*Erwin's POV*

"Erwin... K-Kilt is my last name..."

At that moment, my ears started ringing. All the sounds around me faded away, replaced by a loud, annoying whine as I stared at Oscar with a distressed expression.

We had been foolish, naive... No, I had been foolish and naive for training him so hard without considering the worst-case scenario. How could I have ignored such a possibility, knowing that the matches were decided by the professor? Each moment I spent reflecting on this plunged me deeper into a pit of guilt and despair.

The more I thought about it, the more my mind wavered. I could hear the mocking whispers of Marcus and his lackeys, their malicious laughter piercing my soul. They were there, behind me, reveling in my torment. At that moment, a dark and poisonous thought formed in my mind: what if it was them? What if, with the help of their fathers, they had sabotaged the test to force me to eliminate the only friend I had?

That possibility slithered into my mind like a venomous snake, and the ringing in my ears became unbearable, a silent scream reflecting my anguish and helplessness.

[Yes, they must did something...]

I don't know what expression I had at that moment, but I could feel the anger slowly enveloping my mind and heart, which began to race wildly. Marcus, who met my gaze, fell silent, a sign that my expression was akin to that of a ferocious beast.

Why did they act like that? What had Oscar done to deserve their hatred? [Of course... because he's not from here...like me]

The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became, remembering how Marcus disdainfully called him a country boy.

It was something I hadn't given much weight to initially, or rather, I tried not to, but if Oscar was treated like that, what would happen to me? What was the point of hating someone for their origins?

Each thought added fuel to the fire of my anger, which grew ever more, enveloping my mind and spirit; [If this is how they treat people like me, then—]

Before I could do something foolish, Oscar grabbed my arm; evidently, he only needed to look at me to understand what I was about to do.

“Well, we were foolish not to think of this possibility…” Oscar hissed with a smile, which I immediately sensed was forced, judging by his trembling voice.

“No, those guys—”

“Eriwn” - Oscar interrupted me, gripping my arm even tighter - “Do you really think that Professor Valentin is someone who can be influenced?” Oscar asked me, who had perfectly guessed what I was thinking.

I fell silent, unable to find an answer. Deep down, I knew Professor Valentin was not someone easily influenced; his hard character proved it.

But it was easier to believe they had sabotaged the test than to accept that all this was just the work of fate. No, it couldn't be that simple. There had to be a more concrete, tangible explanation.

I knew it, but I couldn't accept it. How could I? The truth was too painful, too cruel. I kept telling myself there had been a mistake, an external interference, anything but blind fate.

Every time reality began to break into my mind, I pushed it away angrily. It couldn't be true. I had to believe that someone had orchestrated all this, that there was a plan behind so much suffering. It was easier that way, easier to believe there was a tangible enemy to hate rather than accept the cold indifference of fate.

"Oscar, there must be an explanation—"

"No, there isn't!" Oscar exclaimed, this time with a more furious expression. Why was he angry? He shouldn't be mad at me but at those bastards who had—

"If you don't get on the ring now, you'll both fail. Is that what you want?"

The professor's voice broke through my mind, "waking" me from the loop of denial I had entered. Despite this, my heart ached, and as I looked at the ring, I felt I couldn't step into it, that I couldn't face Oscar...

[I can't beat him... I can't—]

As the thought of not stepping into the ring and giving up grew stronger, Oscar, with determined steps, got into the ring, leaving me completely stunned. How could he act like that? How?

Oscar looked at me with determined eyes, and after a few moments of silence, he spoke to me. "Erwin... we are friends, it's true. But I, like you, want to achieve my dreams, my goals."

At that moment, Oscar seemed different to me; he was still him, but I had never seen him as determined as he was today. The one who reminded me so much of a kitten now seemed almost like a proud lion. What had caused this change?

"Come on, get in the ring!" Oscar exclaimed, ready to face his destiny.

*End of Erwin's POV*

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Reluctantly, Erwin stepped into the ring without a word. Although he had every intention of giving up on all of this, after seeing Oscar's determination, it was almost as if something clicked inside his body—a feeling he could not stop.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

And so, amid a thousand doubts and fears, Erwin and Oscar finally stood face to face; but while one was ready to give it his all, the other was overwhelmed by doubts and fears. Even though he was in the ring, every part of Erwin's body showed his unwillingness to fight.

"Erwin, I'm going to fight with everything I've got... I hope you'll do the same..."

"..."

Oscar got into his fighting stance, starting to bounce on his toes; many in the room didn't understand what he was doing.

Everyone except the professor, who recognized that fighting style almost immediately, pleasantly surprised to see a student fight that way. [Is that... boxing?]

"You can start whenever you're ready," said the professor, who, after watching the other matches with boredom, finally saw something that caught his attention. He was curious to see if Oscar was bluffing or if he could really fight that way.

But while Oscar was more than ready to face his friend, Erwin was lost in his thoughts; so lost that he didn't even hear what Oscar and the professor said at that moment.

So lost that he only noticed Oscar's punch at the last second. Oscar was frustrated with Erwin's behavior up until that moment.

Oscar's punch was fast and precise, and although Erwin was much quicker, he struggled to dodge it due to his distraction, avoiding the attack with clumsy movements, nothing like the ones he had shown Oscar before. Seeing how clumsily Erwin dodged his attack, Oscar grew even more frustrated.

"What the hell are you doing, Erwin!?"

Oscar focused his mana into his legs and, using his back leg as a push, quickly approached Erwin, who was still confused by what was happening.

[Step-in? So that kid really did learn boxing...] concluded the professor, who didn't believe any student knew such a technique, as it wasn't often used. He wondered, though, if this would be enough, as he considered Erwin far superior to all the boys in the training room.

[If you don't want to fight... then...!!] - Oscar threw a light jab with his left hand, which the distracted Erwin tried to block. But as Erwin extended his arm to block the punch, Oscar quickly retracted it, launching a violent right hook charged with mana, which approached Erwin's face at great speed.

Oscar thought that punch would land since Erwin had remained motionless until the last second. But the native of Hakvill tilted his head just enough to avoid taking the hit, which would have done some damage.

"I didn't hit you, but I certainly won't let you get away!" And so, without giving Erwin a chance to hit back, Oscar began attacking him with a flurry of jabs and straights, never slowing down.

Erwin, who still couldn't concentrate properly, stayed on the defensive, struggling to avoid all those punches.

Everyone in the room was stunned by what they saw. Some were surprised that Erwin couldn't shake off Oscar's relentless assault. Others, like Marcus, couldn't believe how that boy, who had behaved like a frightened kitten for months, could show such determination.

Marcus, above all, had hoped to witness an execution; he had hoped to see Oscar punished for what had happened to his face. But nothing of the sort happened, which only created a frustration inside him far greater than what he had felt so far towards Erwin and especially Oscar.

Oscar continued to throw his violent punches without hitting Erwin; the sweat and fatigue began to take their toll, but he couldn't stop. He had to make Erwin understand how important it was to fight seriously.

"If you keep this up, you'll never be the strongest!" - Oscar shouted between punches - "You can't be weak; you can't afford to be weak!"

If his punches hadn't hit until then, those words struck violently at Erwin's soul. He felt the truth in those words, the disappointment and anger of his friend. And that disappointment was more painful than any physical blow.

But those words distracted him to the point where his movements stopped. Oscar seized the opportunity and, charging his punch with all his mana, delivered a violent uppercut to Erwin's chin, forcing his head up with the impact.

The blow made a small explosion, revealing the power behind it. Everyone watching that scene thought that, incredibly, Oscar had succeeded to hit him. But after a few moments, they were even more shocked, except for Oscar and the professor, who had expected such a turn.

"If you had fallen from that weak punch... I would never have forgiven you..." said Oscar, panting. He had used almost all his energy, and in his heart, he knew that this fight would not end well for him. Yet, at that moment, he could only laugh in front of Erwin, who had absorbed the punch without taking any damage, except for his chin, which became slightly red.

[I am... an idiot!]

Suddenly, something inside Erwin snapped. The determination he had always had, but which had been overshadowed by doubts and fear, resurfaced. His eyes fixed on Oscar, and at that moment, he knew what he had to do.

"Oscar..." - Erwin murmured, almost in a whisper, but loud enough for his friend to hear. - "You're right..."

With a cry of anger and determination, Erwin lunged forward, his movements now rapid and precise, his mind clear. His punches hit Oscar, not with hatred, but with the strength of someone who had finally understood what he needed to do.

Oscar felt the change; the power in Erwin's blows was different, stronger, more determined. And as he was hit, he smiled. Because he knew that the real Erwin was slowly coming back.

Minutes passed, and Oscar could do nothing to counter his unstoppable force: Erwin's punches, despite Oscar's strong defense, easily penetrated every angle at an embarrassing speed that few in that training room could follow.

Oscar's face, as the punches hit him with increasing force, began to swell: his jaw was now broken, and with each blow to that spot, it felt like being stabbed; his entire face became increasingly purple, with both eyes swelling so much that he had to parry the blows by instinct, with poor results.

His physical condition was precarious, if not worse, but Oscar did not give up. With each hit, Oscar responded, albeit in vain; with each fall, Oscar got up and attacked despite his body screaming for mercy.

Everyone in the room, except for Marcus, started to admire that boy because they knew that no one in his place would have gotten up. And slowly, they began to cheer for him, encouraging him when he fell or attacked, cheering when he got up.

Erwin saw the almost surreal scene, not understanding what had changed so quickly to make them cheer for Oscar. Even Oscar didn't understand what was happening, mainly because he was so stunned by the blows, but he knew he couldn't get distracted because he still had a task to complete.

In fact, Erwin's blows became less effective to the point where, even due to adrenaline, Oscar no longer felt pain.

"Er-win..." Oscar whispered in a low voice, struggling to speak, "C'mon... finish..."

Oscar couldn't finish the sentence, but those words were enough for his friend to get the message: he had to end the fight.

So, with the last of his strength, Oscar lunged at Erwin with a staggering gait. Oscar was sad but happy that at least Erwin, someone more talented than him, would go on.

Erwin, with a clear mind but a broken spirit, used all his strength, delivering a violent spinning kick to Oscar's face. With his eyes almost completely closed, Oscar could only brace for the impact.

"Th-thank you..." were Oscar's last words before being violently struck in the face, sent flying for several seconds before crashing to the ground, no longer getting up.

Erwin stood still for a few seconds, watching his friend's motionless, unconscious body. His first instinct was to approach, but then his body stopped.

How could he—he thought—approach Oscar after what had happened? His eyes were red and watery, his spirit shattered at that moment.

"... The winner is Erwin—?"

Erwin didn't stay a second longer in that place. He didn't even wait for Professor Valentin to announce him as the winner; with his spirit now in pieces, Erwin fled the training room under the confused gazes of all present.

In his mind, he had committed something extremely serious, and for this—he swore to himself—he would never forgive himself.

END OF CHAPTER 43 - NAIVE