I am Just an Average Tamer

The serpent gave a final hiss, and slammed Stromeon's head into the frozen ground.

THUD!

Then slowly, she began to unwind from the broken drake's body, leaving behind a steaming, panting form twitching with the last remnants of thunder.

Then Lira turned back to Kai.

Her blade at his throat.

Blood dripping.

And that terrifying calm in her eyes.

Kai gritted his teeth.

"I yield."

The crowd let out a collective breath, one they hadn't realized they'd been holding.

The from the side, Professor Lysenna's voice rang clear and calm, cutting through the stunned silence like a blade.

"Winner is Lira Elsworth."

Her words echoed for a heartbeat before the frost covering Kai's limbs cracked and dissolved with a flick of Lira's fingers.

His body dropped from the frozen stance, slumping onto the icy arena floor, his breathing was ragged.

Thud!

The sound of his fall was soft, but it felt deafening.

Lira turned, ready to leave the field, her silver hair swaying behind her like a banner in the wind.

But before stepping away completely, she cast a glance over her shoulder.

Her emerald-green eyes were like shards of ice, sharp and unreadable.

"You're still as weak as before," she said flatly.

Then, with a subtle flick of her wrist, she tossed a vial toward him. Which he caught in the mid air.

She didn't wait for thanks. She didn't need to.

Without another word, Lira strode off the ring, heading toward one of the lone stone pillars that stood beyond the battlefield.

The chilly silence she left behind was quickly filled with the low, buzzing murmur of the students from the crowd.

They whispered, but not too loudly. No one wanted to disturb the storm that had just passed.

"Did you see that? She utterly crushed him."

"Yeah, man and you see how kind, she even gave him a healing potion."

"I swear, I'm falling for her all over again."

"Shut up, simp."

"I'm not a simp."

"You are literally the definition of one."

"Shut. Up."

A few more chuckles followed, but they were distant and hushed, no one dared get too loud.

Back in the ring, Kai gritted his teeth and forced himself to sit up. Blood trailed faintly down his neck from where her blade had kissed his skin.

His breath came in cold, shallow puffs.

Then he gulped it down and moved towards the unconscious drake and crouched beside him.

"You did well." He murmured, running a hand over his thick scales before putting him back into his soul space.

Then he slowly stood up and casted a glance at Lira, who had just closed her eyes, leaning back to the stone pillar, like she hadn't just crushed his partners bones along with his little pride.

His jaws clenched a little.

And then exhaling, he moved away from the ring and began walking towards the crowd.

[<She didn't held back, hah.>]

Kai didn't answer, just clicked his tongue.

[Why are you silent.>]

'And why are you so damn annoying.'

He finally shot back, having enough of this stupid beast adding salt to his wounds.

And just before he could cook, one of the history's most diabolical comment.

"Are you okay?"

Liliana rushed over first, her voice laced with concern.

Kai looked her and chuckled dryly, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah. Just had an ice storm dropped on, that's all."

Riven came up behind them, offering a grin.

"Respect for not dying out there, bro."

Kai shook his head, shoving his hands back in his pocket.

"Could've gone worse."

Corrin crossed his arms and smirked.

"Still standing, which is more than I expected after she summoned that thing."

Kai groaned as he rolled his neck, trying to shrug off the lingering numbness from the frostbite.

"What is that even? A frost anaconda?"

Aria joined them, smiling playfully.

"No shame in losing to a pretty girl, Kai."

"It's not the losing part that bugs me," he muttered. "It's the part where I didn't even get to breathe."

They all laughed, settling back at the end of the crowd, chattering, as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, from a distance, Serena whistled sharply.

"Hot damn, now that was a fight. Finally, again someone who doesn't dance around like a drunk duck."

Rashira sighed beside her, voice soft as ever.

"Serena, you really need to stop saying things like that."

Serena just shrugged with a grin, throwing her arms behind her head.

"What? I'm just being honest. No point sugarcoating garbage. Everyone else? Boring. That chick? Brutal. Hot. Cool. All of it."

"Still. You should be more considerate."

"Meh."

Rashira gave up, letting out a tired breath.

While everyone was lost in their own thoughts and chatter, a lone figure stood stiff among the crowd, unmoving, silent.

A green haired girl with sharp green eyes.

Lei Mei.

Her fists clenched at her sides, knuckles whitening. Her gaze focused—was locked onto the one resting near the base of the stone pillar.

Lira Elsworth.

There she stood, leaning against the stone pillar.

He Crystalline Frost serpent collided around her neck.

Her expression was calm and detached as ever, as if the battle had never happened.

How could she look so calm? So distant?

Lei Mei's chest burned—not just with anger, but something deeper. Something raw. Something heavy. As if molten lead had replaced her lungs.

Lira didn't bask in the praise. She didn't even acknowledge it. The crowd whispered, admired, gushed over her victory... and she barely reacted.

It was as if they didn't matter to her.

Like they were all insects beneath her frost-coated boots.

Lei Mei knew this behavior too well. Ever since that duel, the one that had shattered her pride, she had seen this side of Lira again and again.

Cold. Aloof. Effortlessly dominant.

And the academy?

They didn't care.

They had cheered for Lei Mei at first. Even in defeat, she had seen some still clap, still shout her name. Still recognize her.

But days passed.

Then weeks.

And now?

The whispers had shifted. The eyes no longer lingered on her.

Only on Lira.

The new ace.

Her replacement.

And it stung worse than the loss itself.

Not because Lira had won, no. Lei Mei could accept defeat.

She had accepted it. But what gnawed at her, what gnawed at her every waking moment, was how easily she'd been forgotten.

The same students who once idolized her now lined up behind the "Frost Empress", admiring her ice-crafted walls, her cold beauty, her indifference.

Some did it out of sheer awe.

Others? Pathetic dreamers, hoping they'd be the one to "melt the ice queen", as if this was some trash-tier novel with a cliché romance plot.

This wasn't fiction.

This was reality.

Lei Mei clicked her tongue and finally looked away.

There were still a few who supported her. Still a few who disliked Lira's nature. But they were too few. Not loud enough.

Not strong enough.

Her jaw tightened. Her shoulders straightened.

Let them talk.

Let them watch. She'd remind them who she was.

But just before she could dive deeper into those dark, simmering thoughts, a voice snapped through the air like a whip.

"Next pair will be Lei Mei vs Cassian Vale."

Professor Lyssena's words boomed across the arena, dragging all eyes from their drifting conversations.

Silence swept through the crowd for a moment.

Then—

Lei Mei exhaled slowly and took a step forward.

Her boots crunched against the frost-slicked sand as she made her way to the ring.

Her green hair fluttered in the faint breeze, strands dancing around her shoulders like flickering flames of jade.

Lei Mei stood at the center of the frost-covered arena, her boots planted firmly into the half-frozen sand. Cold air curled around her armor, but her blood simmered hot beneath it.

Across from her...

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Soft footsteps echoed on the frozen sand.

As a red-haired boy stepped into the ring. His hair was tousled, wild like an untamed blaze, matching the sharp glint of crimson in his eyes.

Two short swords hung on either side of his waist, their hilts polished and worn. Each step he took left a faint impression on the icy terrain

Then he came to a stop, exactly opposite her.

Their eyes met, green and red.

None of them spoke a word.

No smug smiles.

No sharp remarks.

Just a long silence stretched between them.

The murmurs around the ring faded into nothing.

Then—

"Begin."

Professor Lyssena's voice cracked like a whip.

And the tension shattered.

FWOOSH!

Cassian moved first.

His body shot forward like a released spring, drawing his left sword in a fluid motion mid-dash.

The blade came in low, aimed for Lei Mei's side, testing her reflexes right off the bat.

But...

Lei Mei didn't blink.

CLANG!

He skidded back.

Maintaining the distance.

And clenched his teeth a little, arm little number from hitting something harder.

Then he took out his second sword and tightened in a reverse grip.

Then.

He moved...