CHAPTER 248: RANKING MATCHES [7]

The Ranking Matches... Continued.

After Ryen’s match, there were a few more ranking bouts between first-year cadets.

But I didn’t really pay much attention to them.

...Not because I thought they were pathetic or beneath me or anything like that.

The truth?

I just wasn’t interested.

I didn’t know most of the people fighting. None of them were my upcoming opponents, and I wasn’t in the mood to start caring about every single cadet swinging a stick around like their life depended on it.

So yeah—I tuned out for a bit.

That said, I did catch glimpses of a few fights. I remember sitting in the spectator seats, half-zoned out, when a couple of interesting moves caught my eye.

There was one guy—don’t know his name, don’t care—who used a wind spell to launch himself into the air and deliver a spinning kick.

FWOOOSH!

THWACK!

Not bad form, honestly. If nothing else, the landing looked cool.

Another cadet tried using earth magic to create pillars as cover—

RUMBLE!

CRACK!

—which was smart... until their opponent just blew them up with raw firepower.

BOOOOM!

The crowd reacted with a mix of gasps and impressed cheers.

"Wooo!"

"Did you see that!?"

"Nice shot!"

Still, it wasn’t completely boring.

Even if I didn’t know their names, watching them struggle, try new tricks, and push themselves reminded me that everyone here was fighting for something.

To rank higher. To prove themselves. To stand out.

And maybe that’s why I stayed seated longer than I expected.

Because even if I wasn’t invested in the faces, I was invested in the game.

This whole ranking system—it wasn’t just for glory or a pat on the back. It shaped who got more chances, who got noticed by which professors, top-level guilds, mid-level guilds, and the Hero Association.

It decided the future.

So even if I pretended to be indifferent... I was watching.

Quietly.

Evaluating.

Waiting for my turn.

But my turn wouldn’t come that quickly—and I knew that.

That’s why I shifted my attention to another match. One that felt straight out of a protagonist’s spotlight.

Yeah.

Leo Taylor.

Right now, Leo was... well, "toying" with his opponent wouldn’t be the right word. That made it sound cruel or careless.

It was more like he was putting on a show.

A performance.

He was showcasing the power of his relic—[Drakevolt Spear]—the very one we’d obtained together from that dungeon a while back.

This arena, with the crowd roaring and scouts from top guilds seated in the VIP stands?

It was the perfect stage for someone like him.

And Leo?

He wasn’t one to waste a stage like this.

He was only second to Ryen in the rankings, and even that margin was razor-thin.

...And Leo didn’t like that one bit.

His pride burned too hot for second place.

At that moment, I watched as Leo raised his spear high above his head.

BZZZZZTTTT—KRAK-KRAK-KRAK!!

Golden lightning coiled around him, crackling like a storm about to break loose.

The Drakevolt Spear shimmered with raw power, arcs of electricity leaping from its tip and tracing jagged paths across the ground.

ZAAAAAP!

ZRRRT—KZZZTTT!

His gray eyes lit up—glowing faintly—and his blond hair caught the light, almost blinding under the afternoon sun.

The crowd gasped as if witnessing a divine revelation.

"Whoa!"

"What is that spear?!"

"Is this relic?"

"Leo’s not holding back!"

Then my gaze flicked toward his opponent.

A big guy. Broad shoulders. Built like a walking fortress.

Twin axes in each hand—heavy, brutal, made for smashing things more than cutting them.

But despite the size and strength, he looked... tense.

Uneasy.

He was sweating under that confident smirk he tried to hold.

And who could blame him?

Fighting Leo when he was in this kind of form—it wasn’t just a match. It was a statement.

Leo didn’t rush.

He didn’t need to.

He moved like lightning bottled inside a human form—graceful, fluid, terrifying.

The first real strike came fast.

CRACK—BOOOOOOM!!

A crack of thunder split the air as Leo thrust forward. The Drakevolt Spear surged with energy, the point glowing bright gold.

The bulky guy raised his axes to block—

CLANG!—SNAP!

But the spear didn’t just hit.

It shattered the space around it.

THUNK—!

One axe went flying—skidding across the floor.

The other cracked at the handle—KR-KRACK!

The man stumbled back, coughing, barely staying upright.

"OHHHHHHH!!"

"Did you see that strike?!"

"That’s not even his full power!"

Leo didn’t even flinch.

WHSSHHH—CLINK!

He twirled the spear once—then rested it against his shoulder, looking bored.

It wasn’t arrogance.

It was control.

Like he was saying, "I could end this. I just haven’t decided when."

The crowd erupted again—

"LEO! LEO! LEO!"

—but I didn’t cheer.

I just watched.

Because this—

This was Leo showing the world he wasn’t content being second.

And me?

I was quietly walking away.

Where exactly you ask?

Well...I haven’t seen the Leona’s match after all and from what I remembered her match was right after Leo’s.

Leona or rather Leon— As she was pretending to be boy wasn’t reciving much attention.

Yeah, according to entrance examination of this first year Velcrest Academy, She is third highest ranker after Ryen and Leo.

.......And yet she felt like a ghost on the roster.

It’s because the two geniuses, Ryen and Leo monopolizing the attention of the scouts, showed off their talents in their respective ways, proving themselves to them.

That’s why there is no crowd chants.

That’s why there is no whispers.

That’s why there is no glowing anticipation.

Leona doesn’t have flashy rumors. No grand dungeon tales. No relics with divine lightning or overwhelming firepower.

Just a name. Leon Harper third ranker after Ryen and Leo.

I moved through the hallway behind the coliseum stands, taking a shortcut toward the smaller observation platform. It wasn’t as crowded as the main area. Most of the students still hadn’t realized that someone worth watching was about to step into the ring.

As I leaned against the railing, the match began.

Leona—or Leon—stood in the center of the arena, silent and calm.

Her opponent?

A Professor. Just like Ryen