Chapter 152: Vlad vs Gareth
Mining the Cold Iron, harvesting the Lava Spitting Sunflower from the volcanic hill, planting the seeds of Dream Blooms in the Dendro Forest Hill of Thousand Illusions, collecting the honey from the Golden Nectar Bees, and feeding the Roc King Ace of Professor Alaric were the A-Ranked quests Seraphina, Vlad, and Raphael finished within the next three days, working day and night without a break.
Seraphina had deliberately avoided any combat-related quests since they required both time and a lot of energy, not to mention the risk of injuries. She couldn’t afford to have any of her party members wounded before even accepting the S-Ranked quest.
The alternate party, in which Vlad was only a ghost participant, had also finished four A-Ranked quests in three days.
With only two days remaining before the deadline, one quest and defeating a top ten student were the only tasks left.
---
"Vlad, have you checked your post on the forum?" Seraphina asked, taking a sip from the juice bottle in one hand while scrolling on her phone with the other. She was sitting beside Raphael and Vlad on the bench outside the convenience store.
The sweat covering their faces revealed the exhaustion from the final quest they had just finished.
"Not yet," Vlad replied. "Did any of the top ten reply?"
Seraphina handed him her phone.
"With the sheer disrespect in your post for your seniors, even I barely held myself back from accepting your challenge," she retorted, rolling her eyes.
Vlad read the forum post he had made the previous day.
---
CallMeDaddyVlad: Hey guys! It’s your one and only, the Crownbearer! As you all know, I participated in the Arena Tournament this month and reached the top fifty as a first year in a competition filled with seniors. Talk about a slap in the face.
It came to my notice that several of my dear seniors claimed that I ran away when the real challenge was about to begin. So let me remind them that they can say whatever they want, but they can’t spout nonsense.
As for the real competition, I, Vlad, never run from a worthy challenger. So, to shut the mouths of my haters, I challenge the top ten for their titles. Naturally, I won’t trouble them if they have nothing to gain.
If I lose, I will give them Five Thousand Credits.
Peace out...
---
The comments below the post had exploded with both haters and supporters of Vlad.
Some claimed that he had no respect for his seniors, while others praised his challenging and unyielding spirit. The debate had gone on for pages, with neither side willing to back down.
For the first day, none of the top ten replied, as if declaring that it was beneath them to accept the challenge of a junior who had joined the academy only a month ago.
But now, someone had finally replied.
SentinelGareth: Since the junior is too eager to give away Five Thousand Credits, I gladly accept the challenge.
"Gareth..." Vlad had read the name before. "Oh right, he was in the tenth position in the tournament."
"Gareth is an A-Ranked," Seraphina revealed, her tone serious. "He worked as a mercenary for two years before entering the academy. He became a One Star Knight six months ago."
"A mercenary, huh?" Vlad nodded, finding himself even more excited for the battle.
"Don’t underestimate him," Seraphina added, noticing the nonchalant look on his face. "He has a lot of experience fighting in the wild. His blade will not hesitate."
"Nor does mine," Vlad replied, waving a dismissive hand.
He rose from the bench and stretched his arms.
"Alright then, I’ll meet you guys tomorrow. Gonna hit the gym."
---
The Next Day...
Around the hundred-metre-wide ground in the academy campus, hundreds of students had gathered to witness the duel between the Rising Star of the first years and the Sentinel Knight of the second years.
The atmosphere buzzed with excitement as students whispered among themselves, eagerly anticipating whether the arrogant first-year would finally be humbled.
"You seem different from when you fought Marcus," Gareth said, his eyebrows raised in surprise and intrigue.
Unlike his peers, Gareth looked far more mature. His face was covered with neatly trimmed stubble. His short, uncombed auburn hair swayed with the wind, revealing a horrible scar above his ear that stretched all the way to his temple. Similar scars were scattered across his forearms as well.
A single glance was enough for Vlad to tell.
This man had fought through many life-and-death battles. The fact that he was still alive was proof enough that he had emerged victorious from every single one.
"You saw my duel with Marcus?" Vlad asked.
"Yeah." Gareth nodded. "I was curious about the skills of the junior who had been making a name for himself in the tournament. I’ll be honest. I was disappointed by your skills. I could have defeated that version of you within three moves. So I suggest you give up if you haven’t improved since then."
"I also have a suggestion for you, Senior Gareth," Vlad said in a serious tone as he unsheathed his sword.
"You will lose if you hold back."
A smirk spread across Gareth’s face as he also drew his weapon, a spear with a sharp silver head and a long metallic shaft.
"I have fought as a mercenary, Junior," Gareth muttered. "I cannot hold back even if I want to."
Since the duel was between the Crownbearer and a high-ranked second-year, the referee was a professor instead of a student council member.
It was to ensure that Gareth wouldn’t go overboard during the duel.
’This kid keeps on surprising me,’ Victor, the professor selected as the referee, thought as he shook his head in bewilderment. ’He must have entered the State of Enlightenment to grow this much in such a short time. His sword skills were already better than average. But his opponent is none other than Gareth. Forget it...’
He let out a quiet sigh.
’This duel will help him learn humility.’
"Keep this duel as a friendly spar between a junior and a senior," Victor ordered, drawing the attention of both fighters. "Don’t get carried away."
He deliberately directed the last sentence toward Gareth.
Gareth merely rolled his eyes at the warning, causing Victor to frown who rarely break his otherwise calm demeanor.
"Begin the duel," Victor declared.
"Show me what you’ve got, Junior!" Gareth shouted as he thrust his spear toward Vlad.
Even in the very first move, the spear was already coated in Aura, increasing both its range and sharpness.
"Gareth, I told you to keep it friendly!" Victor was about to step in. Gareth had actually used Aura against a D-Ranked junior. Victor hadn’t even taken a single step before witnessing something even more shocking.
The spear strike... had been blocked.
Vlad stood firmly in his position, the flat of his sword stopping the spear’s tip from advancing any farther.
His sword was coated in concentrated energy, making the blade appear twice its original size. Crimson lightning danced across its surface with a sharp buzzing sound.
"S-Sword Aura?" Victor murmured, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Not just him, every student watching carried the same expression. Their jaws dropped as they stared at the unbelievable sight before them.
The same kid who hadn’t even formed a core just a month ago had already reached the level of a One Star Knight.
It was completely unprecedented in the history of Argentum.
What monstrous talent was this?
S?
S+?
Or...
SSS?
"Now we are talking," Gareth muttered, his lips curling into a smirk.
He pulled back his spear, tightened his grip around it, and thrust it once again.
"Tiger Spear Art! Dual Fangs!"
From the thrust of the spear, the enormous mouth of a tiger materialized, its razor-sharp fangs lunging toward Vlad with terrifying momentum.
"Lightning Step!"
The tiger struck nothing but empty air as Vlad had already vanished, appearing before Gareth in the blink of an eye.
Without wasting a moment, he swung his sword in a horizontal arc aimed straight for Gareth’s neck.
Tang!
The sword crashed against the vertical shaft of the spear.
"You are taking me too lightly, Junior," Gareth said with narrowed eyes as he launched his other arm in a punch.
Bam!
The fist stopped just inches before Vlad’s face.
Behind the punch, Vlad’s glowing crimson eyes calmly met Gareth’s gaze as he caught the fist tightly in his hand.
"Am I?"
His grip tightened before he hurled Gareth over his shoulder with overwhelming force.
Amid the air, Gareth swung his spear downward toward Vlad’s head.
’He isn’t missing a single chance to attack,’ Vlad murmured inwardly as he quickly stepped back.
The spear struck the ground before him while Gareth landed several feet away in a clean backflip.
’He is unarmed. This is the chance.’
Vlad pulled the spear from the ground, threw it behind him, and bolted toward Gareth without hesitation.
His blade was only inches away from piercing Gareth’s shoulder when it suddenly stopped.
Vlad’s eyes widened as he found that the Gareth’s spear, the very one he had thrown aside, had pierced through his back.
Its bloodstained tip emerged from the front of his abdomen.