Novel Full Chapter 223: I Would like to...
Chapter 223: I Would like to…
Elion reached the door to the waiting room just as William was leaving through the other end of the tunnel, and for a brief moment their paths almost crossed, but what caught Elion’s attention immediately was not the man himself, but his expression.
Compared to earlier that day, when he had looked shaken and on edge, William now seemed… different, his steps looked more purposeful, and there was a strange eagerness in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.
’He looks like he’s in high spirits…?’
That alone was enough to put Elion on alert.
Because after witnessing that fight, there was no logical reason for someone like William to suddenly feel confident again, not unless…
’He’s planning something.’
Elion’s gaze lingered on his retreating figure for a second longer before he looked away.
’I’d better keep an eye on that guy.’
After the full matchups had been released earlier, allowing participants to plan their schedules in advance, Elion had taken the time to go through not only his own fights for the second time, but also those of the people around him, especially the girls, and one particular detail had stood out clearly.
William.
Tomorrow, he would be fighting him.
That alone was something Elion was genuinely looking forward to, because there were things he had been wanting to settle for a while now, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so without holding back.
But more importantly—
Today.
Aria would be fighting William.
And that was a problem.
Not because he doubted Aria’s strength, not even slightly, but because he knew William, or at least, he knew enough about the kind of person he was becoming, and that made all the difference.
’He definitely won’t fight fair.’
That much was obvious.
At this point, William was exactly the kind of person who would resort to anything, no matter how low, and no matter how underhanded, if it meant getting an advantage, especially if it meant getting back at Elion, and using Aria as a target for that… was exactly the kind of thing he would do.
Elion’s expression hardened slightly.
’That fight… I don’t like it. Not one bit.’
Maybe if it were Mira, he would feel a little bit at ease, but Aria was abrasive and easily susceptible to being manipulated and provoked. And, she was also not really the best in a fight.
As much as he would have liked to think that the dungeon runs had helped her somewhat improve on her skills, he didn’t think she was a good fighter even now.
While she was definitely on the upper end of their peers, that was when taking into account just her base level; she was lacking in a lot of other things that were essential in a one-on-one situation.
He pushed the thought aside for now as he stepped into the waiting room, the atmosphere inside lively as ever, voices overlapping, people discussing the matches, replaying moments, arguing over outcomes, but the moment he walked in, attention shifted toward him almost immediately.
Attention that he mostly ignored as he focused on the only people that mattered to him.
The girls spotted him right away. He also spotted that there was an addition that he had mostly forgotten about recently, but also because she was quite restrained compared to the first time they had actually spoken to each other.
Lyra had joined in with the little group.
“There he is!” Aria said with a bright smile as she stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
“That was insane,” Isolde added, clearly impressed, her usual calm replaced with genuine admiration.
“You didn’t even struggle,” she continued, shaking her head slightly.
Elion shrugged lightly. “It was fine.”
“Fine?” Tessa’s intense voice cut in as she stepped forward with a grin that didn’t quite hide the hunger in her eyes.
Her aura was leaking slightly. Bloodlust.
Not really directed at him, but at the idea of fighting itself.
“I want a match like that,” she said, rolling her shoulders slightly as if already warming up.
Elion glanced at her and couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “I figured.”
She was one of the few who hadn’t fought yet since yesterday, and watching that kind of battle, that kind of pace, it was only natural that it would arouse her fighting intent, especially someone like Tessa who thrived on combat.
Even Isolde had fought at least once. And she also looked more animated than usual, her eyes still lingering on the screens as if she were replaying moments in her head.
Elion’s thoughts shifted back to the important matters as they settled back into their seats.
’I need to get something from the system…’
Something that would give Aria an advantage.
Because no matter how strong he thought she was, or she thought she was, Elion was not willing to leave that fight to chance.
…
“Tell me….Who is this boy, Halbrecht?”
Maximus spoke without opening his eyes. His voice was calm and steady as he leaned forward slightly on his staff, both his hands resting on the hilt as if the matter he had just witnessed did not stir him in the slightest, yet the question itself carried weight, enough to make everyone on that balcony straighten unconsciously.
Halbrecht exhaled lightly before answering.
“Aye… unfortunately, I would like to know the same as well,” he said, his tone thoughtful as his gaze shifted toward the back, landing on George.
George caught the look and smiled wryly before standing up, adjusting his robes slightly as he stepped forward.
“Forgive my ignorance for not bringing this matter to your attention, Principal,” he said with a respectful bow, “myself and the other first-year professors thought it unnecessary to speak of a mere first year, and while we only found out recently how talented the boy is, he had never shown anything close to this level of strength before.”
Maximus stroked his beard slowly, still not opening his eyes. “He is only at the peak of the adept stage,” he said calmly, as if confirming something he had already observed, “his sword skills, however… are not something to scoff at.”
A few of the faculty members nodded in agreement, their expressions still carrying traces of surprise from what they had witnessed.
Lolanthe shifted in her seat, crossing her smooth legs as she leaned back slightly, her predatory gaze lingering on the arena below as a faint smile played on her plump lips.
“Usually, I wouldn’t bother keeping an eye on green first-year boys,” she said casually, her tone laced with amusement as she slowly licked her lips, making the deep red of her lipstick glisten under the light, “but this one… is special.”
A few of her co-workers gave her weird looks, but none dared to comment on it.
Maximus finally spoke again. “What is his background?”
George bowed his head slightly before answering. “He is… a commoner.”
That made Maximus open his eyes lazily. “…Is that so?”
“Yes,” George replied.
A brief silence followed as Maximus seemed to think, his gaze seemed distant, and his expression unreadable.
George hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“He was actually a below-average student… until recently,” he said, pausing slightly as if weighing his words and considering how to phrase this next part, “during one of the routine group dungeon expeditions, he fell into a lower floors, and we believed he had died… however, he returned the same day, stronger… and far more talented.”
That statement caused a ripple of shock across the balcony. “What?”
“How come we’ve never heard of this?” Voren snorted loudly, crossing his arms as his expression turned sharp.
“This is clearly a very important matter,” he said, his tone carrying clear displeasure, “it is obvious that something in that dungeon raised his talent; you should have brought him to me, I would have studied him myself and determined the cause of that change, and it could have been invaluable to our research.”
Selene immediately scoffed at that. “And that is exactly why we didn’t bring him to you,” she shot back coldly, her eyes narrowing slightly, “our students are not subjects for you to dissect at your convenience.”
She gave him a scornful look before continuing, “It would be better for everyone if you stick to playing with corpses.”
Voren’s expression twisted instantly.
“Shut up, you lowly bitch!” he snapped, his voice rising, “you are nothing but a lesser life form, who are you to—”
“Enough,” Maximus spoke once, and the entire balcony fell silent.
The tension dissipated instantly, as Voren bit back whatever he was about to say as Selene leaned back slightly, her expression still heated but no longer daring to escalate the conflict.
Everyone knew those two did not get along, but none of them would push it further in front of Maximus.
Maximus turned his gaze slightly toward George. “George.”
“Yes, Principal.”
“I would like to meet this boy.”
Eyes widened across the balcony as everyone was filled with genuine shock, because this was not something that happened every day, if ever.
Even someone like Xavier and Evander, students who had spent seven years in the academy and were already on the verge of graduation. Maximus had never once asked to see them personally.
Yet now, for a mere commoner first year who was also a commoner, he had made that request without hesitation.
George recovered quickly, bowing deeply.
“Yes, Master Maximus.”
He stepped back and returned to his seat.