Liam stood up, clutching his injured leg, his face bitter: "Captain, of course I trust you, but can you ask Avelia to heal my leg?"
Kylen waved him off: "Scram. My Avelia won't heal other male Contractors. Go find a healing-type Contractor yourself!"
Liam wailed: "Wow, whatever happened to team camaraderie!"
Kylen pretended to be serious and criticized him: "Liam, I have to say something. Whining about such a minor injury is so embarrassing for us, male Contractors. Look at Victor, he hasn't complained at all!"
Liam turned to Victor.
Victor patted his shoulder and comforted him: "Liam, it's because I never had high hopes of advancing anyway."
"Pfft." Elara, Isabella, and the others couldn't help laughing. Kylen's joke lifted the heavy atmosphere in the lounge, boosting everyone's confidence.
According to academy traditions, most spots in freshman individual battles were occupied by S-rank Contractors, and the draw usually avoided same-department matchups.
But with the Practical Combat Department leading the draw this time, they clearly weren't playing by the rules.
In the arena, as the last duel ended, the broadcast screen switched to the draw. Kylen stared at the light curtain in the lounge.
Though he already knew his opponent, he still wanted to hear the outside world's reactions.
From the light curtain, the host's voice echoed across the venue through the loudspeakers:
"Today's two rounds of qualifying matches have concluded successfully.
Tomorrow, eight Contractors will be selected to represent Saint Laurent Contract Academy in the freshman group of the Nine-Academy Alliance Exchange Tournament!"
"Let's announce the draw results. Tomorrow's first duel:"
"Kylen vs Lysander!"
The venue erupted in an instant. Comments on the Imperial StarNet flooded the screen like a tide:
"Whoa! Directly pitting two geniuses against each other in a head-on clash?"
"This is the fairest duel possible!"
"Rank 3 vs Rank 9 on the Potential Rankings. Lucky I grabbed a ticket to watch tomorrow!"
"Who will win? Are any experts from the Contract Guild willing to analyze?"
In the broadcast studio, the host bowed: "We are honored to invite Mr. Royce, an expert from the Contractors Association and a Rebirth Realm Contractor."
"Mr. Royce, what do you think of this duel?"
Royce spoke confidently: "Many may think this will be an epic battle, but I predict Lysander will easily defeat Kylen tomorrow!"
The comments exploded instantly:
"What nonsense! How could Kylen be eliminated in the quarterfinals?"
"Easily win? Even though Lysander is Rank 3, Avelia was the strongest in the academy last year!"
"Damn it! Even if Kylen stole Senior Sister Avelia, I refuse to believe she'll lose!"
Royce glanced at the comments and continued his analysis: "You don't understand the core of Contractor duels, realm, sequence, and compatibility!
Kylen and Lysander are at the same realm and both have high-tier sequence contracted creatures. The key to victory lies in compatibility.
From past match records, Kylen's ability requires blood as a medium and needs space to maneuver.
Lysander's Spider Web Prison is exactly a field control ability, perfectly countering this combat style. The compatibility advantage is extremely obvious!
What's more, Lysander comes from the top-tier Corvus Contract Family. It's entirely possible he has contracted a second creature. The outcome is already clear.
No matter how strong Avelia was, that was last year's glory. Now her realm has fallen. Past achievements don't represent the present!"
Royce's analysis was logical and highly persuasive. Though Avelia was famous last year, she had few public match records.
The outside world's perception of her was mostly limited to "genius beauty," with a severe lack of intelligence.
"Spot-on analysis!"
"The betting odds are out! Lysander's odds are only 1.4, while Kylen's are as high as 4.7!"
The duel between two top Potential Rankings geniuses, combined with the expert's commentary, instantly triggered a new wave of heated discussions.
After the broadcast ended, the host whispered, "Royce, does Lysander really have that big an advantage? Should I sneak in a bet?"
The two were old friends and spoke without restraint.
Royce gave him a disdainful look: "Are you joining the hype, too? In my opinion, it's actually a fifty-fifty split. I deliberately stirred up the crowd to drive up the odds. If you're going to bet, bet on Kylen!
Remember to bet more for me. The association is strict; it's not convenient for me to operate personally."
The host was stunned: "Truly an expert!"
...
In the infirmary on the other side, Thorne's wounds had been treated by healing-type Contractors, but he huddled in bed, trembling uncontrollably.
Lysander and several other Contractors from the Practical Combat Department walked in.
"Thorne, I will avenge you tomorrow," Lysander said in a deep voice.
Thorne's eyes were filled with fear, fear of Kylen, and even more confusion about his future as a Contractor. The image of the Thunder Claw Raptor piercing his chest lingered like a nightmare.
He never dared to summon his contracted creature again.
Even though he knew it was the effect of Kylen's talent, the betrayal strike from the partner he had trusted unconditionally had shattered the trust and sense of security he relied on to survive.
This hidden trauma had almost destroyed the foundation of a Contractor.
Thorne trembled: "Lysander... you must win! Be careful of Avelia. She can control the blood in people's bodies. The Phantom Shroud Doll is completely insufficient to resist her ability!"
He looked at Lysander almost pleadingly. Lysander took his hand: "Trust me, I will win."
To counter Avelia, he would contract a second high-tier sequence creature tonight, and his family would send high-tier Abyssal Armaments specifically designed to counter blood-based abilities.
He had to defeat Kylen — not only to restore Thorne's spirit, but also to fulfill Mentor Baron's instructions, even though he didn't know the grudge between Baron and Kylen.
...
In a hidden basement somewhere in Saint Laurent City, Dresen's face was gloomy: "Damn it! Mr. Baron, can you even keep your promises?
Avelia and Kylen are getting more and more attention.
If they take the top spot on the Potential Rankings and are placed under key protection by the Arcana Nine Holy Knights and the Saint Laurent Governor, how will we make our move?
I seriously doubt the sincerity of your Vander family!"
Baron was at his wits' end. He had deliberately suppressed Kylen, hoping to weaken his influence and strength before he was sent to the abyssal rift.
But on the surface of Saint Laurent City, he and the envoys from the Trenia Empire dared not openly attack a Contractor heavily nurtured by the empire.
He had never expected Thorne to not only fail to stop Kylen but also be completely crushed, boosting Kylen's reputation to new heights.
Baron said solemnly, "Mr. Dresen, please trust our sincerity. Tomorrow, I have arranged for Lysander to fight. He will definitely stop Kylen from advancing to the Nine-Academy Alliance Exchange Tournament!
And no matter who protects Kylen, he will eventually have to go to the abyssal rift to fight."
The Arcana Empire was different from other countries; here, the bravest Contractors must charge to the front lines.
Dresen's frown gradually lifted: "Very well, I'll trust you one more time. I hope our first cooperation goes smoothly."
"I assure you, there will be more cooperation opportunities in the future."
Baron smiled: "I'll be looking forward to it."
...
After watching the draw results, Kylen and the others got up to leave the lounge. Elara accompanied Liam and Victor to the infirmary, while Kylen went to pick up his family, who had come specially to watch the match.
After waiting for about half an hour, Owen, Lydia, and his sister Yamina finally squeezed out of the crowded arena.
Yamina spotted Kylen at a glance, jumped excitedly into his arms: "Brother! You're amazing! That lightning Contractor was no match for you at all!"
Avelia, standing aside wearing a wide-brimmed hat to keep a low profile, raised her eyebrows slightly.
She knew this was Kylen's sister, but an inexplicable twinge of bitterness welled up in her heart. Was this what the books called jealousy?
She gently bit the tip of her thumb. Since Kylen had taken her to experience all kinds of flavors in the world, her perception of emotions and tastes had become increasingly sharp.
Kylen gently pushed Yamina away: "Alright, alright. You're already 16 — stop acting like a kid."
Owen and Lydia walked over with smiles, their eyes filled with both relief and worry. Kylen was already a Contractor, a world apart from ordinary people.
While they were proud of their son's excellence, mastering battlefield killing skills at such a young age meant his departure for the abyssal rift front lines was not far away.
Yamina pouted: "I'm not a kid! I want to become a Contractor just like you, brother!"
Kylen refused firmly: "Don't even think about it. Absolutely not!"