Eden pushed open the classroom door and stepped inside.
Due to his special status as a transfer student, combined with his open defiance of Rufus yesterday, he had already become the center of attention for the entire class.
The moment he entered, the previously noisy chatter vanished instantly.
The classroom grew so quiet that even the sound of breathing could be heard—quieter than when the teacher arrives.
Eden glanced around and noticed that his classmates were all staring at him with complicated expressions.
Some were sneering with schadenfreude, others wore looks of sympathy, as if watching a man on the brink of death.
A few girls huddled together whispering, casting occasional glances his way.
Eden muttered to himself:
What’s going on?
Is there something on my face?
“Transfer student, you’ve finally arrived.”
At that moment, a familiar voice came from the back of the classroom.
Eden looked up to see Rufus leaning against his desk, arms crossed, his face dark with gloom.
Behind him stood a few henchmen he’d seen yesterday, all wearing fierce and threatening expressions.
“Good morning, Senior Rufus. Are you here to bring breakfast to Selene?”
Eden immediately put on a smile, acting as if nothing had happened.
In his experience, school novels always had suitors doing this kind of thing.
“Why would I do such a boring thing?”
Rufus waved his hand impatiently, then stepped forward, looking down at Eden with a towering presence.
“I’m not here for Selene today. I’m here for you.”
“For me? But I’ve already eaten breakfast.”
Eden feigned confusion, blinking his eyes and symbolically rubbing his stomach after speaking.
Somewhere in the crowd, someone couldn’t hold it in and let out a snicker.
“Quiet!”
Rufus’s face instantly turned ashen.
He glared viciously around the room but couldn’t find the source of the laughter.
He lowered his voice to bark, then fixed his gaze back on Eden.
“You’re something else. You actually stood me up yesterday. It’s the first time anyone’s ever done that to me.”
“No way, no way. Senior Rufus, you didn’t really wait for me all night in the Training Room, did you?”
Eden immediately put on a shocked expression.
“Heh, so the transfer student’s also someone who can’t keep their word.”
Rufus’s knuckles turned white with anger as he clenched his fists.
Wanting to embarrass Eden in front of everyone, he deliberately raised his voice so the whole class could hear.
“You agreed to the duel and then backed out at the last minute?”
“Ah, it’s not that I didn’t want to go, but I didn’t know where your personal Training Room was in this academy, and I couldn’t get in touch with you.”
Eden shrugged helplessly like a little bear, his expression sincere enough to be convincing.
But anyone with eyes could see he was stalling Rufus.
“Alright, alright, alright.”
Rufus was so angry that he almost laughed.
He said “alright” three times in a row, then pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and slapped it onto Eden’s chest.
“This afternoon during class, the location is the practice field. Don’t say you can’t find it again.”
“I’m truly honored to receive Senior Rufus’s formal Challenge Letter right after transferring.”
Eden picked up the paper and unfolded it, raising an eyebrow.
“I guess I must weigh heavily on Senior Rufus’s mind.”
“This is my first time issuing a challenge letter. Don’t make excuses and run again.”
Rufus snorted coldly.
He thought to himself, Let you be arrogant a little longer, this afternoon if I don’t beat you half to paralysis until you’re begging on your knees, then my name isn’t reversed.
“Since you sincerely invited me, I’ll magnanimously accept.”
Eden folded the Challenge Letter back up, a meaningful smile on his face.
“If you get rejected twice in a row, both times by a guy, that’s just pitiful, isn’t it?”
“You…”
Rufus nearly cursed but held himself back to maintain his image.
He wondered if this kid really understood his current situation.
But for now, this kid could only have his fun with words.
When the time comes, he would make him a laughingstock in front of the entire academy, showing everyone what happens to those who dare to snatch a woman from him.
“Transfer student, you’re as sharp-tongued as ever, but you only have a little time left to be cocky.”
Rufus forced down his anger and pulled a stiff smile, then waved to his henchmen.
“Let’s go.”
The group stormed out of the classroom.
Eden shrugged indifferently, and under everyone’s watchful eyes, he casually crumpled the Challenge Letter and tossed it into the trash bin before slowly sitting back down.
The classroom immediately buzzed with whispered discussions.
The students whispered among themselves, debating whether Eden would be brutally beaten by Rufus this afternoon or if he would struggle a bit before being beaten badly.
After all, Eden’s strength was evident in yesterday’s Training Room session—he had struggled even to handle a Shadow Direwolf Replica, let alone someone ranked near the top of the academy like Rufus.
“Eden… why agree to Rufus’s duel? He certainly won’t go easy on you.”
Selene’s gaze was fixed straight ahead, her voice barely audible.
“If you let someone like him go unchecked, he’ll be like a stubborn stain that never ends. Better to settle it once and for all.”
Eden answered while organizing his textbooks.
“Rufus is a Magic User ranked in the top ten of the academy…”
Eden’s words moved Selene slightly.
She hesitated and lowered her voice even more.
“Do you need my help? I can enchant your sword…”
To Selene, she always felt this was because of her.
If she hadn’t sat next to him and interacted with Eden, Rufus wouldn’t have targeted him.
Of course, Eden’s brave response also deeply touched Selene.
She had always endured quietly and never seen anyone dare to confront power like this.
Eden’s fearless attitude toward Rufus made her admire him.
“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t need it.”
Eden turned to give Selene a reassuring look.
“I already have a way to deal with that guy.”
Selene blinked in slight surprise.
She looked at the black-haired youth beside her, growing more intrigued by him.
Rufus’s strength was well-known and formidable, even she was no match for him.
Yet this boy showed such confidence, as if everything was under his control.
She couldn’t help but recall the practical training class yesterday, when Eden couldn’t even perform the most basic magic and had to rely on her enchanted wooden sword just to barely keep up.
The stark contrast between the Eden of then and the confident one now stirred Selene’s curiosity and anticipation.
What kind of surprise would this always-unpredictable boy bring today?
Selene found herself actually looking forward to the duel this afternoon.
She nodded slightly.
“I’ll be looking forward to your performance, Eden.”