Chapter 103: Avoiding A Fight?

Arlo continued weaving through the countless attacks before eventually escaping the small area of chaos.

His eyes caught sight of a golden bag lying nearby and without hesitation, he rushed over and picked it up.

The total number of bags in his possession had now risen to two.

The instant he secured the second bag, Arlo slipped away like a snake disappearing into the darkness, leaving before anyone could notice him.

After successfully avoiding the encroaching Class A students and outsmarting them with ease, he soon found himself standing atop one of the abandoned skyscrapers.

[Why are you running away from him? He seems like he’ll make for quite the challenge. At the very least, his reaction speed can match yours!]

The panel flashed in front of him and the sight made Arlo recall his brief exchange with the young man.

"I’m guessing that was the so-called Stellan, the second-ranked student from the first test. His reaction speed is really on another level, and he packs quite a punch even when using nothing more than a simple bag as a weapo.."

[Then why avoid the fight? You clearly ran away after that exchange! Don’t tell me you’re now scared of losing in public]

The System teased.

"Hahaha!"

Instead, Arlo laughed.

"Why would I be scared of losing in public. None of those students would expect a D-class student to win like me to win against possibly the strongest in A-class, so losing won’t be shameful at all."

"I just don’t see the point in fighting."

"I can’t really go all out in the middle of such a chaotic mess. The space is too limited and with students all around, someone innocent is bound to get hurt."

Arlo replied.

[All I hear is the excuse of a coward.]

"Suit yourself." Arlo replied, completely unbothered by the System’s antics.

He was already used to being insulted whenever he did something that didn’t align with the System’s plans.

In fact, Arlo was beginning to grow just as accustomed to it as he was to Vael’s constant stream of curse words.

"So, all I have to do is hold onto these bags, right?"

[Yes, and I think holding two bags is better than holding one, right?] the System asked.

Arlo furrowed his brows as he looked down at the two bags in his hands.

"I wasn’t even thinking about that. I simply couldn’t let an extra bag go to waste on the ground."

"Perhaps having two bags really can increase my points..." Arlo mused.

All of sudden, Arlo’s neck immediately snapped to the side.

A group of figures was rushing toward him, effortlessly bouncing between skyscrapers at speeds as they rapidly closed the distance.

[I guess you’re not safe yet, hehe. I’m starting to like this test.]

"Tch."

A displeased click escaped Arlo’s lips as his eyes narrowed at the dozen individuals charging toward him.

There was no doubt that they were definitely here for him.

"And here I thought I could just rest until the test finished. Guess I was wrong."

[They’re only asking to get their asses kicked. They’re a little too many, but still nothing you can’t handle on your own, right?] the System asked.

Arlo slowly rose to his feet.

His poker face flashed with a bright light before he suddenly turned his back toward them.

Tightening his grip around both bags, he pushed his hips backward and leaned his upper body forward.

CREEEEEEEAAAAK!

The ground beneath Arlo immediately began to crack.

Web-like fractures spread outward as the air around his body repeatedly quivered, as though the space itself had been set ablaze.

"Active Dash!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

An earth-shaking explosion erupted from the skyscraper.

Its upper deck was instantly reduced to dust as Arlo shot forward with horrifying speed, the deafening sound of the broken sound barrier resounding throughout the entire area.

In the next instant, he had already covered hundreds of kilometers, soaring through the air like a rocket.

"Impossible!"

A furious roar echoed from far behind.

Stellan and his group landed on a nearby building, their eyes fixed on the massive hole and cracks left behind where Arlo had disappeared.

They stared into the distance. Yet there wasn’t even the slightest trace of him left to sense.

"Such speed! How the hell is he so fast?"

"And that momentum! It was powerful enough to reduce the entire upper deck of the skyscraper to rubble!" another Class A student exclaimed.

The others furrowed their brows before turning toward Stellan.

"What do we do now, Stellan?"

"Hmm... Can you still pick up his scent, Vox?" Stellan suddenly asked, turning toward a boy with peculiar ears that resembled those of a bat.

SNIFF!

SNIFF!

Vox inhaled deeply, his nose moving through the air while his eyes remained closed.

Several seconds later, his eyes slowly opened.

"I can still smell him and track him down, but the scent is disappearing too quickly. I’d say we only have about a minute left before I completely lose it.

"He’s simply moving beyond my nose’s sensory range." Vox replied. ℴ

Stellan clicked his tongue in displeasure.

"I should be able to match his speed, but without Vox, I won’t be able to find him even if he’s only a building away."

"He escaped...again."

"We’ll see how long he can keep running from us. Let’s leave."

Stellan finally turned away from the direction Arlo had disappeared in, and the entire group quickly departed from the area.

______________________

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

A gigantic circular hole was blasted into another building as a figure crashed straight into it, the enormous momentum causing the entire structure to tilt violently to one side.

However, the building somehow managed to stop itself from completely collapsing, though it had clearly lost much of its original balance.

Soon, a figure appeared atop the damaged structure.

Two bags rested in his hands as his eyes narrowed toward the distance.

"Just as I guessed, they’re tracking me somehow. But now they can only dream about finding me."

"I’ll be free from their headache for a while." Arlo mused as he sat in the middle of the skyscraper and looked toward the sky.

[Why are you avoiding a fight?]

The System’s notification panel appeared once again.

Arlo ignored it, his gaze remaining blank as he stared into the distance.

[I asked a question.]

"It’s nothing but a distraction. I already told you."

"Right now, I only have one mission: to complete this event, enter the top ten, and get selected for the Outer-Season event!"

"Everything else is a distraction. Don’t you get it?" Arlo asked in exasperation.

The System hummed inside his head before eventually falling silent.

[Seems you’re really serious about this Outer-Season event of yours...]

"Whatever. Just quiet down and let me take a simple nap before the event ends." Arlo snapped before slowly closing his eyes.

His pulse and breathing soon returned to normal.

The breeze blowing across the high-rise building gradually washed away his pain and worries, allowing him to drift into a peaceful state of relaxation.

Unfortunately...Nothing good ever lasted and Arlo suddenly rolled onto his side.

And then...

BAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!

A deafening explosion erupted as a figure violently crashed into the spot where he had been peacefully sleeping, sending dust throughout the entire area.

COUGH!

COUGH!

COUGH!

A series of coughs echoed through the dust, then, a hand emerged from the crater.

The figure slowly pulled himself out, only for his jaw to practically drop when he spotted Arlo peacefully lying beside him.

"You!"

"What is it again, Vael?"

Arlo asked lazily, placing one of the bags over his face to avoid Vael’s intense gaze.

"You! You’re here taking a nap in this hell of a place!?

"Please, Arlo, help me out! She wants to kill me!!"

Vael screamed directly into his ears and Arlo sighed helplessly.

"Is simple relaxation too much to ask for? Ugh, Vael! Why do you have to be my curse, huh?" Arlo shouted as he sat up.

However, his expression suddenly changed.

He immediately leaped away from where he had been sitting, shoving Vael aside as both of them rolled across the ground.

BOOOOOOOOM!

Less than a split second later, a gigantic ball of mana smashed into the exact spot where Arlo had been sitting.

Vael’s face paled even further as he stared at the enormous hole that had completely torn through the upper section of the building.

"Just who the hell did you offend this time?" Arlo asked, narrowing his eyes as he looked upward.

A figure floated high in the air with two gigantic wings made entirely of purple mana extended from her back.

In that moment, their eyes met and Arlo’s expression immediately dropped.

"There she is! She’s a total psycho, Arlo!" Vael shouted.

"Isn’t that Boros Frost?" Arlo asked with a raised eyebrow as he turned toward Vael who nodded a hundred time.

"She is! And she’s trying to kill me. She’s been chasing me relentless for thirty minutes now!"

"And what exactly did you do?" Arlo whispered back.

"I was looking for a bag to take when I ran into her. I thought she was an easy target and tried taking her bag, and you can probably guess how that ended.

"But even after I gave up on taking her bag, she still won’t stop chasing me!"

"You thought Frost was an easy target!?"

Arlo stared at Vael in disbelief.

"Okay. Okay. Just keep it down and stay quiet." he warned.

Vael immediately shut his mouth.

Arlo rose from his sitting position and turned toward Frost, a wide smile spreading across his face.

"Well, if it isn’t Lady Boros....Again. What a fated coincidence!"

Arlo said with apparent surprise and Boros’s eyes immediately narrowed.