The sound of glass shards falling to the ground rang through the auditorium
Some swallowed their saliva with an audible gulp. Then there was nothing except an awkward silence.
Nobody dared to make a sound as their gaze was focused on the theater's stage and the tiny ring.
Did Michael's arrow actually pass through the metal ring and cut through the curtain before hitting the clock, or were they hallucinating?
It had to be a dream!
Everyone was shocked to the core. They had always assumed Michael to be a good for nothing…or so they thought. Everything they knew about Michael seemed like a big lie, and it made them feel miserable.
How was it possible that this loser was more talented than them?! Wasn't he just a loser? How could that be?
Michael savored the change in the distorted expressions of his former classmates, and everyone else present. It was a great feeling to be towering above everyone else, to be the reason everybody's face was drained of all the earlier joy and color. Finally, he didn't have to hold back anymore. There was nothing they could do to him now that they had signed a legally binding contract.
Threaten him with their family's power? They could try!
Michael was not afraid of their family's power or influence, not anymore.
Thus, he calmly pointed at the stage while his gaze was fixated on Kaleb.
"It's your turn," He said calmly.
Kaleb stared blankly at Michael. He was not confident in hitting that shot.
Their distance to the theater stage was roughly 100 meters, and the gap in the metal ring was tiny, almost negligible from this distance.
Kaleb couldn't even see the gap in the metal ring clearly, forget about the clock backstage.
However, Kaleb couldn't give up now. It was already too late, and his pride was on the line. If he was to lose against an ordinary citizen in an archer competition his image would be tarnished. Kaleb couldn't accept that!
He momentarily forgot about the bet they made as he took a deep breath. His pride was far more important than an insignificant bet!
Kaleb retrieved an arrow calmly. He nocked it on the bowstring, which he pulled back slowly.
Kaleb held his breath once the bowstring reached the corner of his mouth. He aimed at the metal ring for more than ten seconds before his arm became still. He was poised and his body tense while his entire focus was locked on the target.
Then he released the arrow.
The arrow flew through the air in a beautiful arc. It reached the theater stage in the next second and was steadily moving toward the metal ring.
At that moment, the corner of Kaleb's lips turned upward, and his fans began to cheer. Even Jasmine Blade clenched her fists in joy.
Kaleb's arrow was bound to pierce through the tiny gap in the metal ring!
However, just as everyone thought Kaleb would hit the designated target, his expression changed.
He noticed that the arrow slowed down earlier than he anticipated. It fell behind in speed a fraction of a second earlier than it should have been, but Kaleb noticed that. He had predicted the trajectory of the arrow, but it didn't take the perfect course.
Michael noticed that as well.
"It's your bow," He said quietly.
The next moment, the arrow reached the curtain on the stage. A loud jingling noise echoed through the surroundings.
The arrow hit the metal ring and fell down with a thud. The cheering of Jasmine and the other girls stopped abruptly, and a stony silence enveloped them again.
Kaleb lost the competition.
His arrow missed the metal ring by a hair's breadth, but he lost.
The cheers died down and Kaleb's expression worsened.
Meanwhile, Michael was stunned though he felt elated by his own performance.
The only reason Kaleb lost was the strength of his bow. Kaleb had used the maximum range of his bow. Only a bow with a stronger pulling force such as his Hardwood Bow could fly that far without losing much traction.
However, the bow Kaleb had used was already his limit. He was only 17 years old and he hadn't manifested the War Rune yet. Without the War Rune, he couldn't refine his body. Kaleb was clearly at his limit.
Meanwhile, Michael had only been confident to win against the golden spoons like Kaleb and others, who had undergone a completely different training regime than him from a young age, because he had the Eagle Eyes, the 3-Star Hardwood Bow Artifact, and Fenrir's memories as an archer.
Of course, it was also necessary to be able to calmly pull the Hardwood Bow's bowstring, which was something he could do easily through the strength he received from his War Rune's high refinement degree.
The advantages at his disposal determined his victory in the archer competition, but that didn't matter.
A victory was a victory!
Kaleb had challenged Awakened because he was too arrogant. He had been certain that he would win against the people in the afterparty, which was why he challenged them. Thus, Kaleb had to live with the consequences of his actions. That was what Michael thought.
A seed of joy blossomed in Michael's heart, and he chose to forgive Kaleb for making him lose his appetite. Being too petty now that he won the archer competition, and the bet didn't suit him.
'I am forgiving Kaleb for committing such a heinous sin. See how generous I am!' Michael patted himself mentally while looking at Kaleb with a faint smile.
But Kaleb could only frown. He looked at Michael, whose Artifacts had already returned to his War Rune, and opened his mouth.
"You have a Soultrait that enhances your Eyesight, don't you?" He asked coldly, all of a sudden.
Michael raised an eyebrow at the tone of Kaleb's voice. He didn't think it was necessary to give an answer. This was not an interrogation.
"Cheater…"
Michael stared at Kaleb in disbelief. Was Kaleb a whiny person?
"You're a cheater!" He shouted now, but it sounded more like a dog barking pitifully after a juicy piece of bone was snatched from it.
It was obvious that Kaleb didn't want to acknowledge that he lost the competition. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists furiously.
Meanwhile, Michael could only stare back at Kaleb, unsure what to say.
'Is he an idiot?'
"You do realize that you challenged several Lords just now, right? The chance to encounter someone with a better bow, or a suitable Soultrait was not that small," Michael tried to put sense in the prideful prick before he added a little bit more seriously, "But you do realize that you signed a contract where all of that is clearly stated, right?"
The content of the contract, which Michael had drafted, clearly stated that they were going to hold an archery competition between ordinary people and Awakened Lords and Adventurers.
If Kaleb would have read the contract instead of signing it blindly, he might have been a little bit more careful.
"You bastard… Do you even know who I am?!" Kaleb roared at last.
His behavior stunned Michael, along with the other participants of the competition and everyone else present.
Jasmine wished she could bury herself underground at this moment. Since when did Kaleb turn into such an embarrassing, jealous idiot?
If he had simply accepted his loss graciously, nobody would have said something. In fact, he would have been praised for his great talent. After all, he had bagged second place in a competition against Lords.
It was obvious that Michael had a Soultrait that enhanced his archery skill, but what did that matter?
Nobody wanted to acknowledge it, but Michael's victory was justified. There had been a reason he confidently bet an Epic Artifact on his victory.
That loser was not the same loner as he had been before!
Michael frowned deeply when Kaleb played the 'family' trump card. He knew who the Zenovia family was. Of course, he knew!
Thus, a faint smile blossomed on his face as he looked provokingly at Kaleb.
"You're an idiot. So what?"
