248 Chapter 248: I want ten! (1/2)

Everyone watched in icy horror as Dong Fang Yue Chu toppled to the ground, the side of his head bruised and scorched by Zuo Teng's spell. It wasn't a fire spell because the fire mage would have some resistance to it, but still…

”What the fuck are you doing?!” Teacher Fielding hollered as he grabbed Zuo Teng by the collar and heaved him off his feet. ”Who gave you the order to shoot a student?!”

”But he went and took the sack of rice even though he lost.”

”…what's with the rice?” one of the students whispered, completely lost at what was going on. I mean, seriously, who shot a student for taking a sack of rice he had rightly won? Actually, she had a point. Why were they giving out rice to students for winning qualifiers in the first place?

The guy beside the female student scowled. ”Huh? You never watched any of Donnie Yen's movies? Especially the first movie of the franchise that made him famous?”

Ah. That explained the chapter title above.

Narrowing his eyes, Teacher Fielding let go off Zuo Teng and glared at him.

”Do that again,” he warned icily. ”And I will kill you.”

”…yes, sir.” Zuo Teng straightened his collar as he backed away and audibly gulped. Fielding then turned to survey the edge of the stage, where a few healing students had hastily rushed forward to put poor Dong Fang Yue Chu on a stretcher.

The rest of the students had fallen silent by now, probably horrified by what they just witnessed. Meanwhile the black-belted students sitting in seiza around the ring maintained their stony expressions, as if used to all this violence.

”Yue Chu!” I rushed toward my unconscious friend, but the healer students waved me back in annoyance.

”Don't obstruct us! We've to take him to the infirmary as quickly as possible!”

”Don't worry,” the other healer student assured me. ”Teacher Cure will take care of him. I'm sure he'll be fine.”

And just like that, they were gone.

”…anyone else wishes to challenge?” Teacher Fielding was asking, but after witnessing the brutal murder…uh, I mean ”punishment” of Dong Fang Yue Chu, no one was enthusiastic or eager to proceed toward their deaths. Uh, I mean no one was a glutton for punishment.

Except for me.

I glanced in the direction Dong Fang Yue Chu had disappeared in, feeling rage well up inside me. The guy was my friend. And it enraged me to see him being treated like that, to be robbed of the reward he was promised just because he lost the second match against three martial artists…I mean mages. True, he stupidly overestimated himself and got overly cocky, and he sort of deserved the beat-down he received at the hands of his three opponents.

But Zuo Teng pissed me off. obviously he was looking down on Chinese martial arts and testing how strong we were against his Japanese karate…wait, what? Never mind. I should stop confusing reality with movies (did I just make a movie reference instead of an anime reference? The horror!).

Pushing my glasses up my nose and loosening my tie, I stepped onto the ring.

”I wish to make a challenge,” I declared, my voice frosty with rage. Any colder and my surroundings would start freezing around me.

Teacher Fielding nodded, probably understanding the reason for my anger. He was about to choose my opponents for me, but I raised a hand.

”I want ten!” I shouted.

”…eh?”

”Huh?!”

”What?!”

All the student spectators gaped at me in total disbelief, not sure they had heard me right. I ignored them, focusing my gaze on Fielding. He was also taken aback, staring at me uncertainly.

”Are you serious? Don't be reckless.”

”I said, I want to fight ten people!” I insisted stubbornly. One of the students stood up and nervously translated my words for the two teachers, though why, I had no idea. I was speaking the same language as everyone else.

”Did you say ten people?”

The student translator lowered his head. ”Yes.”

”Oi, cut it out! You don't need any translations!” I snapped. ”Stop wasting time with all this acting! We all know which movie you're trying to parody!”

”Okay, okay.” Fielding swallowed and sighed heavily. He knew what was coming, probably because he also watched it.

Beside him, Zuo Teng barked out in amused laughter. ”I would love to see him try!” he sneered scornfully.

I kept my determined gaze on Teacher Fielding, my eyes steely and unyielding. He took a deep breath before he finally nodded to show his consent.

Folding his arms, Zuo Teng turning to the dozens of black-belted students kneeling around the ring.