Chapter 61: Her Apology

The ground was cleaved apart once more as Edgar’s chainsaws slammed into it.

But then,

BOOOOOOOOM!

Edgar raised his head and found a kick rushing toward his face.

He immediately raised both chainsaw edges to block it, a malicious grin spreading across his lips.

But the kick suddenly halted in midair, stopping just a centimeter away from the spinning blades.

"What the—?"

BOOOOM!

Declan’s foot came crashing down from above, smashing Edgar’s head directly into the ground.

║Core Activation Complete!║

║+10 Attribute Points Added to All Physical Stats! ║

The system panel flashed before Declan’s eyes.

At the same time, he rolled backward through the air as Edgar forcefully jerked his head upward.

"DIIIEEEEEE!"

Edgar screamed in rage, swinging both chainsaws toward Declan as he hung in midair.

Declan’s hand immediately reached out, gently landing against the back of Edgar’s wrists before pushing against them and redirecting himself away from the incoming blades.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The ground shook as he landed and Edgar instantly flashed forward again.

Declan rose to his feet, clenched both hands into fists, and settled into a boxing stance.

’Activate Apex Strike.’

GRRRRRHHH!

The chainsaws slashed toward his shoulder, but Declan weaved to the side, narrowly avoiding them.

Neon-blue light flickered beneath his skin as his right arm shot upward.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A powerful shockwave exploded through the arena as his uppercut slammed directly into Edgar’s jaw from below, launching him roughly ten centimeters into the air.

Edgar landed hard and stumbled backward two steps, his eyes widening as blood poured from his lips.

He raised his head toward Declan in shock.

All he saw was a fist rapidly growing larger as it came straight toward his nose, Declan had already followed with a cross.

The glowing fist slammed directly into Edgar’s face, which rippled like mashed flesh beneath the impact.

BOOOOOOM!

Edgar was blown completely off his feet, tumbling nearly ten meters backward across the ground before finally coming to a stop.

"YOU BASTARD!"

Edgar roared as he rushed toward him.

GRRRHHH!

GRRRH!

GRRRRRH!

Chainsaws tore through the air from every direction, yet Declan moved between them, flickering around the spinning blades like a ghost while an occasional punch flashed out, smashing into Edgar and knocking him backward.

"DIIIIIIIIIIIEEE!"

Edgar roared once more as he swung a chainsaw toward Declan’s head.

This time, Declan dodged the blade, but before the chainsaw could complete its downward arc, he caught Edgar by both wrists and violently twisted his hands backward.

Edgar’s eyes widened in shock and horror as he watched his own red-hot chainsaws being forcibly redirected toward his shoulder.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!

Blood and flesh erupted into the air as the chainsaws tore relentlessly through his shoulder, cleaving downward toward the center of his chest before finally coming to a halt between his ribs.

The chainsaws went silent for a moment.

Edgar staggered backward three steps, his eyes flashing with disbelief as he stared at the green eyes watching him without a hint of mercy.

"It hurts, doesn’t it?"

Declan whispered coldly as Edgar collapsed onto his back, his own chainsaws still buried deep within his torso.

"WINNER: DECLAN EZRA!"

The instructor’s announcement struck the arena like a bombshell, and complete silence descended over the entire arena.

The very students who had been screaming moments earlier had shot to their feet in utter disbelief, while six of the eight instructors had also risen from their seats in shock.

Edgar had been defeated.

How?

He was Number 15, and Declan was ranked 205.

He had only been challenged Edgar because he’d gotten lucky and earned a massive number of points, probably from performing well in class.

He was supposed to be nothing more than an easy side quest for some extra points.

Yet he had won.

And it hadn’t been through some trick or technicality; he had defeated Edgar through undeniable combat and actually won the fight.

"He won?"

"HE WON!"

"HE WONNNNN!!!!"

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAH!"

The deafening cheer finally shattered the silence.

Everyone turned toward it with raised brows, only to find Doe, the chubby student who had approached Declan earlier, jumping up and down in his seat like a baboon.

Doe had known Declan was going to lose.

In fact, he had been so certain that he had openly told Declan there was no way he was winning that match.

And yet, Doe had still placed a bet on him.

It wasn’t because he suddenly believed Declan could defeat Edgar. Quite the opposite.

Doe knew almost everyone was going to bet on Edgar, which meant there was very little profit to be made by siding with the obvious winner.

So, in the end, he had decided to take a risk and bet on Declan instead.

If Declan lost, Doe would only lose a measly ten points, but if he somehow won, he would make fifty.

That was simply too tempting to ignore, and at the last moment, Doe had decided to go for it.

Still, who could have possibly guessed that Declan would actually win!?

__________

With the fight finally over, Declan launched himself upward.

BOOOOM!

The ground shook beneath him as he jumped back onto the stadium seats before making his way toward the exit.

His hands were still dripping with blood, with chunks of flesh hanging from his fingers, and needed to get them treated as soon as possible.

He was almost out of the stadium when a familiar voice suddenly called after him.

"Hey! Hey!"

Declan turned around, and sure enough, it was the chubby Doe racing toward him.

"Hey, I got some healing serum! It’ll fix that flesh wound, no problem!"

Doe quickly handed him a small bottle of healing serum, prompting a flicker of suspicion in Declan’s eyes.

[Those are truly healing serums.]

The system confirmed it.

Doe immediately popped open the cap and poured the liquid over Declan’s injured hands.

White steam rose from the wounds, and almost immediately, the flesh began regenerating at an incredible speed.

The bones that had nearly been exposed were restored, while the torn flesh gradually fused back together until only several scars remained.

"See? It works, right?"

Doe grinned as Declan flexed his fingers a few times.

He had to admit, his hands felt almost completely fine again, and even the sharp stinging pain had been reduced considerably.

DIIING!

A ringing sound suddenly came from Doe’s device.

Doe glanced down at it, and his chubby cheeks practically bounced as an excited smile spread across his face.

"Hey, check your device! Your bet should’ve been credited by now!"

Declan’s own device immediately beeped.

BEEEEP!

He looked down at the notification.

[{You Won The Challenge Against Edgar Dominic}]

[{You have received 50% of his points: 100 Points!}]

[{Winwinwin Notification!}]

[{You Bet Right! You Gained 250 Points!}]

"What the!? 250 points!?"

Declan stared at the notification in disbelief and Doe immediately burst into laughter.

"Crazy, right? I bet that’s even more than what you gained from Edgar."

"You see, the real money is in the bets! If you bet right, you’ll be bloody rich!"

"Interesting," Declan muttered.

Doe’s grin widened.

"Hey, I’m part of Winwinwin, and from now on, you’re probably going to be getting even more challenges from other people, whether you like it or not."

"So why not maximize your returns? Give me your number, and whenever you get challenged or decide to challenge someone, I’ll work out the best odds for you and make sure your pockets stay filled."

"All I need is your number. What do you say?"

Declan stared silently at the chubby boy, suspicion flickering through his eyes.

It was obvious Doe was trying to take advantage of the situation somehow.

The whole betting business still felt a little scammy, but when Declan looked at his current balance, he had to admit that there was some truth to what Doe was saying.

’If the instructors themselves allow it, then it’s probably not a big deal.’

’Besides, with this many points, I’ve only got a grace period of five days before another stream of challenges comes in.’

’So why not maximize my returns from all of this effort, just like he said?’

After thinking it over, Declan brought out his device.

"Fine by me."

The two exchanged contacts.

"Okay, man. I’mma give you a call sometime soon. We cool, man!"

Doe quickly turned around and ran back toward the arena.

Declan continued toward the exit, but halfway through his walk, he suddenly glanced down at his clothes.

His trousers had been reduced to something that could barely be called trousers anymore, with deep slashes running across the thighs and knees.

His hoodie wasn’t much better, with one of its sleeves almost completely sliced off.

Now two of his hoodies and trousers had already been ruined.

The first had been destroyed when he encountered those radiorats, and now this one had suffered the same fate.

He needed new clothes and now that he had a decent amount of points, there was no better time to get some.

Declan took a detour and headed toward the shop area.

At exactly 6:32, he finally arrived back at his dormitory and entered the elevator.

DIIIIIING!

The doors opened, and Declan stepped out, only to find someone standing by the railings.

It was Evie.]

She turned toward him, and her eyes immediately traveled over his damaged clothes before settling on the scars covering his hands.

"You got yourself hurt again?"

"Don’t tell me you’re still tasked with spying on my every move?"

Declan pulled his green card from his pocket and prepared to slide it across the scanner, only for Evie to step in front of it and block his way.

"I’m not spying on you anymore."

Declan simply rolled his eyes.

"I swear it!" she added quickly.

"Okay, fine. See you around, then?"

He tried to shoo her away, but Evie remained where she was.

"Though you didn’t fall for it," she continued. "I know it wasn’t right, playing with your feelings like that. So..."

"So?" Declan prompted.

"I want to make it up to you."