41 4.3 (1/2)

The next day, Chen Yu entered the morning class without any sense of fatigue despite having exercised all night. It seemed that here, human bodies were much stronger than in previous worlds, of course his had been further improved by the system.

The academy generally allowed its students to choose what subjects to take for their two weekday classes, with the rest of their time left free for individual training. Jin Yongguang had predictably chosen 'Expert Battle Training' in the morning and 'Expert Mecha Control' for the afternoon, both of which were exclusively available to top students. Thus, the five other boys looking back at him when he stepped into the practice hall all ranked within the top ten of the twelfth grade.

Smiling brightly, Chen Yu surveyed them, musing to himself that genetic evolution had definitely been geared toward perfecting the human appearance, every one of these teenagers could dominate any world's entertainment circle. Obviously, the protagonist and elite cannon fodder were both the most outstanding, just...in very different ways.

Whereas Hou Yi merely nodded gently back at his greeting then resumed his conversation with another student, Murong Wen hurried over, pulling Chen Yu to a spot he'd 'reserved' for him. This lackey-like impression caused the other students except Hou Yi, none of whom had as high or low a background as either of them, to scoff at Jin Yongguang for his bullying and Murong Wen for his servitude. With the protagonist's frail, pretty-boy image, however, most of the blame fell on Jin Yongguang.

Although most of them were accustomed to such a display, one student who had been glaring at them as if they were disgusting bugs couldn't stand it anymore. He stepped forward, jeering, ”Murong Wen, so you rejected me to slave away for Jin Yongguang? What, you think he'll ever look at a peasant like you?”

Chen Yu was momentarily startled.

Having gone through a couple rather conservative worlds recently, he hadn't realized that this world was so open about homosexual relationships. This was likely thanks to technological advancements. While only a female could give birth naturally after having intercourse with a male, in the laboratory, it was possible to create a baby by combining the genes of two men or women. If the quality of the product was projected to be excellent, the noble families would even encourage the same-sex union.

Returning from his thoughts, Chen Yu examined this bulked-up, arrogantly showy suitor. He could vaguely recall from the original owner's memories that he'd pursued Murong Wen for several years, unfortunately he'd been publicly refused a week ago.

Well, Murong Wen wasn't Chen Yu's type, but he supposed he could understand the appeal, anyway he had the protagonist's ability to attract anyone powerful.

And this boy wasn't too weak, his name was...Ding...Ding...”Ding Bo, don't insult my friend simply because he doesn't feel the same way you do.”

The poor kid flushed at this reminder of his rejection, pointing at him and yelling, ”Jin Yongguang, you, you, you—”

Sweeping a glance over the finger in his face, Chen Yu's eyes darkened, but he asked in a clueless voice, ”I, what?”

Ding Bo, who was two heads taller than Jin Yongguang and twice as wide, spat out, ”So you want to play hero? Ha, can you back up your words with actions?”

Chen Yu could guess where this was going, he generously proposed, ”Sure, let's have a match during class!”

Ding Bo, however, didn't know what was good for him. He shot back, ”If you dare, we'll settle this in the arena, or else you'd better apologize to me and never talk to Murong Wen again!”

A short distance away, the academy kept a stadium, colloquially called the 'arena,' to resolve disputes through a duel, which would continue until one side surrendered or died. Of course, despite this regulation, no student had actually been killed, since anyone on campus could watch the brawl virtually or physically, meaning that any survivor of a death match would be thoroughly ruined.

Although the stadium appeared to be a convenient way to release frustration, in reality, it wasn't frequently used.

This was because an arena fight was a great gamble. Whereas, depending on his performance, the victor could obtain fame and glory, on the other hand, no matter what, the loser of the confrontation would be scorned even after graduating. Being defeated in such a duel implied not only inferior skills, but also the cowardice of having begged for mercy.

Hearing the boy's predictable taunt, Chen Yu grinned. What a good opportunity to test how he compared to these brats. Still, he concernedly inquired, ”That...Ding Bo, you're only fourth place in this class, are you sure?”

At this accurate comment, Ding Bo faltered. Nevertheless, he couldn't back down now without losing all his face, he clenched his fists and blustered, ”Hng, I've been letting you win before, just shut up and wait for the teacher!”

Chen Yu agreed, calmly sitting down on the floor.

Truly, it's never peaceful around the protagonist ah.

Turning to the boy holding onto his sleeves and apologetically crying, Chen Yu mused. Whether or not he'd conspired with Jin Zhong in the plot, Murong Wen's meek behavior irritated him, so Chen Yu had intended to distance himself. Still, maybe he should leave him around a bit longer? He brought such interesting things along...

Once the instructor arrived at the practice hall a few minutes later, he was quickly informed of what had happened.

The middle-aged man had been brought by the academy straight from waging deadly battles over to the tranquil classroom, he was also eager to experience the straightforward, hot-blooded daring of youth. Thus, he declared that he was willing to hold the arena fight right away for instructional purposes and directed all six of the students to troop over to the stadium immediately.

While Chen Yu walked, he was wondering how such a brash student like Ding Bo could have survived for so long in the academy when he recollected that this Ding Bo's parents were known for their logistical support systems and had signed some contracts with the Hou group.

Therefore, in Ding Bo's mind, despite Jin Jia's great political power, since the Ding family was allied with the supreme might of the military, he felt secure in challenging the other boy. Probably, if Jin Yongguang came from a military pedigree, no matter how lowly, Ding Bo wouldn't have dared.

But his whole plan depended on Hou Yi championing him...

Curious whether that inwardly callous boy would really be so benevolent, Chen Yu twisted around to peek at him.