"That's it... everything." Matthew crossed his arms and glared at Liam, demanding that he accept the deal.
Liam sat deep in thought, processing the information Matthew had just provided. He pondered, "If this information is true, it could change the entire outcome of the exam."
Then looking at Matthew, he nodded and said, "Alright. Let's begin the fight as you wish."
This fight in general was very favorable for Liam. It seemed Matthew had been at the academy for a while, so this would give Liam a sense of how he measured up to the standards of this world. Moreover, Liam was eager to test his new skills. After all, they weren't part of the Carter family, so he could unleash his full potential without holding back.
As soon as Liam finished speaking, Matthew's flames erupted, which caused the chair to char and blacken.
"At least we should move to a different place for the fight. You're destroying our house." Lewis said with a frown. Although she was angry at her brother's behavior, she was also deeply concerned about the upcoming battle. Her brother seemed overly eager. She just hoped nothing would go wrong in the fight.
"Crazy!" James spat on the ground in disgust, glaring at Matthew. To James, a 19-year-old still at level F+ was nothing but trash. Matthew must have been lazy to end up like this.
Matthew glanced around, then extinguished the flames enveloping his body. Without a word, he stood up and walked towards the exit leading to the first floor. As he walked, his voice was cold but soft:
"Follow me..."
***
"This town is huge, at least twice the size of mine," James remarked as he glanced around, inspecting every alley and corner. Just then, a house came into view—completely destroyed with scorch marks left from an explosion. On the ground nearby, there was a deep trench, seemingly made by flying monsters.
"Is that the house of the guy who was attacked by monsters?" James asked curiously.
Matthew froze for a moment when he heard this, causing both Liam and Lewis to take notice. Without responding, Matthew picked up his pace, ignoring James's question.
"What's up with him?" Liam wondered, intrigued by Matthew's sudden reaction.
Lewis, nearby, sighed with a trace of sorrow as she looked at the destroyed house. "The person you're talking about... was a friend of my brother."
James, unfazed, picked his nose and said, "Well, that explains a lot."
"He still embodies humanity, at least."
Lewis shot him a sharp look, making James shiver slightly, and he didn't dare say anything more. She then glanced at Matthew walking ahead, lost in her thoughts.
'I hope you can understand his behavior. My brother was so kind until... he was expelled from Riverside Academy.'
Liam nodded, appearing to accept her explanation. However, that didn't mean he was ready to sympathize with Matthew. In the end, Matthew had changed.
On a vast, flat piece of land, surrounded by decayed wooden houses worn down by time, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the nearby dilapidated roofs, casting streaks of light onto the floor. From inside one of the houses, looking through the wooden cracks of the door, familiar figures could be seen.
"Let's get started." Matthew's urgent voice rang out, impatience evident not only in his words but also in his trembling hands, though he didn't notice.
Liam frowned at this, and concern was clear on Lewis's face. Neither of them knew what had happened between Matthew and the Carter family that haunted him so much. Of course, James couldn't care less.
Energy began to surge through Liam's body. Behind the transparent red energy surrounding him, his eyes were intensely focused, leaving no room for distraction or weakness.
"Bring it on."
As soon as Liam spoke, the flames within Matthew exploded once again. The temperature around him started to rise, even affecting Liam's area a short distance away.
Feeling the heat intensify, beads of sweat began to form on Liam's furrowed forehead.
'Looks like he was holding back earlier when we were inside.'
Suddenly, Matthew, engulfed in fierce flames, charged at Liam with incredible speed, making Liam's hair stand on end. A fiery punch flew towards Liam, accompanied by a crazed shout:
"Die!"
With no unnecessary movement, Liam blocked the punch with his elbow—one of the hardest parts of the body.
"Aaah!" Matthew screamed in pain, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps as he retreated. Feeling the pain and dislocation in his finger joints, he scowled. "Damn it! Why are those Carter guys always so tough?"
Glancing at Liam again, Matthew took a deep breath, clenching his painful, trembling hand into a fighting stance. This time, he was no longer as reckless as before. It seemed the pain in his hand had helped him regain some composure.
"Looks like he's calmed down," Lewis observed worriedly from a distance.
James stood nearby, picking his nose as he watched Liam with a satisfied look. "Liam's smart. He used Matthew's momentum and loss of control to counter him painfully. I'd bet his hand's fractured at the very least."
But Liam wasn't feeling triumphant about this.
"It seems there's a real gap between level F and F+," Liam thought, glancing at his elbow, which had been scorched by Matthew's flames. Though it had only been a brief touch, it was enough to leave the smell of burnt flesh. However, with the help of Force Energy, the wound quickly healed.
"What are you staring at? Don't get cocky!" Matthew shouted in rage, launching a series of fiery punches into the air. Large fireballs shot towards Liam. It seemed Liam's earlier indifference and the damage he had caused had truly bruised Matthew's pride.
"Damn it!" Liam focused all his energy as the heat around him became more intense. He rolled out of the way, dodging Matthew's fiery attacks, followed by bursts of flames erupting brilliantly. Then, without hesitation, Liam switched directions, charging straight at Matthew, who was frantically unleashing fire from his hands.
"Good! Come on!" Matthew roared wildly.
Seeing his fireballs continually dodged, Matthew stopped wasting energy. Waiting for Liam to get closer, he suddenly slammed his fist into the ground, causing it to shake—a tremor that even reached where James and Lewis were standing.
"Was that necessary?" James grimaced at Matthew's reckless move. Being a fire element user himself, James knew what was coming. He shouted.
"Liam! Get away from that lunatic!"
"It's too late!" Lewis frowned as massive pillars of fire erupted from the ground, surging like powerful streams of water. They surrounded both Liam and Matthew, forming a barrier that separated them from the outside world.
James, worried, rushed toward the flames and yelled, "You need to finish him off quickly, or you'll be roasted alive!"
Out of breath from shouting, James sat down on the ground and muttered, "How does a guy at level F+ have the energy to pull off a move like that?"