Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: After the Workout.avi
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“Th-the duel is over! Th-th-the winner is Arthin Ludwig!”
Damn, I felt fucking great.
Of course, compared to the real monster-class opponents I'd have to face down the line, this guy was small potatoes.
Still, the rush of endorphins from pulling off this feat in just three weeks was surging through me.
“Puhaha! Hahaha! *Cough*! *Hack*! Gah, I'm dying here. *Cough*!”
Laughing my ass off from the sheer high of it all, a ripping pain started tearing through me from my lungs outward, shredding my whole body.
This agony was the backlash from burning through all my mana—like muscle soreness dialed up to eleven.
“A-Are you okay, Arthin...?”
“I'm fine, guh—*cough*, *cough cough*! Ugh, shit, maybe not so fine.”
But I could handle this much. Back when I was burned alive fully conscious, I couldn't even die quick enough and ended up biting my own tongue off.
I tore my gaze away from the twitching Sion and scanned the surroundings. Aside from a scant few, pretty much every student was murmuring in stunned silence at the outcome.
I got it. Covered head to toe in blood like that, I must've looked like a total psycho.
'Settlement... later.'
From midway through the fight right up to the end, alert windows had been flickering in my vision nonstop, but I'd dismissed them all.
The rewards from the status screen paled in comparison to the big prize heading my way right now.
Step, step.
Rexton, who'd been watching the match from below the stage with a shocked look, was climbing up onto it.
With this, the Wise Family's reputation was in tatters, and depending on the duel stakes, they'd have to grant one of my demands.
'But why's his face like that?'
The moment his blank stare shifted from me to Sion, I caught the faintest smirk flicker across it.
No, I'd expected him to rage or go pale, but expressionless with a smile?
A smile??
“She lost, that useless piece of trash.”
“...?”
What the hell was this guy saying?
“Daring to start a duel without my permission, then losing to a moron like you? I can't even show my face.”
Despite his words, Rexton flashed a sleazy grin.
“You agreed to the duel yourself, so what the hell are you on about? Trying to weasel out?”
“Nah, nothing like that. I'm a noble of the kingdom and an academy student—I've got my pride. A loser's gotta pay up.”
With that, he walked over to Professor Helik, who was checking on Sion's condition.
Thwack—!
And then he started kicking her in the chest with all his might.
“The problem's this bug of a bitch! Her teaching sucks, she's the worst as a guard, and now she's dragging our honor through the mud!”
“R-R-Rexton! What the hell do you think you're doing?!”
Professor Helik, who'd been examining her nearby, jumped in shock and tried to stop him.
But Rexton ignored the professor's protests and kept kicking until Sion barely regained consciousness.
“Why the fuck did I even keep a psycho bitch like you around?! I let it slide because she was strong despite her shitty attitude!”
“...*Cough*, Y-Young Master...?”
“You're fired from the family, you piece-of-shit bitch! Weak, useless idiot!!”
Even with consciousness returning, whether she couldn't accept it or thought it was a nightmare, Sion stared up at Rexton with eyes full of anxiety and panic.
The crowd was buzzing at the sight, but Rexton didn't give a damn about anything else, just kept spewing his venom.
Watching it all, for some reason, a dizzying rage boiled up in my head.
“I even gave her a high-class artifact, and this is how she repays my trust?!”
'What the fuck? If you hadn't given her that cursed pendant, she would've fought way better.'
Knocking Sion out myself had felt like popping a decade-old knot of stress.
And I'd planned to claim my victory prize by properly screwing with both her and Rexton.
Thud—! Thud—!
But this asshole spewing bullshit and kicking her around? That was nowhere near the satisfying payback I'd craved.
He was clearly enjoying this. The way he laughed like a maniac just like I had, looking down on the teary-eyed Sion—it was unmistakable proof.
“Y-Young Master... stop... why... are you...”
She wouldn't take real damage from those clueless kicks with no mana behind them.
But those eyes, wounded by betrayal from someone she trusted? They ignited something unbearable inside me.
“Go die! Die, die—!”
“You shameless old bastard!!!”
So I didn't hold back. Giving in to the urge, my fist slammed straight into the guy's face.
Crunch—! Snap.
With the satisfying crunch of something breaking, Rexton's body flew into the air before flopping pathetically to the floor.
Judging by where I hit, his nose was probably shattered again.
“Gah! Y-You bastard! What the hell...!”
When Rexton lifted his head, blood was gushing from his broken nose in twin streams.
Seeing that eased another decade of pent-up stress, so I decided to laugh it off with a grin.
“There's a limit to how ugly a person can be. You gonna harass someone who got hurt fighting for you?”
“What's it to you?! This is Wise Family business!”
Rexton's utterly aggrieved expression was pissing me off even more.
But he had a point. Professor Helik couldn't properly intervene because Sion belonged to the Wise Family.
“So what?”
I wasn't about to suppress my inner fury over some petty bullshit like that.
“You damn punk...! Strutting around all high and mighty just 'cause you won a duel?!”
“Obviously. I'm here to collect my winner's prize.”
“What...?”
In this world, duels were sacred rites where lives were on the line.
Once established, the loser had to grant the winner one demand after the results were in.
“My prize is simple. Take 100 hits from me right here, right now.”
As I closed in on Rexton, he seemed to get it and started waving his hands frantically while backing away.
“W-Wait! Stop! I'll give you gold—enough you won't even see me again!”
“Rexton, some emotions in life can't be bought with money.”
“Wh-What the hell does that mean?!”
“And right now? I'm genuinely itching to beat the shit out of you.”
At my words, someone in the stands let out a cheer.
Looking around, the students watching live were craving justice, payback—a real crowd-pleaser.
Ah.
'The world wants that satisfying arc.'
Then I'd deliver. That was my resolve and duty for this regression run.
“Brace yourself. Won't use mana 'cause I don't wanna kill you by accident, but I've still got plenty of strength left.”
I don't know your exact circumstances, so no clue what possessed you to pull this moronic stunt.
Just here to deliver the beatdown it deserves.
Wham—!
Thanks to the sea urchin blood, my kick echoed thunderously through the arena.
Ninety-eight to go.
*
I thoroughly worked over every inch of Rexton's body with my feet.
Wiping sweat off my face with a blissful expression, I told Professor Helik—who'd been counting hits from midway—that I was done and heading out, then hightailed it back to the dorm.
The onlookers had cheered like crazy when I stepped off the stage. Hopefully that patched up my shitty rep a bit. Would be nice.
“Ughhh, my whole body's creaking. Feels like I'm gonna die.”
Not exaggerating—this was worse than a 40km march in full gear.
Having used up the sea urchin blood and ogre blood beating on Rexton, I was sprawled on the bed half-dead.
“Still, what the hell got into him?”
From his expression, he seemed to hate Sion, but I couldn't wrap my head around it.
“Wait, maybe 'cause I always used her for mods or time-wasters, and he hated that?”
But even if her true nature was a total psycho bitch, I knew she put on a good act in front of Rexton.
Or maybe me picking fights egged on his crazy side?
“Nah, guy's just a rotten asshole through and through.”
I shook my head. Say what you will—Rexton was the villain role.
In this world brimming with malice and murder, most villains were either batshit psychos or scum with zero humanity.
Try justifying every one of them, and you'd never stop.
“Whatever. Not stressing it anymore.”
Anyway, Rexton took such a thrashing on stage he pissed himself and passed out.
Any guy with a shred of shame would off himself or bolt the academy back home.
If he came back blackened later? Not my problem.
This run, I wasn't even seeing the Demon King before folding.
“Food after a nap...”
Muscle cramps and mana drain had me glued to the bed.
Just close my eyes and sleep it off, wake up later.
Knock knock knock.
'Someone shows up right when I'm sick and crashing? Total cliché.'
The knock yanked me from drifting off; I forced my eyes open.
“Who is it?!”
Too lazy to get up, I bellowed from the bed.
If it was some extra pranking me, I'd wreck 'em after waking up.
“Big Brother! It's me, Lin! Open up!”
But the voice outside was unexpectedly Lin Shaomei's.
Grunting with grotesque creaks from twisted muscles everywhere, I barely hauled myself up to crack the door.
“What's up, Shaomei?”
“Knew Big Brother pushed too hard and'd be groaning in bed without eating, so I brought lunch boxes!”
Her hands were loaded with those five-tier homemade ones from training.
“You're the only one who looks out for me like this, Shaomei!”
“Hehe, 'course! I'm always Team Big Brother!”
Her pure smile tugged at my heartstrings.
This was life. This was school days! I wasn't a total loner anymore!
“Come in. Mind closing the door? Body's wrecked from the soreness.”
“Hehe, got it!”
With her chipper reply, I shuffled back and plopped on the bed.
Click.
“Hm?”
Glancing back, Shaomei was locking the door.
“Wh... what're you doing, Shaomei?”
She turned at my voice, but for some reason, she didn't seem like the same innocent girl who'd gazed at me moments ago.
“Oh yeah, Big Brother—you said you'd give me a reward if I won that duel last time, right?”
As she approached slowly, my sharpened senses blared a chilling warning.
It was a feeling I'd never gotten from Sion—like being a herbivore cornered by a predator.
“What kinda reward should I give ya, Big Brother?”
Why Big Brother all intimate like that, Shaomei??