"Master!" Bob said in a panicked voice when he saw Momo appear out of nowhere. "This is not what it seems like, I was just, I was just-"
"It's okay," Momo said. "It's not bad for one to be competitive from time to time, so your reason for doing this is completely valid. Besides, I've always been curious about who would come out on top if the two of you were to fight."
"So you're not mad at me?" Bob asked, a bit confused. He had expected his master to be angry at him for fighting his apprentice just because he was jealous, but that didn't happen. Instead, he was given full consent.
"Yes, there is nothing wrong with being competitive. Besides, I'm very curious to see you guys fight," Momo said.
Bob clenched his fist and went down on one knee before the man in the white suit and pair of glasses. "Master, I accept your permission!"
'So dramatic.'
Nyx resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he saw the display. There was no way in hell he'd downgrade himself to kneel before someone. From the beginning, even Momo had noticed this because the red-haired boy carried himself with a certain level of pride and confidence that didn't come across as arrogance.
"Nyx, do you accept?" Momo asked the red-haired boy.
"Sure, but what will I get from all this fighting?" Nyx asked. "I'd fight to retrieve the earpod if it were another person, but the kid in question is your apprentice and I don't like fighting for nothing; I'm not that jobless."
Truth be told, there were still many things for him to sort through, and he still needed to commit some evil deeds around the academy to gain exp and infamy points. Wasting his time on some jealous kid who wanted to prove himself to his master wasn't on his list.
….
Ding!
[For indirectly scamming the students to believe you were a hero, you have received exp points and 15 infamy points.]
[You've leveled up.]
[You've received 2 unassigned attribute points.]
….
Nyx displayed a light smile on his face when he saw that he'd leveled up just by doing nothing. In his thoughts, the cluster of system messages didn't end there because at the moment, another screen popped out before the red-haired boy, and this screen was different.
….
Quest Title: [Make Bob submit to your dominance]
Quest description: [In a bid to prove himself to his master and reclaim his honor, Bob had challenged you to a fight. Defeat Bob and make him submit to you.]
Time Limit: [3 days]
Reward: [One random skill]
….
'A skill?' Nyx thought, a little shocked. Even when killing those students, he had only received a mere key, but this quest promised to reward him with a skill? A freaking skill. Without wasting time, the red-haired boy accepted the quest.
Previously, he was unwilling to fight, but now with the promise of a potential skill, Nyx's blood was pumping to fight, though he knew that for the system to promise such rewards, this fight wouldn't be easy.
"How about we do a bet instead?" Bob said with a smirk. After being under Momo's tutelage for a while, the bald boy was very confident in himself. He was renowned throughout the academy as one of the leaders belonging to the Red Legion, a student faction that operates within the Elite Hero Academy.
There was more than one such faction in the academy, and they were established in the first place to watch and help each other. Rumors had it that even after graduating, members of this faction continued to help each other.
Bob belonged to Red Legion, one of the strongest factions. What made this faction strong was because of their powerful members and their backing in the outside world.
And in this powerful faction, Bob was ranked as the fourth strongest fighter. As such, the bald-headed boy was very confident that beating Nyx should be a walk in the park.
"What is the bet?" Although he would have accepted the challenge regardless, Nyx didn't want to lose out on more rewards. "The bet must be worth something important; depending on what is at stake, I'll consider fighting."
'This kid, I could see he wants to fight just now after refusing; what made him so interested all of a sudden?' Momo carefully observed Nyx, noticing even the most subtle of changes in the red-haired boy's expression.
Bob seemed to be contemplating for a while, thinking about something that he could bet to get the red-haired boy to fight him. He already had what he wanted, and now all he was thinking about was something enticing that would persuade the red-haired boy to fight him.
He carefully evaluated Nyx's character from this short encounter and from what he discovered, he learned that the boy had a strong sense of pride and confidence, and he wasn't easily swayed by simple challenges or bets. Bob realized that to entice Nyx into the fight, he needed to offer something significant, something that appealed to Nyx's sense of progression and power.
After a moment of contemplation, Bob finally spoke up, "How about this? If you win, I'll give you access to the Red Legion faction and step down from my position for you. We have connections and resources that could help you in your endeavors within the academy and even outside!"
'Is this boy really serious?' Even Momo was a little shocked at what he was hearing. He knew how prestigious the Red Legion was. Even outside the academy, there were Heroes in the legacy ranking that once belonged to this faction and used their connections to help each other.
[AN: to avoid confusion: The prestigious clan rankings and the Legacy Hero ranking are two different things]
'Even the principal cares so much for that faction and values them.'
Nyx, who had read through the manual that was given to them by the academy, also knew about the existence of factions in the academy, and he also knew that Red Legion was one of the most formidable forces in the academy.
One of his plans in the academy was to enter this faction and climb from the bottom to the top; then he'll corrupt all the members and make them follow his course. That was a pretty long process and would have taken him a long time to accomplish.
But with Bob's offer, he could not only enter this faction, which was strictly by invitation, he could also attain a higher position if he showed his strength!
This bet was just too exciting for Nyx to let go!
"And if you win?" Nyx asked, his gaze fixed on Bob.
Bob smirked confidently. "If I win, you'll cease being Master's student and would cut all ties with him. Not only that, you'll also leave the academy."
'Truly harsh. I don't plan on losing my shield yet, and I could tell there is more to this Momo than he's letting on.'
Nyx weighed the options carefully. Holding a high position versus cutting all ties with Momo and leaving the academy. It was a risky gamble, but the potential reward was tempting.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, "Deal. Let's settle this then."