Chapter 25: Nola Reinheart Vs Noah Grey![1]
Baffled and perplexed, I found myself in a twisted situation that seemed to have no end.
My inner voice questioned, 'How can you be in such a mess?'
The world around me had taken on a surreal quality, as though up was down and left was right. From the double dungeon to this unexpected twist.
This was not how it was supposed to go. Originally in the novel, Nola Reinheart was meant to be triumphant, facing a random girl that wouldn't stand a chance against her.
As the stares of countless strangers bore into me, my nerves began to fray.
In a moment of frustration, I clenched my fists and squeezed my eyes shut, taking a deep breath.
"If fate were a living creature, I would have stomped it to death beneath my feet!", I muttered through gritted teeth.
I may not have understood what was going on around me, but I could certainly let off some steam about it.
Anyway.
I knew that it was sparring session today so I was somewhat mentally prepared.
But, I wasn't ready for any kind of challenges yet, and this? I strolled towards the arena.
As I neared the disc, I muttered in a hushed tone to Nano, "Please refrain from resorting to 'battle mode' or 'healing' unless my survival is on the line, and I'm left clinging onto the edge of oblivion by a thread."
Nano had no ethical constraints whatsoever.
It would keep attacking until the target was fully incapacitated, or, to put it bluntly, eliminated. Need I say more?
[Affirmative, still I would have to break the protocol if you were in certain danger.]
I frowned at the response, but whatever I can do about it now?
I loosened my expression.
As I strode towards the arena, my visage remained serene and composed, even as Nola glared at me, emitting an air of superiority that suggested she considered me nothing more than a bug.
Of course, I only smiled.
I wanted to test my physical abilities and push myself to my limits, and what better arena to hone my skills than a controlled and secure environment like this?
***
Third person's POV:
As the pale boy entered the arena, Nola couldn't help but take stock of his strength, estimating his level to be somewhere around (G+).
Nola herself was an (F-).
When his name was called out, she noticed the look of pure panic that washed over his face.
'What a fucking pussy', Nola thought to herself, rolling her eyes. 'He's pretending to be all cool and collected, but I bet he's shitting himself in the inside.'
Nola let out a frustrated sigh, fed up with his pathetic attempt to look serene in front of everyone.
'Seriously, who is he trying to fool? The guy's a total wimp.'
Without hesitation, Nola drew her sword, her eyes narrowing.
She had no desire to prolong this fight; she wanted to finish this quickly, and with the least possible fuss. The guy wasn't worth licking her shoe's dirt.
She had heard him being called as the 'machete guy' or 'misfit'.
Nola had heard rumors, just a few days ago, about a scandalous incident connected to the guy's past.
As a person who prided herself on righteousness and moral values, the mere suggestion of such wrongdoing filled her with disgust.
"Gross," she muttered to herself under her breath.
To Nola, the guy was nothing more than a bug.
Without missing a beat, Nola readied herself with a flick of her wrist.
Nola could only smirk at his tenacity. "You really are like a rat," she jeered.
The one-sided slaughter continued, with Nola effortlessly sending Noah flying or beating him down repeatedly until he lost his footing.
But something odd began to happen.
Nola suddenly attacked Noah's wrist with her sword, causing his wrist to swell with pain. Despite this, Noah was able to dodge one or two thrusts of her sword.
As the match continued, the students watched with amusement and muttered to each other, "Why hasn't he given up yet?"
To most people, Noah was nothing more than a hopeless loser who wasted time in combat classes.
They were certain that the match would end quickly and in Nola's favor, given the large rank difference between the two.
Some of the students were beginning to grow restless, with some even mocking Noah's poor performance.
"His parents must be disgusted with him," they scoffed, while others encouraged him to give up in order to save time.
But, there were some who silently cheered for Noah, not because they had any particular affection for him, but because they wanted to waste as much time as possible.
"Bro, don't give up! You can do it," they encouraged him, while secretly sneering at his foolishness.
The longer the match went on, the more exhausted Nola became.
She had hoped to humiliate Noah and end the match quickly, but even after five minutes of continuous struggle, the stubborn bastard still refused to give up.
"Huff... fuck... rat!" she muttered through gritted teeth, feeling the frustration start to get the better of her.
Noah saw an opportunity present itself and quickly took it.
Using his footwork, he faked a slash towards Nola and she instinctively tried to dodge.
But midway through, Noah twisted his body and delivered a forceful punch to her sternum.
"Gah?!" Nola stumbled back, surprised by the sudden attack.
"What's this? Bug is fighting back?" she muttered angrily, noticing the reaction of the onlookers.
With an overpowering rage, Nola activated her "flower sword dance" and relentlessly beat down on Noah.
Despite his best efforts to defend himself, his face and both wrists became swollen, and it seemed like he could give up at any moment.
Noah struck once more, hitting Nola square in the face with a powerful punch.
Even with the opportunity to end the match quickly, Nola still refused to use any fatal attacks due to the rules and her own ego.
Nola, was becoming increasingly frustrated and angry with Noah's persistence.
Despite being talented from a young age, there weren't many who could match her skill, and the fact that this guy was giving her such a hard time infuriated her.
If fatalk attacks were allowed and she had a sharp sword, the match would have ended quickly.
"You! I was taking it easy on you," she panted heavily, "But..." Nola cut off her sentence as only now did she noticed Noah's condition.
He was bleeding from the head, his face was swollen, and his wrists were both injured.
His hair was disheveled and his eyes were unfocused.
Seeing him like this, Nola couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy.
"Pha! I will end your trouble with this. You have the spirit, I will give you that, but you simply aren't talented enough."
With one swift movement, Nola stepped back and energized her sword. It wasn't a damage dealing attack, but rather aimed to push Noah into defeat without hurting him.
Noah tried to dodge, but he was too slow. The attack hit him forcefully in the torso, sending his body flying almost to the edge of the stadium.
As Noah's body writhed and twitched in pain, it was clear to everyone that the match had gone on long enough.
Nola, satisfied with her victory, turned her back and began to leave the ring.
Professor Riya took a long look at Noah's battered body and began to announce, "Alright, that's enough. The match ends with Nola being-"
But before she could finish, she stopped mid-sentence.
Nola, sensing that something was wrong, also turned back to look at Noah.