The Reward for Hard Work

“The student council…”

Faced with Celicia’s choice, Ewan fell into a brief silence.

As a liberal academy, Saint Marika’s student council was given a great deal of power, a fact made clear by their authority to check attendance on the very first day. Moreover, the student council held immense prestige among the students. Joining it would undoubtedly dilute the “scumbag” halo surrounding him, and might even completely remove the prejudiced labels others had attached to him, allowing him to become the “good student” he dreamed of being.

That must have been Celicia’s intention.

By all accounts, it was an excellent choice.

But…

“Do I have the qualifications to join the student council right now?”

Ewan looked directly into Celicia’s eyes and asked with genuine earnestness, “Or is this some special favor you’re granting me?”

“…Whether you are outstanding right now is not important,” Celicia said, her gaze dropping to the coffee in her cup. “What’s important is whether you have the heart to become outstanding. Ewan Campbell, do you think you don’t?”

“Of course I do, but that has nothing to do with what we’re talking about, does it?”

The student council’s special status meant that countless students fought tooth and nail to join every year. As a result, only the elite of each grade were ever accepted. Someone like Ariel Bourgard, for instance, could join without a single objection—mostly because anyone who had an opinion had likely been beaten into submission by her last semester.

But Ewan Campbell was different.

He was the grade’s most famous scumbag, a poor student, a playboy.

He had learned only one spell in an entire year—the simplest “Light” cantrip.

He had scored a legendary three points on his “Introduction to the Basics of Magic” final exam.

For someone like that to suddenly join the student council, anyone would assume it was a backroom deal.

Not to mention, he had an engagement with the current student council president, Celicia. That would only fuel the fires of resentment and accusations of unfairness from others.

“This will become a stain on your reputation, Celicia.”

“Do you think I care?” Celicia raised a delicate eyebrow, a hint of mockery in her smile. “Let outsiders say what they will. When have I ever—”

“But I care,” Ewan interrupted, his voice firm. “I care.”

“…”

Sunlight streamed through the gap in the light-blue curtains, tracing a bright line across Ewan’s face. Celicia stared at the young man before her, a look of profound, undisguised shock in her eyes for the first time.

“I’ve already sullied you once. Please, don’t make me bear that kind of guilt again, okay?”

Ewan gently placed his empty coffee cup on the table and said with sincere admiration, “The coffee was delicious.”

“…Thank you,” Celicia replied, her voice almost a whisper.

“Well then, I’ll be going. Goodbye.”

“Mm.”

Ewan walked out of the student council room, gently closing the door behind him.

The room grew slightly dimmer. The fading light made the sparkle in Celicia’s eyes seem all the more brilliant.

“Hah…”

Celicia let out a soft breath, then rested her cheek in her hand, her gaze lost in the empty space before her.

Suddenly, a faint, beautiful smile blossomed on her exquisite face.

Like the melting of the spring snow.

“Ewan Campbell…” she murmured to the quiet room.

“You really have changed…”

…

…

“President! President!”

Celicia’s reverie was broken as Vera, her hair in buns, came rushing in from outside.

“I brought the thing you wanted me to keep an eye on.”

Vera leaned on the desk, panting, and then noticed the extra coffee cup.

“Huh? Did someone visit?”

“Is it so strange for someone to visit the student council?” Celicia tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “So, where is it?”

“H-here!”

Vera handed a stack of newspapers to Celicia, her eyes shining with excitement as she exclaimed, “This issue is absolutely insane! I was completely floored! I never knew there were so many secrets behind Ewan Campbell’s thirteen—no, fourteen-timing!”

“…Didn’t I tell you to read less of this?” Celicia took the newspaper, her tone gently chiding. “The content in here is not as real as you think.”

“Hehe, but the headlines are so catchy! I couldn’t help but take a peek,” Vera said, scratching her head shyly.

“…”

Celicia knew it was useless to try and curb the girl’s curiosity, so she let it go and turned her attention to the newspaper.

—”SINKING OF THE DREADNOUGHT! THE VIRGIN-SLAYER’S POWERFUL COUNTERATTACK!“

“To think they would dare to write something like this about a teacher. That man has some serious nerve.”

After a single glance at the headline, Celicia lost all interest. She stood up and walked toward the door.

“Eh? President, are you going out?”

“I have some business to attend to.”

“But what about all these documents?” Vera pointed at the mountain of paperwork on the desk, a look of panic on her face. “These are all urgent!”

Celicia turned back, her expression calm.

“Secretary Vera?”

“Eh?”

“You are the student council secretary, are you not?” Celicia said, her voice flat. “Then I will leave these to you for the time being.”

“Huh?”

Vera froze, an expression of pure, world-ending despair on her face.

All these documents…

This will kill me!

“Do your best, Vera,” Celicia said, patting the secretary’s shoulder and whispering a gentle reminder in her ear. “By the way, if I come back and find that you’ve made a mess of things… you will never see your beloved ‘Overbearing Evil God Fell in Love with Me’ novels again.”

“…Are you going to throw away my novels?” Vera asked, her eyes wide and pitiful.

“No. I will have the publisher banned from ever printing such books again,” Celicia replied, her voice as cold as iron.

“…So mean! The President is so mean!”

…

…

Newspaper Club Room.

“MIN! GOTT!!”

Ariel slammed a stack of newspapers down on the desk, roaring at the flamboyantly dressed man lounging in a reclining chair. “Can you please explain to me what in the seven hells this is supposed to mean?!”

“Well, well, if it isn’t the famous Ariel Bourgard.”

The green-haired president of the Newspaper Club, Mingott, was busy filing his nails. He only bothered to glance up at Ariel’s roar, his expression one of utter indifference. “What’s the matter? To what do I owe the honor of your visit to my humble club? You truly grace us with your presence.”

“Cut the crap!”

Ariel snatched a newspaper and pointed at the bold, red headline. “What is this ‘Dreadnought’ supposed to mean? And ‘Ewan Campbell’s ex-girlfriend’? And ‘abortion’? ‘Stealing men’? Does your Newspaper Club have no sense of responsibility at all when you write your articles?”

“Oh, that.” Mingott glanced at it and sneered. “It’s just gossip. Every newspaper publisher has a gossip column.”

“Even if it’s gossip, it should still be based on facts, shouldn’t it?” Ariel slammed her hand on the table. “But this is all just complete and utter fabrication!”

“And that’s why…” Mingott finally sat up a little straighter. He picked up the newspaper in front of him, flipped it to the back, and pointed at a line of tiny text with a smug smile. “I’ve included a little disclaimer right here.”

Ariel leaned in and squinted. It was a single sentence: “The above content is purely the subjective speculation of the Newspaper Club, intended for entertainment purposes only, and does not represent any actual situation.”

“Who can even see that?!” Ariel froze for a moment, then roared with even greater fury. “You’re obviously doing this on purpose!”

“Oh? So, you have a problem with me, do you, Miss Ariel?” Mingott said with a cold laugh. “Then what do you plan to do about it?”

“Recall all the newspapers and issue a public apology! Tell everyone the truth!” Ariel said through gritted teeth.

“I see. I understand what you’re saying, Miss Ariel,” Mingott said with a mock-serious nod. “But that’s impossible.”

“Why?”

“Recall the papers? Apologize? That would be the death of my Newspaper Club. How could I possibly agree to that?”

“So you can just infringe on my personal rights like this?”

“Mm, I suppose it is a little out of line.” Mingott stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then said, “How about this? The profits from these newspapers… I’ll give you a ten percent cut. How about that?”

“…”

“What do you say? I’ll be honest with you, these papers are selling very well. Even just a ten percent cut is a considerable sum.” Mingott raised an eyebrow theatrically. “All you have to do is sacrifice a little bit of your useless reputation to get a whole lot of money. Isn’t that a great deal?”

“You bastard—what do you take a person’s reputation for?!”

Ariel’s fingers dug into the wooden desk, leaving deep scratches. She leaned forward, glaring at Mingott like a predator about to pounce. “I don’t want a single cent of your filthy money! You will recall all the newspapers and apologize to everyone who has been troubled by your lies!”

“Sorry, I can’t do that.”

“You—”

“Oh? Are you going to attack me, Miss Ariel?” Mingott looked at the enraged Ariel, who seemed ready to throw a punch at any moment. His expression was still utterly calm, even mocking. “Go ahead. A second-year junior challenging a sixth-year senior like me would make for a great story. And as long as it’s a story, I’m all for it. But… you should think carefully, Missy. Can you… really beat me?”

“…”

Ariel’s eyes were practically shooting fire, as if she wanted to devour him whole. But in the end, she didn’t attack. Because, for now, she was no match for this infuriating bastard. After all, Mingott was a sixth-year, and a famous one at that. Even if Ariel could fight above her level, there was a limit. Right now, a fourth-year was her limit. Unless…

But to use that power on a scumbag like him was clearly not worth it.

“Don’t get too cocky…” Ariel trembled with rage. She stared at Mingott and snarled, “What goes around comes around! Don’t you dare underestimate a girl‘s…”

Knock, knock…

A knock at the door cut off Ariel’s dramatic threat.

Without waiting for a response, a silver-haired figure walked into the room.

“What’s going on? I told you not to let anyone in without my permission—” Mingott turned his head, annoyed, ready to yell at his subordinate standing guard outside. But when he saw the silver-haired figure, he froze.

“P-President?”

“Hello, Mingott.” Celicia gave him a cold nod, then turned to Ariel. “Good afternoon, Ariel.”

“Celicia? What are you doing here?” Ariel blinked, then immediately realized how undignified her posture was and stood up straight, clearing her throat. “It’s the start of the semester. Isn’t the student council busy?”

“It’s fine. Someone is helping me with the work. As for why I’m here…” Celicia looked at Mingott, her voice turning icy. “I believe you know, Mingott.”

“Er…”

Mingott’s cheek twitched. Looking at the ice-cold woman before him, even he was having trouble keeping his composure. He knew exactly why she was here. He knew she would come eventually. But he hadn’t expected her to come so soon! Shouldn’t the student council be swamped with work at the start of the semester? How did she have time to deal with him?

But, calm down. No need to panic. He had anticipated this and had already made preparations. He had reviewed the school rules a dozen times; he was certain he hadn’t broken any. He had even cooked the books of the Newspaper Club; she could look all she wanted and she wouldn’t find anything. He had even prepped his subordinates; the apology to the teacher was already on its way. All he had to do was hold his ground. Even if she was the student council president, and even a princess of the empire, at the academy, she was just a fourth-year brat. As long as he hadn’t broken any rules, what could she do to him?

With that thought, Mingott’s slightly nervous heart finally settled down. Don’t panic. The advantage is mine! Let’s see what she’s got!

“It seems you already know my purpose for being here, so I’ll be direct.”

Celicia found a chair, dragged it to the spot directly opposite Mingott, and sat down. She crossed her legs, her hands clasped on her lap, her posture as precise and elegant as a perfectly programmed machine.

In the suffocating silence, Celicia’s cool gaze fixed on Mingott, and she said, her voice a low, chilling whisper, “Mingott Raymond. Do you… want to die?”

“What—”

In that moment, even the sixth-year Mingott couldn’t help but lean back, startled. The sheer pressure radiating from Celicia was overwhelming, and her words were so completely unexpected that they shattered all of his carefully laid plans.

But Mingott was not a man of weak will. He quickly recovered and said, his voice laced with anger, “Are you saying this to me as the student council president, or as the princess?”

“As what? Does that question have any meaning?” Celicia’s gaze was still cool, her expression still calm. It was hard to believe that the word “die” had just come from her lips. “So what if I’m the princess? So what if I’m the student council president? So what if I discard both those titles and say this to you as Celicia herself? Does it matter? No, it doesn’t. Because in any of those capacities, I have the right to say this to you. And I can say it more than once—until you don’t want to hear it anymore.”

Celicia’s every word was like a shard of ice, as if she were trying to carve the words into Mingott’s very soul. “Mingott Raymond. Do. You. Want. To. Die?”

In that moment, the young woman sat in the twilight, a vision of chilling, regal beauty.

…

…

“As expected of Celicia!”

In the hallway, Ariel looked at Celicia with pure admiration. “Those two lines were so cool! Just two sentences, and you made a sixth-year senior back down and apologize for me! Hehe, that was amazing!”

“It was nothing.” Celicia brushed back her silver hair, unfazed. “With people like Mingott, reasoning with them just gets you tangled in their twisted logic. So you have to be forceful. Besides, he had a guilty conscience. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so easily intimidated.”

“But it was still so cool!” Ariel felt like she was seeing stars. Oh no, Celicia is even more attractive to me now. What should I do? I want to glomp her right now.

Speaking of which… Celicia showing up so timely… could it be because…

Ariel touched her own warm cheeks and began to indulge in a wonderful fantasy.

“Ah.”

Lost in her thoughts, Ariel suddenly bumped into Celicia, who had stopped in front of her.

“What’s wrong?”

Ariel rubbed her nose and followed Celicia’s gaze.

And then she saw the last person she wanted to see.

A golden-haired Ewan was sitting under the shade of a tree not far away, engrossed in a book whose title she couldn’t see. Occasionally, he would frown, as if he had encountered a difficult problem, and then take out a small notebook to scribble some notes. Or, having solved a long-standing problem, a breathtakingly handsome smile would appear on his face.

Throughout the entire process, he was completely absorbed, undisturbed by the world around him. Even when people occasionally passed by, he remained lost in the world of his book.

“That guy is actually reading a book? And he’s so focused?”

Ariel stared at the scene, an expression of pure shock on her face, like seeing a pig fly. Then she pouted and sneered, “He’s probably just faking it. It won’t last more than three minutes.”

“Ariel.”

Celicia looked away from Ewan, her cold eyes glancing at Ariel. “He is trying. You shouldn’t say that about him.”

“But he’s that Ewan Campbell! Don’t you know what he was like last semester, Celicia? There’s no way he’s actually trying,” Ariel said, unconvinced.

“Who he is, and what he was like before, is irrelevant.”

Celicia turned and continued walking, but her footsteps seemed to have become much lighter, as if not to disturb the seemingly reborn young man.

“As long as someone is trying, they should not be ridiculed.”

…

…

“Is it martial arts class today?”

After his usual morning run, cold shower, and a simple breakfast in the cafeteria, Ewan headed to his next class. This time, he felt much more relaxed. Compared to “Introduction to the Basics of Magic,” a theoretical subject of which he had no foundation, a practical course like martial arts was much more his speed. After all, even though he had slacked off for a whole year, his dear old dad had given him a solid foundation.

And.

“I haven’t been slacking off at all recently.”

Ewan clenched his fists, a sharp glint in his eyes.

“This is a good opportunity. I want to see where I stand among my peers, based on my martial skills alone.”

…

…

The martial arts class was not held in a classroom, but on a huge training ground.

These training grounds, or rather, arenas, were mostly prepared by the academy for student duels. They were always supervised by a teacher and were reinforced with magic circles to allow the duelists to go all out without any reservations.

By the time Ewan arrived, many people were already there.

To Ewan’s relief, since it was a more “brutish” course, there were very few girls. Fewer girls meant less gossip.

But he sucked that breath of relief right back in.

Because Ariel was also there.

But this time, Ariel just shot him a cold glance and said nothing.

Ewan scratched his head and decided not to go over and say hello. She seemed to be in a bad mood.

“Oh, it seems everyone is here.”

When it was time for class to start, the gorilla-like martial arts teacher, Cade, scanned the students. “Same as always. First class of the new semester, we’ll draw lots for a duel. Let’s see if you little brats have been slacking off during the vacation!”

“Yeah!”

A small cheer went up among the students. Not only did they get to watch a free show, but they could also slack off when others were fighting. Compared to the tedious task of learning martial arts, this was their favorite class.

“Hehe, laugh now. If I find out you’ve gotten weaker, we’ll see who’s laughing then!” Cade sneered, then took out a lottery box and had the students come up one by one to draw lots.

“Number one?”

Looking at the number in his hand, Ewan was stunned.

Is my luck really this bad?

He had wanted to observe the other students’ skills before fighting.

“But whatever. It doesn’t really matter. I’ll just have to give it my all.”

With a carefree smile, Ewan stepped onto the arena at Cade’s call.

Standing opposite him was a well-built classmate whose pectoral muscles were so huge they looked like they were about to burst through his uniform.

“I remember you—”

Ewan tried hard to recall. He felt like he had seen this person before.

“My name is Ryan,” the well-built classmate said.

“Ryan.”

Ewan remembered now.

In the original’s memory, Ryan was one of the top students in their grade. His powerful muscles, honed through years of training, and his explosive strength were often praised by even Teacher Cade. Not to mention, he had already broken through to the second rank last semester. His current martial artist rank was at least mid-stage second rank.

“Looks like a tough opponent.”

Ewan scratched his head and said with a bitter smile, “Well then, please go easy on me, Ryan.”

“You too, Ewan Campbell.”

“I’ll try to be gentle.”

Ryan was stunned for a moment, then he nodded vigorously. “I will too.”

…

…

“That bastard is the first one?”

Watching Ewan Campbell step onto the stage, Ariel raised an eyebrow.

But a moment later, a cold smile appeared on her face.

“Perfect. Let’s see how you get your ass kicked.”

Trying to act all cool and studious in front of Celicia?

Trying?

Let’s see just how earth-shattering the results of your “trying” are.

“Place your bets, place your bets!”

Among the students behind Ariel, a classmate with a monkey-like face rubbed his hands together excitedly and called out to the people around him, “Ewan Campbell versus Ryan! A spectacular duel you won’t want to miss! Anyone want to place a bet?”

“Are you serious, man? Are you really opening a betting pool for something with such an obvious outcome?” a classmate next to him said with a strange expression.

“Yeah. That’s Ryan we’re talking about. And Ewan Campbell is just a hack who slacked off for a whole year. Even if he has some foundation, he wouldn’t stand a chance even if Ryan fought with one hand.”

“Be more confident. Even if he fought with one hand and one foot, he wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Even more confident! Two hands and two feet!”

“Two hands and two feet is going too far. You want Ryan to headbutt him?”

“I think even if he headbutted him, Ewan Campbell would still lose, haha…”

“…”

“Relax, relax.” The monkey-faced classmate had a look on his face that said, “I knew you’d say that.” He chuckled and said, “I know there’s a big power gap between them. But when did I say we were betting on the winner?”

“Oh? Then what are we betting on?”

“Time, of course! How long can Ewan Campbell last? Or how long will the duel take? Five minutes or ten minutes? Whoever is closest wins, and the winner takes all. The rules are simple. Anyone want to play?”

“I’m in!” someone immediately agreed. Learning at the academy was boring. Why not have a little fun when the opportunity arose?

“I’ll bet a hundred émile! Five minutes!”

“Five minutes is too conservative.” Someone threw over a fifty-émile note. “Three minutes.”

“You call that conservative and you’re only betting fifty?” A young man who was clearly from a noble family said with a look of disdain and waved his hand. “A thousand! I’ll bet on one minute.”

“Wow, you bastard! Weren’t you the one who was trying to suck up to Ewan Campbell before? How can you be so ruthless?”

“Hehe, well, I didn’t succeed, did I? That damn Ewan Campbell only recruits upperclassmen as his lackeys.”

…

“Should I play too?”

Watching the heated betting, Ariel was also a little tempted. She could watch Ewan Campbell get his ass kicked and earn some pocket money at the same time. What was not to like?

But since she was poor now, she was very cautious when it came to spending money. So she immediately summoned her all-powerful master in her mind.

“Master, what do you think?”

“Ewan Campbell’s strength? I’m not very familiar with martial artists, but I can tell that he seems a little different from last semester.”

“Different?”

“He seems to have… advanced a rank?”

A hint of confusion was in her master’s voice in her mind, but it quickly turned into certainty. “That’s right. He’s advanced a rank.”

“I see. So he’s advanced a rank. That despicable Ewan Campbell. You almost fooled me.”

Ariel gritted her teeth and stared at Ewan on the stage.

That bastard. He must have been planning to secretly advance a rank and then stun everyone.

Thankfully, I have my master. Otherwise, I would have bet on one or two minutes and lost all my meal money!

“I’ll bet on ten minutes!”

After confirming that Ewan was a second-rank martial artist, Ariel walked up and coldly placed her bet—her entire meal money for the next week, a crumpled two-hundred-émile note.

She couldn’t help it. The black market was closed, and she had spent all her money on materials. She was poor.

But.

Looking at the people who had no idea that Ewan was hiding his strength and were still betting on one or two minutes, Ariel couldn’t help but smirk.

Even if Ewan Campbell had advanced to the second rank, he definitely couldn’t beat Ryan. But he could definitely last for about ten minutes.

And then, the winner would definitely be her.

“Hehe.”

Thinking of this, Ariel couldn’t help but rub her hands together excitedly. “A simple life where I can have chicken legs with every meal, here I come~”

…

“You two, choose your weapons.”

Since it was a duel, they naturally had to use their real skills. So before the fight began, Cade had them go to the weapon rack that had been prepared and pick out their preferred weapons.

Ewan naturally chose the dual daggers he was used to, while Ryan chose a huge, intimidating horse-chopping saber.

“Daggers?”

Cade looked at the weapons in Ewan’s hand with a hint of surprise. “Weren’t you using a sword last semester?”

“Haha, a sword doesn’t suit me, so I switched.”

Ewan laughed it off. He couldn’t just say that he had learned new moves from an assassin and had forgotten all the sword techniques he had taught him.

“Whatever. It’s your choice what weapon you use.”

Cade didn’t seem to care much, since Ewan had just been playing around with the sword last semester anyway. What did it matter what he used?

“Get ready to start.”

Cade told them to warm up and then stepped back to give them space.

“Okay.”

Ewan stretched a little, then looked at Ryan, who was also getting a feel for the horse-chopping saber in his hand.

“Ryan,” Ewan suddenly said.

“Hm?” Ryan looked over with a confused expression.

“That’s an impressive set of muscles you have there. You must have been training for a long time.”

“…Since I was a kid.”

“I see.”

Ewan nodded, then continued, “Actually, that’s not what I wanted to talk about. I was just a little curious about something.”

“?”

“I remember someone once said that moderate exercise attracts the opposite s*x, while excessive exercise attracts the same s*x. I was thinking, with muscles like yours, Ryan…

Ewan leaned in and asked with a smile, “Have you ever had a girl like you, Ryan?”

Crack.

It was as if something had just shattered.

Ryan froze for a moment, then the veins on his forehead bulged, and his eyes instantly turned red.

You motherfucker! We’re here to fight! Why are you hitting me where it hurts?

So what if no girl has ever liked me? I have my beloved dumbbells for company!

Do you know the joy of lifting weights every day?

At that moment.

“Begin!”

Teacher Cade gave the command to start the duel.

In an instant, Ewan shot out like a predatory cheetah.

Shadow Step!

Ewan disappeared from his spot.

When he reappeared, he was already in front of Ryan.

His dual daggers flashed out, as swift as shadows.

Ryan’s eyes widened in shock.

The momentary brain lag caused by his anger had cost him the initiative.

And so, facing Ewan’s flashing blades, he could only hastily raise his horse-chopping saber to block.

The huge size of the horse-chopping saber was an advantage here. Just by raising it, he had almost completely blocked all of Ewan’s attack routes.

But.

Not all of them.

Ewan’s eyes glinted.

He suddenly changed his move, stepping on the wide blade of the horse-chopping saber.

He used the force to leap back, and at the same time, he threw one of his daggers, aiming for the part of Ryan’s face that was not covered by the saber.

Ryan quickly tilted his head, narrowly dodging the flying blade.

But Ewan had already stomped on the ground and was charging in again.

A flicker of panic appeared on Ryan’s face.

He knew that if he continued to be attacked by Ewan’s storm-like assault, he would lose sooner or later.

He had to push him back to regroup.

And so, he gathered his strength.

His battle aura began to condense.

Martial Art, Iron Mountain Tremor!

With a sudden burst of battle aura, he could knock back all the enemies around him. It was a very useful martial art for dealing with multiple opponents or when in close combat.

The only drawback was that the battle aura needed to be condensed.

So, there was a short wind-up.

And just before the wind-up was complete, Ewan rushed in.

But he didn’t swing his dagger.

Instead, he reached out with his free hand, his fingers curled.

Like the claws of a wild beast.

The next moment, a clap of thunder!

A huge shockwave hit him, and Ryan felt his blood churn.

And the battle aura he had just about to condense was instantly dispersed.

The move didn’t cause much damage, but it sent Ryan into a state of temporary confusion.

“As expected of a divine interrupt skill.”

Ewan praised softly, then walked up to Ryan as if he were taking a stroll in a park.

He swung his fist, and it connected with Ryan’s cheek.

The match was decided.

The arena was silent.

Everyone was shocked.

It wasn’t until Ewan looked at him with a confused expression that Teacher Cade came back to his senses. He looked at the stopwatch in his hand, which he had subconsciously stopped, and announced, “Time: ten seconds. The winner is… Ewan Campbell!”

The arena was still silent.

But Ewan didn’t seem to care about the audience’s lack of enthusiasm. He gave a graceful bow to Ryan lying on the ground. “Thank you for the match, Ryan. I was just kidding about what I said earlier, so please don’t take it to heart. Even if no girls like you, I’m sure you’re a very charming man.”

Ewan smiled. “Isn’t it a happy life to be dedicated to training?”

Ryan: “…”

If you don’t know how to talk, please don’t.

That just makes it worse.

Ewan turned and walked back to his seat.

“Wait.”

Just then, Teacher Cade called out to him, his eyes full of an unprecedented fervor, as if he were seeing the golden-haired young man for the first time. “Um… you aren’t going to say anything? Your thoughts on the match or something?”

“My thoughts?”

Ewan thought about the fight for a moment, then said with a serious expression, “I feel like… this fight was easier than I expected.”

“…”

Ryan, who had just been about to struggle to his feet, heard this, his vision went black, and he collapsed back onto the ground.

…

…

It wasn’t until Ewan had left the stage that the atmosphere among the audience below finally exploded.

“No way! Ewan Campbell actually won?”

“Am I dreaming? Quick, punch me! Oww—it’s not a dream!”

“Ten seconds? Even a sixty-year-old man isn’t that fast! Is Ryan even trying?”

“He’s gotten so strong after just one vacation? Is he on drugs?”

“By the way, who won the bet?”

Someone said, and everyone’s eyes focused on the monkey-faced classmate.

The monkey-faced classmate swallowed hard and looked at the information he had recorded on who had bet on what. “Since we were betting on the end time, it has nothing to do with who won or lost. So naturally, the winner is the person who bet closest to ten seconds.”

And so, the winner of this betting pool was a certain passerby classmate who, thinking that watching was not as good as participating, had bet one coin on the ridiculous time of fifteen seconds.

The terrifying odds of one to five thousand became a legend at Saint Marika for a long time to come.

…

After Ewan, it was the other students’ duels.

Compared to Ewan’s fierce and precise duel, the other students’ fights were much more ordinary and flashy. The flashy moves that flew everywhere but did nothing almost made Ewan want to run up and shout, “Stop! Stop fighting! You’re not going to kill anyone like that!”

The only one who surprised him was Ariel.

She defeated her opponent even faster, in just seven seconds.

And it seemed like she was holding back a lot of anger. Her moves were all fatal, which made Teacher Cade, who was standing on the side, very nervous.

“Have I become so strong without realizing it?”

Ewan rested his chin in his hand, looking at the students fighting on the stage, a hint of melancholy in his expression.

When he had first transmigrated, he had been so weak that he couldn’t do anything.

He could only be like a coward, helplessly enduring fate’s mockery.

But after more than a month of fighting and learning from the records in the black book day and night, he could finally feel his real progress.

He was no longer that useless young master.

He had become strong.

And he would get even stronger.