Descending Into A Novel

Chapter 129:Zachary’s Rise

"Lin. I’d like to issue a challenge for your rank."

Zachary ignored the numerous whispers and states he was receiving right now. Focusing entirely on her and the other special class members reactions to his challenge declaration.

Lin Qingyi pursed her lips, clearly in deep thought about his challenge.

"I accept."

After a lot more awkward silence—filled only with the whispers of his classmates. She accepted, making him let out a huge sigh of relief internally.

As the lower rank, Zachary had to spend points to initiate the challenge. He would receive the points back if he won, but otherwise. It would be lost.

He was already running low on points, so if Lin Qingyi declined. His points would have gone to waste.

Someone approached him from the side his familiar high-energy voice making him instantly recognizable even without seeing his appearance.

"Dude. That was crazy! Why challenge her in front of everyone here?! Are you trying to get yourself beaten up?"

He shook his head, "I need to get first place. I can’t tell you why right now but its important."

He wanted—no, he needed to get stronger, and the quest to become first in the academy was one way to do that.

Setting the quest aside, the opportunity to truly battle the other special class students in an all-out fight was guaranteed to teach him a lot. Their spars were meaningless, they held no real risk to either one of them—completely innocuous. But in a challenge, they were putting their ranks on the line. Which, in the academy. Was equivalent to your standing within.

Challenging Lin Qingyi was basically declaring to everybody that he believed he deserved the location more then her.

"But how will the others in the special class react?"

"I don’t know."

"Want me to help probe them?"

Arthur as always, immediately found an opportunity to get Zachary to owe him.

This time, he didn’t mind.

"Yes."

***

"I don’t get it. Why does Zachary always have to be so..."

He finished her sentence for her, "Dumb?"

Ellen sighed, "I was looking for a nicer word but sure."

Well, from Ellen’s perspective. Zachary was just trying to get number one for his own ego, unaware of the quest the system gave him to become rank one.

The points Ellen received as number one was crucial for an upcoming item that would soon appear within the academy shop, if Zachary stole her spot. She wouldn’t get enough points any more, and her progress would be slowed.

As for why Raymond didn’t buy it? Well, he offered to.

But she also had her own pride, Raymond was the back up. She didn’t want everything to be a hand out for free. Challenges were necessary in order for her to grow more and faster.

Raymond found it stupid, but Ellen was barely one of the more normal ones so he didn’t want to make her go back to her old self.

Just imagining the old Ellen that never talked and only ever trained and fought was scary. The one who refused to be helped by others, the one who refused to waste time on anything that wasn’t for growing stronger. He much preferred the newer Ellen, even if she did a few pranks on him here and there. It was more fun then just silence.

"Just beat him when he tries to challenge you then."

"Wouldn’t he have to get past you first?"

He let out a small cough, "I’m just going to surrender when he challenges me."

"..."

Ellen immediately felt a minor urge to make him do something, but Raymond had been on a rather long streak lately and she didn’t want to ruin it by using her authority on him. Even if he deserved it, a little bit.

But the option was always there. She hadn’t heard him call her master or ma’am in a while.

"Can’t you just...defeat him? Why surrender?"

"Don’t wanna."

On second thought. Maybe a little discipline was needed.

Feeling her eyes practically boring a hole into him, Raymond frantically explained himself.

"It’s kinda hard to explain, but becoming first in the academy is important for his path to becoming the strongest."

The system was something even Raymond didn’t know much about. It’s purpose, how it functioned, why it chose him. He knew none of this.

What little he knew was only the things that could be deduced from what the system already gave him.

The system never truly created something new, it merely showed Raymond what he already had. Otherwise, it would have showed him much more then what it was. For Zachary, none of the Arts or skills it sold him were new either. They were merely Arts created by others that the system was now giving to Zachary.

The levels, stats, skills. They were all just ways to show Raymond his progress and what he had. Sure levelling up increased his stats, but he only levelled up once he did certain things such as mana cultivation or magic research. Things that would have already increased his strength without the level ups.

Raymond was pretty sure the racial evolution was also just an option shown to him by the system. It would have been near impossible for him to have evolved without it, but it was possible nonetheless.

"How does becoming first help him on that?"

"I told you it’ss hard to explain. But you just need to trust me."

If Zachary had told them about the system in the past timeline, Raymond wouldn’t have any qualms about revealing it. But the problem was that Zachary hid his system all the way to the end! Even after defeating the demon king when they enjoyed their victory before he descended. He never chose to reveal it, keeping that secret with him to the grave.

Raymond was a man of his principles after all, he wasn’t about to leak such a major secret to others.

She pursed her lips, clearly dissatisfied with his answer.

"If I give him first place and then take it back is there any problems with that?"

"Can you even beat him?"

"..."

"..."

Raymond had just blurted that out without thinking. But the silence that he got as a response told him more then enough.

"Raymond. You know what to do right?"

"Ahem. I don’t know what you mean?"

On the third thought. Discipline was needed.

A minute later, Raymond found himself kneeling on the ground once more in front of her. Mentally cursing out the past Raymond for saying that to her face. At least hold in your tongue!

"Raymond," she called out to him.

"Yes ma’am?"

"Say please."

"Please."

She smirked, watching him keep his eyes on the floor. Her tone, commanding like the past hero Ellen reappeared. Crossing her legs, she let out a small hum of approval.

"Hmm. I like it when you beg me."

"..."

’This crazy woman!’

What the hell kind of psycho was this?

He had never been so genuinely baffled by any other seven word sentence in his life.

Even the ’I love you but also hate you.’ That he had received from someone he once rejected had never baffled him this much.

Raymond desperately wished Erin was here right now. That way she could save him, her pleading seemed to be the only thing that moved Ellen’s heart of ice.

But she was currently asleep curled up on their bed, and he doubted she would wake up anytime soon. Damn it, why was she so energetic every other time except the one time he needed her?!

So his only escape line was currently gone. Raymond felt tempted to just teleport away, but she would likely intensify the next ’punishment’ the moment he reappeared.

"I was just asking a genuine question, why am I being punished for it?"

Whatever, a dead man doesn’t fear death again. Or something like that.

"You really want me to spell it out for you?"

Zachary was the strongest yes, but he also failed to defeat him. Ellen didn’t feel that Zachary was as necessary since she figured she could kill the demon king herself. Her strength was already leagues above her old self, and at the rate she was progressing. She might be able to match Zachary’s peak. The only problem was what came after.

"I was just expressing my concern!"

"What kind of concern is that! Just say that you think I’m weak!"

"When did I ever call you weak?!"

"Just now."

Raymond searched through his memory of the past 24 hours. Failing to find a single mention of the word ’weak’.

"Did you just create a new memory in your head or something?"

"What are you talking about?"

He mentally swapped his cursing from his past self to Ellen.

This time he made sure to keep his face completely still, lest she find fault in his wronged expression. Then he would receive another random punishment.

"Give me a massage."

Or the devil could just be bored and do whatever she wanted.