation, I kept silent. The other talents Donatan mentioned included agility and creativity in adapting and refining swordsmanship. This was the key to Silla’s growth—discarding elements of the family’s traditional swordsmanship that didn’t suit her and reinterpreting the rest to fit her small stature. Clack! As the sound of another hit faded, I turned to my left. Ever Blaze had already suffered 10 consecutive losses. The match ended quicker than expected, partly because the rest of Valient’s main players hadn’t arrived yet, leaving Saila to face them alone. While watching their increasingly gloomy expressions, Riamon broke out in a cold sweat. “…She’s insane. Those guys are skilled too.” Bellman adjusted his glasses and nodded in agreement. “It’s just a practice match, so they weren’t going all out. But the same goes for Saila, doesn’t it?” Although Saila showed signs of fatigue, she still appeared capable of continuing. “Was Saila always this strong?” Bellman’s question made Silla scowl. However, perhaps realizing it wouldn’t be wise to respond emotionally, she soon swallowed her pride. It seemed she had recalled the purpose of this observation. “No. She used to be about the same level as me.” “Then I suppose that’s thanks to Valient’s training system…” Maybe feeling guilty about leaving her to fight alone, Selberton picked up a long wooden spear and stepped onto the training ground. “Saila, take a break for now.” “I can still go on.” “They’re here to scout our capabilities. It wouldn’t be fair if only your skills were on display, would it?” Saila shrugged and stepped down from the training ground. Selberton turned his gaze from a tense-looking mage and addressed the resting students from Ever Blaze. “How about letting the first person to fall earlier come up again? After all, you’ve had plenty of time to recover your stamina.” The mage responded irritably. “Are you implying I’m bound to lose again?” “Oh, my apologies. That wasn’t my intent…” Noticing the mage’s sour expression, the student council president intervened. “Amron, that’s enough.” The unspoken instruction was clear—not to reveal too much of their strength. Their ultimate goal was victory. Even if their chances were slim, they had worked tirelessly toward it. But Amron didn’t seem inclined to listen to the council president. “We’ve already lost 10 times in a row. Even if the tournament is our priority, being treated like a pushover doesn’t sit well with me!” Amron’s staff gathered the wind, forming a massive anaconda made of swirling dust. “You’d better prepare yourself!” The anaconda lunged like an arrow. Selberton effortlessly sidestepped, redirecting its trajectory. However, the anaconda twisted mid-air and targeted Selberton’s back. He countered by sliding his spear between his side and the anaconda’s head. Boom! The spear pierced the anaconda’s head, causing an explosive burst of air. Still, Amron maintained a confident smile. Because the next stage of his spell was about to begin—division. “Let’s see if you can handle this!” The scattered dust reformed into hundreds of smaller snakes. Selberton gripped his spear tightly. “Whew. This is going to take some effort right from the start.” With those words, he unleashed a flurry of precise thrusts like a rainstorm. The spear, infused with aura, burst the heads of the snakes one after another. Seconds later, the salty scent of the sea filled the air as the battlefield cleared of all the snakes. With his long-range attack thwarted, Selberton aimed his spear directly at Amron’s throat. “Why don’t you step down now? Resting for round two in a conscious state would be better than collapsing, don’t you think?” Amron, seething with frustration, stormed off to join his resting teammates. After the sparring session ended so abruptly, Bellman turned to Limberton with a question. “…Did your brother also get stronger after coming here?” “No, he’s always been an exceptional guy. He got recruited to Valient after some professors saw him catching fish with a harpoon.” Spearman Selberton Bel Delsi. He boasted one of the most unique stats among spear-wielding playable characters. Still, it wasn’t something I particularly cared about. Our focus was simple: beat Ever Blaze and Scarlett. If we managed that, we’d secure third place. I glanced at our key players and asked, “What do you think about Ever Blaze?” Ricks was the first to respond. “Just judging by that Amron guy, I’d say he could beat Kerndel.” Bellman nodded in agreement. “I think so too. That wind spell he used to form snakes combined elemental magic, telekinesis, and materialization. Kerndel would’ve been bitten by hundreds of those snakes and gone down for sure.” Riamon murmured, “Kerndel probably would’ve taken down at least 50 snakes before he fell.” Hmm, so 1 Kerndel equals 50 snakes. “Sorry to ruin the mood,” Erucel chimed in, “but I honestly don’t see the point of scouting like this.” Mircel added to the conversation. “I agree. None of them showed their full strength. Even that Amron mage seemed to be holding something back.” As Mircel pointed out, Amron hadn’t revealed all his abilities. Since this was only a practice match, it made sense to keep his trump cards hidden. “But there’s something else that bothers me,” Mircel muttered cryptically before falling silent. Meanwhile, Selberton’s next sparring match began. Clack! Once again, the bout ended swiftly. Erucel, now sounding more worried, asked me, “Do you think there’s any value in continuing to watch? Their true capabilities will only show in the actual tournament.” “No need to worry about that,” I replied, turning my gaze toward the entrance of Arcadia Hall. It was about time. Creak! Right on cue, the heavy iron gate groaned open. A towering figure with tanned, sun-darkened skin and messy blond hair strode in, brushing his hair back. If Hersel was known as the top troublemaker of the northeast, this man, Roan, held the same title for the south. I addressed our team in a serious tone. “From now on, watch closely. Ever Blaze will reveal their true strength.” The reason for this? Simple—survival. Unless controlled directly by a player, Roan was a near-unstoppable force of nature. *** Roan scanned his surroundings. There was Selberton, posturing with his spear in the training ground. Saila, striking her usual dramatic pose. And the students of Ever Blaze, wheezing and battered after getting thoroughly beaten. None of them held his interest for long. His attention, however, was drawn to a man radiating a familiar aura from a distance. Roan immediately disliked Hersel’s appearance. To read Chapters ahead ???? CH 206-210 (Troublemaker Vs Troublemaker) $3 CH 211-215 (Graduation) $3 CH 216-220 (Integrated Academy Tournament) $3 CH 221-225 (The Underdog) $3 CH 226-230 (Who am I?) $3 CH 231-235 (Frostheart Vs Wisdom) $3 CH 236-240 (I want to lose) $3 Prev I TOC I Next Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Like Loading...