"Too easy"
After dealing with those lesser wolfs , I turned around to see Amelia's fight. I could see Alex and Layla had dealt with most of the lesser wolfs. Only 2 or 3 remained.
SWOOSH! BOOM!
With a sudden burst of speed, Amelia closed the distance, her fists blazing with fiery mana. Each strike landed with ruthless precision, scorching the wolf's silver fur and forcing it back. The Tempest Howler snapped and slashed, but Amelia's movements were too fast, too unpredictable—she slipped past every counter like flowing fire.
"Is that all you've got? You'll have to be faster than that!" she taunted, her lips curling into a fierce grin. Excitement burned in her eyes, matching the flames that danced around her.
At last, Amelia found her opening. With a sudden burst of fiery mana, she surged forward, her movements blurring with speed. Flames coiled around her fist, condensing into a blazing inferno that radiated unbearable heat.
"Burn!" she roared, driving her strike straight into the Tempest Howler's chest.
The wolf let out a piercing howl as fire erupted across its body, its silver fur crackling and blackening under the searing flames. It staggered, tried to summon one last gust of wind, but the effort collapsed into a dying whimper. With a final thud, the mighty beast crashed to the ground, its once-majestic form reduced to smoldering ashes.
Amelia straightened, her crimson hair flickering in the heat like wildfire, a triumphant smile carved across her face.
A soft chime echoed from my smartwatch, followed by a flicker on the screen.
[Team 17]
Time Elapsed: 40 minutes, 12 seconds – Rank: 22 / 600
The notification drew my eyes, but it was Amelia's reaction that caught my attention. Her confident smile faltered, her expression tightening as the weight of the result settled on her shoulders.
'She must be regretting wasting time toying with the wolf,' I thought. For her, it wasn't just about killing the monster—it was about performance. Every hunt in these trials was timed, and though official grading leaned more on the instructors' evaluations than the clock, the rankings weren't meaningless.
No, far from it. The rankings were fuel for rivalry, a fire to ignite competition among cadets desperate to prove themselves.
'20, huh? It was the same as in the game.' I thought. Though I did not have any idea about Arthur, I knew Amelia was ranked 20 in the game since the rankings would not change too much aside from the first 10 in the early stage. But I got a feeling that Arthur was on Amelia's team and ended up getting ignored in the same way.
Lost in thought, I felt a sudden prickle on the back of my neck. A glare. Turning my head, I met Amelia's eyes.
Sharp. Accusing.
She didn't need to say it aloud—her look was clear enough. 'If you had helped, we could have ranked higher.'
I met her gaze for a moment, then dismissed it.' Don't look at me like that. You chose to drag the fight out—so deal with the consequences.'
Ignoring her gaze, I slowly started walking out of the dungeon; since this was an artificial dungeon, it would not throw the people inside out when it was cleared. so the choice was mine and I had no intention of lingering here anymore.
As I walked out of the dungeon, I could feel Amelia's intense gaze following me. I knew she was not pleased with her own performance and was mad. But she was looking for a person to blame.
As I reached the exit , a sharp, commanding voice rang out.
"Stop."
It was Amelia.
I didn't bother looking back. I simply kept walking, ignoring her completely.
"I said stop!" she commanded again, this time releasing her mana pressure.
The air around us grew hotter. The temperature in the room spiked, causing Alex and Layla to step back instinctively.
I turned, my gaze locking onto Amelia's burning amber eyes. My own blue eyes held nothing but cold indifference.
"What do you think you're doing?" My voice was calm, but there was an edge to it.
"Don't you have ears. I called for you twice.?" Amelia's voice cut through the air, sharp and biting. Her fiery red hair, still singed at the ends from the battle, framed a face twisted with anger.
"You barely lifted a finger in there!" she snapped, taking a step closer, her eyes narrowing into a glare. "While we were struggling against an entire pack of Lesser Tempest Howlers, you just stood back like some spectator. Do you think this is a game? At least fight like a man!"
Her words dripped with accusation, echoing louder than the clash of blades and fire had moments ago.
I didn't flinch under her gaze and just looked at her with an unbothered expression. To be honest, I did not want to be involved with the main cast of the game if not necessary. I didn't care about what they were doing.
Amelia's glare sharpened, her voice biting as she demanded, "What are you spacing out for? Answer me!"
I narrowed my eyes. My voice dropped to an icy tone.
"You talk as if I owe you something. I am neither your subordinate nor one of your so-called admirers. I don't have to answer you. So don't talk to me."
"What…?" Her voice faltered, laced with disbelief. The sharp edge of her tone dulled into surprise, as if my response had struck a chord she hadn't anticipated.
"You bastard! It was because of you we were this slow." Amelia shouted in anger while her hair got stiff again. She was angry, as usual.
'This girl's personality is really bad….' I thought. In the game, just because of that reason, the player would get into trouble quite often.
"No, it wasn't because of me," I said evenly, my voice cutting through her anger. "We finished late because you wasted time toying with that wolf. With your strength, you could have ended it in three, maybe four strikes. But instead, you chose to drag it out, enjoying yourself while the clock kept ticking."
Her eyes widened ,a sharp intake of breath escaping her lips. "What… you—"
"Calm down , Amelia. We shouldn't cause a scene here."Layla quickly stepped in, her voice taut, her expression stiff. She cast me a brief glance—clear enough to show she wasn't on my side either—but her priority was preventing the scene from escalating.
"But this bas—" Amelia's voice trembled with rage, her mana flaring slightly.
I cut her off, my tone as calm as ever. "If it really is my fault, it will show in our grades. If you have a problem, take it to the instructors. Otherwise, don't waste my time—and don't talk to me again."
Without waiting for a response, I turned on my heel and walked away. The silence that followed was heavy; I didn't need to look back to know the three of them stood frozen, blindsided by my blunt dismissal. No one in their right mind would casually risk offending Amelia—one of the most gifted cadets in the academy. But I wasn't interested in their approval, nor in playing along with their egos.
My words weren't just defiance; they were the truth. If I had dragged them down, the results would make it clear. Arguing here was nothing but pointless noise.
"YOU—!" Amelia's furious shout echoed behind me, her voice laced with heat and anger, but I ignored her words.
Just like that, I left the place, going my own way.