Cowards and Reckless Fools

Time passed, and in the days that followed, Lynn remained a loner, spending the majority of his time cultivating in the meditation room attached to his apartment.

According to Leiluo, the leader of the four-man group in Dorm 9527, Lynn had even moved his bedding into the meditation room to save time for cultivation, often resting right there whenever he grew exhausted. Leiluo had seen Lynn fast asleep from overexertion on more than one occasion.

"Lynn is a commoner, yet he's far more diligent than Kasa, that noble-born genius with the same top-tier talent. Kasa is no match for Lynn!"

"Hmph... Kasa only has talent comparable to Lynn's. Given Lynn's level of effort, he will definitely leave him far behind in the future."

The persona of an inspirational genius made Lynn quite popular within the Imperial Capital Magic Academy, especially as the end of the school year approached, with people discussing him constantly.

"Hiss~ This bed is a bit hard; I'll need to get a softer one next time." As the center of the discussion, Lynn, who had just woken up in the cultivation room, stretched his body and stood up straight.

Talent Clone: Xiao Yan
Strength: Level 4 Mage, Level 4 Warrior

"After cultivating so hard for so long, the clone has finally broken through to a Level 4 Mage. Not bad, not bad!" Lynn casually closed the panel and walked out, only to see Leiluo and the others huddled together discussing something.

"Third Brother, are you participating in the academy tournament the day after tomorrow?" The sharp-eyed Leiluo stepped forward and draped an arm around Lynn.

"Tournament?" Lynn looked puzzled. Wasn't this just the academy child's play that Lin Lei experienced in the original story? Why did the Imperial Capital Magic Academy have one too?

"Third Brother, Gates and I plan to participate in the Level 1 tournament. As for the fourth, you know, he started learning magic too late, so he's definitely not participating," Leiluo continued.

"I hope to see you both in the finals," Lynn shook his head. "As for me, I'm not interested."

"The semester is almost over, so I should head home to visit. As for the tournament the day after tomorrow, it's not mandatory anyway, so I'll just find an excuse to decline it when the time comes."

"...If Third Brother doesn't participate, won't Kasa look like a clown?" Gates, standing to the side, suddenly thought of something.

"What do you mean?" Lynn asked curiously.

The name Kasa was one Lynn had heard many people mention when he first entered the academy. He was another genius recruited by the Imperial Capital Magic Academy that year, possessing top-tier wind affinity and a spiritual force only slightly lower than Lynn's—thirty-three times that of his peers. Like Lynn, he was a dual top-tier genius.

Lynn remembered clearly that he shouldn't have had any interaction with Kasa at all.

"It's all because the boss got drunk and leaked how long you spend cultivating. It led to rumors spreading that Lynn is not only talented but also incredibly hardworking. Eventually... some genius decided to start comparing you and Kasa."

"They used you to belittle Kasa until he was worthless. Kasa couldn't take the insult, so he plans to get his revenge in this tournament!" Taylor muttered.

"A week ago, Kasa made a bold declaration that he would meet you at the peak of the Level 2 tournament to decide who the true genius is."

"How boring..." Lynn, who didn't care for such empty fame, couldn't help but shake his head as he listened to Taylor explain the situation.

Lynn simply dismissed Kasa as having a childish temperament. Level 1 and 2 mages were just laying the foundation; what did winning or losing at this stage even prove?

Lynn couldn't be bothered to pay attention to Kasa's provocations. After all, he wasn't someone who cared about momentary victories or defeats—and it certainly wasn't because his main body was only a Level 1 Mage and he was afraid to accept the challenge.

The day before the tournament, after getting his leave approved, Lynn found a reliable merchant caravan and left the Imperial Capital.

Because the caravan took a detour, the journey from the Imperial Capital to Blackstone Town, which usually took half a month, ended up taking Lynn a full month.

After the New Year, Lynn spent a few days with his parents to reassure them he was safe before hurriedly following a caravan back to the Imperial Capital.

Spring passed and autumn came; time flowed on. Lynn kept to himself, and to outsiders, he spent most of his days in cultivation.

As time passed, Lynn entered puberty. His features matured, and he grew significantly taller. Clad in his white mage robes, he looked like a prince who had stepped out of a fairy tale.

"Rumble~~"

By the cafeteria entrance, where the river surged violently beneath an ancient-looking wooden bridge, Lynn, dressed in his white robes, was blocked by a youth in luxurious purple silk.

"You coward!" The youth in silk looked quite agitated upon seeing Lynn.

"Who are you?" Lynn asked with a puzzled expression.

"You don't recognize me?" The youth in silk looked stunned by Lynn's reaction.

"I don't. If there's nothing else, I'll be going," Lynn shook his head and tried to walk around him.

"No, you are not allowed to leave." The youth in silk quickly reacted, blocking Lynn's path again, his face filled with fury.

"Remember this: I am Kasa, the one who is rumored to be inferior to you!"

"Oh."

"You..." Watching Lynn's calm expression, Kasa felt a string inside his heart snap with a "bang."

"Lynn--" Kasa roared as he lunged toward him.

"Three years, three whole years! Do you know how I've spent these past three years?"

"Because of you, I've been belittled for three whole years!"

"Why won't you accept my challenge? You coward!" Kasa pointed at Lynn and cursed.

Lynn, being pointed at and called a coward, didn't change his expression in the slightest; he remained entirely rational.

Don't ask why—if you ask, he'd just take one look at his panel and know exactly what he needed to do.

Host: Lynn
Strength: Level 1 Mage

Three years had passed, and Kasa had long since become a Level 3 Mage.

A Level 1 fighting a Level 3? Lynn wasn't a masochist.

Of course, that didn't mean Lynn couldn't beat Kasa. After three years of development, Lynn's main combat clone, Xiao Yan, had already become a Level 7 magic-warrior.

If a fight really broke out, at worst, he could just use the Origin Bead to assimilate his clone, reach the peak of sublimation, and teach Kasa a lesson with a single slap.

But... there was no need. Teaching Kasa a lesson wouldn't bring any benefits, and it would waste a clone that had been developing for three years, which would be a complete loss.

Besides, in a sense, Kasa was also a victim, having been subjected to... an otherworldly version of cyberbullying because of Lynn?

"You're right, I'm a coward!" Lynn's expression remained unchanged.

He walked past Kasa, minding his own business.

Halfway there, Lynn noticed the crowd of onlookers. To prevent Kasa from bothering him again in the future, Lynn simply raised his arms and shouted.

"I admit I am no match for Kasa!"

"Looking across the entire Imperial Capital Magic Academy..."

Lynn stopped there, suddenly turned his head, and pointed a finger. "My friend, you are the true genius!"

He left without a trace, hiding his merit and fame.

"You want to challenge me?"

At the Dragon Knight Warrior Academy, Xiao Yan looked at the youth blocking his path. After confirming his intentions, he drew the heavy ruler from his back.

"Bang!"

"Ah--"

Ignoring the youth who had collapsed to the ground coughing up blood, Xiao Yan's cold eyes swept across the surrounding crowd.

"If anyone else wants to challenge me, come at me all at once. I'm in a hurry!"