Please give the novel a rating or a review on NovelUpdates
———-

Chapter 68: The Bet Resurfaces

It was an open space by the lake, where shoulder-high shrubs blocked the view from the road and provided excellent cover.

Magina had been coming here every morning after breakfast, practicing her Martial Techniques for an hour before heading to the training field for class.

The red-haired girl was pummeling an iron-wood mannequin in the center of the clearing, and the thudding echoed so hard that Ashura, watching from behind the bushes, clicked his tongue in secret admiration.

He thought to himself that the woman was still as violent as ever, and the crude face sketched on the iron-wood dummy looked uncannily like his own when he wore that roguish grin.

That irritated Ashura, and he snorted softly through his nose.

The faint snort caught Magina’s attention, and she barked at the shrub where Ashura was hiding, “Who is it? Get out!”

Realizing he had been exposed, Ashura shuffled out from behind the shrub, pulled off his hood, and said, “Stop yelling, it’s me!”

Magina’s eyes lit up when she saw who it was, but the light vanished as a thought crossed her mind; her face chilled and she glared at Ashura.

Seeing Magina’s hostile expression, Ashura’s heart skipped; he touched his belt, debating whether to pull out the damaged soft armor and accept a beating or draw the Twin Swords to save his skin.

They stared at each other in silence for the time it took to drink a cup of tea; Magina’s gaze made Ashura’s scalp tingle, so he spoke up, “Uh… I just got back and wanted to talk to you about something, so please calm down and hear me out first!”

Crossing her arms, Magina sneered, “Just got back? Then why did I hear that someone returned half a month ago and did something earth-shattering by this very lake?”

Ashura shook his head at once, “Don’t talk nonsense, I know nothing about that. I’m here on serious business, but you have to promise you won’t get mad!”

Magina snorted at his shameless look, lifted her chin arrogantly, and gestured for him to speak.

Ashura’s eyes flicked across the girl’s ample chest, then he forced a grin and said, “First, thank you for lending me the soft armor; it really saved me. Unfortunately an accident damaged it. Can it be repaired, or should I compensate you?”

As he spoke, he took the battered soft armor from his storage space and handed it to Magina; she accepted it, secretly shocked.

The armor had been a 14th-birthday gift from her clan’s grand elder; there were two sets, one male and one female, and while she wore the female set next to her skin, she had impulsively lent the male set to Ashura.

Back then the elder had joked, “If Magina meets a boy she likes, she should give him the other set.”

Remembering that, Magina’s cheeks flushed, but the gash at the armor’s abdomen made her frown; she knew its capabilities… nothing short of a full-power strike from a Magic Warrior could breach its defense.

Yet the damage looked less like a weapon wound and more like a Beast’s claw mark.

Where had this annoying guy gone, and what on earth had he been through?

Watching Magina’s shifting, frowning face, Ashura said meekly, “I didn’t do it on purpose. Can it be fixed? If not, I’ll pay you back.”

His words pulled Magina back to reality, and she glared, “You have the nerve to hand it back in this state? What have you been doing to ruin my armor like this?”

Ashura just kept grinning foolishly and dodging the question, repeating that he would compensate her.

The more Magina listened the angrier she grew; staring at the shameless grin that often haunted her dreams, she itched to beat him up.

She growled, “Looks like that trip didn’t improve you much. Fight me now: if you win, you owe me nothing for the armor; if you lose, you come back as my sparring partner until you graduate… that will cover the damage!”

Ashura’s lips curled upward and he asked provocatively, “Deal?”

Magina paused; the annoying fellow seemed more confident and composed than before, no longer intimidated by her strength, and that set her on guard.

It struck her that Ashura had agreed too readily, but the wager was her idea and her strength left her no room to back down.

Tilting her chin proudly, Magina said, “You think I’d cheat? Get over here and take your beating… I’ve been itching to give you one!”

Ashura stretched lazily at her reply; he too wanted to test whether his recent training had narrowed the gap between him and the academy’s prodigies.

Not daring to be careless, he drew the Radiance Twin Swords from his space belt and silently lifted two seals of Caban’s Prison, restoring 90% of his strength.

The moment he broke the seals, Magina’s sixth sense felt the shift in his aura; she had no idea how the rascal had done it, but she resolved to treat the duel with caution.

She pulled a set of crimson heavy armor from her space ring and donned it in a heartbeat; paired with her flaming hair, it made her look imposing.

With the gigantic Horse-Cutter Sword she drew, she looked every inch a female war-god to Ashura.

Ashura gaped at the fully armed Magina.

He cursed his luck inwardly; he had planned to overwhelm her with a Grand Martial Master’s burst, but her battle-ready posture spoiled that idea and annoyed him.

Ashura knew Magina was nothing like the desperate Warriors of Pagoda Palace; her prestigious background clearly afforded her top-tier resources and instruction.

Even the crimson armor she wore shimmered with intermittent rune-light.

Ashura doubted he could break through its defense easily.

He accepted that as an innate advantage; Ashura always acknowledged such disparities and never thought them unfair.

His mind raced… if he could not win head-on, he would have to outwit her like last time.

The youth’s lips curved into that rogue’s grin again, and Magina ground her teeth at the sight.

She hefted the massive blade and charged at Ashura.

Ashura cursed, “Crazy woman,” raised the Twin Swords, and met her slash head-on.

After a deafening clang, both retreated a step, each secretly shocked; Ashura was stunned by Magina’s power, comparable to a tier-5 Earth-Burst Bear.

Magina’s first thought was that he must have advanced to 1st-stage Grand Martial Master; his growth was frighteningly fast.

But why had his aura still felt like a Martial Master’s just moments ago?

Suppressing the question, Magina focused on the fight; the two traded blows back and forth among the lakeside trees.

Luckily there were hardly any students at the lake, or the spectacular duel would have drawn a crowd.

———-
Support the Translation! 🌐✨

Your donations not only show appreciation but also keep the translator motivated! Every contribution helps continue bringing you more of what you love. Thank you for being a part of this journey! 💖

https://www.ko-fi.com/maxoofie