The Academy's Doomed Side Character
Chapter 230: Bet
CHAPTER 230: BET
"Hahaha... That was seriously hilarious! When you shouted, ’Don’t come!’ I nearly bit my own lip trying not to laugh!"
"Don’t laugh!" I snapped, shooting her a glare.
"But it was funny!" Leona grinned, clearly enjoying herself. "I mean, the way you ran for your life—how could I not laugh?"
"What part of that was funny?! You should’ve helped me! Instead, you teamed up with that maniac!"
Leona just smirked, tilting her head playfully.
"What else was I supposed to do? I was getting bored just waiting for my turn. So, I thought I might as well join in and, you know... train you with Ryen."
"Train? That wasn’t training. That was a beatdown."
She laughed again. "Tomato, tomahto."
I sighed and slumped onto the couch, defeated.
"I should have known better than to trust either of you."
"Oh, come on. You’re still in one piece, aren’t you?" Leona said, nudging me with her elbow. "Besides, you got stronger."
"Barely. And my pride took more damage than my body."
"Pride’s overrated," she said with a wink.
Surprisingly, in this strange world, even violence could be born from pure goodwill. Somehow, that made it worse.
"...Ugh, I really wanted to just take it easy today, but the ranking match is coming up soon," I muttered, slumping onto my desk. "Anyway, Ryen will take first, Leo second."
"...What?"
Leona, who had been fiddling with her chopsticks, froze and looked at me like I’d just insulted her entire bloodline.
I blinked. "What?"
"You said that like it’s a done deal. Like I don’t even stand a chance," she said, clearly offended.
Huh. That struck a nerve.
"Have you ever even seen me fight?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Yes. Yes, I had. Not in person, but through endless lines of text, pages of lore, and every character stat breakdown in the source material. I’d seen her win. I’d seen her lose. I knew her style better than she did.
But I couldn’t exactly say that, now could I?
So I lied. "No."
"Then how can you say they’ll beat me?" she huffed, crossing her arms, clearly annoyed.
Ah. So we’re doing this.
"Just a gut feeling," I replied casually, shoveling rice into my mouth.
She stared at me in disbelief. "Unbelievable."
I could tell she was upset. And honestly? She had every right to be. But what could I do? The truth was, right now, Leona couldn’t beat Ryen. Or Leo. That was just how the story went—how the numbers fell.
In the first-year ranking match, cadets couldn’t choose their opponents. You had to fight a total of five times.
According to the academy’s internal analysis, each cadet was matched with one opponent who was weaker, three who were roughly equal in skill, and one who was stronger. Of course, for the top-tier students—the ones with no real superior among their peers—a professor would step in to spar instead.
In the original story, Leona lost to both Ryen and Leo, who were considered her equals in terms of raw potential.
She hadn’t used her clan’s cursed secret sword back then, but let’s be honest—she hadn’t believed even that would be enough to beat either of them. That wasn’t just her being modest. She was certain. And she was right.
But things aren’t quite the same anymore, are they?
This isn’t just a novel anymore. Ever since I transmigrated, the plot’s been steadily shifting, diverging from the original story more and more.
For starters, Ryen—thanks to my Enhancement—has now glimpsed the threshold beyond A-rank. Not once, but twice.
And Leo? He acquired a legendary spear from the dungeon we explored together. His combat ability has skyrocketed since then.
If I compare all of this to how things originally played out...
The balance is completely off now.
The "similar level" opponents Leona would’ve once stood a chance against have now evolved into monsters in their own right. And this time, she might not even make it through the first round, even if she went all out.
So much has changed.
Slame—!
Leona slammed her chopsticks down, her eyes flaring.
"You’ve got some nerve, Rin," she said, her voice tight.
"Huh?"
"You’re seriously underestimating me," she snapped. "You don’t think I can beat Ryen or Leo? What, you think I’m just some side character in your little ranking predictions?"
I blinked, then let out a sigh. "It’s not about underestimating you. I’m just being realistic. Ryen and Leo have leveled up—literally and figuratively. You’re good, Leon, but they’re better. For now."
Her jaw clenched. "So I’m just supposed to roll over and accept that?"
"That’s not what I said."
"You might as well have."
I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "Look, I’m not saying you won’t catch up. I’m saying, as of right now, you’re not there yet. I’ve seen what they can do—"
"You haven’t seen what I can do!" she fired back, standing up so fast her chair screeched.
The room went quiet.
I looked up at her. Her fists were balled, lips trembling—not with fear, but frustration.
She wasn’t just mad. She was furious. And she felt insulted. I could tell.
"...Fine," she said, eyes burning. "Let’s make a bet."
"...A bet?"
"Yeah. If I beat both Ryen and Leo in the ranking match, you have to do whatever I say."
I raised an eyebrow. "Anything?"
"Anything," she said firmly. "No backing out."
"And if you lose?"
She smirked, though it was strained. "Then I’ll do whatever you ask. No excuses."
I stared at her for a long moment.
"You will do anything....?"
"I already said it! I will do anything."
She was dead serious.
"You sure you want to do this?" I asked.
"Don’t act like I’m some kind of joke, Rin. I’ll win. I’ll prove it."
I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed. "Alright then. You’re on."
She extended her hand, sharp and unwavering.
I took it.
The handshake was brief but intense.
And that was it. The bet was sealed.
Now the real question was—would she win?
Because in the original story, even when she pushed herself to the limit, Leona still lost.
But that was the original.
This time, everything was different. Including her.