Everyone looked at Lu Fei in unison, their eyes filled with various expressions.
Some students had seen Lu Fei’s videos online. The online spectators referred to him as the “Commoner Warrior,” believing he was enduring humiliation with a purpose – to expose the nobles’ indifference. As a result, their perception of Lu Fei had shifted; they no longer saw him as a complete failure.
However, others held a different view. They believed that someone with such low strength, unable to even acquire a decent contracted beast after a year of enrollment, didn't deserve to be in Class Two.
Lu Fei tugged at the corner of his mouth, preparing to put on a show.
“Ahem, I know you all have always considered me the weakest.”
“Pfft!”
As soon as he spoke, a wave of boos erupted.
Lu Fei remained unfazed by the jeers, his expression calm. This was precisely the effect he desired. How could he rebound if he didn’t hit rock bottom first?
He stood on his chair and declared loudly, “But, that doesn’t matter. Today, I will prove myself!”
His demeanor was reminiscent of a declaration of independence by a certain free nation.
A moment of silence followed.
No one paid him any mind, and the atmosphere grew somewhat awkward…
“Wow wow wow! Lu Fei, how are you going to prove yourself!”
The speaker was Tang Ao. As his roommate, even though supporting him now was embarrassing, loyalty was paramount. Besides, Tang Ao had always been shameless!
Lu Fei glanced at Tang Ao and secretly gave him a thumbs-up.
With Tang Ao’s question, Lu Fei naturally continued.
“I want to make a bet with everyone. I wonder if you dare to accept?”
“A bet?” Someone tilted their head to look at Lu Fei. For these young individuals, they had no experience with his actual gambling. Usually, they only joked amongst classmates.
“What do you want to bet?” someone asked curiously.
Lu Fei’s eyebrows arched slightly, a sense of triumph washing over him. He said slowly, “It’s very simple. If my score in the upcoming competition exceeds our class average, then I win. Otherwise, I lose!”
As soon as he finished speaking, someone chimed in with mockery.
“Hahaha! Lu Fei, are you joking? With that weakling, you expect to score above the average?”
“Forget it! You’ll probably be carried out on a stretcher the moment you step onto the arena…”
In their opinion, Lu Fei was making a fool of himself. Everyone knew that the contracted beasts raised by the academy had a combat power of at least 30. Furthermore, Lu Fei had only just acquired his contracted beast and had no idea how to command it in battle. How could he possibly achieve an above-average score?
Lu Fei remained indifferent, a disarmingly innocent smile on his face. He never took bets he wasn’t confident about, especially since he had the secret weapon, the ‘Muddled Snake’!
On his way back, Lu Fei discovered that this little creature was quite something!
Although it appeared weak, its [Cutie] skill was a divine ability, with a short cooldown and excellent crowd control!
According to the competition rules, if one could last five minutes without being defeated, they would score above 60. By relying on [Cutie] to stall for five minutes, wouldn’t it be easy to surpass the average score?
“Not betting? I’m leaving then?” Lu Fei’s expression was calm as he employed a little provocation.
As expected.
Immediately, someone said, “I’ll bet all my allowance for this week! 1000 spirit coins!” They were afraid Lu Fei would go back on his word.
“I bet two bags of beast-raising feed!”
“I bet a pair of underwear!”
…
The atmosphere was instantly ignited, and the sounds of betting filled the air.
*It’s not unreasonable to charge a small entrance fee for you all to witness Brother Fei’s first match for free…* Looking at the piles of bets on the table, Lu Fei smiled with satisfaction!
However, he also needed to prevent these youngsters from becoming sore losers. If the bets were collected before he returned, it wouldn’t be worth it.
He scanned his surroundings, his gaze finally landing on Tang Ao.
“Brother, want to invest?” Lu Fei asked, slinging an arm over Tang Ao’s shoulder.
Tang Ao blinked, slightly startled by the arm on his shoulder. The young man before him was quite different from the rigid and dull roommate he remembered.
“How do I invest?” Tang Ao asked.
Lu Fei began to persuade him earnestly, and after a lengthy pitch, he successfully pulled Tang Ao onto his “pirate ship.”
“Everyone, stop fooling around! Lu Fei, have you really thought this through?” a voice filled with anxiety and a hint of anger called out. Time was of the essence, and as the class monitor, Ke Xin kept the tasks assigned by the homeroom teacher constantly in mind.
Lu Fei nodded.
Seeing that the other party had made up his mind, Ke Xin had no choice. After all, the contracted beasts for the match were tamed and posed no real danger. Thus, she led Lu Fei towards the competition venue.
The two got into a sightseeing elevator.
After hesitating for a long time, Ke Xin revealed a cute and charming smile, comforting him, “Lu Fei, just focus on the competition. If you really lose, I’ll cover the money you owe your classmates.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Fei was clearly taken aback. In his memory, this class monitor’s relationship with him was rather ordinary. Why was she suddenly offering to help him?
He couldn’t help but take another look at Ke Xin.
The young girl’s hair hung down, her bangs secured by a special hairpin. Her beautiful eyes were clear and bright, her face flawless. Even in her school uniform, one could faintly discern that she was a beauty in the making.
Sensing the other party’s gaze, Ke Xin turned her head, deliberately avoiding eye contact.
After a moment of thought, she stammered, “Lu Fei, I’m saying this because I don’t want you to be distracted by other things.” She paused, then added, “Although it’s a bit difficult, please, you must win the match, okay?”
*Isn’t that stating the obvious? I’ve bet my entire fortune on this…* Lu Fei nodded. “I’ll do my best.” But then he thought something was off. Ke Xin, coming from a wealthy family, shouldn’t be short of the academy’s meager rewards. He asked in return, “Is my winning or losing that important? It doesn’t affect your advancement, does it?”
Ke Xin’s expression turned serious, a hint of yearning in her eyes. She said earnestly, “Do you know that the Ten Elders will be present as honored guests at the closing ceremony of this competition?”
Lu Fei shook his head, but he had heard of the Ten Elders. Simply put, they were like the big shots in the entertainment industry back in his previous life.
Ke Xin’s eyes sparkled, and her voice grew excited, “Teacher Ling said that we can take photos with the Ten Elders at the award ceremony, but the last-place finisher won’t have a chance to be on the podium. That’s why I hope you absolutely must win!”
Lu Fei’s mouth twitched.
*A fanatical, brainless fan…* He understood the girl’s pure intentions.
He cleared his throat twice and nodded.
The two continued forward.
After a while, they arrived before several archways adorned with starlight patterns. There were six archways in total, displaying six different colors: white, green, blue, purple, red, and yellow.
“Lu Fei, these are the Starlight Gates. You can enter the beast-taming arena by placing your hand on them.”
Ke Xin explained.
Lu Fei looked at the shimmering archways with a face full of curiosity.
“Behind each Starlight Gate are contracted beasts of varying strengths. You just need to enter the white Starlight Gate…”
However, Lu Fei’s attention was completely captivated by the archways, and he didn’t hear anything Ke Xin was saying.
“What’s the principle behind this luminescence? Is it an LED tube?” Lu Fei stretched his neck out.
*I wonder what the touch sensation is like…*
With this thought, he carefully placed his hand on the blue archway…
“Damn it…” a startled cry rang out.
Ke Xin froze, then, after a moment, she realized what had happened, and she was almost crying with distress!
“Lu Fei! You’ve chosen the wrong difficulty!”
Alas, it was too late.
A moment later, Lu Fei stumbled and fell onto a patch of grass.
The broadcast sounded again.
“Classmate Lu Fei, Class Two, First Year.”
“Challenging two levels above! Now, the competition officially begins!”