Chapter 3 Public Challenge
912 Words
The air in the training field turned heavy.
The alloy target plate still bore the scorched mark of the crimson shockwave.
[Impact Strength: D-Rank (Initial Stage)]
That number stabbed into everyone’s eyes.
F-rank.
Producing D-rank output.
It didn’t make sense.
Damian Krauss’s face darkened.
He was a B-rank talent holder.
Ranked 12th in the academy.
Third generation of a hunter family.
At Awakening Plaza, he had been the center of attention.
But now—
Every gaze had shifted
to that so-called F-rank trash.
“Luck,” Damian said coldly.
“Failing thirty times and succeeding once doesn’t prove anything.”
Several students nodded.
“Yeah, probability.”
“With a 40% success rate, he was bound to hit eventually.”
Ryan snapped back, “Then you try failing thirty times and still keeping that output!”
Damian ignored him.
His eyes locked onto Leon.
“If you think you can do better—”
“Then let’s make it official.”
Silence fell instantly.
A public challenge.
Academy rules allowed same-tier combat testing, but cross-tier fights were rare.
Especially—
F-rank challenging B-rank.
That wasn’t bravery.
That was suicide.
Leon lifted his head.
His expression remained calm.
“When?”
Two simple words.
No hesitation.
Damian smirked.
“Now.”
The moment the word fell, the arena’s intelligent system activated.
[Public Duel Request Detected]
[Activate Simulated Combat Mode?]
Damian confirmed.
A red energy barrier rose, sealing the field.
Spectators flooded in.
The academy’s internal channel switched to live broadcast.
“F-rank vs B-rank? He’s insane.”
“This’ll be a stomp.”
“He just wants attention.”
On the observation platform, Ava Morgan stopped mid-step.
She had been about to leave.
The announcement made her turn back.
Kane Rowe stood nearby, watching with unreadable interest.
“Begin.”
The system tone echoed.
Damian moved first.
His B-rank talent activated—
Gravity Domain.
He stomped the ground.
Energy patterns lit beneath his feet.
The air compressed violently.
Leon’s body dropped.
Gravity intensified.
Breathing became difficult.
Gasps erupted from the stands.
“Area control talent!”
“An F-rank won’t even be able to move!”
Damian sneered.
“Kneel.”
The pressure increased again.
Leon’s knees bent slightly—
But he didn’t fall.
He clenched his jaw.
Inside his mental space, the fractured crystal trembled.
[Failure Count: 38/100]
He didn’t counterattack.
Instead—
He attempted to release energy.
Under pressure.
A high-pressure environment meant a higher failure rate.
The red sphere formed—
And instantly shattered.
[Failure Count: 39/100]
The gravity intensified.
He tried again.
Collapsed.
[40/100]
Damian frowned.
“What are you doing?!”
Leon didn’t answer.
Third attempt.
Fourth.
Fifth.
Energy spiraled out of control under crushing weight.
But with each failure—
The cracks inside his core diminished.
One by one.
[45/100]
Ryan gripped the railing outside the barrier.
“Don’t kill yourself!”
Gravity peaked.
Blood traced down the corner of Leon’s mouth.
Whispers spread.
“He’s done.”
“It’s over.”
Ava’s gaze sharpened.
Something wasn’t right.
After so many failures under extreme pressure—
His energy wasn’t weakening.
It was condensing.
At the center of the arena—
Leon smiled.
Damian’s expression hardened.
“What’s funny?”
Leon spoke softly.
“Thank you.”
“For speeding this up.”
He mobilized every thread of mental force he had.
Forcing an energy burst inside the gravity core.
Failure.
[52/100]
Again.
[53/100]
Damian roared, “Enough!”
He raised his hand.
Gravity maxed out.
The floor cracked.
Leon dropped to one knee.
The audience assumed he would collapse.
But in that instant—
Inside his mental space—
The fractured crystal flared with blinding crimson light.
Only one crack remained.
The system interface flickered wildly.
[Failure Count: 59/100]
[Talent Stability: 15%]
[Structural Reorganization Near Critical Point]
Leon’s eyes turned cold.
“Not enough.”
He tried again.
60th.
Failure.
65th.
Failure.
70th.
Failure.
Each failure shook the arena.
The crowd fell silent.
Damian felt it too—
Unease.
“Why is your aura increasing?”
Leon slowly stood—
Under maximum gravity.
Straightened his spine.
“Because—”
He looked up.
Crimson light flashed in his eyes.
“Failure is my fuel.”
He released again.
75th.
Failure.
But this time—
The shattered energy didn’t dissipate.
It hovered in midair.
Like suspended fragments.
76th.
The fragments trembled.
77th.
They began to reconverge.
The air vibrated violently.
The interface flashed rapidly.
[Failure Count: 80/100]
Damian’s face drained of color.
“End this!”
He poured everything into the gravity field.
But at that exact second—
BOOM.
A crimson shockwave unlike any before erupted.
Not D-rank.
Not a simple burst.
A piercing linear detonation—
Tearing straight through the gravity domain.
The barrier shuddered violently.
Damian was forced three steps back.
The stands exploded with shock.
“That output—”
“Close to C-rank?!”
The system values stabilized.
[Impact Strength: C-Rank (Initial Stage)]
Dead silence.
An F-rank—
Overpowering a B-rank domain.
Damian’s lips trembled.
“That’s impossible…”
Leon stood at the center of the arena.
Breathing heavy.
Inside his mind, the crystal had only one crack remaining.
[Failure Count: 81/100]
Nineteen more.
Until first evolution.
He lifted his head and looked at Damian.
“Continue?”
His voice was calm.
But the atmosphere froze solid.
On the platform above, Ava’s fingers tightened slightly.
For the first time—
She understood.
This boy wasn’t fighting the system.
He was rewriting its rules.
- Writer
