My Insect Fusion System: Invincibility Begins with a Cockroach

Chapter 129: The Weak Have No Right to Practice Martial Arts!

Grand River City's final competitor soon stepped into the stage. His name was Mason Wright, a guy with exceedingly average looks—the type who would completely blend into a crowd without drawing a single glance.

His level in Martial Arts was second only to Spencer Sinclair within their team.

However, as he walked up to the arena, his footsteps seemed somewhat unsteady.

Spencer Sinclair's defeat had already dragged the team's morale down to rock bottom, and the lightning-fast losses of their other two competitors had thoroughly shattered any remaining conviction he had of winning.

And this was merely the first match of the group stages.

After this, they still had to face the competitors from Sun-Peak City and Obsidian City.

"Spencer and the others have already lost their ability to continue fighting. Even if we throw money and resources at them to speed up their recovery, it'll be incredibly difficult for their condition to immediately return to its peak."

Mason Wright looked at Fly and the phantom of The Roach Matriarch looming behind him; the hand gripping his Beast Totem Card hesitated.

Truly going to continue this fight against Fly?

"Even if I somehow manage to defeat Fly, still going to have to face Star City High's number two and number three right after."

"No, given my level of Martial Arts, even if managing to beat Fly, it would just be a pyrrhic victory, wouldn't it?"

Completely... meaningless.

In Mason Wright's eyes, even if he miraculously won this round, he would ultimately lose to Genevieve or 'Emperor' Valerius later on.

The final outcome wouldn't change.

Moreover, with Spencer and the rest incapacitated, he was Grand River High's last remaining pillar of support.

If this battle dragged on, it was highly likely that no one would be left to compete in the subsequent matches.

On the other hand, forfeiting right here...

Although not very glorious, could preserve strength.

When facing Sun-Peak City or Obsidian City, even if unable to win, at least wouldn't lose so horribly.

Perhaps even...

In the off-chance of winning a match, and if Star City High were to lose to the other schools...

Then Grand River High would still have a glimmer of hope to advance.

Even if that chance was infinitesimally small, at least it wasn't zero.

"I... I forfeit!"

After a bout of intense internal struggle, Mason Wright spoke to the referee, his voice trembling.

"What?"

It was just that Mason Wright's voice was simply too quiet, and the referee didn't catch it right away.

"I..." Mason Wright gritted his teeth, eventually raising his volume. "I forfeit!"

"I, Mason Wright, forfeit."

Saying those words was not easy in the slightest.

Clearly doing it for the sake of the team, for the sake of the school, but the moment the words left his mouth, Mason Wright still felt his cheeks burning with a fiery heat, a suffocating sense of grievance welling up in his chest.

He lowered his head in shame, looking just like a child who had done something wrong.

Even the highly experienced referee couldn't help but feel a touch of sympathy upon witnessing this scene.

"Due to competitor Mason Wright's forfeiture, the winner of this match is, Fly!"

"I declare that the victor of the first round is Star City High!"

The referee announced the result to the entire arena through his headset.

However, this time, what erupted was no longer thunderous applause, but rolling waves of boos.

Obviously, the live audience was extremely dissatisfied with Mason Wright's outright forfeiture.

Some spectators even stood up directly from their seats, raising their middle fingers at Mason Wright and screaming that Grand River High had no spine and was absolute trash.

"Damn it..." Mason Wright clenched both hands into tight fists; he didn't want to forfeit either.

He also desperately wanted to exchange blows with a powerhouse like Fly.

But if defeated and injured here, then Grand River High would truly be left with zero chances.

For the first time in his life, Mason Wright felt so utterly powerless.

Clearly the number two freshman of Grand River High.

Yet forced to choose to forfeit right before the battle...

"You..."

Right at that moment, Mason Wright suddenly saw a blurred figure gradually walking into his line of sight. He subconsciously lifted his head, discovering that the person approaching was none other than his opponent, Fly.

Fly gazed at Mason Wright, and the moment the latter looked up, their eyes met.

"Your choice wasn't wrong."

"If you chose to continue fighting, I would have utterly crushed you without the slightest hesitation."

"In the subsequent matches, your team wouldn't be able to put up a fight."

"Therefore, retreating at the appropriate time is the correct decision. Sometimes, giving up requires far more courage than holding on."

Fly didn't have any actual grudge against Grand River High; he simply despised Spencer Sinclair's behavior.

On the contrary, Mason Wright's choice to forfeit in order to preserve his school's hope of advancing was in itself a manifestation of responsibility and devotion.

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Furthermore, Fly could sense that, unlike those opponents who gave up out of sheer terror towards him, Mason Wright showed not a single trace of cowardice in his eyes or his aura.

It was evident that his forfeiture was a deliberate choice made after carefully weighing the pros and cons.

Although this meant being misunderstood, slandered, and receiving boos from the entire arena, it was precisely because of this that Fly respected him all the more.

With this kind of temperament and this level of calmness, it was certain that he would be able to enter his desired Martial Studies university in the future.

"Keep getting stronger."

"Who knows, maybe the next time we meet, you can challenge me without any reservations."

The corners of Fly's lips curled up, revealing a gentle smile. After saying these words to Mason Wright, he turned around and slowly walked out of the arena.

Mason Wright was stunned speechless for a moment.

He had heard about the conflict between Spencer Sinclair and Fly from their supervising teacher.

Being Spencer's classmate, he naturally knew all about Spencer's lustful nature and arrogant, domineering behavior.

But no matter what, the incident had happened, and the grudge was already forged.

At this moment, the one holding the absolute upper hand was Fly. No matter how Fly humiliated him, it would be entirely reasonable.

Even...

When seeing Fly walk over, he had even anticipated that Fly might curse at him like those spectators, calling him trash and telling him to get the hell out of the stage.

Yet unexpectedly, not only did Fly not utter a single word to belittle him, but he even saw right through his thoughts, recognizing that giving up this match was a choice made purely for the sake of the bigger picture.

Inner thoughts were actually seen through by him completely!

And that warm smile...

Amidst the continuous waves of boos and curses, it shone into the depths of his heart like a ray of sunlight.

Just what kind of person was this Fly?

Next time, huh?

The corners of Mason Wright's mouth rose, breaking into an involuntary smile.

His own Martial Arts level was inferior to Spencer Sinclair's, yet Fly had still spoken those words.

Crossing blades with Fly next time?

"Yeah."

"Next time..."

"I will definitely surpass Spencer Sinclair, become the strongest at Grand River High, and then... come to challenge you, Fly!"

Mason Wright silently vowed in his heart as he gazed at the competitor's tunnel where Fly had departed.

It was just a pity that, drowned out by the landslide of boos from the audience, aside from the two of them, not a third soul heard those words.

"Hmph." Sitting in a corner of the spectator stands, Fairy Beixuan smiled in satisfaction, guessing that Fly walking over just now was definitely to ruthlessly humiliate Mason Wright.

She didn't feel there was anything inappropriate about this at all.

"The strong are meant to ruthlessly humiliate the weak!"

...

"Let us congratulate Star City High for being the first to secure a point!" At the commentator's desk, Winston Hayes didn't offer too much commentary on Mason Wright's forfeiture, simply taking the lead to congratulate Star City High.

"Truly a spectacular match," Vera echoed.

After witnessing Fly's level of Martial Arts and learning that he was a disciple of Muse, the scales in Vera's heart rapidly tipped in Fly's favor. She was absolutely certain that Fly could lead Star City High out of the group stages and into the top eight.

Perhaps even...

Not just the top eight.

The true powerhouse Martial Studies schools in the Jade State were only three: Sovereign High, Willow High, and Laurel High.

Although Sycamore High was collectively known alongside them as the "Big Four of Martial Studies", in recent years, due to economic issues, Sycamore High's educational funding and investments had slightly declined, creating a bit of a gap between them and the other three Martial Studies high schools.

As long as Star City High wasn't incredibly unlucky and didn't run into those three Martial Studies high schools during the quarterfinals, against any other school, Fly might just have a fighting chance.

With enough luck, might even be able to lead the team straight to the finals, just like Lysander Thorne!

It was just that the probability of this happening was incredibly low.

"Next up is the showdown between Sun-Peak High and Obsidian High." Commentator Winston Hayes didn't stay immersed in Fly's victory forever; he adjusted his emotions and began calling the upcoming match.

"For this contest, I believe there shouldn't be much suspense."

"As everyone knows, Sun-Peak City is a reservation for the natives, and has only begun to develop in recent years."

"Because of this unique circumstance, their educational resources are relatively lagging."

"In recent years, let alone advancing to the top eight, their schools are frequently eliminated with a brutal three-to-zero sweep."

"Even their local Freshman Invitational barely draws any attention."

"No..."

Winston Hayes gently shook his head and added, "It's that there's no need to pay any attention to it."

"Because the vast majority of Sun-Peak City's landmass consists of savage, undeveloped wilderness. The residential areas take up only a minuscule fraction, and the entire city only has two Martial Studies high schools."

"Calling it a Freshman Invitational is a stretch; it's practically just a civil war between two schools."

"I imagine this match should also conclude very quickly," Vera chimed in, feeling quite a bitter taste in her heart.

She herself was a Beast Warrior who had walked out of Sun-Peak City, so she naturally understood the hardships of her alma mater.

If possible, she truly hoped that Sun-Peak High could advance to the top eight, even if just once.

However, this world spoke solely through strength; nobody would hand out miracles to the weak.

Even she hadn't paid much attention to this year's Freshman Invitational in Sun-Peak City.

"Indeed." Winston Hayes completely missed Vera's shift in mood, continuing his commentary on his own.

It didn't take long for the first competitors from both sides to step into the ring and manifest their Beast Totems.

The Beast Totems on both sides were Common Species, and neither had even undergone an evolution.

On one side, the totem was an over two-meter-long North American Gray Wolf; on the other side, it was a Jungle Boar built like a tank.

Compared to the clash between Star City High and Grand River High, the battle between these two Beast Warriors could only be described as completely unadorned.

The Beast Warrior with the Jungle Boar totem relied entirely on brute force, frantically charging and ramming. The Beast Warrior with the Gray Wolf totem, on the other hand, relied on his agility to furiously maneuver around, waiting for opportunities to harass his opponent.

"Truly a... back-to-basics kind of battle." Even someone as experienced as Winston Hayes had to carefully weigh his words during the commentary.

Even a significant number of spectators in the stands started scrolling through their phones.

"This kind of level, and they dare call themselves Beast Warriors?" Fairy Beixuan furrowed her brows. "Isn't this far too embarrassing?"

She had followed The Jade State League in previous years as well, but she never had any interest in the group stages.

If it weren't for Jade Flute Fairy insisting on coming this time, she probably would have never stepped foot into a group stage arena in her entire life.

The previous bout between Fly and Spencer Sinclair, while she didn't find it particularly amazing, was at least somewhat commendable.

And the subsequent two matches were both clean, decisive one-shots by Fly, so the viewing experience wasn't overly long or tedious.

But these two on the other hand...

Not only were they equally terrible in Martial Arts, but their fighting spirit was incredibly stubborn.

After dozens of rounds of exchanging blows, the Beast Warrior with the Jungle Boar totem had several teeth knocked out, and the Beast Warrior with the Gray Wolf totem had a wound deep enough to expose the bone on his thigh.

Yet neither of them had the slightest intention of throwing in the towel.

It was a literal scrub match.

"Jade Flute, I think your worries are completely unnecessary," Fairy Beixuan couldn't help but mutter.

If it weren't to accommodate those underdeveloped cities, The Jade State League wouldn't have even included a group stage to begin with.

It would have been enough to just let the Martial Studies high schools from the strongest cities compete against each other every year.

"Fighting spirit, very tenacious."

But, unlike Fairy Beixuan, Jade Flute Fairy didn't find this battle tedious in the slightest.

"But what's the point of a weakling's fighting spirit?" Fairy Beixuan let out a bored yawn.

Even if the weak put their lives on the line, what kind of damage could they possibly inflict on the strong?

Nothing more than moving themselves to tears.

"At the end of the day, this world simply doesn't exist for weak Beast Warriors. The ones who contribute to society and shoulder its burdens, aren't they us genius Beast Warriors?"

"Weak Beast Warriors like those coming out of Sun-Peak City and Obsidian City shouldn't be practicing Martial Arts in the first place. Should just find an ordinary job and live out life like normal people."

Fairy Beixuan leaned back, closing her eyes to rest.

"This whole 'universal martial arts for all' nonsense was a mistake from the very beginning!"

"Really can't understand Felix Mundus's train of thought."

"Who knows, maybe that guy is just a hypocrite fishing for fame. If I ever see him, I'm definitely going to punch him hard to wake him the hell up."

As she spoke, Fairy Beixuan grabbed the pudgy pink paws of her stuffed cat toy and fiercely swiped at the air a few times.

"Your words, wrong," Jade Flute Fairy gently shook her head, offering a mild rebuttal.

But even so, she remained as sparing with her words as ever.

Making it impossible for Fairy Beixuan to start an argument even if she wanted to.

But, she didn't intend to persuade Jade Flute into agreeing with her views anyway. She would use The Jade State League to prove that the weak have no right to practice Martial Arts!