Varian hated his intuition sometimes. It mostly didn't work for the good things. But it worked wonderfully for bad things.
His intuition started whispering that something might happen. But having come this far, Varian didn't want to give up.
According to his original plan, 'Telor' should start fighting against some of the powerful students in the academy in these two weeks.
He should show 'improvement' with each battle and make it seem like he's continously growing from his natal treasure.
To get into the laboratory, he had to get into the top 10. It might seem simple since Telor was the top 50. But there's an ocean of differences between each rank range.
Top 10 were the strongest mid rank 7s you could find. Robert was literally the strongest mid rank 7.
As shameful as it might be, there's no third-grader as strong as him.
The top 25 were average mid rank 7s. The ones that stayed in the sub-rank for a good while but haven't reached the peak yet.
From 26th to 40th were the guys who entered mid rank 7 but were still considered beginners.
And finally, 41st to 50th were the low rank 7s.
The crown prince might not appear that impressive when compared to the top 10 but that line of thought would be a grave mistake.
Even the number 1 student of the academy, Robert, would have to break through into high rank 7. Then, he'd have to reach peak in that sub-rank. And only then could he enter the zone of peak rank 7.
While the distance appeared small, the time it'd take for these steps would be rounded up to at least a century.
And there's no guarantee that these 'geniuses' wouldn't get stuck in a bottleneck that could hold them down for centuries.
Against that backdrop, while the distance between a low rank 7 and peak mid rank 7 wasn't as high compared to the peak mid rank 7 and peak rank 7, it's still enormous.
So, Varian had to justify his performance by laying the foundation beforehand.
Following his so-called 'plan', he knocked on the doors of an exotic gym where the 41st ranker, the strongest low rank 7 of the academy practiced.
"Chanlar, come out! I've had enough of you! Let's settle scores today!"
'Telor' yelled out loud, his eyes fuming with anger.
A muscular man whose body surpassed even the sculpted statues emerged out of the gym. Behind him were a bunch of followers, all looking at Telor with displeasure.
"Telor, I don't remember bullying you." Chanlar jaw moved up and down, moving the iron rod with weights attracted to its end.
This guy was mad! He's exercising with his jaw! Was it for that mythical jawline or what?
Varian shook his head. He had to fight and establish a name for himself.
"No, no. We have a grudge. A big grudge." He clenched his fist and lightly punched his palm with a ferocious smile.
"Oh, pray tell which grudge?" Chanlar did a squat and then began to grit his teeth while panting. "Ugh, arghh, ugh!"
Varian took a few steps back at those sounds before his gaze shifted down.
He saw a few barbells tied with a powerful string moving up and down. The barbells were hanging outside but the force on the string was coming from inside Chanlar's shorts…
Varian shuddered and looked at the muscular man with a weird expression. "For the sake of curbing this obscenity, I'll fight you!"
"But didn't you say we have a grudge?" Chanlar groaned as he pulled the barbels up before sighing in relief.
"The grudge…" Varian paused and looked at Chanlar for a moment.
'A normal duel won't do. It has to be viral on the campus. So, something emotionally charged!'
"The grudge is that you're ugly!"
A sudden silence filled the premises of the gym.
Other members of the gym quickly moved away, their faces pale and their eyes looking at Varian like they were watching him for the last time.
Chanlar stopped his squat and stood. With a snort, his shirt exploded. Then, the extremely heavy metals attached to his arms, biceps, chest, and core began to fall off.
As they did, a small earthquake hit the neighboring areas.
'That weight…it's what? A hundred suns?' Varian's jaw dropped.
Chanlar cracked his knuckles, stretched his arms, and took a deep breath. And then, another set of weights dropped from his shorts. Thankfully, his shorts didn't explode.
Another earthquake struck the region, this one a bit less ferocious than the last.
Varian sighed.
This academy housed crazy people. Why couldn't everyone be like him? A normal guy, a normal family, a normal race.
[Host, should I bring a mirror?]
'I don't need a mirror to know I'm handsome.'
[…Right. You're so handsome a peak rank 9 woman dropped out of nowhere and is now stalking you.]
Varian's bright expression instantly collapsed and he looked from the corner of his eye.
That mysterious woman stood behind a row of tall trees and was watching the confrontation with interest.
'Why is she eating snacks and drinking cool drinks?'
Varian took a deep breath and turned his focus to the opponent in front.
"So, Telor, you come to my gym without any provocation. You call me out without any reason. You then insult me in front of my people." Chanlar's voice was low but the rage in it was growing with every word.
"Err," Varian felt a little embarrassed.
'If you put it like that, it looks like I'm the bad guy here. But well…'
Varian turned around and yelled at the woman. "Hey, do you think he's ugly?"
The woman paused for a moment and then yelled back. "He's really ugly! I heard they show his photos to freshmen to scare them off. The boys are threatened that this guy will enter their bathroom and the girls are threatened that he'll be rumored to be their ex."
As she finished speaking, she swiped the watch on her wrist and a few holograms popped up between Varian and Chanlar.
They were articles published by one of the student-run media really stating those things.
'Fuck! I was just asking!' Varian wanted to slap himself.
With a stiff smile, he turned to the man in the spotlight.
Chanlar's face was turning purple and red while his chest heaved up and down. His eyes were bloodshot and he was staring at Varian with a gaze that looked like he was the enemy who killed his mother and father.
'I just wanted a serious fight. But now this guy might fight me to death!' Varian realized the seriousness of the situation.
"Handsome Telor! Handsome Telor! Beat down that bastard and show him who's the boss!" The woman began to cheer.
As if her loud voice wasn't enough, she brought out a mike-like treasure and even started a live stream.
"Girls, get ready to watch the most handsome man of the academy! Telor Xon Navak!" She said in a cheerful tone.
After glancing at the screen, she shrugged. "Oh, the gym members and his opponent Chanlar are ugly? A hundred members agree? But that's how contrast is created! With contrast, his handsomeness is highlighted even more!"
Those words were the last straw that broke Chanlar's patience.
Kicking the ground, he shot forward, his punch aiming straight for Varian's face. "You disgusting handsome bastard!"
Varian hurriedly put up his palm in defence while he cursed that woman.
'Your live stream just started! How will you get 100 viewers? You just want to screw me! Screw you!'
BOOM!
And like that, the first fight began.
