22 The Price of Ambition

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An electrifying jolt raced up my spine, forcing me out of my slumber. Blinding lights burned through my closed eyelids, assaulting them with their brightness.

Pain shot through my chest as I gasped for air. My throat ached terribly as I attempted to take a full inhale.

However, my lungs refused to cooperate, sending spasms of agony coursing through my body instead.

Opening my sluggish eyes, I found myself in a completely white room, packed with medical equipment.

All manner of machines surrounded me — monitors, dials, gauges, and tubes. Everything glimmered under the bright lights placed overhead, giving off an eerie glow.

"So it's already over..."I muttered, attempting to sit upright.

I'm glad that the academy managed to rescue me in time. As I recalled the last few minutes, I remembered how atrocious my condition really was.

It's a miracle already that I survived with so much blood lost not to mention that at some point my heart started to beat in irregular patterns.

But then again, this world is blessed with elixirs and medicines which can cure even the most grievous injuries.

I turned to look at my completely bandaged body, ridden with injuries all over the place. My limbs were covered entirely in thick bandages, weighing them down heavily.

In addition, a small tube ran directly into my mouth, pumping warm liquid into my mouth. If I had to guess, it was some sort of elixir, diluted with a considerable amount of water.

Although Elite Haven is very rich, that doesn't mean that possess the generosity to use a good portion of it on its students. If they can, they will cut corners wherever possible. That includes their medicine supplies.

However, even if I wanted to, I couldn't waste my thoughts complaining about their greediness. The previous fight deeply bothered me, suppressing everything else in my mind.

"I was too naive..." My voice rang hollowly within the confines of the room, echoing across the silent walls.

Standing on top of the food chain in my previous life dulled my senses. Thinking that everything will go as planned was foolish beyond belief, especially since I had to trust Kayn to not mess up.

This recklessness almost cost me the perfect opportunity to create what I sought after for many years

Now I've learned my lesson. I won't repeat this mistake. Not now...not ever again.

"Fuck trying to leave the protagonist's and supporting characters' original opportunities, and fuck trying to have just enough strength to balance out the final fight!"

"Now, things will get real.."

The end justifies the means. As long as the perfect art is created, I'll do whatever it takes. Be it sacrificing lives or manipulating events to suit my needs.

This ambition in me, burning like a flame will only be satisfied when I can finally bring forth the ultimate masterpiece. The joy that the others will learn to appreciate in the moments of their death.

The joy of showing real emotions, true feelings of despair, hatred, fear, sorrow, and anger. Not those shown on the mask that is forged from lies. From society's expectations and demands.

To experience the beauty of humanity at its finest hour, before it crumbles beneath the weight of civilization. To witness the unbridled passion, the raw emotion of mankind.

That is what I seek.

And that is what I will achieve. What I must achieve.

With these thoughts running amok in my head, I leaned back onto the bed, staring blankly ahead. My fingers tapped rhythmically upon the sheets, drumming out the same melody repeatedly.

After reflecting for an unknown amount of time, a nurse entered the room.

The moment she noticed I was awake, her expression changed drastically. Her face stiffened instantly, looking somewhat unsettled by my presence.

She made a great effort to ignore me and just checked the vital signs displayed on the monitor next to me. It was as if she was trying to not look into my face.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused by her behavior.

Startled, she jumped slightly, turning toward me. "Oh! You're awake. I didn't even notice." Her words came out hurriedly, as though apprehensive to speak any longer. She looked away quickly, averting eye contact with mine.

"What did I miss while I was unresponsive? How did the fight go?" I questioned further.

A small sigh escaped her mouth at the realization that she cannot avoid the conversation.

"Well, you have been unconscious for 4 days and are still excused from lessons for another 3 days. Until then, focus entirely on your recovery," she replied tersely, not even talking about the injuries I sustained.

"And about the fight, the footage of it is available to every student in the academy. Wait here, I will bring you a tablet with the video." With that, she left without saying anything more.

4 Days? Damn. I pushed my body far past its limits during that fight. Hopefully, I can recover soon enough to resume my training. Professor Mistscribe would surely forgive me for being unable to meet him for now, right?

As I waited for the nurse to return with the tablet, I wondered if I made it into the top 10.

Although I did only defeat a couple of students since Kayn and Isabella decimated the weaklings before I got the chance to, Alexander and Elara should be worth quite a lot, especially considering the situation I was in.

Did I even defeat Elara? I know that she should have suffered devastating wounds but without vision, I wasn't able to confirm if she was still conscious and able to continue.

While I pondered over such matters, the door opened and the nurse returned, carrying a tablet in her hands. After setting it down on the table beside me, she swiftly took off once again.

"I will check up on you later." She said quietly, giving one last glance before leaving the room.

The tablet resembled the kind used in my previous life. A screen displayed a simple wallpaper with two files on it, labeled 'Orion's Clash' and 'Top-Ten'.

Opening the file named 'Orion's Clash' first, I watched the entire battle play out from beginning to end through the lenses of drones flying overhead.

It showed all the movements of each participant, including myself.

The angles of view were so precise, they could make out details as small as a hair follicle on a man's scalp. Even the facial expressions of everyone involved appeared crystal clear.

As I watched the fight, I focused my attention on the other participants rather than me. I still have plenty of time to analyze what I could have done better after viewing the rest of them.

As the novel already described, all the important characters fought valiantly throughout the entirety of the match. Immediately at the start, Luna rushed towards B-Class to test her strength even while still missing an arm.

Though things didn't end well for her because even after Roy came to assist her, they were overwhelmed eventually by the sheer number of enemies attacking them.

On the other hand, Onyx Meadowbleeder didn't even try to actively attack anyone as he protected Alice Thalvith, the princess of the royal family for the entire time.

It was amusing to watch how she constantly overestimated herself throughout the whole event and picked a fight with several opponents at the same time only to get rescued by Onyx every single time.

He is raised to be the sword and shield of the kingdom so it is understandable that he would always protect the royal family no matter the cost.

Unfortunately, up till the part where I blacked out nothing noteworthy happened. Reserved people like Kayn or Isabella played defensively and only committed to a fight if the outcome is certain.

After hours of watching, I finally reached the moment when I engaged Elara in combat.

As the situation escalated and I was already pummeling her relentlessly, I now realized why the nurse was acting so strange.

My actions weren't exactly an appropriate display for an heir to the dukedom. Blood was painted all across my face and my body in shambles. The threads managed to cut so deep that even bones were visible to the outside.

Furthermore, the cold and emotionless expression I had whilst brutally beating Elara lacked any form of dignity whatsoever. My eyes never wavered nor did I show any remorse.

It is understandable that the people who are used to the refined nobles that carry themselves with grace and elegance might find this sight distasteful.

Not that it's my concern.

As blood blinded my vision and my punches grew weaker, Elara was still staying strong against my onslaught. A broken nose and a dislocated jaw didn't deter her either.

A few broken ribs and a punctured lung later, her resilience paid off. My body reached its limit and I collapsed on top of her.

Motionless she laid there, seemingly dead. However, minuscule movements from her body indicate that she was still alive and aware.

With a short delay, her strings shot toward her, crawling around her body to help her move without further straining her limbs. Almost like a robot, she moved unnaturally and stiffly.

Shoving my unconscious body to the side, she stood back up again and grabbed my sword. Her strings did all the work whilst her body was already shutting down, barely even functioning at the moment.

With my sword in her hand, she slowly advanced toward Kayn who was still distracted by her minions.

Failing to notice her resulted in a sword thrust deep inside his abdomen.