The Hexa-Life System
A magical trumpet blast ripped through the air, jagged and violent, piercing the skies above Himikaya Academy. At the dead center of the field, a massive screen hummed to life, displaying team names flanked by six glowing crystals.
Hexa-Life.The rule was simple and cruel. Lose once, you lose a crystal. Lose all six, and you lose your right to even breathe the air of the National Battle Royale.
Rio sat on Team C's bench, looking like he was waiting for a bus that was three hours late. Beside him, Gery and Moon looked like they had already seen their own graves. Gery's hand clamped onto Rio's shoulder, trembling so hard his knuckles turned white.
"Listen, Rio," Gery hissed, his voice cracking. "I know ambition isn't in your vocabulary. But just this once… DON'T. BE. A. BURDEN. Our pride is on the chopping block."
Rio answered with a lazy groan while trying to balance a pen on the tip of his nose."Yeah, yeah… as long as it doesn't involve sweating. I didn't sign up for a cardio session."
Round 1: Moving Targets – Long-Range Magic Accuracy
The rules were simple. The stakes were lethal.Fifty fast-moving targets. Three minutes.
These weren't balloons. They were crystal spheres wrapped in high-velocity wind barriers, zig-zagging through the air like caffeinated wasps.
"Team A, step forward!" the referee barked.
Ellen walked out with disgusting confidence. The academy's star didn't even draw a wand. He simply raised his hand, fingers shaped like a gun.
Pew. Pew. Pew.
Each flick released lightning. Jagged white streaks tore through the sky.All fifty targets shattered into dust in under forty seconds.
The stadium exploded. The crowd chanted Ellen's name like he was a war god.
"Next. Team C!"
Gery and Moon rushed forward.Fireballs roared from Gery's hands like a broken machine gun.Moon supported him, firing compressed bullets of ice, his face locked in focus.
They were desperate. Sweat drenched them. Their breathing turned ragged.
"One minute left! We're only at thirty!" Gery screamed. "Rio! Shoot! What are you doing back there?!"
Rio stood behind them, dangling a standard-issue magic bow like a piece of trash. He pulled the string with the enthusiasm of someone folding laundry. His half-lidded eyes looked more interested in sleep than survival.
"Okay, okay… I'm shooting. Relax," he muttered.
Whish.
The arrow flew.
And then curved. Hard.
Instead of hitting the targets, it bent at a pathetic eighty-five-degree angle, whistling past the audience and nearly shaving the feathers off a bird far beyond the arena.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Gery shouted.
"Oops," Rio said flatly. "My bad."
He shrugged, tilted his head, and made a stupid bunny-ear pose."He-he."
BZZTT.
TIME'S UP.Team C Score: 38/50.Result: FAILED.Remaining Lives: 5.
On the VVIP Balcony
Luna's pen moved with mechanical speed."Princess. Subject Rio's attack deviated eighty-five degrees. Technically, it was a complete failure. Recommendation: remove him from the watchlist."
Lylya didn't answer.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the place where the arrow disappeared.
"Luna," she said quietly.
"Yes, Princess?"
"Replay it. Slower. If that arrow had flown straight, it would have struck the hidden surveillance unit behind the clouds. He curved it to avoid damaging school property."
Luna froze.
She replayed the footage at extreme slow motion.
Her eyes widened.
He didn't miss…He refused to hit.
He's mocking the entire system.
Back on the Field
Gery collapsed onto the ground.
"We lost a life because of you," he said hoarsely. "You're literal trash."
Rio scratched his head and smiled.
"Thanks for the compliment."
The stands exploded.
"GO HOME AND SLEEP!""STOP DRAGGING YOUR TEAM DOWN!""YOU'RE A DISGRACE!"
Rio yawned.
Across the field, Ellen laughed among his fans, then shot Rio a look full of disgust.
One life gone.Five remaining.
Still safe.
"Hey," Rio said lazily. "What's Round Two? I'm hungry."
Gery clenched his fists.
"Tch…"
Moon adjusted his glasses, voice flat.
"Forget it. It's only the first round. An exhibition at best."
Gery bit his lip.
"Bu—but… still…"
Moon glanced at him.
"…What?"
Gery opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
"…Nothing."
T/L Corner:Yes, he really missed. No, he's not being cool.He's just a sleepy idiot. Luna is coping.(Yes, she's overthinking. Tolol.)
T/L: Is Rio really just dead weight… or is he playing a much deeper game? Find out in Round 2.