Chapter 75: A Different Kind of Battlefield
The lectures that followed felt like a distant hum, the words of the professors blurring into an irrelevant drone. I attended the classes physically, my body occupying a chair, my pen occasionally scratching a note onto parchment. But my mind was elsewhere, caught in the swirling vortex of what was to come. The hunt was on, and I was the prey. Every ambitious student, every slighted noble, every warrior with something to prove would be coming for my rank.
My first instinct was to let them have it.
I should just step down, I thought, staring out the window at the drifting clouds. I want a simple life. I don’t need the pressure, the constant challenges, the eyes watching my every move. The benefits of being Rank 1—the priority access to training grounds, the extra stipends—they meant little to me. I had my own methods, my own money. A quiet life with Yumi was all I truly craved.
Then, a sudden, chilling realization struck me, sharp and cold as a shard of ice.
The room. The luxurious, spacious dormitory suite that had become our home. The soft bed Yumi crawled into after a nightmare. The kitchen where we’d experimented with Earth-food recipes. The garden where she chased shadow-butterflies. And Masha—my fiercely loyal, sharp-tongued maid who had become an irreplaceable part of our strange little family. All of it was a privilege of Rank 1. If I lost the top spot, I’d lose it all. We’d be moved to a standard dorm, Masha would be reassigned, and the quiet sanctuary I was building for Yumi would crumble.
My fists clenched under the desk.
No. I couldn’t let that happen. For her, I had to hold this ground. I had to retain my spot.
And for that, I needed to become stronger.
Ding.
The chime from my wristwatch sliced through my thoughts. A holographic notification shimmered above it.
[DUEL SCHEDULED: Ashen Crimson vs. Noora Whitehound]
[VENUE: Wisher’s Arena]