Gavin Brooks leaned his shoulder against the outer wall of the dormitory, looking at Christine Brooks, who was both the class beauty and the school beauty: “What is it? If you’re here to challenge me to a duel, forget it. Don’t worry, I have no interest in competing with you for that lousy substitute spot.”

Christine Brooks came to a stop in front of Gavin Brooks, her eyes flickering with confusion and doubt. For almost every first-year student at any warrior or magic academy, participating in the Four Seas Heroes Tournament was a matter of pride—even just getting an observer’s spot was enough to make others envious. So why did this guy look like he didn’t care at all? And he even seemed to look down on the substitute spot. Could it be that he was only interested in a main team position?

Main team? Christine Brooks shook her head. Maybe only the most outstanding geniuses from prestigious schools, or young warriors from families with deep warrior bloodlines, or children of magicians, had a shot at that.

Gavin Brooks, worried about his hat, watched Christine Brooks’s ever-changing pretty face and said, “Anything else?”

Christine Brooks snapped out of her thoughts and sighed at Gavin Brooks’s apparent lack of a warrior’s competitive spirit: “I’m not here to challenge you this time. Mr. Brooks is looking for you—he wants you to go see him now.”

“Mr. Brooks wants to see me?” Gavin Brooks was even more curious. Rodney Brooks had always talked to people directly during class, never asking to see anyone in private before. What was going on today?

Christine Brooks was even more intrigued by Gavin Brooks’s surprise. It seemed that even Gavin Brooks himself didn’t know why the usually reserved Mr. Brooks was taking the initiative today.

“I got it.” Gavin Brooks waved his hand and brushed past Christine Brooks, striding quickly toward the dormitory, secretly deciding to hide his hat under the bed before going to see Mr. Brooks.

Christine Brooks watched Gavin Brooks’s back as he walked back to the dorm and called out loudly, “Mr. Brooks is still waiting for you!”

With his back to Christine Brooks, Gavin Brooks raised his hand high and waved: “Got it, I’ll be there in a bit.”

“Teacher wants to see you?” Logan Brooks poked his head out from around the corridor corner, watching Gavin Brooks’s departing figure before he entered the dorm, and muttered to himself in surprise, “Did the teacher hear the news that quickly?”

Christine Brooks casually asked Logan Brooks beside her, “What news?”

“Oh? Class beauty?” Logan Brooks grinned and moved up even closer, his face full of smug pride as he said, “You don’t know yet? Gavin Brooks just arm-wrestled and beat Rudy Brooks! I bet Mr. Brooks is looking for him because of that.”

“Rudy Brooks? That brute Rudy Brooks?”

Chapter 12: Retest

Christine Brooks’s voice rose several notches, her beautiful eyes, more dazzling than sapphires, blinking in disbelief. No one doubted Gavin Brooks’s real combat ability, but when it came to brute strength, brute Rudy Brooks was ranked third in the first year. Even many second-year warriors had to admit defeat in front of him. Gavin Brooks might be able to beat Rudy Brooks at arm wrestling using both hands, but one-on-one, he should have no chance.

Seeing Christine Brooks’s disbelief, Logan Brooks felt even more pleased with himself. He straightened his chubby body, nostrils almost pointing skyward, hands on his hips, and said gleefully, “Of course! Who else but brute Rudy Brooks? And he won three times in a row—it was no fluke! Impressive, right?”

A strange light flashed in Christine Brooks’s beautiful eyes as she glanced sideways at Gavin Brooks’s dorm, raising her hand to prop up her chin: “Stronger than Rudy Brooks? Has he been hiding his strength all along? If that’s true, then his lack of interest in the substitute spot for the Four Seas Heroes Tournament is just an act—a smokescreen to lull everyone…”

“I have to hide the hat well, I must! If all the weird things happening to me today are because of this hat, then even if I never find the secret martial arts manual from the treasure map, my future could still change dramatically.”

Gavin Brooks lay under the bed, using a few torn strips of bedsheet to firmly tie the hat to the underside of the bed board. Crawling out, he tidied up the bedding so nothing looked out of place, dusted himself off, and quickly left the room.

Most warriors had fiery, straightforward tempers, and Mr. Brooks was a typical example. Gavin Brooks didn’t want to keep the teacher waiting and risk punishment, which would cut into his time to study the hat.

The corridor was still crowded. Gavin Brooks looked up and saw Christine Brooks still there, her face showing even more confusion and a strong sense of challenge in her expression.

“No way, another challenge?”

Gavin Brooks groaned inwardly, lowered his head, and stared at the ground as he hurried past Christine Brooks.

“Gavin Brooks!” Christine Brooks called out loudly to his back, “Are you really not interested in the substitute spot for the Four Seas Heroes Tournament?”

“Not interested!” Gavin Brooks swung his arm forcefully, quickening his pace even more, muttering, “With my current strength, even if I got the substitute spot and actually got a chance to go up, it’d just end in an embarrassing defeat. What’s the point? Substitute? I can’t stand that! If I’m going to do it, I’ll be on the main team!”