Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

'I'm going to do exactly what you asked me to do, kicking ass!'

Eren's body language and his cunning smile conveyed his feelings to Marla.

"The duel in battle ring 4 is over. Eren Idril wins."

Only after Lin's voice confirmed the duel's result did the students standing around battle ring 4 come out of their shocked states. They looked at the unimpressive-looking kid with a range of emotions in their eyes.

"Eren, you did well. Blitz Steps, is it? I see that you've gotten a good handle on your movement spell. Your minimum requirement for intraclass ranking war is met. Do you still want to continue?"

*********

Eren was shocked for a short while before nodding his head to express his wish for more battles. Shocked because Lin didn't recognize that he had used Sedated Perception as well with Blitz Spell.

A spell execution creates a certain fluctuation in the surroundings even if its effects aren't visible. The ranker's aura also changes according to their active spell execution. The fact that Lin didn't notice these changes either meant Lin was incompetent in recognising the time element spell execution.

Or...

The spell was covert due to its intrinsic nature or some artefacts.

Eren felt that it was both. He had changed the default algorithm of Sedated Perception under the effects of the state of epiphany. And he was also in the possession of his gem, which might have masked the time element spell's effect.

Either way, there was no way for Lin to know that Eren had actually used a spell combo in his battle. He chose not to correct his homeroom professor at all.

*********

Eren's name was placed on the spectral screen again. Now the screen would randomly match him up with another student who has consented to battle again, either after winning or losing their first battle.

The names were getting randomly matched on the spectral screen after a while. Soon, Eren's next opponent was revealed.

Coincidentally, his next opponent was Renita Diabreo, the ranger his team was aiming to recruit.

"Hello. Name's Renita."

Renita expressed herself casually to Eren who did the same in response:

"Hello. I'm Eren. Do you mind if we raise the betting amount from 100 to 1000 Merps?"

"Hmm? Are you that confident in beating me? I had observed your match during my idle time. I accept that you are fast. And your perception lets you handle yourself better in close combat.

But unfortunately, I'm a worse match for you. What can you do if I don't let you near me and attack you from a distance?"

Renita smiled at Eren after saying that. She was confident in her ranger skills, after all. That's why she didn't take offence at what seemed like an underestimation from Eren's side.

"I know that my close combat abilities are restricted when faced against a long-range combatant. Usually, I'd need someone from my party to pin you down before I approach you. But our solo battle right now tilts the advantage in your favour.

But that's exactly why I want to raise the stakes. If I can surpass my class's restrictions during this battle, I'd be able to better familiarise myself with my combat style. And second…"

Eren smiled and looked at Rentia while narrowing his eyes. The latter could feel a silently threatening aura coming from her opponent. Her smile vanished as a result. She replied with a stoic face:

"What is it?"

"Second reason for me raising the stakes is that you can take this battle seriously from the get-go. I don't want you to find an excuse that you weren't prepared to get away from the criticism, if and when you lose this duel."

"Such bravado after winning a single match against a newbie berserker. Tell me Eren Idril, what would you give me apart from those 1K Merps if I win this duel?"

"I'd give you an F-Rank artefact that's not much use to me if you were to win this. But Renita, this thing about additional benefits can't be a one-way street you know!"

"Hmm. I don't have any good artefact for your class. I can pay you in…"

"Who said anything about paying in Merps and artefacts? I want you to join my party if I were to win this. Do you agree?"

"You want to recruit me? But you don't even know the first thing about me. And we've never interacted. What made you place a bet like this?"

"I have my reasons. My party needs a good ranger and you are it. We can discuss this topic later on. Right now what's important is whether or not you agree to join us after losing this duel?"

Eren said that and sent a private audio communication request to Renita. The latter knew he was going to talk about something private so she accepted his request. A private audio channel was opened between the two opponents as a result:

"By the way, Steve Austin, who gave you the hint about a certain event, is from my team. You said that you'd think about accepting his offer if his information pans out. I know that you must have gotten the items you wanted from the auction event.

Therefore, you owe us one, don't you, miss Diabreo? There's nothing wrong in accepting an additional bet if you think about the agreement we had."

Renita's eyes were opened wide as a result. Only now did she understand how serious Eren was in recruiting her. He had already invested in her by providing her with the information about the auction event in advance.

And he was out to collect his debt now. This battle was just a coincidence. Eren would have approached Renita anyway if this duel didn't take place between them.

"*Sigh! You are a mysterious man, Eren Idril. Frankly, I had other plans. I was going to pay Steve with Merps for his information instead of joining his party. But that seems out of option from listening to your talk.

Alright. I'll join your party if you were to beat me."

Renita finally agreed. Both gave a nod to their homeroom teacher after their private conversation was over. Lin started the counter in response:

3… 2… 1… 0!

Author's Note: Hi. VEH was very close to hitting 300 power stones in a week. But unfortunately, we fell short of a few depositions. Never mind. We did cross the 200 PS mark. So I'll release an extra chapter soon. ;)

Another announcement I want to make is that VEH's release rate might drop after it crosses 100 chapters. There are a few reasons behind it:

Word count wise, it's been too long and the novel is yet to be contracted. I asked around and came to know that WN's content team has its hands-full rummaging through loads of novels every day because it is understaffed. So it might take a while for the content editors to approve this novel for a contract. I understand their plight as I've had to face a similar situation when I was working as a sub-editor. But That understanding doesn't help me get out of my current predicament. So I'll slow down the release rate till the novel gets contracted.

I also want to focus on my other novel Fenris, which has been left on the backburner for quite some time now. Then there's another title I have under my belt named Chaotic Symbiosis that has also won a bronze trophy. It would be a lil hectic to keep these novels serialized simultaneously. But it is something I must do as a weaver of stories that haven't found their conclusions yet.

Stuck at home, I thought of writing novels while doing freelancing as a side hustle. But that has affected my lifestyle negatively. I've stopped socializing. That can't be good in the long run. Things need to get back on track.

I'll take my second jab of the vaccine in a few days. Therefore, I'm aiming to finish the 100 chapters beforehand. My first vaccination had me bedridden for two days. So the second jab might do the same.

I'm planning to work on my three novels; Fenris, VEH, and Chaotic Symbiosis alternatively, unless a particular title among them receives a good response from readers. Rest assured, I'm not planning to drop either of the titles I just mentioned. I've invested far too much in these titles to give up midway.

As a writer, it's my responsibility to keep my readers updated about the work they've invested their time and efforts into. So consider this as a head-up.

My preparations are almost complete. VEH will have a Fandom Wiki as a celebration of its 100th chapter release. Stay tuned and keep investing in the novel in any way you can. That'd be the warmth I need to keep on writing without feeling downhearted.

Lastly, sorry for the long-ass author's note! ;)