That little dispute really drained Irvine's stamina. Not only is he exhausted, but he's also become the star of a very awkward show.
"Hey! Are you okay?" Cody Oughan asks, sporting a confused expression like he just walked into the wrong movie.
Irvine responds with a nod and a goofy smile that looks like he just bit into a lemon.
"Just saying, you don't have much time left," Oughan reprimands.
Suddenly, the silly smile on Irvine's face vanishes faster than a magician's rabbit. He bolts off again, putting some distance between himself and the crowd while grumpily muttering his annoyance at Atniel. No one can hear him, but his body language is like a silent film of Charlie Chaplin—so dramatic and silly.
Before he can finish his fourth lap, his both legs wave the white flag, and he decides to take a break. Maya catches up with him but wisely chooses not to say anything. Instead, she leaps into the lake like a graceful dolphin.
Not long after, Jack the pervert makes his grand entrance, finishing his last lap with enough energy to power a small city.
"Sexy ladies! I'm coming!" he yells, sounding like a cartoon character in a bad sitcom.
"Hey, Jack! You've already passed the test!" Aezel shouts, half-amused, half-annoyed.
But Jack isn't done yet; he's still chasing after the "sexy ladies," leaving a trail of nosebleeds in his wake.
Meanwhile, our poor Irvine is still trying to move his legs, which are now soaked but somehow still look dehydrated. His stomach feels emptier than a politician's promise. Atniel, knowing he hasn't eaten since yesterday, tries to convince him to throw in the towel. But…
"I can't stop here! This is my chance to help my family! If I get kicked out of this academy, my resume will look worse than a cat meme gone wrong. No decent job for me!"
<< I get it! But… >>
"Even now, I bet my mom is still scavenging through trash, collecting plastic bottles to sell for pennies. The money I get from this academy, no matter how small, helps lighten her load."
Indeed, the human race has ruled this world for over a century, but prosperity is like a VIP club—only the nobles get in, while the rest of the people are left outside, shivering in the cold.
Apparently, Elea has been lurking nearby, listening to Irvine's muttering, which must look bizarre to her. It's strange, but her face starts to cloud over with gloom.
She has every reason to despise humans, but Irvine's words start to chip away at her icy exterior. Her hatred begins to melt, replaced by a hint of sympathy.
"It's a harsh world, indeed! What do you expect?" she mutters, checking her stopwatch, realizing there are less than ten minutes left. With Irvine's current state, she doubts he'll make it.
To her surprise, Irvine suddenly finds a burst of energy. Atniel must be up to his usual tricks again.
<< Just pray to God that your muscles can hold up! >>
"I don't care if my muscles snap like a twig!" Irvine yells, leaping into the lake like a cannonball.
Elea, who was ready to take him out, now finds herself worried and positions herself at the edge of the lake, prepared to dive in if he starts flailing like a drowning kitten.
Despite everything, Irvine manages to cross the lake and continues running, dodging ice shards like a contestant on a bizarre game show. Sadly, on his way back to the basketball court, Elea spots him limping, dragging his left leg like a zombie in the walking dead movie.
On the other hand, Aezel shakes his head in disappointment after checking her stopwatch.
"There's no point anymore! He's failed!" she sighs, looking like she just lost a bet.
It seems Irvine's left leg has officially given up on him. Or maybe one of his leg muscles has decided to quit the team. But he's still trying to force those legs to move.
Unable to watch his struggle any longer, Aezel tosses an ice shard to make him stop. To her surprise…
Bluff!!!
A small fireball collides with her ice shard just as it leaves her hand. She turns to the left, and sees Elea walking away, leaving the basketball court like she just finished a bad date.
"Well done!" the elf girl calls over by only showing her back. "Get some rest! We'll leave for Flemur in two days."
Aezel grimaces at Elea's sudden change of heart. She has no clue what happened to that elf girl. All she can do is shake her head while approaching the exhausted Maya.
"It seems that guy didn't hear what Elea said earlier! Why don't you go tell him to stop?"
"I'll go!" Lily jumps up, eager to check on Irvine.
Before that, our dark-skinned elf approaches Maya first, intending to advise her to treat Irvine's leg muscles. But instead, Maya bolts off, rushing toward Irvine with a bottle of water like she's a justice league member being late for a meeting.
Irvine, blissfully unaware of the chaos around him, is still trying to finish the test. He stumbles and falls, looking like a toddler learning to walk. As he tries to get up…
"Irvine! That's enough!"
"Don't you dare stop me! I'm not finished yet!"
"You don't need to push yourself anymore! We've all passed the test!"
Hearing that, Irvine closes his eyes and takes a deep breath of relief. He then plops down on the ground like a deflated balloon. But he looks so satisfied nonetheless.
<< Congratulations! >>
"Well, thanks to you!"
He mutters, directing his gratitude toward Atniel. But Maya misinterprets it completely, taking Irvine's gratitude aimed at her. In that instant, her face lights up with hope and relief.
"I haven't done anything! But it looks like you've injured your chin and knee! No worries! I can treat your wounds, just like always!"
Irvine sits up, noticing Maya's right hand wrapped in magical healing water that looks like a glove made by a toddler.
As she reaches out to touch Irvine's injured chin…
Plak!!!
He swats her hand away like it's a fly buzzing around his head.
"Don't ever touch me with that dirty hand of yours!"
That hand has healed his wounds countless times, but he can't ignore the fact that it also held some other dude's ugly… well, you know.
Maya is left shocked and frozen, her eyes wide. Just when she thought Irvine had forgiven her, he slaps her with rejection harder than a wet towel.
"Why? Why did you suddenly become like this?"
Tears well up in her eyes, and she still doesn't understand why Irvine treats her this way. But her cluelessness only fuels Irvine's fury. A vein even bulges in his temple.
It might be good to just slap some sense into her, but gritting his teeth is all he can do to endure this mounting anger. In the end, he gets up and decides to walk away, dragging his left leg like a wounded soldier.
Yet, Maya still has the audacity to call him.
"Irvine! Don't do this to me! Please, say something!"