Chapter 8: Battle pervert

The academy courtyard was bathed in the soft glow of the afternoon sun, its golden rays filtering through the leaves of the ancient oak tree where Cain sat.

He leaned against the rough bark, his gaze fixed on the sky as if searching for answers to questions he hadn't fully formed yet.

The faint hum of students chatting and the occasional clang of swords from the training grounds filled the air, but Cain's mind was elsewhere.

"A system? Reincarnation? What's next, an ancient prophecy?" he muttered under his breath, his voice tinged with exasperation.

He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his disheveled hair. The absurdity of his situation was not lost on him.

Ever since he had awakened in this world, strange occurrences had followed him like a shadow. The latest of these was the mysterious system that seemed to have taken up residence in his mind, its cryptic messages and alerts popping up at the most inconvenient times.

"Nope. Not my problem. I'll just ignore it," Cain declared, as if saying it out loud would make it true.

But the system, as if sensing his defiance, responded immediately.

[System Notice: Self-Denial Detected. Suppression Mode Maintaining Dormant State.]

Cain scowled, his lips curling into a frown.

"Tch. Rude."

Before he could dwell further on the system's audacity, a loud *BAM!* shattered the tranquility of the courtyard.

Cain's head snapped toward the source of the noise, his eyes widening as a student crashed into the ground just a few feet away from him. The boy groaned, clutching his side as the crowd that had gathered around him whispered in shock.

"It's her again…" one student murmured, their voice trembling with a mix of awe and fear.

"Damn, another one down," another added, shaking their head.

"Why does she keep challenging people?" a third voice chimed in, their tone laced with exasperation.

Cain's curiosity was piqued. He straightened up, his gaze shifting to the figure who had caused the commotion. A tall girl stepped into the clearing, her presence commanding immediate attention.

Her long crimson hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of fire, and her piercing golden eyes scanned the crowd with an intensity that made even the bravest of students shrink back.

Her knight uniform was slightly undone, the top buttons of her shirt left open, and her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, revealing toned arms that spoke of countless hours of training.

"Hah, disappointing," she sighed, placing a boot on her fallen opponent's chest, her smirk widening as she looked down at him.

Cain blinked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Who the hell is that?" he asked aloud, more to himself than anyone else.

A passing student, who had been trying to edge away from the scene, flinched at Cain's question. The boy glanced at him with wide eyes, as if surprised by his ignorance.

"Dude, you don't know?! That's Victoria Albrecht, the Red Demon of House Albrecht! She's obsessed with finding strong opponents!" the student explained, his voice hushed as if afraid Victoria might hear him.

Cain frowned, his gaze flicking back to the crimson-haired girl.

"…Okay, but why's her shirt unbuttoned like that?" he asked, his tone laced with skepticism.

The student hesitated, his face flushing slightly.

"She's… kind of a battle pervert," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Cain's expression darkened, his lips pressing into a thin line.

"…A what?"

Before the student could elaborate, Victoria's sharp gaze landed on Cain. A chill ran down his spine as her golden eyes locked onto him, her wolfish grin widening.

"You," she said, her voice low and commanding.

Cain froze, his heart skipping a beat.

"…Me?" he replied, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

Victoria's grin turned predatory as she took a step toward him.

"You're Reinhardt's little rival, aren't you?" she asked, her tone dripping with amusement.

Cain sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I wouldn't call it a rivalry—" he began, but before he could finish, Victoria lunged forward.

In an instant, she was inches from his face, her hand gripping his chin as she tilted his head slightly, her golden eyes studying him with an intensity that made his skin crawl.

"Your movements were… interesting," she murmured, her breath warm against his face.

Cain gulped, his mind racing as he tried to process what was happening.

"Uh—" he stammered, but Victoria didn't give him a chance to respond.

She leaned in closer, her lips curling into a wicked smile.

"Let me see more," she whispered, her voice sending a shiver down his spine.

Before Cain could protest, the crowd around them had already formed a ring, their excited whispers filling the air.

Cain sighed, rubbing his temples as he realized he had been dragged into yet another duel against his will.

"Did I seriously just get dragged into another duel?" he muttered under his breath, his tone laced with exasperation.

Victoria cracked her knuckles, her grin widening as she took a fighting stance.

"Come on, mystery boy. Let's see if you're as good as your evasion tricks suggest," she taunted, her golden eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Cain raised a hand, trying to reason with her.

"Listen, I—" he began, but Victoria didn't give him a chance to finish.

She charged at him with blinding speed, her movements a blur as she closed the distance between them in an instant.

[System Alert: Incoming Threat – High-Speed Combatant.]

Cain's body moved on instinct. He sidestepped her initial strike, ducked under a follow-up punch, and swayed backward to avoid a sweeping kick.

Victoria's attacks missed him by a hair's breadth, but instead of growing frustrated, she let out a low, almost sensual moan.

"Ahhh~ Yes! Keep dodging!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with a strange mix of excitement and pleasure.

Cain stumbled, his eyes widening in shock.

"WHAT?!" he shouted, his voice echoing across the courtyard.

The crowd watched in silent horror, their faces a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

"D-Did she just…?" one student whispered, their voice trembling.

"Why is she panting loudly?" another asked, their tone laced with unease.

"Bro, RUN," a third student advised, their voice filled with urgency.

Victoria licked her lips, her golden eyes locked onto Cain as if he were her prey.

"You're awakening something in me, Cain," she purred, her voice sending a chill down his spine.

Cain shuddered, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of the situation.

"I don't want to awaken anything in you!" he retorted, his voice filled with desperation.

[System Alert: Host Facing Unprecedented Danger. Advice: Escape.]

Cain wanted to listen to the system's advice, but Victoria wasn't done. She twisted mid-air, spinning into a powerful kick aimed directly at his head.

Cain instinctively raised his hand, his body reacting before his mind could catch up.

A blast of black energy surged from his palm, the force of it sending Victoria skidding backward.

The ground beneath them tore apart as the shockwave rippled through the courtyard, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Silence fell over the crowd as everyone stared at Cain in shock. He looked down at his hand, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"What… was that?" he whispered, his voice trembling.

The system remained silent, offering no explanation.

Victoria, however, was far from deterred. She panted heavily, her golden eyes shimmering with excitement as she stared at Cain.

"…Interesting," she murmured, her voice filled with a dangerous edge.

Cain backed away, his heart pounding in his chest.

Oh no. She liked that.

As the dust settled, Cain found himself surrounded by a crowd of murmuring students, their eyes wide with awe and fear.

Victoria stood a few feet away, her grin as predatory as ever, her golden eyes locked onto him with an intensity that made his skin crawl.

"That was… impressive," she said, her voice filled with admiration. "I knew there was something special about you, Cain."

Cain sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, well, I'm not interested in being your… whatever it is you're looking for," he said, his tone firm.

Victoria's grin widened, and she took a step closer to him.

"Oh, but you don't have a choice," she said, her voice low and filled with promise. "You've caught my attention, Cain, and I don't let go of things that interest me."

Cain groaned, realizing that he was in for a long, exhausting ordeal.

"Great. Just… great," he muttered under his breath.

As the crowd began to disperse, Cain couldn't shake the feeling that his life was about to become even more complicated. And as he glanced at Victoria, her golden eyes gleaming with excitement, he knew that there was no escaping her relentless pursuit.

[System Notice: Host's Stress Levels Critical. Suggested Action: Accept Inevitable.]

Cain sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"I hate this world," he muttered, his voice filled with resignation.

Victoria's laughter echoed through the training grounds, a sound that sent a shiver down Cain's spine.

"Get used to it, Cain," she said, her voice filled with amusement. "You're mine now."

Cain groaned, realizing that there was no escaping the battle-mad noblewoman. His life, it seemed, was about to become a lot more chaotic.

From a distance, Selene watched the scene unfold, her sharp eyes narrowing as she observed Cain's movements.

Her expression was unreadable, but there was a glint of something,curiosity, perhaps in her gaze.

"His instincts are returning faster than expected," she remarked, her voice calm but laced with intrigue.

Beside her, Ravena snickered, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched Victoria's antics with amusement.

"And he just caught the attention of the worst kind of noblewoman," she added, her tone filled with mock sympathy.

Lyra sighed, her brow furrowed with concern.

"Should we step in?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

Selene smirked, her lips curling into a sly smile.

"Not yet. Let's see how he handles this," she replied, her tone filled with confidence.

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the academy, an unknown figure observed the scene with keen interest. Their hood obscured their face, but the grin that spread beneath it was unmistakable.

"…So, the Tyrant's power is resurfacing?" they murmured, their voice low and filled with anticipation.

The figure's grin widened as they turned away, their form melting into the darkness.

"Good. It's time to accelerate the plan."

Back in his dorm, Cain stared at his reflection in the mirror, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of what had happened.

His hand still tingled from the power he had unleashed, a strange, foreign energy that he couldn't quite understand.

"…That wasn't normal," he muttered, his voice filled with unease.

[System Notice: Suppression Mode Faltering. Awakening Progression: 6%]

Cain sighed, running a hand through his hair as he tried to push the thoughts away.

"Nope. Not my problem," he declared, as if saying it out loud would make it true.

But the system, as always, had other plans.

[System Response: Denial Detected.]

Cain groaned, collapsing onto his bed as he stared up at the ceiling.

"As long as I stay under the radar, everything will be fine," he muttered, though he was still warry of the systems appearance.

Cain sat on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands, trying to process the whirlwind of events that had just unfolded.

The knock on his door had been followed by a series of increasingly insistent thuds, each one accompanied by Victoria's voice, demanding that he come out and face her.

"Cain, I know you're in there!" Victoria called, her voice carrying a mix of amusement and determination. "You can't hide from me forever!"

Cain groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"Why me?" he muttered to himself. "Why does this always happen to me?"

[System Notice: Host's Stress Levels Rising. Suggested Action: Confrontation.]

Cain glared at the system's message, his frustration boiling over.

"Confrontation? Are you kidding me? That woman is a lunatic!" he snapped, his voice rising in volume.

The knocking stopped abruptly, and for a brief moment, Cain dared to hope that Victoria had given up.

But that hope was quickly dashed when he heard the sound of his door creaking open. He looked up to see Victoria standing in the doorway, her crimson hair framing her face like a fiery halo, her golden eyes gleaming with mischief.

"You really should lock your door if you don't want visitors," she said, her tone light and teasing.

Cain's eyes widened in alarm.

"How did you—? Never mind. Just… get out," he said, pointing toward the door.

Victoria ignored him, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. She leaned against it, her arms crossed over her chest as she studied him with a predatory grin.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily," she said, her voice low and filled with promise. "I've finally found someone interesting, and I'm not about to let you slip away."

Cain sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Look, I don't know what you want from me, but I'm not interested in whatever… this is," he said, gesturing vaguely at her.

Victoria's grin widened, and she took a step closer to him.

"What I want is simple," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I want to see more of that power you unleashed earlier. I want to fight you, to push you to your limits, to see just how far you can go."

Cain backed away, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Yeah, no thanks. I'm not into… whatever it is you're into," he said, his voice tinged with unease.

Victoria's eyes gleamed with amusement, and she took another step closer, closing the distance between them.

"Oh, but you don't have a choice," she said, her voice filled with a dangerous edge. "You've caught my attention, Cain, and I don't let go of things that interest me."

Cain's back hit the wall, and he realized with a sinking feeling that he was trapped. Victoria was standing mere inches away from him, her golden eyes locked onto his, her presence overwhelming.

"So, what's it going to be?" she asked, her voice soft but filled with challenge. "Are you going to fight me, or are you going to keep running?"

Cain swallowed hard, his mind racing as he tried to think of a way out of this situation. But before he could come up with a plan, the system chimed in again.

[System Alert: Host's Safety at Risk. Suggested Action: Engage in Controlled Combat.]

Cain's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Controlled combat? Are you serious?!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with frustration.

Victoria raised an eyebrow, her grin widening.

"Talking to yourself now, are we?" she teased, her tone light and mocking.

Cain sighed, realizing that he was out of options. If he wanted to get out of this situation, he would have to play along, at least for now.

"Fine," he said, his voice filled with resignation. "But if we're going to do this, we're doing it on my terms."

Victoria's eyes lit up with excitement, and she took a step back, giving him some space.

"I'm listening," she said, her voice filled with anticipation.

Cain took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves.

"We'll spar, but it's going to be in a controlled environment. No crazy power-ups, no… whatever it is you do," he said, his tone firm.

Victoria pouted, clearly disappointed, but she nodded in agreement.

"Fine, we'll do it your way," she said, her voice filled with mock reluctance. "But don't think this means I'm going to go easy on you."

Cain groaned, running a hand through his hair.

"Great. Just… great," he muttered under his breath.