The brute Rudy Brooks, known as the third strongest in raw strength among first-year students, could even overpower quite a few second-year seniors. Even if Gavin Brooks was boosted by the apprentice mage’s spell “Power of the Bull,” he still might not be able to outmatch Rudy Brooks in sheer strength.

Because Rudy Brooks, who comes from a commoner family, possesses monstrous strength, some even suspect he might have barbarian blood—northern barbarian heritage.

“Kid, are you the one who wants to arm wrestle me?”

Sitting at one end of the table, Rudy Brooks shook his shoulders, which were almost as thick as Gavin Brooks’s thighs, then slammed his elbow heavily onto the tabletop, producing a deep, resounding thud.

The sturdy wooden table shook as Rudy Brooks’s massive elbow hit it, and Gavin Brooks thought he saw all four legs of the table wobble several times.

“Come on.” Rudy Brooks slapped the table hard with his free hand. “Do you need me to let you use both hands?”

Gavin Brooks really wanted to accept right away, but after glancing at the scornful looks from the group of Class Two students around him, he decided against Rudy Brooks’s tempting offer.

“No need for both hands.” Gavin Brooks sat grandly across from Rudy Brooks, eyeing Rudy Brooks’s thick arms with suspicion. Did this guy not know what fatigue was? Judging by the force of that elbow just now, it was clear he wasn’t the least bit tired.

At this point, any man would have to step up, even knowing he’d lose! Helplessly, Gavin Brooks braced his elbow on the table, clasping his palm with the rough, massive hand of the brute Rudy Brooks.

Huh? Gavin Brooks looked up in mild surprise, only to find the brute Rudy Brooks also casting a surprised look his way. Their eyes met, both filled with astonishment, and Gavin Brooks grew even more puzzled—was Rudy Brooks planning to go easy on him?

Anyone who’s arm wrestled knows that when two hands are clasped together, you can usually gauge your opponent’s strength by their grip, and get a basic sense of whether you can win.

With their hands locked, Gavin Brooks was surprised to find that the brute Rudy Brooks didn’t seem to be using his full strength. If this was all the power he put forth, his chances of winning were less than thirty percent.

The students watching from their beds all yawned in boredom, each fishing a few copper coins from their pockets and tossing them onto the table, saying listlessly, “I bet on the brute to win.”

“I bet on the brute too.”

“Me too, I bet on the brute.”

A few Class Two students tossed their coins and then looked over at the expressions of the Class One students by the table.

“Um…”

“Well…”

The Class One students glanced at each other awkwardly and whispered, “We’ll bet on Rudy Brooks too…”

Pfft… Hearing his own classmates bet on Rudy Brooks, Gavin Brooks felt a surge of anger, almost wanting to cough up blood and hit someone. After all, they’d been classmates for nearly a year, and yet they were betting on an outsider to win.

“You guys are betting on Rudy Brooks too? Then what’s the point?”

“Betting on Rudy Brooks? Guess you’re not that dumb after all, you know the guy you brought can’t cut it.”

“But isn’t that a bit spineless? Aren’t you at least classmates?”

The Class Two students sitting on their beds all chimed in, arguing noisily, making the faces of the Class One students flush red with embarrassment. Yet not a single one switched their bet to Gavin Brooks to show some warrior’s spirit.

Logan Brooks came to the table, and Gavin Brooks shot a fierce glare at his old friend, who was fingering some copper coins. He knew Logan Brooks too well—this guy was not the type to stick to principles, and betraying him at the last minute to bet on the brute Rudy Brooks was exactly the kind of thing Logan Brooks would do.

Logan Brooks, after being glared at by Gavin Brooks, shivered involuntarily. He also knew what kind of person his dormmate of nearly a year, Gavin Brooks, was.

Usually, Gavin Brooks was cheerful and easygoing, polite and friendly to others. But if someone truly crossed him, they were in for trouble—Gavin Brooks was the type to always get even, no matter what.

Logan Brooks hadn’t forgotten that just two months ago, a third-class first-year warrior student, Cass Brooks, for the sake of the school beauty Julie Brooks, had cornered him in the bathroom with two others and given him a beating, warning him not to go near Julie Brooks again.

That night, when Gavin Brooks saw Logan Brooks covered in bruises, he finally learned the whole story. At the time, he only said, “If you want to chase girls, do it fair and square. What’s with the dirty tricks? This won’t be the end of it.”

At first, Logan Brooks thought Gavin Brooks was just venting and wouldn’t actually do anything. But a month later, during an internal sparring class, Gavin Brooks went straight to Cass Brooks and challenged him.

And as soon as the fight started, he took down the stick-wielding Cass Brooks with his bare hands and gave him a brutal beating.

The fight was over almost instantly—barely had they started when Gavin Brooks floored Cass Brooks. According to the sparring rules, Cass Brooks had already lost at that point, but Gavin Brooks didn’t give him a chance to admit defeat. His first punch left Cass Brooks’s mouth full of blood, and then he pinned him to the ground and unleashed a torrential barrage of punches.