Chapter 236: Competition Day 2 to Day 5 Chapter 236: Competition Day 2 to Day 5 Leon had no choice but to carry Miho back to her shed. Bigfoot watched him leave with a down expression, shoulders slumped—then something seemed to spark inside him. With a grunt, he hoisted a fallen tree trunk beside him and began doing squats, muscles bulging with every lift. He was clearly determined to win future challenges against Leon in physical training and exercises. Carrying her carefully in a piggyback ride, Leon felt Miho’s warm breath tickle the side of his neck, her arms tightening around him with every small movement of Leon’s. "Do I not look like a dangerous guy who could take advantage of her?" he muttered. As if responding, Miho shuffled slightly, nuzzling her face into the crease of his neck, her soft hair brushing against his skin. "So defenceless..." Leon murmured. To reach Miho’s shed, he had to pass by Leo and Lily’s place, and as expected, unmistakable noises of lovemaking accompanied by laughter and giggles drifted out into the night air. Leon immediately quickened his pace. "Fuck! What time is it even?" he grumbled. "1 AM in the morning, and these people are still at it? Just how much do they love each other?" "They seriously need to hire some high-level artisan for soundproofing," he continued with a scowl, casting a disgusted side glance at the shed as he turned his head. "Or the whole territory will be wide awake all night with how unrestrained they are..." But as he turned, Miho’s face ended up right in front of his—peaceful, relaxed, sleeping as though Leon’s back was the most comfortable place she had ever stumbled upon. "...Damn. It’s getting harder for me," he muttered, shaking his head. He entered her shed and gently lowered her onto the mattress, careful not to disturb her sleep. After covering her properly, he glanced around the room. "So tidy..." he said quietly. Only then did he recall that his own room was never this clean. For the past couple of days, Miho had been the one arranging his things. Without her, his living space would probably revert into something no better than a pigsty like its always is. Leon stroked his chin, thinking deeply. "Better keep her with me forever..." His gaze drifted back to her sleeping face. After a moment, he shook his head with a dejected sigh and turned away, leaving the shed to resume his training. Now that one source of trouble was asleep, he could finally train in peace. --- The next day arrived quickly. As usual, after a good breakfast, they prepared to depart for Miho’s matches. However, Miho insisted that the others focus on their own work or training, assuring them that she would be fine on her own. After a bit of deliberation, it was decided that Lily would accompany Miho for the day. With that settled, Leon and Leo did some shopping around the academy before returning to the territory to train. They chose opposite sides of the plateau, deliberately keeping their distance so neither would learn the other’s techniques before their official match. Bigfoot shuffled between the two, competing whenever possible to see if he could win even once and occasionally returning to stabilise the Fluxsoil Heart. Territory defence was left to Bigfoot’s summon—the Juvenile Great Python. Since Python was contracted, Bigfoot’s mana consumption had dropped significantly. Within the Fluxsoil’s range, his mana replenished so quickly that it barely felt like anything was being drained at all. Leon and Leo’s beasts patrolled the territory’s perimeter, alert for danger, but no wild beast approached. Any wandering beasts were repelled the moment they sensed something like Howl sleeping nearby. Though Howl’s presence seemed negligible, beasts possessed an instinctive awareness that kept them cautious. As for Howl himself, he spent the time mastering his [Golem Construct] skill. For now, he had successfully created 15 Peak 1-star golems and tried refining them more. Leo had also constructed 4 Low-2-star golems and stored them within his spiritual space for instant deployment if needed. --- "Ahhhh, fuck! Just what is the rank of that bastard?!" Shub groaned. At present, fresher rankings are only visible to freshers. He had been discreetly inquiring about Leo since that day, but every answer pointed to the same conclusion—that there was a student named Leo ranked 2nd. "That’s impossible," Shub snarled. "That cunning bum can’t be that high-ranked. If he were, followers would be swarming around him like flies on spoiled food." "He was alone in that territory before... but looks like he recruited a few people, huh?" "Why does that fucing guardian beast not return?" He clicked his tongue. "What skills did they even use?" he continued bitterly. "He himself seems to summon a swarm of low-levelled golem... probably from where his stupid confidence comes." "Those two girls only used fuckin’ vines and fireballs—and they were so weak..." He said, thinking of Miho. "And there was that one boy... he didn’t even fight. But he had some decent ranged skills. That dart-type attack took down that bat beast." "I bet he bought those people with the credits he took by blackmailing me." His lips curled into a lustful smile, making his brownish-yellow hair and twisted expression look all the more disgusting. "That pink-haired girl had a really nice body," he chuckled. "I wonder how many credits it took him to buy her... kekeke." Then his mood suddenly soured. "Fuck! I stayed the whole day in the 3-star bracket arena. Why didn’t he fight?" Shud growled. "Is he ranked lower?" "I should check the 4th bracket fights today... tch, they’re so boring..." Muttering to himself, Shud grabbed a phone from the side table and scrolled through the fresher rankings in the 4th-tier bracket. The endless list of names made his head throb, and in frustration, he hurled the phone against the nearby wall, breaking it. "N–no..." came a weak voice. A young boy with greyish hair lay sprawled on the floor, his body covered in bruises, evidence of a severe beating. Shub stepped forward and kicked him hard in the stomach, forcing blood from the boy’s mouth. "Bastard," Shud sneered. "You’d better send me your sister’s whereabouts soon and make her join my territory. Otherwise, I’ll torture you for the whole session." "And you know what happens if you complain about me, right?" he continued coldly. "I’ve got friends all over the academy. One word from me, and you can imagine what’ll happen to your sister." The boy clenched his teeth, blood seeping between them as he endured the pain. You were right, Veronica... he thought grimly. I shouldn’t have joined a territory so rashly just for quick benefits... A few more kicks followed before Shud finally departed toward Arena 3, his mood inexplicably souring as the grey-haired boy refused to open his mouth. The boy couldn’t even commit suicide, since that would put him in crushing debt of 100000 AC, an unimaginable amount for a fresher. I should not put more pressure on her to carry my loser ass...