The Betting Battle 1

Leah couldn't believe her eyes. She could barely comprehend what was happening before her, but by the time she gathered her thoughts, Ryan had already mingled with the crowd. She had no choice but to hurry after him.

Before she could even squeeze into the crowd, she heard Ryan—who had transformed into a scruffy, shabby-looking teenager—lazily shout, "This Norton Academy isn't all that impressive, is it?"

His words immediately attracted the attention of everyone around. They turned to look at the source of the bold remark, curious to see who would dare to insult Norton Academy so openly.

When they saw that it was a teenager who appeared to be around thirteen or fourteen years old, wearing tattered clothes and looking unkempt, the crowd couldn't help but scoff in disdain.

"Where did this kid come from? A little brat with no sense, trying to stir up trouble at Norton Academy? Is he an idiot or something?"

Just as the teachers and students were talking among themselves, the elderly woman who had just finished making a grand speech, Old Woman Gu, froze. She could not let this unremarkable kid speak so arrogantly in such an important setting.

With a stiff tone, she addressed him. "Kid, where did you come from? How dare you openly slander Norton Academy? If you know what's good for you, leave this place now…"

Ryan gave Old Woman Gu a glance and snorted lightly. "Old dog, who the hell are you? Do you think you have a say here?"

His contemptuous look made Old Woman Gu even angrier, and her face flushed a deep red. The entire square fell silent in shock at Ryan's open provocation. No one dared to believe what they were witnessing—this scruffy teenager openly challenging Norton Academy and insulting one of its teachers.

The crowd was left wondering: was this brat's courage born of ignorance or boldness?

Just as Old Woman Gu was about to explode, a flash of bright color appeared on the stage, and the graceful figure of the academy's president, Annis, stood before them.

"Young man, I am Annis, the president of Norton Academy. I'm not sure what offense we have caused you, but why would you publicly challenge our academy?" she asked calmly.

Ryan, still in the form of a scruffy teenager, took slow steps toward Annis and replied, "It's nothing. I just can't stand how you call people without elemental perception 'useless.' I was born in the countryside and never learned any elemental techniques, but I still don't think much of these so-called 'small fry'."

As he spoke, he pointed at Alan and the other young man on the stage.

Annis chuckled. "I see. But might I ask, what is your relationship with the House Stark?"

She could tell that Ryan's outburst had something to do with the ridicule of Ryan from House Stark. He seemed to be connected to them in some way.

Ryan smiled wryly. "House Stark? I'm just a country bumpkin, new to this place. I heard there was some excitement here, so I came to take a look. But when I arrived at your academy, I heard some words I didn't like, so I thought I'd come and offer some advice."

Annis' brows furrowed slightly. As the president, it was highly unprofessional to let an unknown individual provoke Norton Academy publicly. Such actions, if spread, could tarnish the academy's reputation.

She looked Ryan up and down again and asked, "Could you tell me your name?"

Ryan, not interested in answering her directly, waved his hand dismissively. "Didn't I already say? I'm just a country boy. If I had a name, I'd have told that old dog already." As he spoke, his gaze turned toward Old Woman Gu.

Ryan had been harboring resentment toward this teacher for years, and from the beginning, he had no intention of giving her any respect.

Old Woman Gu, furious at being insulted, felt her face flush with anger. But with Annis present, she dared not act out. She could only stare daggers at Ryan, her chest heaving with rage.

Annis, too, felt a fire burning inside her at Ryan's disrespect. She forced herself to remain calm. "Alright. Norton Academy is not unreasonable. I'll apologize for what was said earlier, but you'll have to explain why you're publicly insulting us. What do you want in return?"

Ryan, still unaffected, casually asked, "Oh, what kind of explanation does the academy want?"

He was no longer the naive boy he had been three years ago, the one who could be easily pushed around. Now, he was someone who could hold his ground.

Annis, sensing Ryan's indifference, turned the conversation. "If I were to take action against you, it would be a case of big bullying small. It would bring shame upon us. But since you dared to step onto the stage, how about a match with one of my students? You can show everyone you truly don't regard them as anything."

Ryan thought for a moment and grinned. "Alright! I'll accept. Honestly, I'm not interested in your little exhibition matches. But since you want to make it interesting, why don't we add some stakes to it?"

Annis smiled arrogantly. "I didn't expect you to have such enthusiasm. What are your terms?"

Ryan's eyes glinted. "My terms are simple. I'll accept your challenge, but each match will be a wager, with one thousand gold coins as the prize. How does that sound?"

The crowd gasped in shock at his audacity. "A series of battles and a thousand gold coins per match? This kid is too arrogant!"

But Ryan didn't care about their opinions. He had already calculated everything. By accepting a series of battles, he was forcing Annis into a corner where she couldn't send her strongest fighter out immediately without looking bad in front of everyone. She would have no choice but to let him fight one match after another. Whether or not he could win was secondary to Ryan. What mattered was the gold coins.

At that moment, Silver Moon's voice rang in Ryan's mind. "Kid, didn't expect you to be this crafty. If all goes well, this could solve our gold problems. Glad I didn't disappoint you. If you hadn't stepped up, don't expect me to teach you anything anymore. Even if you have the talent, if you don't have the courage to stand up, you'll never reach the peak. Understand?"