ARES' SCHEME

While Stare was busy making his mental note, he suddenly felt someone looking intensely at him.

He looked up to see Lagertha looking back at him with interest as a slight smile formed on her face.

"Interest?" Stare couldn't help but feel alarmed. "How is she already interested in me when I haven't even done anything?"

"You must be the kid that guy talked about," she remarked as she approached Stare.

'This again!'

At this point, Stare wasn't sure if he should curse at his bad luck for meeting Just A Guy or just curse directly at Just A Guy.

His resentment for that man was growing and he promised to pay it back one day.

Uncertain of how to respond, he simply nodded.

Instantly, the hall's attention gravitated toward the interaction between Stare and Lagertha.

"I hear you managed to fend off three well-trained mercenaries all by yourself," Lagertha mentioned again, now standing just a foot away from Stare, her eyes locked onto his emerald gaze with deep curiosity.

Stare swallowed hard, increasingly uncomfortable with the direction their conversation was taking.

Before he could reply, Lagertha pointed at her face with a broad smile. "Come at me with all you've got."

Stare appeared as though he couldn't believe his ears. He glanced up at her smile and felt another shiver run down his spine. While her smile might seem harmless to others, to him, it resembled that of a demon.

Stare knew if he was to go up against Lagertha holding back even a little, he would end with terrible injuries that might leave him bedridden for a while.

This was one major issue he had with the previous characters who were similar to her in his past Cycles.

They didn't bother with the severity of the process, as long as it was an opportunity to get into their grasp another someone they viewed as 'talented' or train and push that someone to become stronger and exceed limits.

But then again, if he managed to even barely hold his ground against her, he would attract her attention to him as she would most likely grow interested in him which was something he definitely didn't want, at least not with the current conditions of this cycle.

This inner conflict was the source of his current dilemma. Stare sensed Lagertha's patience wearing thin as her smile gradually faded with each passing moment. Yet, he remained uncertain of how to react, leaving him dumbfounded and rooted to a spot.

The hall fell into an eerie silence as everyone eagerly anticipated Stare's response to Lagertha's challenge.

Then, a voice suddenly pierced through the stillness of the group of students with Main Hero Status.

"Teacher Lagertha, I don't believe your method will yield an effective result."

All eyes immediately shifted towards the speaker, revealing Ares amid the students with Main Hero Status. Lagertha also glanced in Ares' direction, clearly irritated by his interference, yet choosing to remain silent as she awaited an explanation.

Ares wore a smug smile, clearly relishing the attention he was receiving. "I believe Teacher Lagertha intends to assess the combat capabilities of a student—um, what was the name again, Starf or Stark? I can't recall."

"Nevertheless, the name is inconsequential. It's evident that Teacher Lagertha wishes to evaluate 'that guy's capabilities. However, I doubt she'll be able to accurately gauge his potential by testing him herself," Ares continued, his smile unwavering. "Given her status as a teacher and a seasoned warrior, grading his abilities would be challenging. Therefore, I suggest another student be pitted against him—someone like me, or even better, Xel here."

Stare immediately understood what Ares aimed to achieve, it was the usual petty schemes and banters the powerful spoilt spotlight-obsessed kid usually threw at the lowly protagonist.

He was obviously still bearing a deep grudge at Stare and as such was feeling quite uncomfortable seeing someone he hated get the spotlight he couldn't.

As such he decided to do what any other powerful spoilt spotlight-obsessed kid would do, set him up, and publicly disgrace him.

If Stare fought with Lagertha, it didn't matter if he managed to hold his ground or not, just the singular fact of being the first to gain her attention and also get to be requested a fight or rather beating from her, his status amongst the students was automatically propelling, plus Lagertha had also announced the mercenaries incident. 

But if he got to fight Xel instead, a well-known lackie and underling to Ares, and lost, Stare would be publicly shamed considering the trouble he had been causing the Elites since plus the hype he had just received from Lagertha while Ares' dominance would be propelled.

'After all, if his Lackie was this strong, then how strong would he, himself be.' This would most likely be the thoughts that ran through the students' minds.

And without doubt, Ares was expecting Stare to flop, hence he was well assured of his plan falling well into place. After all, how could a 'nobody' manage to hold his ground against an Elite who had been majorly trained in combat all his life, even if Stare had some prior training, it wasn't supposed to be on par with the training the Elites received.

Stare looked toward Ares' direction and spotted him stare back at him, briefly flashing a mischievous smile.

Stare also smiled in response.

To be honest, if it was in a better setting, he would have walked up to him and personally thanked him as well.

The kid had after all just solved most of his pressing problems.

'It seems my luck as the Oracle's protagonist is finally coming to play.' Stare thought happily.

If Lagertha agreed to Ares' suggestion which Stare was almost a hundred percent sure she would, Stare could now easily and safely forge his defeat, immediately escaping Lagertha's grasp whilst taking off the attention that was bound to get attached to him if he fought with Lagertha.

As expected after remaining silent for a while Lagertha agreed to Ares' suggestion.

"You make a point…."

"Student Xel, you would be fighting with Student Stare. The major objective of this exchange is to grade both your combat capabilities and as such life-threatening methods and skills won't be supported in this exchange but any other thing can go."

Immediately after Lagertha gave the go-ahead, Xel and Stare stepped forward to face each other. 

Stare observed the pale, black-haired boy with blue eyes. For the first time, Xel wore a small smile, looking genuinely amused by something, as his blue eyes bore into Stare's figure with disdain.