Chapter 67 | Walking Down The Street Holding Hands
Chapter 67: 67 | Walking Down The Street Holding Hands
The training hall buzzed as the virtual pods powered down.
White light bled from their sleek shells as one by one, students stepped out, some laughing, others groaning about their losses.
The simulated battles always left a residue—phantom pains from virtual environment.
Suddenly a voice shattered the atmosphere.
"Andrew!"
Xavier nearly tripped over his own feet as he stumbled out of his pod.
His face was a pale and purple at the same time and his veins popped out on his neck like snakes. He immediately pointed at Andrew who had just stepped out of his own pod.
Andrew Daeth had his hands to his pocket.
Hair a little ruffled like he had just woken from a nap. He glanced lazily at he screaming brat.
"You cheated!" Xavier screamed through the entire hall.
The whole class froze.
Even the old instructor, who had been idly scrolling through the floating holographic screen showing battle stats, slowly turned around. His thick eyebrows drew together.
"What’s all this noise?" the instructor frowned as he stared at Xavier.
"Xavier, calm yourself."
"Calm myself?" Xavier shouted with spit flying all over the place.
"He one-shotted me with a single punch without using any bloodline, or talent, nothing! That’s impossible! The virtual system must be broken or he hacked the system!"
A few students whispered started whispering.
One guy in the back, Kyle, blinked rapidly and mumbled to his friend, "Wait, did he really get dropped in one hit?" His friend just shook his head, eyes wide.
The instructor’s frown deepened. He took three slow steps forward.
"Xavier. Look at me."
The boy did, chest still heaving.
"The virtual battle system links directly to your physical body. It reads your real strength, your real speed, your real endurance. It’s a system made by he Federation and the Ultra Association. If anyone could hack it, it wouldn’t be for clearing up grievances between two kids.
"Which meant that if Andrew defeated you in a single attack?" the instructor paused, letting the words hang, "then that strike reflected his actual ability."
Xavier’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. His fists clenched so hard his knuckles whitened. "No... no, that’s bull. I’ve trained my whole life. He’s nothing without his bloodline! That cursed bloodline is the only reason he ever ranked above me!"
Andrew let out a small, almost bored sigh. He tilted his head, finally meeting Xavier’s wild gaze. "Maybe," he said, voice lazy and light, "you just spent too much time shouting and not enough time getting good."
A beat of perfect silence. Then—
"Pfft—!" A girl with short pink hair clapped a hand over her mouth, but the snort escaped anyway. Then Kyle burst out laughing. The whole room rippled with giggles and gasps.
"Oh, that’s cold..."
"One punch... in front of everyone..."
"Xavier’s gonna explode..."
Xavier’s eyes turned darker, almost wet with fury. He took a step forward, but Kyle grabbed his arm. "Hey man, let it go," Kyle whispered urgently. "He’s not worth it. You’ll get him next time."
"Get off me!" Xavier yanked his arm free and stormed toward the exit. His heavy footsteps echoed until the door slammed shut behind him.
At that exact moment, a third pod hissed open and Monica stepped out. Her golden-white hair cascaded over her shoulders, still slightly static from the pod’s energy field. She scanned the room, immediately zeroing in on Xavier and her face darkened.
She was about to say something, but before the words could form, Andrew’s hand closed gently around her wrist.
She turned. The anger in her eyes melted the instant she met his calm gaze.
Monica blinked, then a soft smile bloomed across her lips. "Okay,"
She shifted to stand beside him, her shoulder brushing his.
The instructor clapped his hands three times. "Alright, children. Drama hour is over. Ears up."
The holographic screens behind him shimmered and expanded into a map of the entire country. Dotted lines connected dozens of glowing academy icons.
"This virtual battle tech isn’t just for beating up your classmates. Once you’ve logged enough in-academy duels, the system will unlock cross-academy matches." The old man’s voice rumbled with a hint of excitement. "You’ll be able to fight students from any registered academy—north, south, east, west."
A stocky boy in the front row raised his hand so fast he nearly knocked his neighbor’s glasses off. "Wait, for real? I can fight someone from Crimson Peak Academy? Like, the academy that won nationals last year?"
The instructor smirked. "For real. And not just them. Eventually, if your rank climbs high enough, you’ll access the continental league. Think of it—fighting talents from all over the country!
Monica leaned toward Andrew. "Sounds like fun," she whispered, her breath tickling his ear. "Think you’ll try the rankings?"
Andrew shrugged. "Maybe. Could be a good way to pass the time."
"Pass the time," Monica repeated with a soft laugh. "Only you would say that."
The lecture rolled on for another hour—combat safety protocols, ranking points distribution, dos and don’ts of cross-academy sportsmanship, but the students barely absorbed it.
When the clock finally hit 4 p.m., the crowd spilled out of the training hall like water from a broken dam.
---
Outside, golden late-afternoon light painted the campus pathways in warm hues.
Andrew and Monica walked side by side, their footsteps keeping an easy, lazy rhythm.
For a while, neither said a word. Monica occasionally glanced at him, then quickly looked ahead. Finally, Andrew broke the silence. "So... that place you’re staying. Everything good?"
Monica’s eyes crinkled. "You’ve asked me that three times already."
"Have I?" Andrew scratched the back of his head. "I just... you know, with the price you paid, it better be good."
She smiled, genuinely this time. "It’s more than good. The building has guards on every floor. No one gets in without three layers of scans." She flicked a stray strand of hair. "You can stop worrying. I’m not going to get assassinated."
"Good," Andrew said, and meant it. "I’d hate to have to find a new walking partner."
Monica nudged his arm with her elbow. "Jerk."