CH 36: First Duel

The next day, I woke up excited. Today was going to be my first real fight against someone my age.

After taking a shower and eating breakfast at the cafeteria, I headed straight for the arena of Pantheon Academy. The stadium was behind the giant building of the academy and I heard around the halls that since my duel was the first, they were allowing students and faculty to watch. I didn't mind it, but that only made me feel worse for Reyla, who I was supposed to defeat in under a minute.

'Hopefully, she's not some girl who only cares about results and has a lot of pressure from her family to perform well. Right?'

[I would assume the worst, master.]

'Great.'

I descended to the bottom floor of the academy and ventured to the back and down the hall beside the auditorium. There, I found a door that led behind the academy and out to the massive arena.

"Reminds me of the Coliseum in Rome," I said, peering at the giant structure ahead of me.

The arena loomed over the surrounding buildings, except the academy of course. I heard this is where most of the events of the school take place as well as most of the tests.

As I neared the massive structure, many students were already gathering toward the entrance. I could see not just first-years, but every other year gathering to watch the duel.

"I didn't think a duel would get this much attention…" I said with a smirk.

I avoided the main entrance and rounded the arena to the left, where my watch had told me to go before my match. It seemed there was a participant entrance away from the main one.

Upon arrival, a knight in flawless silver armor greeted me.

"Welcome, Kaiser," the knight said. "Head into your waiting room, the match will commence in 20 minutes."

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

I passed the knight and traveled down a narrow tunnel that seemed to cut through the entire arena. At the end of the path, there was a door that led to a locker room with benches lining the walls and another door on the opposite side, which I assumed led to the coliseum. Sitting down on the bench, I took a deep breath and pulled a simple pair of glasses from my shirt. Putting them on, I could see a ghost version of me moving through the frames.

"What should the game plan be, Emy?"

[If you're not concerned about hiding your true power, using your fire domain from the beginning will definitely accomplish your goal. However, if you want to conceal your strength, a strategy involving a swift attack with -Rocket-, followed by immobilization using a combination of -Cyclone Net- and -Flamethrower-, and concluding with a powerful strike, has a high probability of success.]

"Hmm. I don't have enough information on how other people attain domain spells yet, so I'll keep to normal spells for now. With my Time Frames, any attack she uses can be quickly dealt with."

[I agree.]

"Thanks, Emy."

After more discussion on my strategy, a buzz from my watch alerted me of the match. I stood up and opened the door opposite from where I had come in. Ahead of me, a short hall led out to the main stage of the arena.

"Here we go…"

Once I was out of the tunnel, a thunderous cacophony of cheering came from all around me. I looked around the stands and saw thousands of students and faculty cheering for my arrival. Even though most of the seats were empty, due to only the school attending the event, the atmosphere was still of a fully packed arena.

In the center of the coliseum, there was a raised stage with stairs leading up to it. Once I stood on the stage, I noticed a familiar faculty member standing to my left on the stage with me.

"It's good to see you, Professor Dremeseus," I said with a smile.

"You as well, Kaiser," Hela said with a straight face.

As we exchanged greetings, another thunderous cheer from the crowd took my attention to the other side of the arena.

Exiting the tunnel, Reyla nonchalantly walked up to the stage without glancing at the crowd once. She was wearing the academy's black training jumpsuit which perfectly contrasted with her snow-white hair and azure eyes. Now on the stage, facing me, our gazes met. Inside her reptilian azure eyes, there was an unwavering spirit that I couldn't help but be entranced by. Eyes like hers were only acquired through intense training and tough battles that pushed you beyond your years.

With a voice infused with mana, Hela spoke, effectively silencing the crowd, "Now that both of you are here, we can start the match. The rules are straightforward: all attacks are allowed, and if one of the students is unable to continue or is pushed off the stage, the remaining student will be declared the winner. Understood?"

Reyla and I nodded, confirming our participation.

"Good. If the student is deemed unsafe to continue in the case of a life-threatening attack or injury, they will immediately be transported to safety," Hela said, looking between us. "Are the two of you ready to begin?"

We nodded again.

"Start!"

*BOOM*

The match began, and a powerful explosion erupted from my back, propelling me forward at incredible speed. In a blink of an eye, I closed the gap to within a meter of the motionless Reyla. However, my Time Frames and a surge of ice mana in front of me made me halt my momentum abruptly. A colossal spike of ice jutted from the ground, blocking my path.

Reacting swiftly, I raised my arms, summoning a torrent of blazing flames that engulfed the ice, shrouding the area in a misty haze. I knew that obstructing her vision wouldn't hinder Reyla significantly, but it certainly wouldn't make it any easier for her either. Activating my mana vision, I detected her evading to the left side of the stage.

'So, she's a long-range attacker, huh?'

*BOOM*

Another resounding explosion echoed as I wasted no time, employing -Rocket- once again to close the distance between us. However, my attention was captured by another surge of ice mana, indicating that she was preparing an even more potent spell. Thinking on my feet, I swiftly cast -Hell Hounds-, conjuring three towering wolves made of scorching flames. Each wolf stood an imposing four meters tall as they surged forward, navigating through the mist toward the obscured source of the ice mana.

As my fiery wolves drew near, Reyla's spellcasting was disrupted, forcing her to unleash a weakened version. A bone-chilling cold swept over the stage, and an array of colossal ice lances materialized, encircling the girl.

Without wasting a moment, she hurled the icy lances at my approaching wolves, causing the entire stage to tremble from the impact.

Seizing the opportunity amidst the chaos, I closed in, preparing two different types of mana in my hands. The mist around the stage thickened further after Reyla's assault, further obscuring the surroundings. Wind mana paired with fire mana escaped from my hands in a wide net of scorching flames, ensnaring the girl quickly.

Seeing the ice mana spread over Reyla's body, I realized she had used armor to protect herself, so I closed the distance even further, leaving me right in front of her. Through the mist, I could make out her black jumpsuit that was surrounded by crystalline armor.

I condensed a massive amount of fire on my fist into a singular point and used -Rocket- to propel my arm forward at an insane speed.

*BOOM*

Before Reyla could even react, my fist collided with her chest in a massive explosion and she was sent hurtling off of the stage, crashing into the wall below the arena stands.

As the mist covering the arena stage dissipated, I saw a massive crater on the wall of the coliseum but without anybody laying inside of it. My attack must have been judged to be life-threatening, so Reyla was transported.

"The victory goes to Kaiser Raijin!" Hela exclaimed from the edge of the stage.

The crowd, which had been silent before, now erupted into a thunderous cheer unlike what they had shown before.

Hela had a slight smile on her face. "Good job, kid. That was a good punch."

"Thanks. Will Reyla be alright?" I asked.

"Just a couple of minor injuries, but Professor Krysta can heal her."

I nodded and left the stage, reflecting on my match.

'You were right, Emy. Blitzing her really helped. She couldn't get off any spells while I kept the pressure up.'

[Long-range opponents like her are dangerous for your style of fighting. But since she still has a low casting speed, pressuring her will cut off most of her attacks. I'm glad to help, master.]

…

In the infirmary…

A white-haired girl was laying on a bed staring at the ceiling with a dead expression.

'Is he that much stronger than me?'

Reyla thought she could keep her distance and launch an attack to end the fight, but Kaiser's speed and wide range of attacks left her unable to prepare any of her stronger spells.

*Sigh*

Reyla raised her hand to her face and massaged her forehead.

'Mother is going to be pissed. When she finds out I lost, I won't hear the end of it.'

The normal cold gaze of Reyla had disappeared and was replaced by a somber expression.

'I just need to keep training.'

…

Back in Kaiser's dorm…

"Alright, let's see what I'm gonna get," I said, rubbing my hands together in anticipation. "Emy, collect the item reward."

According to Emy, my match with Reyla had lasted 51 seconds. I hadn't realized I had cut it that close, but now that the quests were completed, I was excited for what I would get.

[Collecting reward from Item Reward Quest.]

A small, black box with a question mark appeared in my hands and I quickly took off the lid. Bright, golden light spread through the living room, momentarily blinding me. The weight of the box disappeared and another much heavier object replaced it.

I opened my eyes and saw a long, curved khukuri dagger in my hand. The handle was made out of obsidian and there was a bright red gem attached to the end. The blade was silver and completely spotless, shining in the sunlight that streamed through the windows.

—

Item: Scorching Dagger

Rarity: Ultra-Rare

Description: Any flame attacks used with this weapon are doubled in strength.

—

I waved the dagger in front of me in awe. "This is amazing…"

I fed the dagger a small amount of fire mana and the ruby glowed with a strong intensity. I could feel the mana particles that interacted with the gem get a boost in power.

"And the effect is amazing too." I reluctantly put down the large dagger on the living room coffee table. "Collect the skill reward."

[Collect reward from Random Skill Quest.]

A sudden flood of information hit my brain. Once it was done, a frown took over my expression.

"What the hell did I just get? Why is this a skill?"

—

Skill: Bang for your Buck

Cost from Skill Store: 500 Skill Points

Description: Every time the user performs intercourse with a person of the opposite sex, they will earn 100 Skill Points. Intercourse with the same person will gain the user 10 Skill Points.

—

[This will help you become more powerful, master. There are other skills relating to that one as well that will help you.]

I sighed. "What the fuck is my life?"