Chapter 123: A Challenge

Chapter 123: Chapter 123: A Challenge Alex lay sprawled on the polished marble floor, clutching his stomach in agony. "Urgh... my ribs..." he groaned, barely able to breathe. Towering over him like a merciless executioner, Alicia looked down with a cold glint in her eyes. Her heels clicked ominously as she stepped closer. Then, kneeling beside him, she leaned down and whispered into his ear, her voice low and dangerous. "Don’t ever call me fat again." Alex’s breath hitched. That soft, venom-laced whisper chilled him more than any ice magic. ’Yup. I’m gonna die. She’s going to kill me. This is it.’ But unable to do anything, as Alicia was stronger than him... Alex did the only thing he could. He raged—internally. ’Stupid, useless system! Why didn’t you warn me before I opened my big, stupid mouth?!’ Suddenly, a voice chimed in his mind, sounding far more annoyed than usual: [Host, you told me to mute myself. And it was your loud mouth that got you in trouble. Why are you blaming me?!] ’Shut up! This is your fault!’ [Fu*k U, host.] The voice went dead silent again. Alex blinked, utterly speechless. ’...Did it just curse at me?!’ He rubbed his temples and sighed. ’First Zara, now Useless. Where are these guys learning this vocabulary from...?’ A tiny voice in the back of his head whispered the answer he didn’t want to admit: (They learned it from him.) --- Meanwhile, Alicia had already walked away, flipping her hair with imperial flair as if nothing had happened. Just as Alex was trying to peel himself off the floor with what little dignity he had left, two familiar figures appeared beside him. "Alex! Are you okay?!" Seraphina knelt and immediately began casting healing magic. A warm light enveloped his torso as the pain slowly began to fade. "Thanks, Sera..." he muttered. Seraphina raised an eyebrow, hands still glowing. "It was going fantastic. What did you say to get that Master-rank punch straight to your gut?" Alex looked away with a guilty expression. "I... didn’t say anything. It was just her." Seraphina squinted. "Somehow, I find that hard to believe." Ava, who had been silently observing with her arms crossed, added bluntly, "Definitely hard to believe." Alex groaned and rubbed his temples. "Come on, guys. Don’t you have any faith in me?" The two girls looked at each other, then at him. "No," they said in perfect unison. A vein visibly popped on Alex’s forehead. ’Why are they so synchronized in doubting me?!’ Before he could launch into a dramatic rebuttal, two more familiar presences descended upon him—both radiating way too much joy at his misfortune. "Well, well, Mr. Perfect," Alden grinned, arms crossed smugly. "How’d that punch feel? Still breathing?" "Oh wait—sorry," he added mockingly. "You probably can’t even make it to the bathroom after that hit." Ethan clapped his hands and laughed. "Bathroom? He’ll need a wheelchair ballroom dance remix!" Even Seraphina and Ava couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. Alex deadpanned, then smirked. "Yeah, maybe she punched me because she wanted to kiss me and I rejected her. What do you think... brother-in-law?" Alden froze. His smirk died. Alex turned to Ethan with a malicious grin. "And you should laugh less. Who knows? You and I might end up being related too." Then Alex looked at the table Evelyn was sitting at, just to tease Ethan. Both Alden and Ethan’s faces twisted in horror as Alex grinned like a devil who just lit the fuse. Without hesitation, the two drew their swords in perfect sync. Not to be outdone, Alex unsheathed his blade with an exaggerated flair. The tension crackled like static as the trio locked eyes, dramatic wind somehow swirling around them despite being indoors. But before a single swing could be made— WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! All three of them winced violently as Seraphina’s powerful punch slammed onto their heads in quick succession. "Would you three stop acting like toddlers with too much mana and not enough common sense?!" The boys groaned in unison, clutching their heads like wounded animals. Alden pointed at Alex. "He started it!" Ethan jabbed a finger too. "He absolutely started it!" Alex’s finger swung around toward both of them. "No, they started it!" The trio shouted in harmony, "He started it!" A vein popped on Seraphina’s head as she raised her fist again. Instant silence. Sweat beaded on all their foreheads as they looked away like scolded schoolkids. Watching the scene unfold, Ava couldn’t contain her laughter. Her shoulders trembled, eyes sparkling with amusement. The mighty trio of geniuses in the top ten, brought to their knees by a single woman with a glowing punch. The boys stared at the ground, lips sealed. Even Alex didn’t dare mutter a comeback this time. Seraphina let out an exasperated sigh. "Enough. Let’s get back to the table before one of you does something dumber." She turned sharply toward Ethan, eyes narrowing. "And you—rest up. You’re going to dance with me next." Ethan stiffened like a board and nodded rapidly, eyes wide with terror. "Yes, ma’am. Absolutely." Alden and Alex snorted, trying to contain their laughter behind coughs. But when Seraphina’s gaze slowly turned toward them, both immediately straightened their backs and looked away, pretending to admire the floor. They trudged back to the long banquet table, where the rest of their group had gathered—Charlotte, Islode, Evelyn, Lilia, and Maria were chatting amongst themselves, their elegant dresses glowing under the soft crystal lighting. As Alex sat down, his legs aching from the dance, a familiar small voice chirped up. "Where is Big Sis Alicia?" Ava asked. Alex froze. ’Oh no. Is she nearby?!’ His eyes darted frantically around the ballroom like a wanted fugitive scanning for the enforcer. That punch from earlier still echoed in his soul. Everyone burst into light laughter at his reaction. Evelyn smiled, brushing a loose strand behind her ear. "Relax, she just went to grab a drink. Said she was feeling thirsty." Alex exhaled a sigh so heavy it might’ve carried a small soul out of his body. He slumped in his seat. ’Thank the stars... I don’t think my ribs can handle another "don’t call me fat" punch of doom.’ Just as he was recovering, Charlotte leaned forward with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Wow, Alex. I didn’t know you could dance like that! Who taught you?" Alex scratched the back of his head, playing it cool. "No one really. Just watched some online videos before coming to the ball. That’s all." Everyone blinked. "You’re kidding, right?" Islode asked, wide-eyed. "That’s seriously all it took?" Maria added, raising an eyebrow. Alex leaned back with a smug grin. "I know, I know. I’m amazing, right?" Alden and Ethan clicked their tongues in perfect unison. "Showoff bastard," they muttered under their breath. Before Alex could gloat any further, a loud, clear voice boomed across the ballroom. "Alex Dragonheart! I challenge you to a match in Vortex Chase! Come forward if you dare!" All heads turned toward the source. It was Elias. Again. His cloak billowed unnecessarily, as if he had a personal wind spirit following him for dramatic entrances. Alex’s eye twitched. ’Why. Is. It. Always. Me?’ He turned slowly to face Elias, expression as dead as his motivation. "Come back tomorrow," he said flatly. "Right now, I’m too tired. If you can yell with the same energy tomorrow, maybe I’ll consider it." There was a pause. Then laughter erupted around the table. Even the nearby guests chuckled. Elias, red-faced from the attention, stammered something inaudible in a swirl of embarrassment. Suddenly, another presence approached their table, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. Lucas Evans of House Avaloria. Tall, refined—like how a prince should be—he strolled over like he owned the ballroom, hands in his pockets and a glimmer of amusement dancing in his eyes. He glanced around with a half-smile. "Looks like there’s a bit of tension here." His gaze settled on Elias, who immediately straightened up like a soldier reporting to a superior. Lucas raised an eyebrow. "What happened here, Mr. Elias? Why are you being so loud in the middle of a peaceful evening?" Elias smiled slyly. "Your Highness, I challenged Alex Dragonheart to a Vortex Chase match." He then jabbed a thumb at Alex. "But this shameless excuse of an Apex is too scared to play. He’s running away." Lucas’s smile widened ever so slightly as he turned to Alex. "Is that true, junior Alex?" Alex met Lucas’s gaze head-on, completely unbothered. "Yes, senior. I’m scared—scared that this stalker will begin stalking me too after losing so badly. That’s why I told him to come tomorrow. That way, I can at least fend him off." Only Alden and Ethan burst out laughing, loudly and unapologetically. Elias, meanwhile, gritted his teeth, his jaw tightening visibly. Lucas gave a soft chuckle. "I see... But Mr. Elias seems pretty confident. Almost too confident." Turning back to Alex, Lucas continued with a glint in his eye, "Tell you what. Let’s make things interesting. If you win, Elias will apologize to you in front of everyone—on his knees. And I’ll personally compensate you with credits. Deal?" Elias’s head snapped toward Lucas, utterly stunned. "I’ll—what?" Lucas smiled coldly. "Yes, you will." The group collectively leaned in, the tension rising as the playful air thinned. Lucas then turned toward Evelyn, who had thus far been ignoring him like a faded painting on a forgotten wall. With practiced calm, he said, "And if Elias wins, then Alex... you will forfeit your right to dance with Miss Evelyn for the rest of the evening. That honor will go to me." Alex’s mouth twitched. ’... So that’s what this is about. That was his goal from the very beginning, wasn’t it?’ He stood up, placing a hand casually on the table as he looked at Lucas. "Your Highness," Alex said smoothly, "I don’t make bets that involve other people without their consent." Suddenly, Ethan slammed his palm down on the table, eyes blazing. "That’s enough, Lucas!" he snapped. "She’s rejected you dozens of times now! What part of ’no’ don’t you understand? Or do you want me to make it clear... physically?" He cracked his knuckles for emphasis, his aura pulsing faintly. Alden, calmly sipping his drink, nodded in agreement. "Yes, brother, you really should get a clue. You’re just embarrassing yourself at this point." Charlotte, meanwhile, sipped her wine and watched everything unfold with open amusement, as if watching a drama she’d seen three times already but still found entertaining. At that moment, Evelyn finally moved. Without a word, she stood up, her outfit shimmering under the chandelier lights. The entire table went silent. She stepped toward Lucas slowly, then looked up at him—not with rage, not even annoyance. Just cold, cutting indifference. Her eyes said it all.’Leave. Now.’ Lucas blinked, momentarily caught off guard, as Evelyn turned from him and looked straight at Alex. "You," she said clearly, her voice strong enough to carry. "Come to the dance floor with me." Alex’s mouth twitched again. ’Not this again... What did I do in my past life to deserve this?’ --- A/N: So how was the Chapter? Tell me in the comments! Thanks for the golden tickets: @capnmoonfire, @BerryField, @Nelson_2141, @FrendsCham, @Unknown_6, @Danger_Croc I really appreciate the support ????