SSS Ranked Taboo Student
Chapter 179: -Challenged-

Chapter 179: -Challenged-

’Challenged?’

Confused by the word, Max directed his raised brow at Iris, who was already handing over her phone to Emma, who then passed it to Viv.

At the end, Alicia and Evelyn held the phone together to stare at its screen.

"Ethan is so unbelievable," Emma said, her face scrunched in disgust as she imagined the jerk.

"Hmm," Iris agreed with a nod, further leaving Max speechless.

Alicia and Evelyn handed the phone back to Viv with light frowns on their faces.

Seeing this, Max didn’t hold back anymore and spoke up.

"What is it?" he said, maintaining eye contact with the five girls at once.

They seemed a little taken aback by this, then suddenly realized he didn’t know what they were talking about.

An instant later, Viv did the pleasure of speaking first.

"Ethan has challenged you to a duel," she said.

"Previously, because you were an A-Ranked Elite, some regulations didn’t apply to you.

For example, Duel by Combat. When two Elites have a verified grudge against each other—especially within school grounds or caused by related matters to the school—they are given the right to duel through a challenge, with only a one-time refusal and grace of two weeks before the next."

Emma shook her head after saying this.

’What are they talking about?’

Max took a moment to rummage through his memories for who Ethan was. Then it finally dawned on him.

The jerk of a boyfriend his sister once had.

"What stupid fellow."

"But don’t worry, Max. You can choose to refuse his challenge since you aren’t even in the forum yet," Viv said, throwing a side smile.

"I agree with Viv too," Emma supported, being the second most lively one in the group.

Silence.

There was a dumbfounded look on Max’s face as he stared at the two girls...

Evelyn covered her mouth to hide her smile, meanwhile Iris decided to wake up the other two.

"Aren’t you two forgetting something?"

The two girls fell silent and then raised their palms to touch their heads.

Smiling, Evelyn spoke up, not a little bit worried by the outcome.

"You guys don’t need to worry about my brother, he’ll be fine. Besides, Ethan has been using the excuse that he was drunk that night."

Hearing these words, Alicia glanced at Max to see his expression. Sure, only she knew how many glasses he had taken before that fight.

"I’ll be okay. Where does the duel take place?"

Contrary to the girls’ thoughts, Max didn’t look bothered in the slightest but simply asked where the fight would take place with steeze.

"Ehn?"

They appeared taken aback by his composure, attracted by his confidence and curiosity about his personality.

"The Training Hall, the duel takes place there,"

Iris, who now had her phone back, managed to say, pulling Emma by her top.

"Let’s go." Thrilled by what was to come, Viv said.

Evelyn, on the other hand, lightly bit her lips as she stared at Max, only to feel Alicia’s cold hand on her shoulder.

And so they left.

Exiting the luxurious dorm room, the hallway was mostly empty and those they saw were scurrying towards the Training Hall before them.

Not long after, the noise from the 3-path hallway joint hinted that they had arrived.

The Training Hall was just as big as the Central Atrium in capacity, but the height of the ceiling was half that of the former when compared.

All sorts of gymming mechanisms, portable training pods, and training frames were stationed across the place like it was a Martial Academy.

The most eye-catching was the octagon fighting ring and the twenty-meter pool at the northern edge of the Hall.

Sighting Max, the crowd began to make way.

Standing inside the ring with a pair of fighting gloves worn on his hands was a familiar figure.

"He really came?"

"He’s probably feeling high and mighty because of his promotion."

"I also hope he gets taught a proper lesson or he’s going to look down on the rest of us."

"Do you think Ethan can really take him down though?"

"I wouldn’t advise you to say that out loud. He claims he was under the effect of alcohol so the fight wasn’t his best."

"Whatever, it’s going to be a fun fight. I heard of that her earlier..."

He hadn’t noticed this before, but while listening to the discussion around him, Max realized his ears could hear whispers within the crowd with a range of probably eight meters.

"You came!"

Inside the ring, Ethan shouted upon sighting Max within the crowd.

Those who hadn’t noticed him before also craned their necks in a certain direction.

With all attention on him, Max kept on walking forward with six girls around him.

Though Brielle was about to have second thoughts on her decision to follow Max, she bore the attention in silence.

’Five SS Seniors, Brielle, you have nothing to worry about,’ she told herself.

"There’s no rule to fighting, just put on gloves to ease the damage done," Emma said in a low tone as they got closer to the ring.

Soon realizing that the six girls surrounding Max weren’t part of the crowd but influential beauties who he once used to hang out with—that including his ex-girlfriend—Ethan gritted his teeth in fury.

His eyes filled with suppressed anger over the past four weeks.

"Here, these are your gloves."

Just when they reached the ring, a familiar figure with gray hair walked forward.

’Gray?’

Max thought, remembering the youth’s name—not due to how simple it was to pronounce but how deep his impression of the youth was.

Smirking at the girls who simply dismissed him, Gray casually wore the gloves on Max’s hands.

That said, they weren’t boxing gloves but MMS fighter ones.

The conversation lessened within the crowd as Max got into the ring.

With thrill and expectation in their eyes, everyone watched.

"I’ll make you all bloodied up after this."

Without much fanfare like a loser would, Ethan posed in a combat-ready posture.

"Fight!"