The atmosphere inside the House Nova arena was absolutely electric. Thousands of students packed into the tiered spectator stands, but the deafening cheers and wild excitement weren’t simply about school pride.

The main driving force was the massive gambling pool.

Hovering broadcast drones filled the airspace above the bleachers. Every single student in the crowd had their personal live stream actively running to capture the fight for their respective audiences.

Whenever a sanctioned duel took place, the academy network automatically created a unified event and synchronized every viewer’s wager.

The digital points, which could easily be converted into real-world currency, would be distributed evenly among the winners based on the total betting pool.

A loud chime echoed across the arena, officially signaling that the betting round had begun.

A loud chime echoed across the arena, officially signaling that the betting round had begun.

Down on the reinforced stone tiles of the dueling ring, Solomon and Marco stood face-to-face. A towering beast student with thick gray fur and sharp claws stood directly between them, holding a glowing digital tablet to act as the official referee.

"How many rounds do you two want for this match?" the beast student grunted, tapping his claw against the screen.

Marco adjusted his grip on his weapon belts and glared across the ring. "One round is fine."

"One round," Solomon agreed smoothly. "The final outcome wouldn’t change just because we add more of them."

"Declare your weapons," the referee instructed. "I need to officially log your equipment to ensure fairness and check for any prohibited, pre-loaded weapon skills."

Marco reached to his waist and drew his twin shortswords with a sharp, metallic ring. The polished blades gleamed brightly under the overhead arena lights.

Solomon simply raised his bare hands. "My fists are enough."

Marco’s face instantly twisted into an ugly scowl. He snapped his arm forward, pointing the tip of his shortsword directly at Solomon’s chest. "Do not underestimate me! You better choose a weapon right now, because once the barrier goes up and the duel begins, you won’t get to change your mind."

"I do not actually own a standard weapon," Solomon replied, keeping his posture entirely relaxed. "And using the only weapon I do possess would not be considered a fair fight."

Solomon wasn’t simply trying to mock the furious upperclassman although that was his intention, the real reason was that he was stating a fact.

’Ever since I learned the Imperial Sword Arts, I haven’t been able to properly control my physical strength,’ Solomon thought, staring at Marco’s fragile stance.

He had spent his entire fifteen year mental imprisonment fighting an S Rank Paladin. Since waking up, he had exclusively fought towering boss monsters and swarms of labyrinth mobs. He lacked any real experience holding back his destructive power against a regular human being.

’If I swing Eden’s Penance at Marco, I will probably kill him by accident.’

The referee looked down at his digital tablet. "How long do you want this match to last? We also need to establish any restrictions regarding aura, magic, ring boundaries, and timeouts."

Marco gestured toward Solomon with his free hand. "You go ahead and take this one."

Solomon shrugged. "I genuinely have no idea how this system works since I have never participated in an official duel. You look like the type of guy who picks a fight with anyone he sees."

Marco gritted his teeth in obvious frustration. "No time limits and absolutely no restrictions on powers. I have not developed a mana core yet, but I will definitely use my aura."

Solomon watched Marco seethe with a small grin. ’The ragebait worked perfectly. This guy is incredibly easy to anger.’

Solomon turned his attention back to The referee. "When exactly does the fight end?"

The referee tapped the glowing screen. "A match concludes when a contestant surrenders or completely loses the ability to move."

The referee read the final clauses from the official rulebook. "Any destruction to academy property outside the designated ring will result in financial charges. The administration will deduct those repair costs from the accounts of both contestants. If either of you receives an injury requiring high-grade medical treatment, we will split those hospital bills and deduct the points from both parties regardless of who actually wins the match."

The referee lowered the tablet and pointed toward the combat zone. "Step into the arena ring if you are fully prepared to begin."

Solomon prepared to walk forward but suddenly, a mechanical sound echoed from above. They looked up and saw a metallic bird descended from the rafters and landed directly on Solomon’s shoulder.

His replacement broadcast owl had finally arrived.

A tiny red rune flared to life on the owl’s metallic head, projecting a translucent holographic chat window directly into his field of vision. The digital text instantly transformed into a frantic blur of scrolling messages.

[User12]: bro is alive?! we literally watched you bleed out on the floor!

[GoonLord]: YOU SURVIVED!!! DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?! WHERE IS THE GIANT BIRD MONSTER?!

[NewbHunter]: I typed RIP in the chat... wait, how do you have two hands?

[BloodKnight]: A miraculous survival. Your right arm was completely severed during the broadcast interruption. Explain this recovery.

[GamerGuy]: bro triggered a secret respawn point! literal raid boss loot! 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

[LazyCat]: lmao the lore is totally broken now. we need answers.

[1Fizzy]: nice new hand. Is it a realistic looking prosthetic?

Solomon glanced at the glowing text and offered a casual wave to the camera lens. Thousands of viewers had spent the last few hours fully believing he had bled to death in a ruined palace after getting his limb amputated by a terrifying celestial entity.

"I will explain everything regarding the labyrinth and that giant bird monster later," Solomon announced, entirely ignoring their panicked demands for medical answers. "Right now, I have prepared an excellent entertainment showcase for all of you."

Solomon opened his profile to check if all the points and gifts he received during his first live stream were still there or he had to start over. Fortunately, everything was carried over.

[ Followers: 1273 ] [Following: 0 ]

’I was ready to throw a fit, but I guess there is no need.’

He gestured toward Marco standing across the arena.

"We are participating in an official academy duel," Solomon explained to his audience. "There are no time limits and absolutely no restrictions on powers. My opponent here is highly irritable and incredibly easy to anger."

The academy network instantly detected the active broadcast. A digital notification flashed across Solomon’s stream, linking his entire audience directly into the unified betting event. His viewers immediately realized the gambling pool was open.

[BloodKnight] gifted 5,000 Points: "A sanctioned arena duel. I am investing in your victory."

[User12]: betting my entire life savings on solo man right now! bro is cooking!

[GoonLord] gifted 2,000 Points: "PLEASE JUST DON’T LOSE YOUR HAND AGAIN!!!"

[Skeptic101]: totally faked the monster attack for views. i bet he glued a fake hand to his wrist.

[LazyCat]: lol dumping my points on the new kid. let’s see some destruction.

[1Fizzy]: easy win! get him!

Solomon smirked at the influx of points hitting his account. He cracked his knuckles and stepped completely over the boundary line, officially entering the combat ring.