Passerby Villain In A Wizard World

"We meet again."

When Ian heard the familiar sound next to him, he ignored his diverging thoughts and looked ahead, to where Carl was standing.

After not seeing each other for almost six months, had he become stronger and more mature? Ian didn't know.

'Let's check,' Ian thought with a smirk, as toying with the protagonist was the most enjoyable thing for a villain, wasn't it?

So, he looked at Carl who was expecting answers, and asked in a very confused tone,

"Do I know you?"

His voice was casual and not condescending but genuinely confused as if he didn't recognize Carl at all.

"What..."

While his performance was impeccable, Carl, on the other hand, stood rooted to the spot after hearing his words, quite embarrassed.

He had imagined many scenarios: being stared at, looked down upon, or even mercilessly ridiculed, as had happened to others who were ultimately trampled under his foot.

But he never thought Ian wouldn't even remember him, making all his imaginings go down the drain.

"Haha, hahaha... kid. That was so funny..."

While Carl was embarrassed, he heard a series of laughter in his mind followed by a rant.

"Haha... You were just a nobody who lost in the fight. He didn't even show up after that day at the Academy. Why do you think he would remember you?"

Sixth Ring Wizard Ruther, inside the ring, couldn't help but laugh at Carl after seeing him so stumped. After getting bored every day, he was finally having a blast.

Did he really think acting cool and talking like this would make him look good? Wasn't this embarrassing?

'Kids these days.' Ruther shook his incorporeal head while laughing non-stop.

"Okay, I get it. Can you stop laughing at me?"

Carl was annoyed by Ruther's constant laughter in his mind, which was making him dizzy. He regretted learning the spell Telepathy now.

These days, all he could think about was getting back at Ian, showing him that he wasn't a soft persimmon and that his real strength lay in being a Wizard.

But in his constant imagination, he forgot that, in Ian's eyes, he might just be a passerby who had competed with him and lost miserably.

How ironic—a protagonist had become a passerby in front of the real passerby villain.

Just as Carl was getting annoyed by Ian's seemingly confused remarks and didn't know what to say to get out of this embarrassment, a soft voice came from the side.

"Um… Ian, he's that boy at the Academy you had a battle with during the welcoming ceremony," Lyra reminded while tugging Ian's sleeve, genuinely believing that Ian might have forgotten about this fellow.

Hearing Lyra's words, Carl felt truly thankful for her rescue. If not for her, he couldn't just say, "I'm that fellow you fought with, and I'm here for revenge," right?

However, he celebrated too early, as Lyra's next words almost made him almost lose his balance.

"You might have forgotten him because he was too weak."

Although the speaker was unintentional, the listener couldn't help but feel the weight of those words.
Your next journey awaits at empire

The words he hated most were spoken to his face by the girl he once had a crush on, right in front of his enemy—how could Carl maintain his composure after that?

"Oh? Now I remember. Isn't he the one who was pestering you? Did he still do that after I left?"

Ian asked, delivering yet another blow. Although their words seemed unintentional, Carl felt they were deliberately targeting his self-esteem.

Now he wished he hadn't rushed over. It was truly a case of haste making waste—except he was the one completely wasted.

"No, he didn't see me after that day."

Lyra didn't care what Carl thought and only felt sweetly touched by Ian's concern. She smiled at Ian and snuggled a little closer, placing his arm into her bosom.

"Ugh, friend, sorry for disturbing you. I'm indeed that guy. But all that was a misunderstanding, and there are really no hard feelings."

Carl couldn't take it anymore and had to stop their continuous unintentional (in his opinion) sarcasm. Moreover, Ruther's loud laughter in his mind had already annoyed him to no end, forcing him to use mental power to block the telepathy.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I didn't take it to heart," Ian waved his hand as if he really didn't care and walked leisurely toward the square, ignoring Carl.

"Wait a minute," Carl couldn't let go of this opportunity, earned at the cost of his dignity. So, he stopped Ian again, gnashed his teeth inwardly, and asked,

"Although that time was a misunderstanding, the competition was indeed real. So, I want to have another competition with you. What do you think? Do you dare?"

At last, he managed to compose himself and issued the challenge to Ian with a straight face.

No matter what, he had to show this bastard that he wasn't someone to be trifled with. He didn't know why, but every time he saw Ian, those feelings grew heavier and heavier, urging him to trample this person underfoot at all costs.

"Oh? What do you want to compete on? I don't have much time to entertain you," Ian asked with interest, noticing the serious look on Carl's face.

Although he had anticipated something like this might happen, he didn't think Carl would be so hung up on one defeat that he would directly challenge him again.

"Of course, it isn't about fighting. What about a test of qualification?"

Carl asked, pointing at the large crystal ball at the center, clearly intending to compare their wizard qualifications. According to Ruther, his qualifications were top-notch and one-of-a-kind.

This time, he was confident he wouldn't lose. Why not first crush the enemy's spirit and then deliver the final blow in an actual fight?

"Tch, you kid have finally used your brain."

Ruther nodded in acknowledgment. This was the best method for a competition at this time.

Moreover, Carl's wizard qualifications were truly top-tier in this world, as far as Ruther had seen. It was almost a guaranteed win—unless there was a surprise.

Just as Carl issued the challenge for the test of qualifications, almost instantly Ian heard a System notification in his mind.