A Bet

As Ray roamed the dormitory halls, he asked around for Sebastian's room. Thankfully, Sebastian was just as unpopular as Ray, so it didn't take long before someone gave him directions. While heading toward his target, he considered how to get Sebastian to agree to a ranked match. Most people still didn't know Ray's current rank, and to them, he was an unknown fighter. There was no real gain for Sebastian in fighting a lower rank like him.

At the same time, Ray didn't want to reveal that he had climbed to ninth place. If Sebastian knew, he might refuse, fearing a real challenge. He needed to come up with something that would be impossible for him to turn down.

Sebastian was from Silvertown, so he would be in that section of the dormitory. As Ray neared the building, he was surprised to find a group of five people waiting outside. At the front of the group stood a tall, good-looking young man with silver hair.

"I heard someone was looking for me," he said, stepping forward. "I assume that's you?"

Sebastian was tall for his age. Standing in front of Ray, he was at least two heads taller, but Ray felt no fear. He had faced beasts far larger and more terrifying than this arrogant noble.

"How did you know?" Ray asked.

"Information travels fast," Sebastian said. "Word got around that someone was looking for me. The moment I saw that black sash, I already knew why. You want revenge for your little friend, don't you?"

It took all of Ray's strength to hold back his anger. If he could, he would slice off Sebastian's head right here and now, but it would be impossible to escape from Avrion Academy afterward.

"Let's have a ranked match. You and me."

Sebastian laughed. "And what would I gain from that? I already beat the best of you Black Sash weaklings, and Gary? Well, let's just say he's special. But you? You're nothing but a curse, ruining everything you touch. Even your so-called friends."

Ray clenched his fists but maintained his composure.

"If you win, you can have these." He opened his hand, revealing two intermediate beast crystals.

Sebastian's eyes widened. "How the hell does someone like you have those?"

Intermediate crystals were extremely valuable for second-year students. Once basic training was completed, students would be allowed to hunt outside, and having intermediate-tier crystals early would mean better weapons, better armor, and a massive advantage over everyone else.

Ray had anticipated this. "My father was an adventurer. He gifted them to me before leaving, but I haven't had the money to find a smithy to craft anything out of them yet. If you beat me, you can take them both."

It was the perfect bait. Ray just had to hope that Sebastian's arrogance would convince him that losing was impossible.

"Deal," Sebastian said, smirking. "But the match has to be in front of everyone at the training grounds. I don't want anyone thinking I forced you into this."

"Fine by me."

They went their separate ways. On his way back to the dorm, Ray ran into Kyle.

"Ray, are you insane?! You're actually going to fight Sebastian?! He'll kill you! You didn't see what he did to Monk!" Kyle's voice was full of concern.

Word had already spread.

"Kyle, just trust me," Ray said. "I need you to do me a favor. Start up that betting ring again, just like with my last fight."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, sure, I can. But if you're planning to bet against yourself just to make a fortune, I don't think that's the right way to go about it."

Ray didn't respond. Instead, he simply placed both hands on Kyle's shoulders and stared at him.

Kyle sighed. "Fine, fine. I can't stop you anyway. Just… do me a favor and land at least one hit, alright?"

They parted ways, preparing for the fight tomorrow.

The next day, students were outside training, but just like before, everyone's focus was on a single event—the upcoming duel between the number two student and a Black Sash knight.

That was how the fight had been advertised.

Interest in the Black Sash students had skyrocketed ever since Monk's impressive fight, and people wanted to see how well another Black Sash fighter would perform. Still, almost everyone believed the match was already decided. The betting odds heavily favored Sebastian, as expected.

As the crowd gathered, the two contestants stood in the center, facing each other.

Earlier that morning, Kyle had collected bets from nearly everyone. As Ray predicted, most students bet on Sebastian—except for two people.

Gary and Eric.

The only two people who had fought Ray seriously.

Ray's roommates stood at the sidelines, nervous.

"So, how long do you think he'll last?" Dan asked.

"I just hope he doesn't get hurt," Ian muttered.

Only Gary and Sylvia had a different opinion.

"I don't think this fight will go the way people expect," Sylvia said.

Dan scoffed. "Oh, how love is blind."

"If you can't see how strong Ray is," Gary replied, "then maybe you're the blind one."

Dan opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, the fight was about to begin.

Ray and Sebastian sent each other duel invites through their communicators. But the moment Sebastian saw Ray's rank, his pupils shrunk in shock.

"No wonder you were so confident…" Sebastian muttered, his voice laced with disbelief. "So you were the one who beat Eric?!"

The crowd went silent.

Then, a wave of murmurs and whispers spread through the students.

Everyone had assumed Ray was still a low-ranked fighter. They had seen him ranked in the 250s. But this—this changed everything.

Suddenly, the fight had just become a lot more interesting.