Duel [3] (*edited)

A transparent blue dome was covering the battle ring.

I glanced around and saw many cadets that had come to watch the duel. They packed the stadium that could house hundreds of people to the brim.

Cadets of other departments and grades had also come to watch the duel.

'More like public execution'

Looking at the cadets who surrounded the ring, I could roughly guess their thoughts.

It has been a few days since Lark came to me. Unlike in the novel, Lark didn't challenge Leon yet and kept harassing both of us.

I waited for a few days to see if Lark would leave me alone, but that didn't happen. And so I had no other choice but to do what I had thought of: challenging Susan to a duel.

I was already being called crazy, insane, or mentally ill. It was only the gossip being blown out of proportion, but I was going to cement those gossip as a fact.

Fighting Susan, who could defeat veterans from the frontlines, was irrational.

Furthermore, I was the challenger. Susan didn't need to suppress her rank, and I wasn't allowed to give up.

Why did I do something so extreme?

To be left alone. With this, be it Leon, Ken, or other cadets, everyone would think of me as insane, idiot, and worthless and shun me.

I mean, who would want to get involved with an idiot who had no sense of self-preservation?

During the physical examination, Susan obliterated a veteran from frontlines. And here I was, challenging Susan.

My gaze swept over the crowd, at the main cast, at Ken, and at a few more 'special' people.

'That guy is an idiot'

'Who challenges Rank1? Doesn't he know about her?'

'I bet 10 credits he would lose under a minute'

'I bet 15 that he would be defeated in a single move'

'I bet 100 he would out in first 10 seconds'

I couldn't help but chuckle.

The public was very appreciative of me. They were praising me too much.

However, did they know?

There are spies of Umbra and Illis mixed between them? That Cadmus over there is looking for potentially useful people? That the Barbarian spies here would kill any human that shows high potential? 

Defeating Lark?

Let's say I did that, but then what?

Wouldn't Cadmus, Illis, Umbra, and the fucking other races think of me as a human who, after awakening his stigma, became special?

How was I going to deal with them?

Trick them? Sure, I was smart. Maybe, I could work around others' suspicions.

But what if I made a small mistake? 

In this place, power ruled over everything and...

...I was weak.

"Are you sure about this duel?"

The 3rd year student council member who had come with Tia to our class asked Susan. He was asking her if it was alright for her to waste time on such a weak person, me.

He didn't even spare me a glance as he spoke. 

tsk

Wasn't he being too heartless to a junior?

But I didn't take his words to heart. 

Hehehehe...

Rather, after this, everyone will think of me as worthless and I'll be free to do what I want.

Even Ken would stop coming after me. That guy was so scared of Susan that he wouldn't get involved in anything related to Susan.

"Yes" 

'That reminds me. Why did she agree so easily?'

Susan wasn't someone who would pay attention to the weak. I was already prepared to taunt her subtly to make her accept the challenge by angering her.

But she had accepted my challenge easily.

I didn't think much of this, though. Since the story was still in the early chapters, it would make sense that her personality was a little different from what I knew.

Besides, as long as she makes me her target, I was happy.

Funny, wasn't it?

The biggest danger in the public eye was the least dangerous.

"Then I will begin the match."

The senior didn't question her after she nodded her head.

'I still feel like I wasted my time trying to get Olivia's attention. But at least with this, Ken and Leon would leave me alone.'

Ken would make sure to avoid anything related to Susan. She was the reason Ken had a trauma of the fire.

"Huuuh…."

A long sigh escaped my mouth as I readied myself for what was coming next.

"Start!"

Following the brief shout, Susan's figure blurred.

Within seconds, her figure as she swung her fist appeared before me.

I hurriedly crossed my arms. Yet the gut-wrenching blow easily smashed me against the barrier.

My back, which was now leaning against the barrier, ached. My stomach felt like a furnace.

The pain inside my stomach made me think that searing lava was thrashing there.

"Haa-Blergh.."

The moment I tried to breathe again, I felt something murky fill my throat.

I used my hands to support myself as I heaved. The murky liquid splashed onto the ground, coloring its white surface yellowish and reddish. The thick acrid stench filled the cool air.

The burning pain made me tremble every time I retched.

"Stand up."

Ignoring my pitiful appearance, a merciless voice echoed.

I slightly turned my head to look at Susan, who was standing only a few feet away from me. Her unfeeling eyes, which looked deep and dark like an ocean, stared at me.

Her flawless white skin was the same as it was before the duel. There was not even a little dribble of sweat on that pale and perfect skin.

Did I unknowingly piss her off, or is the difference between us so big?

One punch from her was enough to completely decimate me.

Yet I was feeling relieved.

'It finished.'

"Why aren't you…."

I couldn't hear her properly as my mind blanked, and I passed out on the spot.

***

Leon was looking at Nathan's figure, which was about to duel Susan with complicated eyes.

For the past few days, he and Nathan were being harassed by Ken's underling.

He had seen far worse things than some pitiful kids bullying others, trying to feel superior. It wasn't hard for him to ignore such cheap provocations.

But the same couldn't be said for Nathan.

Leon could tell that Nathan was being targeted because of him. Before the harassment started, Leon had been trying to make friends with Nathan.

He felt something familiar whenever he looked at Nathan. Every day, he saw Nathan going in and out of training chambers on the training grounds.

'It's because of me.'

He felt anger boil inside himself when he heard the surrounding cadets insulting Nathan.

'He was cornered to this extent because of me.'

Leon understood that Nathan had challenged Susan out of desperation. Getting chased by a bigger fish was better than getting chased by a fish that had malice against you. The presence of the big fish would chase out any other predators weaker than itself.

'The people close to me always get hurt because of me.'

Blood dripped from his clenched fists.

He knew that Nathan was a kind person. Nathan should have also understood that he was getting targeted because of Leon.

Yet he never once said anything to Leon. He always smiled brightly and said that there was no need to worry about him.

'It's always because of me.'

Unable to watch anymore, Leon turned around and left.

'I can't call myself his friend if I don't even have the courage to avenge him.'

A cold look flashed in his eyes as he thought of his next actions.