Chapter 1 Lightly Armed

At this moment, the midday sun shone through the wooden windows, projecting onto the slightly dusty floor, spreading a dim, golden hue.

A gust of wind blew through, knocking against the doors of the arena, making a series of "creak" sounds.

On the left side of the arena, near the pillars, was a slightly worn training area, featuring a large sparring platform. Due to its age, the platform appeared somewhat old, with noticeable pits and cracks that suggested the passage of time.

And on this training area, stood several figures of martial artists, their auras sharply opposed.

"Although we will take this duel seriously, it's not enough for me to bully you by crossing two ranks."

Cerveni pointed at Frey, speaking with righteous indignation.

As one of the top experts in the third year, no matter how much she wanted to win, she wouldn't do something so unsportsmanlike as to bully a first-year novice.

Then.

Cerveni beckoned, and a burly fighter walked forward, looking as if he couldn't wait to start beating up Frey.

"He is our vice-minister, a fifth-level second-year student, let him give you a lesson."

After Cerveni finished speaking, she folded her arms and retreated beyond the dueling arena.

In the silent clearing, the light and shadow were dim, and a tense atmosphere was rapidly circulating.

The two martial artists, facing each other with sharp antagonism, had serious expressions and were performing preliminary warm-ups and preparations.

Simple, small jumps, landing with slight sounds.

Their eyes were firm, as if the only thing left in the world was the opponent in front of them.

Observation is an important step in close combat.

Frey loosened his coat, twisted his neck to relax his shoulders with a relaxed expression, facing his opponent confidently and calmly.

Everyone else gradually retreated into the distance.

Ensuring they had enough combat space.

"What do you say?"

Cerveni looked at Lanchi on the opposite side, asking if he could begin.

"Please begin."

Lanchi nodded.

"Let's begin!"

Cerveni's voice echoed in the dilapidated arena.

As her words ended, the atmosphere, which had been suppressed to the extreme, instantly broke free from its restraints.

The roar of the strong man cut through the silence, like a wild beast rushing towards Frey!

His figure instantly turned into a bolt of lightning, his whole body's muscles exploding with great power in the movement, as if he wanted to directly fly over and bury Frey with a strongest kick!

Frey appeared much calmer, he quietly watched the approaching strong man, like a still mountain facing a violent storm, unmoving.

Frey's hand in front of his chest was already in a defensive posture, as if he was prepared to deal with the opponent's surprise attack.

Even the fighters in the back row couldn't help but hold their breath, all eyes focused on this instant.

Victory or defeat might be decided in a flash!

Just as the two figures were about to intersect, about to meet with fists and feet.

The next moment—

Frey's right hand "whooshed" out a magic crystal orb shining with luster from the inside pocket of his coat and smashed it out fiercely, while falling to the ground in a defensive posture like a veteran.

A thunderous explosion rang out in the arena, even shaking the arena slightly.

Smoke and sparks flew in the air at the same time, the harsh blast seemed to freeze time for a moment, only the hot sparks danced in the air.

The burly fighter's body was suddenly lifted by the huge explosion, his body drawing a huge arc in the air, and then falling to the ground like a bird with broken wings.

His body rolled a few times, finally stopping in a corner of the arena.

The fighter, lying unconscious on the ground, was covered in black, his eyes tightly closed, spewing out bursts of black smoke from his mouth like a squid.

This dilapidated arena, which had just been a tense silence, now became a stunned silence!

All the fighters were wide-eyed, dumbfounded by the sudden situation.

"...Lanchi!"

Hübrian lowered her voice and muttered through gritted teeth beside Lanchi.

She felt that there was going to be a big problem!

Even though the group of fighters hadn't completely understood what was going on yet, Hübrian knew that what Frey had taken out was a light demolition bomb from the Magic Engineering Institute that he had taken from the student council, and it was completely okay to blow a fifth-level fighter unconscious at close range!

Lanchi smiled at her with an imperceptible look, as if he didn't think the problem was serious.

On one side of the field, Frey patted the dust off his body and stood up unscathed.

"I won."

Frey shook his collar easily, his eyes shining with bright light, and said in a calm voice,

"Times have changed, the soul of martial arts also needs to ride the wind of the times and embark on a flying behemoth called Magic Engineering."

"You son of a—!!"

As a matter of course, the remaining fighters showed great rage.

Hübrian felt the terrifying surge of anger like a volcano gathering energy.

Although she felt a little scared, she was also surprised that Frey's simple operation seemed to be about to make this group of people enter Lanchi's [Great Poet of Love]'s kill range!

But today, in this situation of mediating conflicts on campus, Lanchi must not be allowed to cause a campus chaos with [Great Poet of Love]!

"Frey!! You despicable guy, you still have the nerve to mention the soul of martial arts!!"

"You actually used hidden weapons in a fair duel!! When did the Knights College have scum like you!!"

It seemed that this group of people couldn't help but rush up and beat Frey, but they were afraid that Frey would take out a few more bombs.

The main reason was that Frey's explosion just now damaged a beam of the wooden house, causing the wooden house to shake.

The fighters were afraid that if Frey was allowed to wreak havoc under the pretext of defense, the entire arena might be turned to ashes!

Facing the other party's accusations, Frey frowned:

"But, you didn't say that new weapons couldn't be used in a fair duel."

"Shut up! Knights duels are not allowed to use bombs!!"

Although the dueling methods of the Knights College are unwritten rules, everyone can't find specific clauses, mainly relying on default.

But no one has ever taken out something as excessive as a building demolition bomb from the Magic Engineering Institute in a duel!

The two sides maintained their distance, arguing endlessly.

If it develops further, it may eventually lose reason due to anger and trigger a war!

Just then.

Lanchi, who had been watching everything from behind as if he were uninvolved, finally stepped forward. He walked past Frey and briefly made eye contact with Frey.

"Please calm down, everyone, let's value harmony in everything. I know everyone's points of contention and problems."

Lanchi looked at everyone opposite him and said calmly and composedly,

"Both sides initially reached a deviation in their understanding of the rules, so the current situation occurred. So, I suggest that this match doesn't count, let's have a rematch. Moreover, next, let's sign a contract before the competition begins, and write all the specific clauses on it, so that no matter who wins or loses, everyone will be convinced."

His voice was rational and his expression was fair and magnanimous.

It seemed that his responsibility was to help everyone reach an agreement to solve the problem harmoniously.

Burning out the evening, I'll try to add more tomorrow too... I'm coding until I'm almost dizzy...

(End of chapter)