I am a Coward

Adam was momentarily dazed. This was completely out of his expectations, and he couldn't help but wonder if he had somehow offended this girl for her to challenge him out of nowhere.

While Adam was looking at Lisa in puzzlement, Edward came forth and expressed his dissatisfaction. "Go back to the library, nerd!" For some reason, Edward found her very annoying.

Lisa, for the first time, looked at Edward and snorted. "Get lost, fatty."

"Wha…" Edward's face turned red from anger, or perhaps it was embarrassment. Adam called him 'fatty' all the time, but he was never offended by it. But for some reason, when Lisa called him 'fatty', it really struck a nerve.

He pointed his trembling finger at the bright young girl and scolded, "You nerd! Who the hell are you calling a fatty?"

"Who do you think?" Lisa rolled her eyes and decided to ignore him. This caused Edward to flare up even more. He was about to scream yet again when suddenly Adam patted his shoulder to calm him down.

He then looked at Lisa and asked in confusion, "Why do you wish to fight me? We don't have any enmity between us, do we?"

Adam was genuinely confused. Because of his high perception from constantly absorbing souls, he was able to able to vaguely glean a person's intentions. It was difficult to explain, and he couldn't put it in words. It was a strange new feeling to him.

But he was certain that Lisa did not mean him any ill-intent.

Lisa looked into Adam's eyes and coldly muttered, "Fighting in reality is different from fighting inside an illusion. I refuse to believe that I'd lose to you in a one-on-one match."

Adam finally understood why the girl was challenging him. Turns out he simply hurt her ego by coming first in the entrance examination. Realizing this, he lost interest. He grabbed Edward's arm and walked past her.

"I refuse your challenge."

Lisa and the surrounding children who had stopped by to see the drama unfold were dumbfounded.

In this world, not only were Magi wise scholars, but they were also fierce warriors. They never backed down from challenges, especially a duel. After all, no Magus would want to be labeled a coward, especially a Magus from the light faction.

Righteous Magi cared about their reputation above all!

But Adam couldn't be bothered to care about such things. Moreover, he was new to the Magus society and wasn't aware of most of its customs.

That was why everyone was stupefied upon hearing Adam's answer. Forget everyone else, even Edward was stunned.

Lisa came to her senses and reprimanded Adam, "You! How can you refuse a challenge? Are you a coward?!"

Adam turned around and made a stupid face while picking his ear with his pinky finger. "Yeah, I'm a coward. What're you gonna do about it? You think your words can bait me into fighting you? Hmph, get lost."

Once again, Lisa was dumbfounded.

Adam began walking away while whispering to Edward, "Come, fatty. Let's get the hell out of here. Everyone's looking at me strangely."

Edward's lips twitched. Because of his roommate, he was now embarrassed as well. So he began sprinting out of the classroom while avoiding the gazes of his classmates.

"W-Wait!" Lisa ran after the two and then blocked their way once again. She pointed at Adam and scolded him. "You coward! I'm willing to wager 50 gold pieces—"

She wanted to bet on the outcome of the fight, but before she could finish her proposal Adam appeared in front of her and grabbed her shoulders with a wide smile.

"The winner gets 50 gold pieces? Hahaha! Deal!" Adam laughed heartily. He was really in need of some money. After buying all the herbalism equipment and ingredients from Berger yesterday, he barely had any money left.

Moreover, it would take him some time to brew potions and sell them. So 50 gold coins was a big deal to him.

Lisa was tongue-tied at Adam's sudden behavior. She didn't know how to respond for a long time. Only when she saw Adam walking away did she come to her senses and scream. "Wait, wait, wait! When do you want to duel?"

Adam confidently waved his hand, replying without turning back. "10 days. Keep those gold coins warm for me. Huehehehe!"

Lisa's eyes narrowed and she thought to herself, This guy's too cocky!

In the end, she harrumphed and declared. "I'll see you at the academy's arena in 10 days." With that, she turned around and left without waiting for Adam's reply.

After both parties had left the classroom, a commotion ensued among the children who had just witnessed everything.

"Heavens! Did the goddess challenge our batch's rank 1 student to a duel!?"

"Screw that! Adam initially refused. He's a scared little rat!"

"Yes, yes! He dares to fight against our goddess, Lisa? Blasphemy! Everyone, boycott him!"

"Adam was so scared, haha! He only agreed after Lisa put 50 gold coins on the line. A peasant is a peasant after all."

Lisa had a lot of fans in this new batch. Not only did she have an A-grade aptitude, but she was also very pretty. Naturally, everyone—mostly boys—flocked towards her.

Besides, this was the first duel to take place between students from the first year. Naturally, everyone was excited. And to top it all off, the duel was happening between the rank 1 student and the rank 2 student!

At once, this news spread amongst all the students of the first year and there was an uproar. The children excitedly anticipated the day of the duel.

…

Inside a famous restaurant located in the South Ward, Adam and Edward were sitting at a table enjoying rice wine.

Seeing Adam drink wine in such a carefree mood, Edward couldn't help but ask, "Adam, aren't you nervous about fighting that nerd? She has an A-grade aptitude, you know?"

Adam downed a small cup of wine and replied, "What has aptitude got to do with anything?"

"Of course it does!" Edward blurted out. "Not only does she have larger mana reserves than you do, but her mana replenishment speed is also much higher than you. It plays a very crucial role in battle."

Adam nodded. "You're right… But mana isn't the only factor that determines the outcome of a fight."

Edward couldn't come up with a retort. He could only helplessly sigh and chug another glass of wine. "Are you confident in winning?"

Adam's lips curled up into a grin. "Of course I am!"

His confidence naturally stemmed from the fact that he had two Rank 1 spells in his possession. Now, all he needed was to study the construction of spell models and the usage of spell components.

But that was not all. He had another trump card.

One that he acquired from the white lotus!