Chapter 41: Beyond Bullying!
Felix gritted his teeth. This was a blatant threat! It was pure, unadulterated bullying! He was practically being told that when he returned to school, Will would even bring people to beat him up! He had just been punished, and this brat was already rushing to bully him?! How could he stand for this… He glanced at Iaar’s hardened fist, radiating icy winds. …He supposed he’d have to endure it.
“Say whatever you want. I’m suspended anyway, alright?!” Felix gave up, deciding to leave.
“Oh, I just wanted you to know. Even without practical exam scores, I can still stand proudly in this elite class,” Will said, waving his right hand, which was wrapped in bandages. No… Wait— Practical… practical exam?! Right! How could he forget about this? Entak First Academy wasn’t like the Second Academy, which heavily emphasized combat. They focused more on research achievements, so they didn’t allow students to duel privately like the others. However, students at Entak First Academy often had opportunities to battle others. That was— the practical exam! As a school specializing in magic and focused on supplying talent to dungeons, they couldn’t completely ignore the significance of actual combat. Therefore, the magic battles in the practical exams chose relatively realistic student-vs-student combat. Almost every practical exam required students to simulate battles. The entrance exam was like this, and so were re-examinations. For the entrance exam, only magic rated B-class and below was permitted, primarily focusing on combat strategy and fundamental talent. Wasn’t this the opportunity Felix had been waiting for?!
Ugh… But Felix wasn’t very confident. This was because there was a tiny bit of cheating involved in his practical exam. Shamefully, the day before the practical exam, Bell had subtly confessed her feelings to him— Sigh, he had already wronged Hunter by dating Bell right after enrolling. He truly felt bad for his bro. So, his opponent in the practical exam was Bell, and he only passed with a passing grade because Bell had gone incredibly easy on him. At the time, Felix thought love was blind. To let him pass, Bell had held back far more in their simulated battle than she had held back at the hotel on a weekend.
“Huh? Why did you stop? What is it? Does our fallen Young Master have any brilliant ideas?” Will said arrogantly, waving his bandaged hand in front of him. Hmm… A bandaged hand? Right! This brat’s injury wouldn’t heal just like that. Huh? This brat still dared to challenge him while injured? Felix, regain your confidence!
“Wait! I thought of something. Will Systom, how dare you provoke me like this? Do you dare…” Felix believed he had discovered Will’s huge blind spot and seized his weakness. He finally pushed back against Will’s verbal bullying, extending his finger— “—to let me be your opponent for your practical exam re-examination?!”
“Wha—?! Wh-wh-what did you say? Prac… practical exam?!” Will’s face showed shock, amazement, a feeling of being tricked, and utter surprise. Internally, however, he thought… *You finally remembered. I’ve been acting for so long, and I even dropped hints. I wouldn’t even be this helpful if I were giving a tutorial for a mobile game. With that IQ, you’re the one who got into the elite class through connections.* That’s right. This was beyond bullying. It was making the victim willingly walk into the trap.
Teacher Liya, who overheard this, observed Will closely. Her brow furrowed, and she stopped herself from saying something. “Oh, I remember now. Our noble Young Master Will didn’t pass his practical exam, so he wouldn’t know~” Felix, now on top, started being sarcastic.
“Yes, yes, I haven’t experienced it. So, can you be my opponent for the practical exam?” “For the practical magic combat exam, according to procedure, it’s two-on-two battles, graded by the teacher. Teacher Liya, he was absent then and was supposed to be assigned someone, right?” Felix even started to play smart in front of the teacher.
Liya frowned, her expression becoming complicated as if she were thinking deeply. She simply nodded. “Can I apply? Oh, right, Classmate Will needs to agree. Otherwise, it’ll be bullying again~”
“Sigh…” Liya sighed. “There’s no issue with the procedures and regulations. As long as Will agrees.” “Felix, you actually want to use my exam—” “What? You were so arrogant just now, but now you’re scared?” “I’m not scared. I absolutely dare. Fine, I was also waiting for a chance to beat you up.” Will rubbed his hands together eagerly but flinched slightly in pain as he touched his right hand. “Alright, then it’s settled. Five days later, see you at your practical exam re-examination~” Felix waved and left.
Liya also lowered her arms, which she had crossed. “Wow, I’m so excited! By the way, Teacher, do you think my Young Master has a chance of winning?” Liya pondered for a moment. Because using her magic eye to look… This was like a battle between someone with a power level of 5 and someone with a power level of 4. How should she evaluate this…? “…Uh… a very high chance of winning?” After making her judgment, she looked at Will. “You brat, you deliberately lured him into becoming your opponent, didn’t you?”
“Wha-wha—?! Was Young Master doing this on purpose?! I couldn’t tell at all?! Iaar was super nervous, constantly wondering how our weak and pitiful Young Master could possibly win…” Iaar said, looking from Will to Liya.
“Hehe… You can’t fool Teacher,” Will said, scratching his head. “If no one applied to be the opponent for the re-examination, according to school procedure, the homeroom teacher would be assigned as the opponent…” Liya pouted, looking a little unhappy. She flicked her Twin Tails. “Very, very clever, aren’t you? Fighting that kid is much easier than fighting a smart and powerful witch like me, right?”
— She was indeed a little unhappy about this. — When she had agreed to cooperate, she had already figured out how to go easy on him. But he had bypassed it with this plan! — You’re really impossible to deal with!
“No, no, Teacher, that wasn’t my intention. It’s because…” Will briefly explained to Liya the discussion he had overheard between the three people earlier, and his guess that Felix might still have backing. He also revealed his intention to completely suppress Felix and find out who was behind him. “The practical exam will be held in the training grounds, and spectators are allowed. Usually, no one pays much attention to this match. So, by observing the people who pay attention to our match, we can identify a few potential targets. It’s much better than searching for a needle in a haystack.” Will only told half of the story. This was also related to the Original Work. In the Original Work, Will’s re-examination wasn’t great. From Will’s perspective, he felt like he had fought fiercely, almost passing out. The opponent wasn’t mentioned, but judging by what Liya said, it seemed the homeroom teacher personally stepped in— Unfortunately, the homeroom teacher in the Original Work wasn’t Liya. Because of this, very few people watched the match. Will’s match, as “Young Master Will,” wasn’t very entertaining, and only “some classmates and a few acquaintances” watched it. But with Felix as the opponent, if Felix had other backing and this faction had instructed Felix to bully him, then that person would most likely appear at his re-examination. Hmph, this was killing two birds with one stone! He was sure Liya would praise his intelligence!
“Anyway, anyway, you just didn’t want to fight the homeroom teacher, right!” Liya pouted, speaking as if she were sulking.
