The Academy Arena was packed to capacity. Five thousand students, faculty, and visiting Guild Scouts filled the stands. The noise was deafening.
Huge holographic screens hovered over the central pit, displaying the betting odds.
Damon Vance: 3:1
Vanessa: 2:1 (Favorite)
Jax: 10:1
Ren: 5000:1 (Dead Last)
In the preparation tunnel, the air smelled of stale sweat and fear. The Elite Bracket Qualifier was a brutal affair: a 50-man Battle Royale. Only the last five standing would advance to the main duels.
Ren stood in the corner, adjusting his gloves. The other 49 participants—mostly C-Rank and B-Rank seniors—were eyeing him like a free kill.
"Look at him," a C-Rank wind mage sneered to his buddy. "The F-Rank thinks he can play with the big boys. I bet I can blast him out of the ring before the bell stops ringing."
"Don't kill him," the buddy laughed. "Instructor Valerica will be pissed if we break her pet."
Ren didn't respond. He was checking his status.
[Active Skill: ADRENALINE RUSH]
Effect: Strength +50% for 5 minutes.
Cost: High Stamina Drain.
Source: Valerica.
He looked up at the VIP box. Valerica was there, arms crossed, watching the monitors with intense focus. Vanessa was seated next to her, looking bored, but her eyes were glued to Ren's tunnel feed.
Show them, Master, Valerica's voice echoed in his memory of the office. Show them what a real monster looks like.
The buzzer sounded.
"BEGIN!"
The arena exploded into chaos. Spells flew everywhere. Fireballs, ice shards, and earth spikes turned the ground into a kill zone.
Three students immediately targeted Ren.
"Easy points!" The wind mage shouted, launching a [Gale Blade] aimed at Ren's legs.
Ren didn't dodge.
[Skill: ADRENALINE RUSH – ON]
His muscles coiled with sudden, explosive power. The veins in his neck bulged. He didn't run away; he ran through the spell.
He shattered the wind blade with a backhand slap, the sheer force of his swing dispersing the magic.
The mage's eyes popped out. "What the—"
Ren closed the distance in a blur. He didn't use the gauntlets. He didn't need them for trash like this. He grabbed the mage by the face.
"Sleep," Ren whispered.
He slammed the mage into the ground.
CRACK.
The concrete floor spiderwebbed. The mage went limp instantly, his shield spell shattered like glass.
The mage's buddy, a heavily armored tank, roared and charged with a mace. "You bastard!"
Ren turned. He caught the mace with his bare hand.
The tank froze. "Impossible... that's B-Rank reinforced steel..."
Ren squeezed. The metal groaned, then bent under his grip.
"You're too slow," Ren said.
Ren kicked the tank in the chest. It looked like a casual punt, but the tank flew backward twenty feet, crashing into a group of three other fighters and knocking them all down like bowling pins.
Silence rippled outward from Ren's position. The fighting around him stopped as students realized something was wrong. The "Rabbit" wasn't running. He was clearing house.
Ren stood in the center of the carnage, dusting off his hands. He looked around at the remaining 40 fighters.
"Is that it?" Ren asked, his voice amplified by the silence. "I thought this was the Elite Bracket."
High in the stands, Damon stood up, spilling his drink. "That strength... that's not mana. That's raw physical power. How did he get that strong in two days?"
In the VIP box, Valerica bit her lip to stop herself from moaning. Seeing him use her power—the brute strength she had given him—was more arousing than anything else.
"He's using it well," Valerica whispered.
Vanessa, sitting next to her, narrowed her eyes. "He's showing off. He wants attention."
"No," Valerica corrected, her yellow eyes glowing. "He's hunting."
Back in the arena, the remaining students looked at each other. An unspoken agreement formed.
Eliminate the anomaly.
"Get him!" A B-Rank lightning mage shouted. "All together!"
Twenty students turned their spells toward Ren.
Ren grinned. The violet light in his eyes flared.
"Finally," Ren muttered, raising his fists. "Some real XP."
[Gauntlets: EQUIP]
Black shadows swirled around his hands, forming the terrifying, rune-etched metal claws.
He didn't wait for the spells to hit him. He charged straight into the army.
The air in the arena crackled with the combined mana of twenty elite students.
"Fire!" The lightning mage screamed.
It was a wall of destruction. Fireballs, lightning bolts, ice shards, and stone spears converged on Ren from every angle. It was enough firepower to take down a D-Rank dungeon boss.
The crowd screamed. Damon leaned forward, a twisted grin on his face. Die, you rat.
Ren didn't move. He raised his hands, palms open, the black gauntlets humming with a hungry, vibrating growl.
[Skill: VOID FIELD (Limited Release)]
The spells hit him.
But there was no explosion. No smoke. No scream.
The magic simply... vanished.
It was like watching water hit a black hole. The fireballs were sucked into the runes on his gauntlets. The lightning was grounded instantly. The ice shattered into dust before it even touched his skin.
[Mana Absorbed: 4,500 Points]
[Energy Capacity: OVERLOAD]
Ren stood in the center of the ring, steam rising from his shoulders. The runes on his gauntlets were glowing a blinding, violent purple.
He lowered his hands. He looked at the twenty students who were now standing there with empty hands and terrified expressions.
"Thanks for the meal," Ren whispered.
He vanished.
[Agility: 30 (Boosted)]
He appeared in front of the lightning mage. The boy didn't even have time to blink.
Ren didn't punch him. He backhanded him.
WHAM.
The mage spun three times in the air before crashing into the barrier wall, out cold.
Ren pivoted. A tank tried to shield bash him. Ren caught the shield, ripped it out of the boy's hands, and tossed it—along with the boy—out of the ring.
It wasn't a fight. It was cleaning.
Ren moved with the brutality of Valerica and the precision of a machine. He broke formations. He shattered defenses. He grabbed two mages by their collars and slammed their heads together.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Bodies flew out of the ring every few seconds.
The crowd was dead silent. The announcer forgot to speak. This wasn't F-Rank luck. This was absolute dominance.
In under sixty seconds, forty-nine students were lying on the sand or outside the ring boundaries.
Ren stood alone in the center. He wasn't panting. He wasn't bleeding. He adjusted his collar, dismissed his gauntlets into the inventory, and looked up at the VIP box.
He locked eyes with the Headmaster. Then with the Guild Scouts.
Then, he looked at Damon.
Ren raised one finger.
Number One.
The buzzer sounded.
"WINNER: REN!"
The silence broke. The crowd erupted—not in cheers, but in a roar of shock and confusion. The betting screens flashed red as thousands of credits were lost in an instant.
The Locker Room
Ren walked into the locker room, the adrenaline slowly fading. He sat on a bench, checking his rewards.
[Level Up: 6 -> 7]
[New Title: Dark Horse] (Reputation +50)
[Void Mana Pool expanded.]
"Ren."
He looked up. A man in a sharp grey suit was standing at the entrance. He wore a badge with a golden griffon emblem.
The Golden Lions Guild. One of the top three in the country.
"That was quite a show," the recruiter said, stepping inside. "I'm Scout Miller. I'll be honest, kid. We didn't have a file on you. F-Rank mana? The charts must be wrong."
Ren didn't stand up. He started unlacing his boots. "The charts are old."
Miller chuckled. "Clearly. Listen, the Golden Lions are looking for raw talent. We can offer you a Junior Contract right now. Signing bonus of 50,000 credits. Best gear. Best trainers. You sign, and you skip the rest of the tournament. We don't want you getting injured before we can polish you."
It was a dream offer. Most students would kill for it.
Ren stopped unlacing his boot. "Skip the tournament?"
"Yeah," Miller nodded. "You made your point. But the main bracket? You'll be fighting Damon Vance and the Student Council President. They have resources you don't. Why risk it?"
Ren stood up. He walked over to Miller. The Scout flinched slightly—the pressure coming off the boy was suffocating.
"You don't understand," Ren said calmly. "I'm not here to get a contract. I'm here to take everything."
Ren leaned in.
"And I don't join Guilds. Guilds join me."
Miller stared at him, stunned by the arrogance. Before he could respond, the locker room door opened again.
Valerica walked in. She took one look at Miller and snarled.
"Get out, Miller," she growled. "Students are off-limits until the finals."
Miller raised his hands. "Alright, alright. Iron Maiden protecting her cub. I get it."
He looked at Ren one last time. "Offer stands for 24 hours, kid. Don't be stupid."
Miller left.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Valerica locked it. She turned to Ren, her eyes hazy with that familiar look.
"You were magnificent," she breathed, walking toward him. "The way you broke them... I almost lost control in the booth."
She dropped to her knees right there on the locker room tiles, reaching for his belt.
Ren grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
"Not now, Valerica," Ren said sharply.
She looked up, hurt and confused. "Master? But the victory..."
"I have a match to prepare for," Ren said, pulling her up. "The brackets are out. Who do I fight first?"
Valerica swallowed her desire, forcing herself into soldier mode. She pulled a datapad from her pocket.
"The Quarter-Finals," she said, showing him the screen. "It's set for tomorrow afternoon."
Ren looked at the screen.
[Match 1: Ren vs. Jax (The Tank)]
Ren smirked. "The Shield."
"He's the best defender in the school," Valerica warned. "His shield is a Unique-Grade artifact. It reflects physical damage. You can't just punch through it."
"Reflects physical damage?" Ren mused. "Good thing I don't just use physical damage."
He looked at the bottom of the bracket.
[Match 4: Damon vs. Vanessa]
Ren's eyes narrowed. "Damon against Vanessa."
"Damon will lose," Valerica said. "Vanessa is stronger."
"Usually, yes," Ren said thoughtfully. "But Damon looked desperate today. And desperate men do stupid things. Keep an eye on him, Valerica. I don't want anyone touching my property before I do."
"Understood," Valerica nodded.
Ren patted her cheek. "Good girl. Now go. I need to meditate."
Valerica leaned into his touch for a second, then turned and left, looking ready to murder anyone who looked at Ren the wrong way.
Ren sat back down. He closed his eyes, diving into his mental space.
He had to get ready for Jax. He needed a new skill.
[System Shop: OPEN]
[Available Skill Points: 5]
He scrolled through the Void Skill Tree.
[Void Step] (Teleportation - Short Range) - Cost: 3 Points
[Shadow Bind] (Crowd Control) - Cost: 2 Points
[Corruption Blast] (Ranged Decay) - Cost: 5 Points
Ren smiled.
"I'll take the Blast."