Chapter 11: Protagonist's Perks
"Very well, I accept your challenge," I said, calmly placing the glove back on the table. "But let's make it interesting," I added and paused for a moment before continuing.
"...If I win, you have to stop bothering me with these challenges anymore after this. And since I have nothing to gain from this pointless duel, you will owe me a favor."
Damien raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. "And what if I win?" he asked.
I smirked. "If you win, I'll be your sparring partner for the rest of the semester."
Damien grinned at my proposition, clearly excited by the prospect of having a strong opponent to spar with.
"Deal," he said, extending his hand for a shake.
I took his hand and shook it firmly, a huge grin forming on my face unknowingly. I already knew that this duel would be a cakewalk for me.
"Alright, let's move to the training ground, Caius!" Damien said eagerly.
"I think we have to postpone our fight until we reach the academy. We can't fight on the cruiser," I informed.
"Hm? What are you talking about? Cassandra and I just returned from the training ground after our spar," Damien said, perplexed.
"Huh?" I looked at him in confusion.
'Didn't Seraphina say yesterday that we can't have fights on the cruiser?' I reflected.
"What? Don't tell me you want to avoid our duel by making excuses?" Damien said, furrowing his brows.
'This Bastard!' I felt a vein bulging on my forehead. "It was the Student Council president who told me about that," I said with an annoyed smile.
"You mean Seraphina? Don't worry, I got permission from her to use the training ground. In fact, we can let her act as a referee for our duel!" Damien said with a smirk.
"Oh, did I hear someone call my name?" Seraphina suddenly appeared out of nowhere beside our table, catching us off guard.
!?
"What a coincidence, we were just talking about you, Senior Seraphina," Damien beamed at her.
"O-Oh I see, I heard about your duel and rushed here ASAP!" Seraphina said, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"....'
I couldn't help but roll my eyes. 'Ahh, now I get it. The reason behind Damien getting special treatment. It's plain obvious that Seraphina is charmed by this bastard's looks,' I pondered, giving Seraphina a blank stare as she held both of her hands on her blushed cheeks as she chatted with Damien.
"Didn't you say that fights on the Cruiser are prohibited...President?" I asked her, still wearing a smile.
!!
"A-Ahem!" Seraphina cleared her throat before speaking up, her eyes flickering between Damien and me. "Yes, you are indeed correct that fights on the Cruiser are prohibited. However, there is a designated training ground available on the Cruiser for students to train," she explained, her voice measured and composed.
"So, we will be fine as long as we don't use our spells or real weapons on the training ground, right?" Damien asked.
Seraphina nodded, her eyes still fixed on Damien. "That's correct. You can use the training area for sparring as long as you don't use your spells or real weapons. Any other types of combat techniques are fair game."
"...."
As I considered her words, a cynical belief crossed my mind. "If you are rich and attractive, the rules will bend for you, as will the girls." And that was a life lesson that Kai had learned all too well.
***
As Seraphina led us to the training area, a crowd of curious students followed us. Their whispers and murmurs were audible as we walked.
"Are they about to have a Duel?" one student whispered.
"Wow, we haven't even arrived at the academy yet and there is already tension between the students," another commented.
"...Are they so confident for the upcoming exam that they even have time for a Duel?" a third student wondered aloud.
Seraphina, unfazed by the gossip, spoke up as she opened the training area. "Well, since they have been studying so diligently, watching a duel might be a good change of pace for them."
As we stepped into the training area, I couldn't help but take in the sights and smells around me. The spacious room had a rustic feel, with a hard-packed dirt floor that creaked beneath our feet. The wooden weapon racks lining the walls were stocked with an impressive array of training weapons, each with its own distinct weight and texture.
In the center of the room, a raised platform with a ring-shaped barrier marked the designated sparring area.
Seraphina spoke up, leading us to the center of the training ground. "I just hope you don't disappoint their expectations and lose too easily," she said, giving me a side glance.
!?
As Seraphina spoke, I couldn't help but notice the side glance she gave me.
'Pfft, is she judging my strength by my looks and assuming I'll lose the fight?' I thought to myself.
'Isn't Caius ranked second in the entrance examination? And shouldn't they be more worried about Damien, who ranked lower? If the outcome of the duel was based on appearance alone, then their speculations would have been understandable,' I thought inwardly. However, when I imagined their faces after Damien would be defeated, my heart raced with excitement.
I came out of my thoughts when I heard Seraphina's voice. "Alright! You both can choose your respective sparring weapons from the weapon rack before we begin the Duel," she said, pointing at the weapon rack.
We both nodded and went towards the weapon rack, and to everyone's surprise, we both picked up a sword.
Damien also wields a sword, just like Caius. In fact, many playable characters use swords as a secondary weapons and focus primarily on their magical abilities in battles.
Magic is the main force in this world, but some strong choose to enhance their fighting skills by using magic alongside other weapons such as spears, bows, and swords.
These hybrid or magic-enhanced weapon wielders are relatively rare, as most prefer to concentrate solely on improving their magical abilities.
"Are you both ready?" Seraphina asked as Damien and I stood facing each other with our swords at the ready.
"Yes!" we replied in unison, our grins of excitement growing wider.
Though the sounds of chatter and gossip could be heard in the background, we were now entirely focused on our impending duel.
"On my count of three, you may begin your duel," Seraphina informed, to which we both nodded eagerly.
Seraphina stepped back and raised her hand.
"Three," she counted, fingers stretched out.
"Two." Damien and I both took deep breaths, mentally preparing ourselves for the fight.
"One!"
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