Neil watched the scene with heart wrenching pain.
Even after his best efforts, he wasn't able to get the third place which should have belonged to him.
All his hard work was for naught and just like the previous year, all his accomplishments had been overshadowed.
Looking at people's loud cheers, bursting with a joyous mood as the winner went up to the stage, Neil didn't wait to see the scene and turned back to leave.
His back looked lonely which had given up on all hopes and aspirations.
No matter how hard he worked and struggled to get out of the swallow pond trying to soar into the sky, a fish will always be a fish at the end of the day who can't develop wings and fly into the sky.
Hard work betrays none, it was all just some stupid bullshit that someone came up with.
Entering the hallway to the changing room, he hit the wall trying to express his anger.
"Why..?"
"Why only my life sucks?"
"Why am I the only one who is being discarded?"
"Why do I have to tolerate all this?"
"Why is this damn life only unfair to me?"
Neil shouted with a burst of emotion as small tears trickled down his cheeks and he was about to punch the wall again when he heard another voice that stopped him in his tracks.
"Life and fairness...Since when does life treat everybody fairly?"
"You sure know how to jest."
"Life is only unfair to you…Who the hell told you that?"
Neil heard a mocking tone that disgusted him.
Neil gritted his teeth in anger and turned to see a golden-eyed boy who had an amusing expression on his face staring at him with a large grin on his face which made him think that this guy was looking down on him.
Neil frowned on seeing Lucas here who belongs to the Hero Course.
Seeing him making fun of the situation, Neil was about to lash at Lucas and wanted to scream.
"Do you think you can look down on me and bring me down just because you achieved something great?"
"So, what if you achieved rank two? So what if you become the strongest of your batch, that doesn't mean you can look down on me."Neil shouted fiercely at Lucas.
Lucas chuckled and found Neil's expression quiet but his expression became serious as he looked at Neil and said"You don't want others to look down on you so why are you looking down on yourself."
"You know you have done great and that is what matters."
'What the hell did you know?'
'You have all the necessities of life and might have been born with a silver spoon.'
But Neil froze in the middle as he knew about Lucas.
The whole academy probably knew about him already.
He had a bronze bloodline and came from a commoner house like him.
Most of the people in the Hero support course don't even have a grade in the bloodline but since bloodline is an important factor in other courses being born with a bronze bloodline would surely put him at a disadvantageous position.
Moreover, this guy before him crawled up in the ranks from bottom feeder to the top of the chain in just a mere year.
"Why are you here?" Neil asked as he observed Lucas.
"I was just observing your match," Lucas said and paused."You are quite talented Neil."
The words rang like thunder in Neil's ears and he felt that this was the biggest joke he had ever heard in his life.
"You seemed to be a funny person, Lucas. Anyone can tell at a glance that I have got no talent. I need to work hard to reach this punny level in blacksmithing."Neil muttered with a self-deprecating smile.
Lucas walked toward him and patted his shoulder and said"Don't you know that even working hard is also talent? Not everyone can work hard. Many geniuses overestimate themselves and don't work hard leaving everything to talent"
"You already have the greatest talent, Neil, don't waste it?"
"So, Neil, tell me. Why don't we make a deal where both sides get the profit?" Lucas spoke while his lips curled upwards which formed a gentle smile on his face.
Neil looked at Lucas's smile with a frowning expression.
He didn't know why but felt that he was making a deal with the devil who had appeared in human clothing.
"What do you mean by that?" Neil asked cautiously while trying to step a little.
"Neil, the thing you are lacking severely is proper guidance, isn't it?"
Neil nodded his head subconsciously on hearing Lucas's words.
"If I say, I know someone who can give you proper guidance though he might not be the best, he is surely one of the best blacksmiths that I have seen, so will you follow me," Lucas spoke.
Neil's eyeball widened for a moment on hearing Lucas's words and he started to ponder carefully.
"Why did you only pick me when there are talented ones out there?" Neil asked Lucas while pointing at those who won the match.
"Neil, I will not lie. You seemed to be easy to deal with. Your case looked good for easy picking."
Neil almost fell back when he heard Lucas's words who just gave him a straight reply.
'Don't people usually sugarcoat their words and sprinkle some pleasantries in this case? Moreover, you didn't have to give such a blunt reply and speak things directly while giving your answer.'Neil muttered inwardly.
"Hey Man! Don't pass out like that." Lucas muttered while waving his hand in front of Neil.
Neil snapped out of his thoughts and flinched back a little when he saw Lucas was standing close to him.
"Give me some time to think about it. I want to weigh the pros and cons." Neil replied.
"You have three days exactly. If you don't reply within the stipulated time. Our deal will be bill and void."
"Do you understand?"
"Moreover, stop behaving like that. You make me feel like I am a molester who came to molest you." Lucas spoke with an irritated tone as he saw Neil moving back with every step Lucas took as if he was trying to put some distance between both of them.
Neil averted his eyes seeing Lucas's glare.
Lucas sighed and turned back to leave while Neil looked at Lucas back with many unfounded emotions.
....,...
The Inter-Academy Battle cup officially ended after running for more than one and half months.
Lucas was called by Miss Ami for an important discussion.
CLANK!
Lucas arrived exactly at the stipulated time and saw Fredrick and Rose already present on the scene.
Seeing both of them, Lucas guessed the contents of the meeting.
Lucas walked and stood beside Fredrick while Ami was reading some documents.
Ami rolled her eyes and gave a gentle cough.
"Hmmm."
"Today, I have called you to discuss something important." Ami stood up while pulling out a black box from the drawer.
"You three have achieved top ranks in the First Year. But your journey is not over now; rather, it's the beginning of a new phase in your life."
''Which is to perform well in Ralph where many people come to see the circus,'' Lucas muttered softly
"You have to participate in the Challenger Cup which will be held in Ralph as always."Am I spoke while giving Lucas a sharp glare.
"You might have already heard about the Challenger cup where the stronger warriors of the respective years are selected and honored."
"Which also puts a death list on your head," Lucas said, which made both Fredrick and Rose laugh a little.
Ami glared at Lucas for interrupting her again.
"I am telling the truth, Miss Ami. What would happen if we won and we met maniacs here and there challenging us." Lucas asked with a genuine curiosity because it happened with Fredrick where many tried to show their strength and use him as a stepping stone.
Lucas doesn't want such things where someone pops out of nowhere and issues a challenge.
"You don't have to worry about things so far ahead. You just need to focus for now." Ami spoke.
"Now, I am giving you a special badge." Ami odded and opened the box which contained a tree mini eagle with a cross sword under its foot which is also the symbol of the Royal Flag of Cyprus.
"After a month you have a final exam and after it, you all have a one-month holiday and after your return, the whole academy will have a trip to Ralph."
"But you can't be negligent. With this badge, you will have an unlimited supply of training resources like potions, training artifacts, and many other things accessible to you."
Lucas's eyes glowed with more excitement as he was going to have many free things.
"By the way, this is valid until Challenger. After that, there will be no more special treatment."
Fredrick and Lucas were too busy to hear Ami's words and quickly took the badges.
Lucas was already lost in thought about how much he could plunder within the stipulated time.
