How To Survive A Calamity

"What were you thinking?!"

The loud roar of Alex's voice boomed in my head, dispelling all my lingering wooziness from just waking up.

If i wasn't awake before, now i most definitely was.

"Ah, my head..." I held my throbbing head with a frown and tried to cover my ears.

It hasn't been up to five minutes since i came too. I woke up in the infirmary some time after the duel, and imagine my disappointment and horror when i rose to seeing Alexanda's face.

I gritted my teeth and hissed sharply at Alex

"Why are you here?"

"Are you actually insane? Why would you pull something like that? What if you got more hurt than you are right now?"

My words easily flew over his head as Alex continued to rant like my mom. At first i was pissed, what gave him the right to nag me like that? But then even all of that energy was siphoned in the face of Alex's rants.

A hole of fatigue, despair and suffering was left behind inside of me.

"Okay, okay... What even are you talking about?" For now, i decided to skip over the question of why Alex was here.

'If i let him keep talking, I'll definitely be enlightened!' i couldn't see my face, but i was certain of having a despairing expression.

I dryly looked at Alex who had a fierce expression.

"Why did you suddenly challenge Ceres to a duel?"

"Oh that?" I feigned nonchalance.

"Don't feign nonchalance! Why did you do that? You know who she is, right? She's the the strongest first year. What suddenly got into you?"

And once again...

"Oh that? "

I rubbed the inside of my ear and shrugged.

"Just because."

"Y-you...!"

Alex didn't seem satisfied with my response as his face seemed to go red.

Well even if i tried to explain it to him, it's not like Alex would believe me or understand.

What's with him anyway?

It's not like we're close or anything like that. It might be good will, but i felt his persistence as quite annoying.

"Wait hold on! It must be that..." All of a sudden, Alex perked up and said as i glanced dryly at him.

"What now?"

He leaned in slightly closer, and Alex's eyes glazed with coldness.

"You weren't forced by someone to do it, were you?"

Under such a gaze from him, i barely suppressed my body from visibly trembling.

"Wh-what the hell are you going on about?"

Forced?

Well i certainly wasn't intending on fighting Ceres in a duel, and only did because of the quest.

Hmmm.

Would that count as being forced?

"Did anyone force...or bully you?"

"Ah..." At Alex's words I realised what he meant and made a small voice.

"I see. So that's how it is..."

Alexander's eyes narrowed ominously and he slowly leaned back.

Something felt really unsettling and ominous from Alex's behaviour if i let this misunderstanding continue, so i quickly tried to call it off.

"No! No, i wasn't bullied or anything. And would you stop hounding me like that, it's becoming really annoying." The best way to brush off Alex's intensity was to be intense myself.

And it worked.

Alex quickly became remorseful. The dangerous glint in his eyes ceased and vanished, replaced by embarrassment.

"Ah, well, uh... I'm sorry...?"

Hey, now.

What am i supposed to do if you apologize for showing me concern?

Suddenly feeling like the bad guy, i let out a sigh and slumped my shoulders.

"..No. I was too much myself." I scratched the back of my head, "Thanks."

Since it's come to this, Alex at least deserved a reasonable explanation for my recent actions.

'Plus I'm kind of terrified about what he would do to the guys he thinks forced me.' i thought grimly with a trickle of sweat down my cheek.

"I was curious." I said.

Alex looked at me with a puzzled attention.

"How strong is the strongest student of our year and if... I wanted to know the difference and disparity between us."

I held a handful of the blanket in my fingers and squeezed only slightly. I chuckled dryly and continued.

"Maybe one day I'll be as strong as Ceres. No, I'll be better."

Internally i shrugged indifferently.

I said Alex deserved an explanation, but i said nothing about being honest.

I just put together some sympathetic sounding words to appease to him and get him off my back.

Well they weren't entirely wrong either.

Ceres was strong for my current standards, but she was simply a small wall i would overcome soon enough. My reality lay more further and further than Ceres, or anyone else, could imagine.

I turned to my side where Alex was looking at me with a gaze of mixed emotions.

'Maybe, Alexander might be the only one who could understand what i mean.'

Alex...he too had a fate and destiny much larger and greater than anyone else in the world, including me.

"If you put it that way, then i guess i can't mindlessly attack you like that. Although i still think rashly challenging the strongest student and taunting her untop is too reckless! And Ceres too! Couldn't she have gone a little bit easier on you? Look at you?"

As Alex said, i was looking pretty pathetic actually.

The extent of my injuries from the duel were considerable but not life threatening.

A few shattered ribs and broken bones. But to me, it was no different than stubbing my big toe against a furniture.

Damage like this no longer held any weight over me.

Much less to talk of how I'll be fine in a few weeks or two.

But to Alex and others, i must be looking quite pathetic. Coupled with the manner i was finished off after all of my bravado at the beginning.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

One shot.

The match ended in Ceres' overwhelming victory as i was punched into next week.

It's been nearly a day since the duel was concluded and i was only just waking up. My wounds had been attended to while i was still out cold, and now i was currently wrapped in bandages round my torso, arm, and head.

"Uh, it's almost time for the closing of visiting hours, i should get going." After a while, Alex said as he slowly rose to his feet, his movements held traces of reluctance like he had something more to say but couldn't.

"Yeah."

Then Alex promptly said.

"And you too. You should get some rest after this. You really shouldn't think of using the training hall in your current condition."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I glanced away from Alex.

"Don't act like you don't know. In fact, everyone knows you spend more time in the training hall than your dorm. In fact, i bet if the hall was always available throughout each day, we won't even see you for class."

Alex words began to sound annoying again. I felt the need to shut him up.

"When you stop talking, my wounds stop aching."

Alex went speechless at my sudden at remark and stared with slightly widened eyes at me.

I met his gaze blankly without looking away.

Yes, let it sink in...

The burn...

With a deep and heavy sigh, Alex took his leave away from the infirmary.

Somehow, his slumped shoulders looked painfully depressed.

-Cluck!

And by the time Alexander was gone, a deafening silence filled the ventilated interior of the infirmary.

I wasn't sure oyf there were any other patients or admitted cadets inside aside from me, but i could literally hear a pin drop in the emptiness that ensued.

"Finally..." I sighed deeply.

I brushed my fingers through my brown bangs and lingered silently for a few seconds.

"He's gone."

Alex was finally gone, leaving me alone with the chance to reflect effectively.

I placed a hand against my bandaged chest. The broken bones and wounds around it thrubbed mildly, even though i had been putting uo a front in front of Alex.

Despite everything Ceres went easy on me in the end.

Outright killing a cadet in a duel was strictly against the rules. If Ceres was after my life with that single blow, i at the very least would be crippled right now.

'Damn. Now that i see it, it really was a gamble.'

It made sense why Alex and everyone would think I'm crazy.

But in the end, the gamble paid off nicely.

....

===

[Type:- Survival

Name:- Quest to becoming Stronger

Description:- Challenge the number one student of your year to a duel.

Duration:- ...

Rewards:- +1 instant level up!

Penalty:- ...]

===

[Ding! Quest clear conditions have been met;

-Challenge the number one student of your year (Ceres) to a duel.

-Survive a duel.]

[Ding! Quest reward(s) have been distributed.]

- +1 instant level up [Lvl33 >> Lvl34]

[Ding! You have leveled up! Lvl33 --> Lvl34!]

[You have grown stronger.]

===

...

The quest status completion screen was screen was the first thing i opened my eyes to.