Chapter 58 - 57: Challenge

Chapter 58: Chapter 57: Challenge

SLAP!

The thunderous sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed across the vaulted stone ceiling of the colosseum, drowning out every last cheer in the hall.

?For a split second, Derrick Vane’s feet remained planted on the basalt tiles while his head snapped ninety degrees to the right. Then, the terrifying kinetic force behind Aegon’s 62 Strength erupted in full.

?WHOOSH!

?Along with a spray of blood and three white molars, Derrick’s entire body was lifted off the ground like a ragdoll struck by a battering ram.

He spun through the air three times before slamming face-first into Instructor Bella’s translucent barrier at the edge of the ring, bouncing off the magic wall and rolling down the stone steps to land in an unconscious heap at Julian Von Draken’s boots.

?In mid-air, Derrick’s bronze A-Rank Grimoire flickered twice and dissolved into motes of dim light.

....

?Pin-drop silence descended upon the arena.

?All twenty-nine freshmen stood frozen in place, their mouths hanging open as they stared back and forth between Derrick’s swollen, bleeding cheek on the floor and the calm young man standing alone in the center of the ring.

?"O-One slap? Without the forest’s suppression array, Derrick used his full mana to cast Triple Granite Carapace! How did Aegon Noiré shatter three layers of First-Circle earth magic with the back of his bare hand?!"

?"He didn’t summon his Grimoire, he didn’t use a single spell, and he didn’t even touch the hilt of his sword! What kind of monster physique does he have?!"

?Beside the stage, Aria’s parted lips slowly curved into a relieved, breathtaking smile. Just a moment ago, she had been worried that Aegon was being reckless by wagering all one hundred of his credits against a top-ten mage in an open arena.

Now she realized that in Aegon’s eyes, Derrick Vane had never been an opponent at all. He was just a walking purse.

?Even Instructor Bella blinked in genuine surprise. Looking at the cracked basalt tile where Aegon had launched himself and the pulverized gravel scattered across the ring, a look of deep fascination flashed through her sharp eyes.

?"Pure physical strength approaching a mid-stage Second-Circle Knight, paired with explosive footwork that didn’t rely on wind mana, No wonder the Headmaster bent the rules for him." Bella thought to herself.

?Tapping her silver wand against the floor, Bella dispersed the arena barrier and announced clearly,

"Derrick Vane is unconscious and out of bounds! The winner of the first match is Aegon Noiré!"

?With a flick of her wrist, a golden streak of runic light flew out from the badge pinned to Derrick’s unconscious chest and merged directly into the Golden Griffin Badge on Aegon’s coat.

?The shining number on Aegon’s badge ticked upward from [ 100 ] to [ 200 ], while Derrick’s dropped to a pitiful [ 0 ].

?Up on the dueling stage, Aegon casually brushed a speck of granite dust off his knuckles. Walking to the edge of the platform, he looked down at Julian Von Draken, whose handsome face had turned as dark as the basalt floor while Derrick groaned weakly at his feet.

?"I have earned 200 credits in five seconds. It turns out the Academy’s practical combat class is much more profitable than I expected."

?Smiling, Aegon rested his hand lightly on the pommel of his waist-sheathed Flame Sword, locking his dark eyes directly onto Julian.

?"What about you, Julian Von Draken? A moment ago, you were offering to feed me pebbles from your courtyard because my pockets were empty. Now I have 200 Academic Credits sitting right here on my chest. Would you like to step up onto the stage and try to take them, or are you going to keep hiding behind unconscious dogs?"

Every pair of eyes in the colosseum shifted from the elevated basalt stage down to Julian.

?Standing at the base of the stone steps, Julian felt the muscles in his jaw twitch so hard his teeth ached.

?Was that all pure physical strength? Or is he hiding some kind of body-refining artifact under his coat? Julian’s heart and mind raced.

?On paper, Julian’s A-Rank Crimson Wyvern Grimoire was far superior to Derrick’s earth magic.

In an open battle where he had five seconds to prepare, his First-Circle flame spells could incinerate an entire squad of knights.

?Yet Aegon had crossed thirty meters of basalt floor in less than a blink of an eye! If he stepped into that thirty-meter ring right now and Aegon closed the distance before his Grimoire finished flipping to its offensive page, there was a very real chance that he, the proud heir of House Von Draken, would have his teeth slapped out in front of the entire freshman class!

?Lose his dignity, AND hand Aegon another 100 credits?

?Never!

?Taking a slow breath to force down the chill creeping up his spine, Julian tucked his hands behind his back, lifted his chin at a forty-five-degree angle, and let out a cold, disdainful laugh.

"Do you really think an heir of House Von Draken is as brainless as this idiot Derrick? The only reason you touched him is because he stood still like a wooden target and tried to cast two spells at once against a close-combat brute."

?Up on the stage, Aegon didn’t even blink.

"So you are not coming up?"

Julian shook his head,

?"No, why would I dirty my hands in a meaningless classroom warm-up? I only have 100 credits on my badge right now, whereas you have two hundred. Wagering unevenly is beneath my family’s honor. More importantly, the Academy’s End-of-Month Ranking Trial is only three weeks away. Do you think you can bait me into revealing my Crimson Wyvern Grimoire’s secret spells for a measly hundred credits? Keep warming those credits in your pocket for me, Noiré. In three weeks, I will take them all at once!"

Having delivered his speech with righteous arrogance, Julian turned his head away and crossed his arms, refusing to take a single step toward the stairs.

?For three full seconds, an awkward silence spread over the Combat Arena.

?Even the noble boys standing directly behind Julian stared at the back of his head with twitching eyelids, their faces flushing with second-hand embarrassment.

?Beneath his family’s honor because the wager is uneven?! You only need to wager 100 credits to match him!

?And what secret spells?! Ten seconds ago, you were the one telling Derrick to go up there and blast him off the stage in two minutes!

How shameless!