The Bet

Riya's jaw tightened. The smug glint in her eyes was gone, it was now replaced by something colder, humiliation.

She stepped forward, her flames flickered at her fingertips, and her voice was sharp enough to cut through the heavy silence.

"Do you know why you and the rest of those nobodies are stuck in Class D?" she sneered.

"It's because everything about you, your mindset, your skills, your very existence is beneath us. Too low. Something that can't be improved. Something not even worth the academy's effort to train."

The room erupted with gasps.

"She's really going in for the kill…"

"That's harsh."

"But is she wrong?"

Riya smirked, waiting. She had seen it happen before. That flicker of pain, the shift in body language, the moment someone realized they didn't belong.

But Ren didn't react the way she expected.

Instead, he let out a slow breath and tilted his head slightly, and looked at her.

Not with anger.

Not with fear.

But with something worse.

Pity.

"Is that what they told you?" His voice was calm and steady, but it cut deeper than any flame. "Or is that just what you need to believe?"

Riya's smirk twitched just for a second.

Ren stepped forward.

Ren's words hung in the air like a storm about to break.

"You think Class D is at the bottom because we're weak. But what if it's the opposite?" His gaze swept across the hall, locking onto every so-called elite, every noble who thought they were untouchable. "What if you're the ones who are scared?"

The room went dead silent.

Riya's smirk twitched, her amusement flickering. "Scared?"

Ren didn't let up. "You've had the best teachers, the best resources, the best training, all of it handed to you. And yet, here I am, someone from Class D, standing right here, challenging you." 

His voice was steady, but there was a sharpness in it, cutting through the air like a blade. He let the weight of his words settle before delivering the final blow.

"Maybe the truth is, without all that help, without the privilege, some of us would surpass you. Maybe if we were on equal ground… you wouldn't be elites at all."

The room stiffened.

Then—

"How dare he—"

Gasps and murmurs spread like wildfire.

Riya's lips curled, but the fire in her eyes burned hotter. 

"So that's what you're saying, huh?" Her voice was low, dangerously smooth. "That you deserve what we have? That some of you are actually better than us?"

She let out a short laugh that was sharp and mocking. "You think if we all had the same training, you'd have a shot at being powerful?" She took a step closer and the air around her heated up. "You actually believe that?"

Her expression darkened. "Then prove it."

The hall fell into a tense silence.

"Let's have a duel," Riya announced. Ger voice echoed through the hall.

The atmosphere shifted.

Gasps erupted.

"She's serious—"

"She wants to fight him?"

"No, she wants to humiliate him."

Riya wasn't challenging him to fight, she was setting him up to be humiliated in front of everyone. She didn't need to lift a finger to defeat him, her reputation alone was enough. She had fire. She had skill. She was leagues ahead of him.

She wasn't expecting a fight. She was expecting him to crumble.

A normal person would back down. A sane person would realize they had picked a fight with the wrong person. He should be shaking right now, scrambling for a way out, begging for mercy before it was too late.

Everyone knew.

Ren had no magic.

Even Riku's expression darkened. For the first time, a flicker of concern crossed his usually calm face. "Riya, what are you doing?" 

She didn't even look at him. "I'm proving a point."

Her gaze never left Ren.

"This fool thinks he can say whatever he wants, act like he belongs here." She took another step forward, her presence overwhelming. 

"Serves him right for running his mouth."

"Class D should know their place."

Riya's smirk deepened as she watched the reactions around the hall. The gasps, the murmurs, the amused glances, it was exactly what she wanted. But then she looked at Ren.

No panic. No hesitation.

Nothing.

Her amusement faded slightly.

Was he really this stubborn?

She had expected him to crumble, to realize his mistake and back down. But he wasn't doing that. He wasn't even flinching.

Fine. If he wanted to be difficult, she would make things even harder.

"You don't seem to understand how deep you've buried yourself," Riya said, folding her arms, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "So let's make it simple."

She stepped forward, her presence overwhelming. "If you win, I'll personally see to it that the grading system is abolished. No more Class A, Class D, everyone will be treated the same."

The weight of that statement sent another wave of murmurs rippling through the crowd.

"She's actually betting the grading system?"

"This is huge! If he wins—"

"Please. He's not winning. She just wants to humiliate him first."

Riya heard the whispers, but she didn't care.

Because she wasn't done.

She took another step forward, her presence was suffocating. 

"But if I win… you'll be expelled. Not suspended. Not punished. Expelled." She let the word hang, watching for even the smallest sign of hesitation in his expression.

Nothing.

Her irritation flared.

"Ah, and just so we're clear—" she continued, her tone now sharper than before. "If you give up, if you admit you don't want to fight anymore…" A slow, cruel smile spread across her lips. "You'll still be expelled."

The final blow.

She had sealed every escape route.

Now, there were only three options left for Ren, win against her, which was almost impossible, lose and get expelled, or give up and still get expelled.

Either way, his life here was over.

The hall was silent, every student waiting for Ren's reaction.

Even Riku, who had been watching with cold disinterest, frowned slightly.

Riya, however, was fully enjoying herself.

She had placed him in the tightest corner possible, expecting him to break at any second.

"Well?" She raised an eyebrow, mockingly. "Still think you belong here?"

Ren didn't move.

The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was waiting for the inevitable.

They expected Ren to falter, to panic, to desperately try and talk his way out of it.

Some even braced themselves for the moment he would drop to his knees and beg for mercy.

Because that was the only logical thing to do.

No one, absolutely no one would be stupid enough to take that deal.

Riya had backed him into a corner with no way out. There was no winning. He either lost to her and got expelled, or he surrendered and got expelled anyway.

Either way, she won.

And yet—

Ren did something no one saw coming.

He took a step forward.

Then another.

His face didn't show a single trace of fear. Not even doubt.

He just stood there, meeting Riya's gaze head-on.

And then, with a slight tilt of his head, he spoke.

"Bring it on."

The room exploded.

"WHAT?!"