Inside a wide backyard, many students were practicing hard while their instructor stood at the edge of the yard, closely observing them.
In other words, they were finding out the students' weaknesses to help them improve.
However, there was one student who was exposing his many flaws. It was obvious that he was the weakest in the Class.
"It hurts!..." Hector groaned, furrowing his brows in pain. Then he struggled to sit up after falling to the ground.
"You okay?" The young man who had just sparred with Hector scratched his head lightly as he looked at Hector's sorry state.
"I didn't think you were that weak..." He smiled awkwardly.
In fact, everything the young man said was accurate.
Compared to everyone else in the class, his abilities were rather average since he came from a small clan. However, at least he had received some training. Hector, on the other hand, was a special case.
He had never trained in anything related to combat or killing.
So, it was fair to say that Hector was truly the weakest person in Class A.
"I think I need a break. Thanks for your help…" Hector exhaled slowly, clutching his aching chest. It seemed he was still feeling the effects of the young man's attack.
Dizzily, he stepped away from the group to recover.
Beep…
He sat down carefully, then took and released a deep breath to ease the pain in his relieved right chest and ribs.
"Ah... Ugh... I gotta meet Bam after this... There's no way I'll survive tomorrow's lesson…"
A voice suddenly rang out softly behind Hector's ear, making him shudder.
"Don't give up ~~~"
He immediately flinched and glanced around in fear, but quickly composed himself when he saw his instructor.
"What the hell?! Again?! Can you not sneak up on me like that?"
"Hahaha! Sorry… my bad." Michael chuckled as he observed Hector's miserable state.
"You already read my evaluation form, huh?"
Hector sighed and turned away, avoiding Michael's gaze.
"I did!"
Michael grinned and replied.
"So… you should realize your intelligence alone won't get you through the second challenge. You're gonna have to fight with everything you've got."
Of course, Hector understood that. He already knew the details of the second challenge.
If he depended solely on his knowledge, he would definitely die.
That was the reality.
But saying it was always easier than putting it into action.
All the students here had been trained since childhood, but Hector was the exception.
He had only been preparing for a single day. On top of that, he might be expelled from Class A at any time.
So, he hoped to learn as much as possible before that happened.
After all, his wish was rather modest.
"I can't do this… I just wanna be a normal guy, marry a normal girl… maybe… like be a side character."
Hector murmured to himself, but then noticed Michael staring at him.
Hector wanted Michael to see that he was just a normal human, hoping it would reduce the attention on him. Anyway, that thought had always lingered in his mind ever since he arrived in this world.
"..."
"That was once my dream, too." Michael exhaled deeply and spoke. "This world won't let you live an ordinary life."
"Huh?..." Hector furrowed his brows as he heard that.
He looked at his instructor in confusion.
"What do you mean?..."
Michael ginned faintly and glanced at Hector for a moment before suddenly shouting:
"I want a fighting match for my student!"
Everyone in the area was stunned and immediately stopped what they were doing.
"Hahahaha… Finally! You've agreed to my request," a voice chuckled from behind Hector.
Another instructor, Cole Wolf, suddenly stood behind Hector, though his eyes were fixed only on Michael as he laughed. He wore a yakuza-style suit, one hand buried deep in his pocket like a typical gangster. His rugged face bore a faint smirk.
"Shall we begin right away?"
Michael nodded in response. However, just a few seconds later, something changed his mind.
"Well… I think we need a bet. It'll make the match more interesting…"
Hearing that, both Hector and the other instructor were briefly taken aback.
Then, Hector slowly began to panic as he grasped the meaning behind his instructor's words.
"I-Instructor!… I don't have any money…" Hector said with a trembling voice. This damn match was already more than enough trouble for him.
Once an instructor issued a challenge to their student, refusal wasn't an option. But a wager on top of that? That clearly crossed the academy's rules.
"Don't worry… I'll lend you some cash," Michael replied casually.
"But—"
Suddenly, a surge of killing intent locked onto Hector, freezing him in place and silencing him immediately.
"Shut up! A conversation between instructors ain't something a lowly student should interrupt!," Cole roared furiously.
Hector swallowed hard and glared at the man. At this moment, he had no choice but to remain silent.
"1,000 copper coins… What do you think?" Cole grinned at Michael, his tone entirely different from when he had addressed Hector.
Yet, Cole's expression quickly stiffened when he saw Michael's deadpan stare. However, within those calm eyes, countless tiny flames spun and crackled.
He smirked, intending to speak, but his entire body suddenly became unbearably hot. Fire erupted around him, blazing wildly.
"Fuck!.. Do you want to be imprisoned by the Academy?!" Cole gritted his teeth, channeling all the mana in his body to suppress the inferno since they were both at the same Adept level; he believed he was able to handle it.
However, contrary to his expectations, the blaze did not subside. Instead, it flared even more intensely, as if it were devouring his energy.
"Fuckkkk! H-Help me!..." Cole's eyes widened and glanced around in terror, hoping someone would step in, but everything around him was eerily silent. Everyone had disappeared…
"W-what?"
At that moment, the flames fully engulfed him, scorching every cell.
"Aaahhhhh…" he screamed, his voice cracking as the heat seared his throat.
Agony surged through his organs as he turned back to Michael, whose expression remained unchanged.
With his legs reduced to ash, Cole struggled to lift himself and gasped, "I-I'm sorry… I won't do it again…"
And with those words, the torment and burning vanished completely, as if nothing had happened at all.
Now, the yard echoed with a chorus of mocking whispers.
"Huh? Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong, did you?" Michael smiled politely while supporting the instructor, who was still trembling in horror as he slowly tried to stand.
"S-Stop it!" Cole immediately rejected Michael's help and straightened his back with difficulty, sweat soaking through his clothes. To anyone watching, it honestly looked like he might have wet himself.
At this point, he didn't dare meet Michael's gaze directly. He only tilted his head slightly upward.
And just like that, he turned and began to walk away. Yet, before he had taken more than a few steps, Michael spoke.
"1,000 shiver coins for the bet… And next time, don't interrupt our conversation."
Once again, gossip surged throughout the yard…
A fighting match.
A bet.
This kind of day was something far too rare to witness again.
"What did you do to him?" Hector scratched the back of his head slightly, still confused.
From what he had seen, the instructor had performed a few strange actions, and then the mana flowing in his body surged like a great river… but right after that, it had rapidly diminished and stopped altogether.
He had even started acting as if he were suffering through unbearable agony, like he was being tortured by something unseen.
"I just showed him how killing intent works…" Michael smiled, lightly shaking his head before turning to Hector with a glint of amusement.
"Maybe… I'll teach you… Of course, if you win."