Arranging a Fight

Chapter 23 - 23 - A Challenge

Twilight cast a rusty metallic sheen, and the horizon melted the setting sun into a streak of golden yellow. The moment Rosaline's small boots touched the cracked pavement, the taxi lifted off the ground behind her, startling a few seagulls pecking at garbage.

Immediately, her gaze fell upon the junkyard next to the town, where discarded magic guide equipment was piled up like continuous mountains, resembling a vast mechanical graveyard.

According to the town's residents, many years ago, this area was one of the most prosperous parts of Ish Island and its only port.

But with the construction of the new port in the Tower District and the neighboring Grayport City, the port in the Blackwater District gradually declined and was completely abandoned 20 years ago during the Silent War.

Since it wasn't her first time here, Rosaline lifted her skirt and skillfully navigated through the mountains of metal garbage, quickly finding a clearing hidden between the "mountains."

Hans and Mary were indeed there, sitting on a piece of metal plating nearby, seemingly waiting for something.

"Hi there~ You two, good afternoon~"

"Huh? Rosaline, why are you here?" Hans looked over in surprise.

"It's definitely because you just hung up on Mom. Mom has tracking," Mary said from the side.

Like Rosaline, Hans and Mary were both standard middle schoolers, Hans being 12 and Mary 11. Hans was a somewhat refined boy with medium-length brown hair, while Mary was a girl with curly red hair and round glasses. Although not as beautiful as Rosaline, she possessed an excellent demeanor.

"Aunt Susan is very worried about you, but why did you come here so suddenly without saying anything? I didn't even know..." Rosaline asked, her emotions appearing calm, but her subtext was obvious: Why didn't you call me to come along when you went out to play?

"Today... there's a special situation. I have a fight scheduled, so I was afraid of implicating you," Hans said quietly.

"A fight?"

"It's like this," Mary explained. "My brother and I have a few good friends at school who come from the Blackwater District to study at Black Tower Middle School. We usually help each other out. One of them is named Tang Ji, and he's always being bullied by a guy named Briel in his class. My brother happened to witness this recently and stopped him, but because the teacher arrived quickly, it didn't escalate into a fight..."

"Originally, Briel was in the wrong. He always discriminates against students from the Blackwater District, but Briel's father is an executive at Black Tower Pharmaceuticals, so the teacher refused to intervene. Then, he challenged my brother to a fight this weekend..."

"I see," Rosaline nodded. The matter wasn't complicated; it could even be considered a minor squabble between middle schoolers.

However, it could also be seen as more significant. Black Tower Middle School was located in the Tower District, which, as the name suggested, was a district specifically serving the employees of Black Tower Pharmaceuticals. Black Tower Middle School was also such an elite school. On one side were children from the slums, and on the other, the child of an executive. Even if the executive's child was clearly in the wrong, the teacher could only smooth things over, and it eventually led to an out-of-school resolution.

In the teachers' words, this was a class conflict... Rosaline felt a partial understanding dawning within her.

"Where's that Tang Ji?" Rosaline looked around and suddenly realized that someone else involved in this matter hadn't appeared.

"He's a coward. My brother helped him, but he didn't dare to come," Mary pouted.

"No, Tang Ji said his family wouldn't let him come," Hans shook his head, a determined look on his refined face. "I believe he's not lying to me."

Mary opened her mouth but didn't say anything further. She could understand Tang Ji in this regard. After all, her parents worked desperately to earn money to send her and Hans to Black Tower Middle School, hoping they could enter Black Tower Pharmaceuticals in the future, achieve success, stand at the top of Ish City, and ascend Black Tower. Tang Ji's parents surely thought the same.

At the same time, for children of this age, these immense expectations would transform into mental pressure, gradually making them hesitant and fearful of causing even the slightest trouble for their parents.

The three waited there for about ten minutes. Then, a contemptuous voice sounded from above nearby: "Heh, you actually dared to show up, you poor trash."

Rosaline looked up and saw a boy of middle school age standing on a hoverboard, looking down at everyone with a disdainful expression.

Behind him were two skinny boys who seemed like followers, plus a floating mechanical creation. The mechanical creation only had an upper body, with rune circles glowing around its cross-section, appearing to be some kind of intelligent bodyguard.

"Who's afraid of whom? Don't forget, my 'Rune Studies' grades are still higher than yours," Hans said with a cold smile.

Rune Studies was something that, for ordinary people, only became accessible at the legendary university level, marking the beginning of the mage's path.

But for Black Tower Middle School, it was entirely different. Starting from the second year, these middle schoolers, many of whom were children of company employees, had the opportunity to engage with it by purchasing a discounted "Active Rune Group."

Thus, Hans was like this, and Mary would be too when she reached the second year. The Active Rune Group was extremely expensive, with the cheapest category costing at least 50,000, and each injection increasing magic power by 10 points, with diminishing returns.

"Rune Studies is Rune Studies, and combat is combat... Poor trash, you know nothing about my fists." Standing on the hoverboard, Briel slid down the garbage mountain and landed with a light jump.

His gaze swept over Hans and Mary before finally settling on the unfamiliar blonde girl. He asked coldly, "Who are you? Which school are you from? Did this poor trash invite you to show off?"

He had never seen a temperament like Rosaline's in people from the Blackwater District. Her every move, her sitting and standing posture, possessed a natural elegance that made him suspicious.

"My name is Rosaline, and I'm Hans's friend," Rosaline nodded slightly. "I won't interfere in this matter, but only if your conflict doesn't get too out of hand."

"You damned woman, such a big mouth! Who do you think you are, thinking you're qualified to interfere in Boss's business!"

"We'll let Boss teach this kid a lesson soon. You just watch!"

The two followers behind Briel immediately started shouting.

Briel smiled at the clamor of his two followers, seemingly enjoying having these mouthpieces.

He didn't say anything further and turned to Hans: "What are the rules for fighting one-on-one here?"

"It's just a fight, what rules are there to follow?" Hans scoffed. "No tools other than the magic guide terminal. That's it."

"Let's add a bet. The loser has to crawl and bark like a dog in the school atrium in front of everyone. Otherwise, it's no fun. You're not scared, are you?"

"Do you think I'm afraid?"

Thus, after the bet was set, and the onlookers were told to disperse, in the clearing between these garbage mountains, Hans and Briel were about to engage in a tense mage battle.

Rosaline was also nervous and attentive. Besides worrying about Hans, she was mainly excited because this was the first time she would witness a mage fight outside of her teachers. It would provide a good reference point for her, a novice mage who had been practicing for two years, allowing her to quickly gauge her approximate level among her peers.