Eric saw the youth was already on the starting line of the sprint court. There was already the instructor standing there, who coach them.
'Looks like coach already knows that, which means coach supported this act.'
Eric thought. He didn't tell anything to the youth and stood beside him and take the pose of running by touching the surface of the court.
"Ready..."
The instructor howls.
"1..2..3....Go!"
When he said that both of them started running.
Eric started to run, his biggest advantage of the sprint is that he can start up faster than anyone.
However, he noticed that the youth wasn't in his behind, however, at the same level as him. He got surprised because someone has the same start-up talent as him.
However, start-up running wasn't Eric's peak speed. As he runs he shifts gears. He shifts up one gear higher than before. He passed the youth easily. Eric thought that was enough to defeat the youth.
But the youth caught up to him again. Eric wanted to ask just who are you? But if he does that, it will interrupt with running, he already understood that this race is something that he cannot take it lightly.
He again gears up his legs. he was running twice faster than before. He cannot afford to look back if that youth was fallen back or not. And he doesn't have to do that anyway, because the youth caught up to him.
Eric looked at his front. It was a 1 km race. They already passed 700meters. It was too short a race for them.
Eric has no way but to use his peak speed. If Eric uses his top speed he cannot look anywhere, cannot think anything, cannot even close his eyelid. This also give strains on his muscle sometimes.
In sprinting, it doesn't mean you can hop up as much as you can. Or else those who can fly will easily, one can skip only one meter in one step, more than that, the magic referee system will disqualify him.
Eric used a perfect one-meter sprint and use his peak speed. Eric was expecting at least this time he will be further away from the youth. And he was right, he was further away from the youth. However, he was behind the youth.
The youth already crossed the line. Which made Eric slow down his speed and stood in one spot for a few seconds.
He just couldn't comprehend that a youth same level as him, has defeated him for the first time in his life.
Not only Eric but the onlookers who were here before and who followed them from the club room also were shocked after seeing that Eric lost to the youth. They never thought that someone in this academy can defeat him. Yes, Eric lost in the recent past, but they were way stronger than him in terms of Realm, he even practice against army men who are really good at sprinting, and he even gained praise from them, so it was still hard to accept.
"To think, I, Eric Gulzar will lose today like this?"
Eric finally spoke.
"That's because you have given up on practicing, no matter how strong you are, remember if you don't try hard, someone will eventually surpass you."
The youth said with a smile. Hearing that, Eric looked at his legs.
"I stopped practicing because there was no one who can entertain me in this race before. I have practiced harder and harder for years to surpass others, I have even won against those who higher realm than me. But in the end, this race has gotten so boring for me, because I kept winning over those who are inside of my range. As long as I leveled up I keep winning against a higher realm people. So, there is no point in practicing all I need to gain strength to win against those who are higher than me."
For the first time, Eric said why he wasn't practicing anymore. Hearing that, the youth smiled and asked,
"Do you know, what are the new rules in the next tournament?"
"No, I don't know. I am not keeping an eye on the tournament anymore after I failed to realm up at Sky Realm."
Eric replied.
"The new rule is, that the winner of the lower realm can participate in the next round with the higher realm, which means one can participate twice in a single event. It is your opportunity to officially fight against a sky realm to show the nations your talent."
The youth said. Eric was thinking about that, and he smiled. He was right it was a great opportunity for him. Not only that, he can go against this boy too. So, he again regains the spirit to fight. Then he asked,
"What is your name?"
The youth said,
"My name is Iskandar Zulkarnain."
Saying that the boy waves his hand toward him.
"Now, then I have achieved my goal, see you again other times."
Saying that he ran toward the teacher's building.
"Wait!"
Eric wanted to ask many things that's why he followed him. But when he entered the building the youth simply got vanished from there.