Chapter 263: Lily Vs Dhalia Chapter 263: Lily Vs Dhalia Back in the room, Uraan cheered loudly after seeing the result, pleased with himself for betting on Aaron. Ronan, on the other hand, cursed under his breath for splitting his funds between both sides. As for Marco, after seeing Uraan confidently bet on Aaron, he too had placed 20,000 AC and earned 10,000 AC in return. He was visibly satisfied. After confirming that Miho bet on Aaron with Leon, both Leo and Lily also looked pleased. Aaron had also bet on himself. Since he wasn’t among the top 6, he was allowed to do so. Once again, it became clear that these 3 nobles—Aaron, Ronan, and Uraan—had deliberately placed themselves at the lower end of Tier-1. As for Marco, he was a lucky guy, or rather, his certain strength level made him lucky. Tavian nodded to himself as well, as if he had already been certain that Aaron would win. As for Dhalia, she frowned slightly after seeing how helpless Lyra had looked against Aaron. Back in the ring, just as Aaron sheathed his blade and raised his hand in victory—waving confidently at the roaring audience. His Beast, The Shardfall Warden’s core seemed have dimmed, making it obvious that it was low on mana and a bit sleepy, unlike his master who was basking in the victory glory. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞 Maybe I should’ve done that too... Leo thought internally after watching Aaron celebrate. Lyra appeared first. She looked visibly grumpy as she stomped back to her seat. Dhalia quickly followed, leaning in to cheer her up. When Aaron returned, he went straight toward Ronan. "Haha, Ronan! Didn’t you strike it rich after betting on me?" Aaron laughed loudly, clapping him on the shoulder. "You owe me a party." Ronan congratulated him with a stiff smile, cursing internally. He hadn’t even bet that much—only 10,000 AC. That earned him just 5,000 AC. And after losing 2,500 AC from his bet on Lyra, he had only gained a total of 2,500 AC. As for Aaron himself, he had bet nearly all 30,000 AC on himself and earned 15,000 AC in pure profit. As Aaron’s loud voice echoed through the room, he felt a strange chill. "Cough! Anyways," Aaron said, clearing his throat and shifting the topic. "Looks like we’ll be seeing another secret star in the next match. So, who will you bet on?" His gaze shifted toward the upcoming match between Lily and Dhalia. The cyan-haired beauty puffed out her chest confidently. "Me, of course! Bet on me, and you’ll strike rich! Hahaha!" she declared, grinning widely as she flexed her biceps right in front of Lily. She was clearly the competitive type. Even though Dhalia looked strong and promising, the boys couldn’t help but feel sceptical. Uraan secretly glanced at Leo to gauge his reaction. Seeing him almost bored, he made his decision to bet on Lily. He had heard rumours that Lily and Leo were in a relationship, and of course, Leo would know Lily’s true strength. If he showed no reaction to Dhalia’s provocation, it could only mean one thing: he had confidence. Lily didn’t reply. Instead, she quietly contemplated what kind of beast Dhalia possessed. Dhalia had never revealed it, only showing traces of ice power once when she fought Tavian and Marco. Leo, being a higher-ranked individual, could easily discern Dhalia’s strength. Personal strength of Pseudo 3-star? She is indeed strong. But Lily is stronger, he concluded internally. The only real variable was Dhalia’s beast. But with two Low 3-star beasts under Lily’s command, no variable could truly shake her path. Leon had also gauged Dhalia’s strength and had already messaged Miho. Miho: Even if big sister were to lose—which is impossible—I would still have bet on her! (╯‵□′)╯ Leon: Okay... Both Phase Odds were as follows:— 1: Lily: 1.45 Dhalia Renner: 1.60 Betting Pool: Lily: 678,980,789 AC Dhalia Renner: 978,768,900 AC 2: Lily: 1.55 Dhalia: 1.45 Betting Pool: Lily: 678,980,789 AC → 1,567,890,890 AC Dhalia Renner: 978,768,900 AC → 1,789,768,908 AC The house had lowered Lily’s odds in the 1st phase, assuming the audience would bet on her more due to her higher rank. However, it seemed the audience trusted a fighter they had already seen in action. Dhalia had fought Tavian and nearly defeated him, and she had also defeated Marco when he challenged her. In contrast, Lily had never fought publicly before. Because of that, Dhalia was trusted more and naturally, seeing her odds high, they bet on her for profit. But then the house soon changed the odds in the second phase, making Lily’s higher and Dhalia’s lower to attract bets on her. Miho, of course, bet 500,000 AC on Lily during the second phase after Leon insisted on waiting. She had initially thought the odds would be lowered, reducing her returns, but Leon clearly had more experience in these matters. Surprisingly, the host—who usually dropped whatever tea he could—didn’t mention anything about Leo and Lily’s relationship. Almost as if protecting them both from unseen hands. Soon, both contestants appreared on the ring. With 2 goddess-like beauties stepping into the ring together, the online viewership skyrocketed. Live Stream Views: 430.89M Views The reason the numbers were so absurdly high was simple—the matches of the top 10 students were being broadcast for free. These battles acted as advertisements for the academy, attracting countless families eager to send their children there. How the fuck are so many humans alive in this post-apocalyptic world!? Do we breed like rabbits?! Leo was internally baffled. These numbers only counted people with smartphones—it didn’t even include the hundreds or thousands of times more who didn’t have one. Soon, both Lily and Dhalia summoned their beasts and drew their weapons. Lily wielded a sword, while Dhalia equipped heavy gauntlets. Lily’s treant emerged as usual, towering at nearly 10 meters tall, its body translucent and ethereal, resembling a spirit woven from living wood. Cedar Treant (Low 3-star) — Noble Bloodline *pic* "Our 3rd secret star has a whole spirit as her beast!" the host shouted excitedly. "And are we seeing this correctly? A rare wood-type spirit!! Let’s give a cheer for our beautiful lady, who—despite having the option to live peacefully as a healer—has chosen to fight for humanity!" As for Dhalia, her beast was a 8 meter tall and 5 meter wide heavily armoured quadruped, rivaling even Marco’s Mammoth. Its entire existence radiated the word–durable. Layered ice-plate armor covered its massive frame, cold energy constantly spilling outward and frosting the surroundings simply by existing. Its crystal-blue eyes shone sharply as they locked onto the treant’s vine-red, marble-like gaze. Boreal Shellbeast (Low 3-star) — Noble Bloodline *pic* --- A/N: It might seem that the betting amount is quite low according to the views, but keep in mind that 2,500 AC = 1 gold coin. And a commoner family of 5 can live comfortably with just 50 bronze coins a month. 100 Copper coins = 1 Bronze coin = 0.25 AC 100 Bronze coins = 1 Silver coin = 25 AC 100 Silver coins = 1 Gold coin = 2,500 AC 100 Gold coins = 1 Platinum coin = 250,000 AC