BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!

A massive explosion erupted, shattering the entire stage.

The shockwave of said blast was so great that even from my distance—with my magic barriers protecting me, I still felt the pressure.

Of my barriers, one completely shattered, and the second was on the verge of breaking apart.

Considering I made them in a hurry, it was understandable, but still… my distance from the core of the explosion was great. For my defenses to have suffered such damage, how devastating would it be for a person to be at the center?

No, those were useless thoughts!

I was certain that someone of Kuzon’s quality would be able to take such a devastating strike. Even if he secured injuries, there was no way he would die!

Finally, the storm of multiple elements colliding ceased, and the debris of what was previously known to be our battleground remained, as well as the rising smoke that nearly blinded one’s vision.

WHOOOOSHH

A sudden gust of wind got rid of the ascending dust, most likely caused by our Moderator who wanted everyone in the Hall to witness the result of my Spell.

‘So? What happened…?’ I raised my hesitant head and glanced in the direction of where Kuzon had been… the center of the blast.

“Nice one…” The boy’s voice sounded as his body became visible.

My heart fell as I watched him emerge from a cocoon made of threads, completely unscathed.

“The ones I made earlier were no match for that Spell. You made me use more Threads to defend myself. That’s very impressive.” He remarked.

The color of the threads that made up the Cocoon was different from the usual transparent ones.

“Blue, eh?” I whispered.Thanks to their clear color, everyone in the Hall could see it now as the thin wires had lost their invisible properties.

“That still wasn’t enough, uh?” I gave a weak chuckle as I watched him walk closer to me.

“You don’t seem tired-out. That Spell didn’t take everything out of you, uh? You amaze me every second.”

I watched in silence as Kuzon patronized me. Somehow that made me sick to my stomach. No matter his compliments, the fact remained that I couldn’t do anything to even penetrate his defenses.

“Since you still have Mana left… do you want to continue?” He asked.

I clenched my teeth.

He was right.

My stockpile of Mana was just about halfway gone. Thanks to the automatic recovery of Spellcraft, Mana wasn’t really a problem. The issue was my Capacity! At my current level, that was the highest firepower I could generate by myself.

‘If he’s able to tank that, then…’

No matter how hard I tried, I would never be able to win.

“No, this is the end. Like I said… we’ll decide this with one move.” I shrugged, ready to surrender.

There was no point in going any further. Doing so would only make me a bigger fool!

“Hey, don’t be too hard on yourself.” Kuzon sharply spoke, causing me to stare at his eyes.

Something about them changed.

Usually, they were casual and unserious. However, now that I stared deeper into them, there was something else the boy’s vision displayed.

“You’re strong. Trust me!”

Somehow it felt like I was a kid being encouraged by an adult.

‘I’m the one who’s supposed to be the adult here…’

Suddenly, a realization dawned on me. I had been acting like a child all along. Bring obsessed with winning and losing, and not actually taking careful facts into consideration.Once I realized the errors of my bratty ways, a sense of gratitude flowed within me as my eyes looked at Kuzon more clearly.

“Thanks. You’re strong too.” I remarked.

A moment of silence pervaded our immediate vicinity and time seemed to stop. Throughout my second life, I had never met anyone with more of an impression than this young boy. Whoever he was… he made me want to be better.

‘So, this is what rivalry is all about, eh?’

Of course, I knew I wasn’t good enough to officially declare myself his rival. Was this how Stefan felt about me? Even if the one I wanted to challenge dwelled on a higher plane than me, I still wanted to catch up so desperately.

‘Kuzon Midas… I suppose I’ll consider you my rival, after all…’

“Pfft!” Suddenly, the boy burst out in laughter, surprising me.

The timing felt like he had just heard my thoughts, making me feel a bit embarrassed.

“Of course I’m strong. I’m the strongest student here!” He laughed even more.

His sassy attitude made me feel like retracting my rivalry, but it also made me break into a smile. He had only stated the obvious.

“Well, for now, you are. Just hold on to that title, for now, Kuzon… I’ll be taking it from you.” I found the courage to speak out my intentions.

Once my words landed, the seemingly invincible boy gave a dazed look for a moment before smiling sincerely.

“Well, then, I better not lose to you. This sort of makes us rivals, don’t you think. Hahaha!” Kuzon laughed even more.

He certainly seemed to be enjoying himself.

And, the boy had said something I didn’t have the guts to utter yet.

‘Rivals, uh? I guess we are…’

“I surrender!” My voice echoed through the vast Hall that was already filled with tension and unrest.

Sudden gasps and murmurs filled the room, but they had no choice but to accept it. My eyes trailed to Edward and Ana, who watched and nodded with teary eyes.

They must have known how badly I wanted to win, and the pain it took me to intentionally stop fighting altogether.

Thankfully, their eyes didn’t show disappointment. Still, I felt bad.

‘Forgive your tutor… I wasn’t able to win!’ A sad smile played across my face.

Even though I had forfeited the match, I had gained much more and even lost something that would serve as dead weight for me.

In a way, I suppose this loss was very much worth it.