âNo matter which academy I go to, there will always be jealousy and angry men. Haiz, what can I do about it? Iâm just too excellent,â Vaan shook his head nonchalantly.
The world wasnât filled with rainbows, and things wonât always go the way one would hope. In life, there are winners and losers.
The strong and determined succeed while the weak and incapable fail. The strong and determined overcome obstacles while the weak and incapable wallow in their incompetence.
Of the two, Vaan was definitely the former.
Knowing trouble was bound to find him, Vaan strolled forward confidently, continuing to head to the library.
He was not the same person he was before.
âOi, you. I got some questions for you!â Rehan Vexx blocked Vaanâs path with an aggressive and domineering tone. âI havenât seen you around here before! Who are you? And what are you doing in this academy?â
Seeing Vaanâs small build, Rehan Vexx was more confident in his strength. It was clear that the new guy had done little aura training.
Such weak men should be easily intimidated by the vigor of his aura.
However, Vaan didnât pause his steps.
âVahn Cadieux, the new librarian assistant,â Vaan nonchalantly answered as he walked right up to Rehan Vexx and patted him on the right shoulder. âNow that Iâve answered your questions, Iâll be on my way.â
Right after, Vaan walked past Rehan Vexx while the person was momentarily dazed by his indifference to the personâs aura pressure.
However, Damek Howler stepped forward and blocked Vaanâs path.
âThe person behind you hasnât finished talking to you. Itâs not good for you to walk away from your seniors while they are still talking,â Damek Howler stated with folded arms.
He appeared like an impregnable fortress with his burly build.
âMy seniors?â Vaan glanced at the second guy with an amused smiled and asked, âDo you know who I am?â
âVahn Cadieux, the librarian. Didnât you say so?â Damek Howler replied with a frown.
âIf you are trying to threaten me with some big background, itâs no use. Iâve never heard of any noble household named Cadieux. Furthermore, in the academy, all men are equal.â
âIf thatâs all you know, then you need to do your research. Otherwise, you will end up offending someone you canât afford to,â Vaan patted Damek Howler on the cheeks disrespectfully before walking around the person.
âFurthermore, you canât compare me, a librarian assistant, to the rest of you mere servants,â Vaan added before casually leaving.
Nevertheless, before Vaan could leave, Damek Howler turned around and grabbed hold of his shoulder, stopping him from taking any more steps.
Vaanâs words had made Damek Howlerâs heart waver, but the person didnât want him to leave just like that.
âVahn Cadieux, was it?â Rehan Vexx sounded from behind Vaan.
âI donât know where you got the courage to behave fearlessly and disrespectfully in front of us, but such behaviors arenât usually tolerated unless you have the strength to back them up.â
âI challenge you to a duel, Vahn Cadieux!â Rehan Vexx declared with red eyes, revealing his pent-up anger.
âYou look like someone just fucked your wife,â Vaan mentioned amusedly before noticing the stir of emotions in Rehan Vexxâs eyes. âOh, I see. Not quite a wife, but someone you like, huh? Well, shit like that happens. Suck it up, man. All is fair in love and war.â
âShut the fuck up! Do you dare accept my challenge or not?!â Rehan Vexx snapped at Vaan.
âAnd if I donât want to accept?â Vaan replied nonchalantly.
âYou have no choice but to accept!â
Right after Rehan Vexx spoke, the other servants formed a circle with them inside. At the same time, Damek Howler released his grip on Vaan and backed off, joining the circle of servants.
âAs long as youâre a servant in this academy, you must accept at least one challenge issued by another servant each day!â
âHaiz, Iâm clearly giving you a chance here,â Vaan shook his head with a helpless sigh and said, âJust Retract your challenge and walk away. You donât want this.â
âBut I do want this!â Rehan Vexx argued while gritting his teeth with a venomous look and cracking his knuckles.
Vaanâs eyes wandered about, looking at the gathering crowd of spectators before turning to Damek Howler.
âWhen does the duel start?â
âIt can start now.â
Right after Damek Howler replied to Vaanâs question, Rehan Vexx charged Vaan with his body covered in a red aura.
Clearly, Rehan Vexx wasnât planning to go easy on Vaan. But considering the density of Rehan Vexxâs aura, he was only an Early Rank 1 Aura Warrior.
Vaanâs defense wouldnât break even if he took every hit thrown at him.
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Nevertheless, Vaan chose to evade Rehan Vexxâs sneak attack, nonetheless.
Swoosh!
The personâs right-hand swing struck empty air as Vaan sidestepped to his side and raised his foot to trip the assailant.
In that short instance, Rehan Vexx saw through Vaanâs intention and wanted to crush his foot. Alas, he gravely underestimated the toughness of Vaanâs foot.
Ding!
Rehan Vexx felt like he kicked an iron mountain as he tripped to the ground all the same.
âHaiz, I tried to choose peace for your sake⦠but peace was never an option, you son of bitch!â Vaan cussed.
As Rehan Vexx tried to get up quickly, his face was met with Vaanâs kick. His nose broke, his face deformed, and his vision temporarily went black.
Before he could recover, Vaan gripped his head and bashed it into the ground repeatedly without mercy before ruthlessly yet skilfully stepping on his arms and legs.
Ka-cha! Ka-cha! Ka-cha!
Rehan Vexxâs bones broke one by one before he was completely immobilized.
The duel came to a swift end.
A soft breeze blew past the bystanders before everyone felt a chill in their hearts.
Despite hearing so many bones breaking, Rehan Vexx did not utter a single cry of pain.
It was very eerie but even more terrifying.