Chapter 74 Aftermath Of The Duel

Ben stood frozen, his gaze fixed on Ken as the latter spoke. "I know all too well how the weak are crushed," Ken said, his grip on his sword tightening as he prepared to strike.

With a swift motion, he slashed at Ben, who attempted to block the attack but was ultimately overcome.

In the end, Ben was defeated.

As the audience watched with fascination, the holograms shimmered and pulsed, displaying the final results.

Suddenly, a loud uproar filled the room, and cheers erupted as Ken was declared the winner.

The audience erupted into applause, while Ben's minions looked visibly disappointed, their faces downcast.

As Ken and Ben emerged from the capsule, Ken's elated expression was in sharp contrast to Ben's lack of enthusiasm.

Ben began walking towards the exit with his followers trailing behind him.However, Ken called out to him, "Hey, Ben, wait up!"

Ben turned around to face Ken, wondering what he wanted.

"I just wanted to say well done, and maybe we could grab a drink together tomorrow after the lectures and discuss about winner's prize?" suggested Ken.

Ben hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement and started leaving with his followers.

As Ben and his minions left, Ken walked towards his group, where James, one of his closest friends, rushed over to him.

James greeted Ken with a huge smile and congratulated him on his victory.

James then patted Ken on the shoulder and reminded him,

"I always knew that you would win. After all, your the person who beat me."

James, Amy, and Eva joined Ken's group and congratulated him on his victory.

"I didn't expect that you were this strong." Amy commented.

"But why did you challenge him for the durl? Was there something more to it than just settling a score for his troubling everyday? There should be something else, right?" Eva chimed in.

Ken smiled wryly, knowing that the topic was not appropriate for the current location.

Ken chuckled and replied, "There was a lot more to it than that, but I don't think this is the right place to discuss it. Let's find somewhere more private to talk."

As they walked away, Ken couldn't help but notice the mixed emotions in the arena.

Some people were cheering for him, while others were visibly upset. He also spotted a tall, handsome young man with blond hair who seemed particularly displeased with the outcome of the duel.

"I wonder what his problem is," Ken thought to himself as he and his group made their way out of the arena.

Ken was unaware that the duel had attracted more attention than he anticipated.

Some people were pleased with the outcome, while others were disappointed. Those who had bet on Ben were upset, and some who had bet on Ken were overjoyed.

Lily, who had made a good harvest, was happy with her winnings but felt a sense of anger towards Rain.

"Now, I have to work on that merchandise. Although I don't know why I feel angry whenever I think about working for that guy," she muttered to herself.

Meanwhile, a tall, handsome young man with blond hair sat quietly, his eyes filled with frustration. Many girls were glancing at him from time to time, but he paid them no attention.

"Useless garbage. Looks like I have to find a new dog," he murmured to himself before leaving his seat and departing the room. The young man had an air of nobility around him, and his departure did not go unnoticed.

On the other hand,

Ken and his group had found a private room in the 2nd floor of cafeteria to discuss the events leading up to the duel. The cafeteria was almost empty as people rarely came there.

As they sipped on their coffee, Eva asked Ken about the reason for the challenge.

Ken took a deep breath and began to recount the story from the beginning. He talked about how he had encountered some bullies on his way home from his evening training and how he had beaten them. He went on to describe his conversation with Issac and Kevin, which eventually led to the duel with Ben.

The group listened intently, and James was particularly outraged by the bullies' behavior. "Those bastards. How can they do this?" he exclaimed.

Amy waved her hand, stopping James mid-sentence. "Enough, You muscle head. Let Ken finish," she said.

James sat down and innocently asked, "But aren't you also a muscle-head?"

Amy, who was just inches away from punching him, rolled her eyes and chose to ignore his comment. She turned her attention back to Ken, eager to hear the rest of the story.

But Eva interrupted the group's bickering, "Okay, calm down, both of you. Ken, how does this relate to challenging Ben?" she asked as she took a sip of coffee.

"Um, isn't Ben one of the heads of the Bloodline Supremacy club in the freshman class?" Hearing this, everyone in room nodded thier head.

"So now I have defeated him in a duel, I will convince him to limit his activities or change his mindset, wouldn't that be a good thing? I believe I can have a good talk with him tomorrow," explained Ken, his face reflecting his pride.

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't think that will work," Eva responded, and Amy nodded in agreement.

Ken looked at them with puzzled look. Noticing it Eva thought of explaining him.

"Isn't it obvious? The Blood Supremacy club has many members, including seniors and some professors who support them from behind the scenes," Eva said as she sipped her coffee.

"Restricting Ben alone wouldn't change anything much." Amy added while eating strawberry cake.

"But wouldn't everything be solved if we just beat them up?" asked James.

"Hey, you idiot! Don't be complacent, even though you are a D-rank and Ken is a C-rank. There are many C-rankers in the second and third year, and some B-rankers in the fourth year. You will be crushed like a cockroach if you fight them," Amy explained, snickering after she finished.

Eva added, "And let's not forget about the possible consequences of such actions. Violence only leads to more violence, and it can also put us in trouble with the authorities. We need to find a more peaceful and effective way to deal with the Bloodline Supremacy club."

Ken nooded.

"There are a few reasons why we may not be able to help you directly," said Eva. "Firstly, our family forbids us from getting involved in conflicts. But we can still offer support from the sidelines."

Amy added, "Also, there are some powerful senior members in the club who may not directly involve themselves but could still manipulate the situation."

"We're not sure how Ben will react to your request," continued Eva. "He may just deny it, leaving us unable to assist you."

James asked, "Doesn't this go against the warrior's honor?"

Amy quickly dismissed the idea, saying, "Those who follow such a code wouldn't behave this way."

Ken suggested, "We could unite other seniors from common families to help solve the problem. I also have a solution for any resistance from the professors from their side."

Saying this, Ken just smirked.

After that they started discussing further, they realized that they needed more information about the club and its activities. They decided to do some research and gather more allies before taking any action.

"Does anyone know any senior from common background who can help us?" asked Eva as they continued to discuss their plan.

Amy spoke up, "Actually, I do know one senior who is part of my club. She might be able to provide us with some valuable insights about their activities and some help to gather allies."

"That's great," said Eva. "We need to gather as much information as possible before taking any action."

James added, "We should also be careful not to get caught. We don't want to face any repercussions for our actions."

Ken nodded in agreement, "We need to make sure that our plan is foolproof and that we have enough support to back us up."

Suddenly, James noticed that some people were starting to stare at them. "Hey guys, maybe we should move to a more private area. We don't want to attract too much attention," he suggested.

Eva quickly suggested, "Let's go to my dorm. We can continue the meeting there and also have some privacy."

They all agreed and made their way to Eva's dorm to further discuss their plan and come up with a strategy to tackle the club's wrongdoings.

Meanwhile, outside the cafe, the blond-haired boy who had left the duel earlier was walking down the street.

He was deep in thought, pondering the events of the day. He had lost a considerable amount of money by betting on Ben, but that wasn't his main concern.

He was more intrigued by the person who had defeated Ben. He had heard rumors about Ken before, but he never expected him to be this skilled.

He decided to keep an eye on Ken and see how things would unfold. Perhaps he could learn more about him.

__________________________________________

[Ben's POV]

After coming out of the arena, Ben dismissed his henchmen.

"Left me alone, I have some work," he said, not even bothering to look back at them as he made his way towards his room.

"But..." one of his henchmen started to protest, but the others quickly silenced him, knowing better than to cross their boss when he was in a mood like this.

"Boss needs some alone time," one of them said, giving the man a gentle push towards the exit.

As they looked at the back of Ben walking alone, even though it was same as always, it looked little lonely.

As Ben entered his room and made his way to his private training space, he could feel the anger and frustration building up inside of him.

He started punching the sandbag with such force that his fists started to hurt, but he didn't stop. The pain was nothing compared to the rage that was consuming him.

"Why?" he muttered to himself, his voice growing louder with each word. "Why am I so weak? Why can't I beat those guys? What do they know anyway? They don't know what it's like to have everything riding on your shoulders, to have to live up to everyone's expectations."

Ben punched the ground with his bare fists, not caring about the pain anymore. He was tired of feeling like a failure, tired of always falling short of what was expected of him. "If you're weak, you'll be crushed," he spat out, the words echoing off the walls of the room.

"People will talk behind your back, belittle you, and leave you behind. A weak person is nothing."

His frustration turned to tears, as small drops started to fall from his eyes. He was surprised at his own reaction, not used to showing vulnerability in front of anyone.

But in that moment, he didn't care. He was so overwhelmed with the weight of his own expectations and the fear of failure that he couldn't hold back anymore.

"Hah," he scoffed at himself. "I don't know why I'm crying now. I thought hard work would pay off, but against those people, I'm nothing. All I have is this status, this reputation that's built on nothing but empty promises and false expectations."

Just as he was about to give up, his phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.

He stood up, wiping away his tears as he checked his phone, surprised to see an unknown number calling him.

His anger and frustration were momentarily forgotten as he answered the call.

"Hello, who are you?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Take a guess," a voice on the other end said, a hint of a smirk in his tone.

It was an unknown number, but if Ben could saw the caller's face, he would recognize it immediately.

It was Rain.