How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

Chapter 642: A short fight

”In the end... what actually happened with those two?”

Lorraine mumbled to herself as she let out a long, exhausted sigh, eyes fixed on the holographic screen floating before her.

She sat slouched in her chair, elbows resting on her knees, watching the replay of the first fight of the day for what felt like the tenth time.

Two of her monstrous juniors—because at this point calling them ”students” felt like an understatement—had gone at each other with enough power to shake the entire arena.

Their clash had caused such uproar, such explosive hype among the crowd, that the academy forums were probably burning right now.

But as spectacular and destructive as their battle was... the ending was just as fast, and just as confusing.

On the screen, flashy lights, flames, and shadowy bursts blurred into a chaotic swirl. And then—

[Winner: Stacia Alger Del Luna]

Lorraine leaned back with a blank stare.

Even the announcement felt anticlimactic.

One moment the fight seemed evenly matched—fifty–fifty at worst.

And then in the next heartbeat, Flamme suddenly collapsed as if someone had flipped a switch.

Stacia had dropped too just a few breaths after, but because she stayed standing longer by mere seconds, the system declared her the winner.

”Sigh... seriously?”

She rubbed her face, half amused, half exasperated.

Whatever happened at the end, she could tell there were things happening behind the scenes—things the average spectator could never perceive.

But she couldn’t let that distract her.

After all, she had her own problem:

She was about to fight another monstrous junior for her very first match.

If only—only—this entire tournament wasn’t mandatory...

Lorraine deflated into her chair.

Although she technically could have forced a refusal from participating in the festival events, she couldn’t escape the evaluation requirements tied to her grades.

Her research thesis with her team was... questionable, to put it kindly.

And while she didn’t care for fame or prestige in her academy years, her grades?

Those, unfortunately, mattered.

Very much.

She absolutely needed to graduate with decent marks if she wanted to show her parents that her years here weren’t a waste.

Lorraine inhaled slowly, steadying her nerves as she stepped onto the shimmering platform.

The roar of the crowds washed over her like crashing waves, but unlike the previous match between Stacia and Flamme—where the crowd’s frenzy had practically shaken the arena—her entrance did not ignite the same explosive excitement.

And honestly... she preferred it that way.

As a noble, she needed to gather at least some credentials before graduation—especially coming from someone who had spent the majority of her academy life buried in research, books, magic theories, and experimentation labs.

Even if she didn’t care to be the strongest or the flashiest, her parents absolutely expected her to graduate with honors.

Standing here, performing decently in the tournament, was simply a box she needed checked.

But goddess, if the tournament weren’t mandatory...

”The next contestant! A fourth year from Lumen Academy—Lorraine Steelwater!”

At the announcer’s attempt at hype, Lorraine let out a small, resigned sigh. There was no dramatic title attached to her name, no resounding chants cheering her on. No ”Steelwater Prodigy” or ”Mistress of Azure.”

Nothing.

Just her name.

Plain, simple, painfully ordinary.

In contrast—

Her opponent’s introduction nearly shook the stage.

”And her opponent!! The Meteor Fist! The Academy’s Toughest Fist! The Great Kong—Kagami Kento!!!”

The arena erupted.

Students stomped.

Instructors murmured in approval. Even nobles leaned forward with interest.

The air itself vibrated with the pressure that Kento carried just by stepping forward.

Lorraine watched him approach with a complicated mix of curiosity and dread.

Isn’t he... the gorilla who showed interest in me a few months ago?

She remembered it vividly—how he casually approached her in the park during lunch break, grinning like a battle-crazed idiot, saying something like:

”Senior perhaps are you perhaps free tomorrow if you want—”

And Lorraine recalled replying with her usual polite but stiff refusal, then calling her Gorilla that time.

Yet now here they were. Facing each other on the main stage.

Up close, Kagami Kento really did look like the rumors described—a massive figure, muscles like chiseled boulders, fists wrapped tightly, each breath exuding raw fighting spirit.

But what made him truly terrifying wasn’t his size; it was the sensation that he had no ceiling.

The boy’s aura rumbled like an earthquake barely contained.

Even though he was only a second year, he stood at the top of the S-ranks of his batch, and was consistently mentioned among the top five of the entire academy’s knight department second years—a monstrous achievement considering monsters like Riley, Seo, and Lucas existed and skewed the power scale beyond reason.

Some students even whispered:

”If you exclude those three broken freaks, Kagami Kento is basically the strongest physical fighter.”

Lorraine swallowed hard.

What kind of absurd luck did she have to be paired against someone like this for her first match?

Still... she wasn’t without pride.

She might not have powerful fists or a monstrous physique, or the overwhelming talent of a genius, but she had brains, a near-perfect control of her mana, and years of obsessive magical study backing her up.

So, as she finally stepped into position and met Kagami’s excited, burning gaze, she straightened her glasses, steadied her breathing, and whispered to herself:

”Let’s just... survive this.”

Kagami grinned broadly, cracking his knuckles.

Does he perhaps still remember that time?

The thought nagged at Lorraine’s mind far more than the upcoming duel itself.

As she stood on the opposite end of the colossal stage, the lights bright and the crowd murmuring with excitement, she found her gaze drifting toward Kagami Kento—her opponent for this match, and an infamously straightforward man.

Worry crept onto her face.

After all... if she were in Kagami’s position, she absolutely would still be petty about it.

That moment months ago flashed in her mind like a shameful ghost she wanted to banish but couldn’t:

His overly obvious attempt to hit on her.

Her complete lack of social delicacy.

And then—her accidental insult.

”Gorilla.”

She wanted to bury herself alive.

She even remembered the way he froze back then, blinking twice as if trying to process whether he heard her correctly, before awkwardly scratching his cheek and laughing it off like it didn’t bother him.

But she had a feeling—no, a certainty—that at least some fragment of irritation must have stayed lodged in his heart.

So, what now?

Should she apologize?

Would that make things better?

Or worse?

But still... she glanced at him again.

He did still look like a gorilla.

Ahem!!

Lorraine coughed violently, slapping both cheeks lightly to dispel the disgraceful spiral of thoughts.

Get it together. You’re a noble. You must maintain dignity.

She straightened her posture, grabbing the handle of her sword to anchor her mind back into the present.

She scanned the stage and the noisy auditorium, breathing in slowly to steady herself.

”LORRAINE!!! DO YOUR BEST!!!”

A painfully familiar cheerful voice exploded from the sidelines.

Lorraine turned her head—and there was Alice, jumping up and down, waving both arms like an excited child at a festival, her pink hair bouncing with every movement.

Lorraine’s eye twitched.

Sigh... this innocent airhead...

Now the pressure was ten times heavier.

She appreciated Alice’s support—she really did. It warmed her heart every time.

But being openly cheered on by Alice Whitehart, the academy’s beloved star, symbol of talent, and terrifying authority, was not exactly ”low-pressure.”

In fact, being supported by Alice meant many things in the academy’s eyes.

Dangerous things.

Political things.

Expectations.

Assumptions.

Lorraine let out a long breath. She sometimes truly wondered if Alice had even the slightest awareness of her own fame and influence.

Probably not.

She tightened her grip around her sword, forcing her nerves down.

The stage beneath her hummed with magic.

The crowd was roaring.

Kagami stood across from her like an unmovable boulder of muscle and confidence.

She had no choice but to do her best now.

”Are the contestants ready!?”

”Yes!” Kagami’s voice boomed, loud and full of spirit.

Lorraine nodded calmly, though her heart thumped wildly inside her chest.

”Then—let the battle begin!”

The moment the announcer finished—

”Huh—?”

She did not even see the movement.

A bluish-coated fist was already inches from her face.

BOOOOOOSHHHH!!!

The air ruptured. A comet—no, a meteor—was flying straight toward her skull.

For a heartbeat she saw her head bursting like a watermelon.

Ah. I’m dead...

BOOOOOOM!!!

The punch detonated like a star collapsing, a shockwave of shimmering cosmic-blue energy exploding behind Lorraine.

Wind tore through her hair and clothes, dust spiraled outward, and the stage vibrated violently.

But the fist—

It stopped.

Just a few inches from her face.

Her pupils shrank, hands trembling uncontrollably.

Kagami’s massive figure stood in front of her, posture firm, fist steady, expression gentle despite his intimidating appearance.

”Sorry, Senior...” he said, voice surprisingly soft. ”But could you please give up? Our household traditions don’t allow me to harm an innocent woman unless I have a compelling reason. So... please surrender.”

”H-Huh...?”

Lorraine’s voice cracked. Her legs trembled uncontrollably.

She had seen it—Kagami’s mana spreading like a cosmic wave, his fist changing trajectory at the very last millisecond to avoid killing her.

His control. His strength. His sheer speed.

This wasn’t a match she could ”try her best” in.

This... was a monster.

Her knees buckled and she fell forward—straight into Kagami’s broad, solid chest.

”S-Senior!? What’s wrong? Are you okay!?” Kagami panicked, arms stiffening awkwardly like he’d never held a woman before.

Lorraine weakly lifted her head, cheeks flushed, voice barely a whisper.

”I... I forfeit...”

Her surrender echoed through the silent arena.

And like that—

Lorraine Steelwater vs. Kagami Kento officially became the fastest recorded match in the history of Lumen Academy’s Grand Festival.