Chapter 145: Fake Suffering

The impact shook the entire stage. A burst of mana exploded between them, sending dust and loose fragments of stone scattering across the floor.

For a moment, silence filled the arena.

Then Mimi’s voice rang out. "Okay, that was one hell of a hit! I don’t think many students could’ve taken that head-on. Let’s see what happened!"

As the dust slowly cleared, Daniel came into view first. He was still standing, but barely, leaning heavily against his spear while trying to catch his breath.

On the other side, Ravena had been driven several meters back, but luckily for her, she was still inside the boundary.

The black mana around her daggers flickered violently before finally settling.

A murmur swept through the stands.

"She actually blocked that?"

"Isn’t that the same attack that sent the shield guy flying yesterday?"

Marty’s face twisted. "Yeah. Thanks for reminding me."

Ravena’s arms were still trembling from the impact, but a grin slowly spread across her face. "That was pretty damn good."

Daniel remained leaning against his spear, trying to steady himself. The attack had consumed a large amount of his mana, and after spending so long inside Ravena’s cursed zone, the exhaustion was finally catching up with him.

His arms felt heavier, and his body no longer responded as sharply as before.

[He bet almost everything on that strike. Now her curse gets to collect the debt.]

Zac kept his eyes on the stage.

Ravena stepped forward. "What’s wrong, noble boy? Running out of steam?"

Black mana once again spread along both daggers.

Daniel tightened his grip and raised his spear. "Not yet."

The fight resumed.

Daniel continued attacking, but Ravena could clearly feel the difference. The speed he had shown earlier was gone, and with every passing second, he grew slower.

She slipped beneath one of his thrusts and struck the shaft with her dagger. Black mana scraped against his coating, draining another small portion of his strength.

Daniel immediately pulled back and attacked from another angle.

Mimi leaned toward her microphone. "Daniel is still fighting beautifully, but Ravena is taking control now. And judging by his face, he’s even struggling to breathe."

Daniel’s eyebrow twitched.

Ravena laughed. "Even the pink doll can see it."

Mimi’s smile stiffened. "Pink doll? Me?Stay professional, Mimi. Stay professional."

Daniel pressed forward again, forcing Ravena to defend against a quick series of thrusts. But exhaustion had already settled too deeply into his body.

For just a moment, his footwork faltered, and Ravena caught it immediately.

Her dagger knocked the spear aside. Daniel recovered quickly and brought it back into position, but the balance of the fight had already shifted.

From the stands, Marty frowned. "Looks like the winner’s pretty much decided."

Shobin nodded. "We knew this would happen if the fight dragged on. That’s why Daniel tried to finish it quickly."

Marty looked back at the stage. "Yeah. Who would’ve thought she’d actually survive that strike?"

Daniel thrusted again. Ravena stepped inside the spear’s range. One dagger knocked the shaft aside while her other hand caught his wrist.

The moment her black mana touched his coating, Daniel felt another wave of weakness spread through his body.

He tried to pull free, but Ravena twisted past him and drove her shoulder into his chest.

Daniel stumbled backward. Before he could reset his stance, Ravena was already in front of him. One dagger knocked his spear out of line. The other stopped beside his throat.

Daniel’s eyes widened, while Ravena grinned. "It’s done."

The referee immediately raised his hand. "Stop! Winner, Ravena Voss!"

The arena erupted into cheers.

Daniel lowered his spear and released a long breath, and Ravena said nothing more. She turned around and walked off the stage.

Mimi raised her microphone as the cheers continued. "And there we have it! Ravena Voss, the Hexed Rose, advances to the top three!"

After the cheers ended. "Now, before all of you go on your way, let’s take a look at our final three!"

The board instantly lit up with three names.

Zac Dellencore.

Sabrina Snow.

Ravena Voss.

"All three contestants will draw their own lots. Then we’ll find out which two will fight for the right to enter the finals and which lucky contestant gets the free pass!"

The three stepped onto the stage and drew their lots from the jar one by one. The referee checked each slip separately before entering the results into his tablet.

A moment later, the board changed.

Zac Dellencore vs. Ravena Voss.

Sabrina Snow advances to the finals with a free pass.

"This match is rigged," Marty declared from the stands. "How does she get two free passes in one tournament?"

"Luck is also a kind of strength," Daniel replied.

Marty gave him a look. "Yeah, then why didn’t it help me?"

"That’s it, everyone!" Mimi announced cheerfully. "As you can see, Zac Dellencore and Ravena Voss will fight this afternoon, and the winner will advance to tomorrow’s final!"

The moment Sabrina’s second free pass was confirmed, murmurs spread through the audience. Some called it luck; others called it destiny. The eliminated contestants, however, looked considerably less impressed.

Zac shifted his gaze toward Ravena.

She stared at the board for a moment before looking back at him, her eyes lingering on him a little longer than usual.

As the crowd began leaving the arena, discussions about the afternoon match quickly spread.

"That first-year troublemaker is strong, but can he really handle the cursed girl?"

"Everyone else struggled against her. I don’t see why he’d be different."

"Honestly, she already has an unfair advantage. Everyone else is restricted from using skills and awakened abilities, but her curse still works naturally."

"Well, life’s not fair."

Similar conversations soon echoed throughout the academy.

Near the arena, Daniel was still recovering from his match. His breathing had returned to normal, but a faint paleness remained on his face.

Fighting Ravena had drained him more thoroughly than any ordinary injury. "Are you sure you’re okay?" Kelly asked.

Daniel nodded. "I’m fine. It’s just the weakness from her curse, and even that’s already fading."

Marty looked at him. "Seeing you this exhausted, I’ve officially decided I never want to fight her."

"You’re already eliminated," Shobin pointed out. "What made you think you’d be fighting her?"

"I’m thinking about the future. It’s called making wise decisions in advance."

Zac remained silent, thinking about how he should approach the upcoming match.

Daniel noticed him. "Be careful. Try to finish it as quickly as possible."

Zac looked toward him.

"The longer you stay inside her cursed zone, the more strength you’ll lose. And direct contact with her black mana drains you even faster."

Zac nodded. "Thanks."

After the break was over, everyone returned to the arena. Mimi was already back in full performance mode as the referee climbed onto the center stage.

"All right, everyone! The break is over, the tension is high, and your lovable Mimi is once again carrying this entire event on her delicate shoulders!"

She pointed dramatically toward one side of the arena.

"Entering first from Class A, the boy who fights like he has somewhere better to be, the troublemaker among the newcomers, the charming devil... Zac Delencore!"

Already annoyed by the introduction, Zac slowly walked toward the stage, but Mimi wasn’t finished.

"Let’s all hope his personality eventually catches up with his face!"

Laughter erupted from the audience.

Zac slowly turned his head and glared at her.

Mimi’s smile didn’t move. "Worth it.Terrifying, but worth it."

From the stands, Marty shook his head. "She’s getting out of hand."

"Either she’s extremely brave," Shobin said, "or completely stupid."

Zac climbed onto the stage as the applause grew even louder than before.

A noticeable portion of it came from the girls in the stands, which made Mimi’s inner world curl into a jealous little ball.

Still smiling brightly, she turned toward the opposite side.

"And entering next from Class B, the embodiment of the gothic community, a girl who carries daggers not only in her hands but apparently in her mouth as well, master of black mana... the Hexed Rose, Ravena Voss!"

Ravena began walking toward the stage without the slightest reaction.

The cheers for her were uneven, but the attention was absolute. Half the crowd stared at her with unease. The other half stared for entirely different reasons.

The referee stood between the two contestants. "Begin!"

Ravena moved first.

Black mana crawled over her daggers as she shot forward. The air around her carried that familiar cursed pressure, heavy enough to make several students in the front rows shift uncomfortably.

But Zac’s divine aura remained quiet beneath his skin. The curse’s pressure reached him and vanished before it could do anything.

[Congratulations. You’re officially immune to bad vibes.]

"Don’t say it like that."

[Fine. You’re immune to curse energy. Happy now?]

Ravena’s dagger flashed toward his ribs. Zac raised his sword and caught it cleanly. Black mana crashed against the pale white coating, the two colors grinding against each other for a brief instant.

Ravena’s eyes sharpened.

Zac immediately let his knees dip and lowered his sword arm half an inch, making it look as if the curse had already started dragging his movements down.

Ravena clicked her tongue. "Already getting heavy, Pretty Boy?"

Zac shifted his footing. "You talk more than I expected."

"And you somehow look dumber up close."

Mimi’s voice rang across the arena. "Ravena opens aggressively, and Zac is already showing signs of slowing down under that lovely little nightmare she calls an aura!"

Murmurs spread through the crowd.

"He’s affected too."

"Of course he is. Even Daniel and Adrian couldn’t resist it. Why would he be different?"

"Sabrina really got lucky with that free pass."

"What’s the use? She’ll probably have to fight Ravena in the final anyway."

"Come on, the match isn’t over yet."

"You honestly think the troublemaker can win?"

Similar conversations rose from different parts of the stands.

Daniel narrowed his eyes. "He’s moving strangely."

Shobin watched Zac more carefully. "Her aura is affecting him. Of course he’s slowing down."

Daniel frowned. "Maybe. But something feels off."

Marty shrugged. "Maybe because Zac looking weak is not something we’re used to seeing."

On the stage, Ravena pressed harder.

Her daggers came from short, vicious angles, constantly threatening his throat, shoulders, and ribs. Every strike was meant to break his rhythm and steal another step of space.

Zac blocked with his sword instead of overpowering her.

His swordsmanship was better than her dagger work, and he could already see the gaps in her rough approach.

[Why don’t you just overpower her and end this?]

"Because then everyone will realize her curse isn’t doing anything to me."

[So we’re fake-suffering because you hate people asking questions.]

"Exactly."

[Fair. Explaining is such a drag.]

Ravena fought like someone raised by the streets instead of instructors. Her movements were unpredictable, dirty, and practical. There was no polished rhythm to follow, only raw instinct built from fights where nobody cared about rules.

But Armani’s training had carved something worse into Zac.

[Nearly dying every other day really changes your standards, doesn’t it?]

"You’re making it sound like I loved it."

Zac parried another dagger and slid backward, deliberately stumbling half a step.

Ravena grinned. "Careful, Pretty Boy. Fall too fucking gracefully and those girls might start clapping for you."

"I thought you hated boring prey."

"I hate every damn thing. Don’t flatter yourself."

[She has the emotional warmth of a broken bottle.]

"Tell me about it."