The starting horn blared like a war cry. Massive gates slammed open, and the examinees surged forward into the fake cityscape — a sprawling urban ruin designed to look like Musutafu after a villain rampage. Rain still fell in sheets, turning cracked asphalt into slick mirrors that reflected the glowing eyes of zero-pointers and the smaller combat bots.
Kairo Voss didn't hesitate. He sprinted straight into the fray, glass-edged knuckle dusters clenched tight. His heart hammered — not from fear, but from the grind ahead.
**[Quest Update: Survive the Entrance Exam]**
**Current Points: 0/???**
**Bonus Objective Unlocked: Accumulate 50+ Villain Points**
**Reward: +200 EXP, Rare Material Drop Chance ↑**
The system was merciless. No freebies.
A two-pointer robot — squat, tank-like, with whirring saw arms — locked onto him first. It charged, treads chewing concrete.
Kairo slid under the swing, rain splashing up around him. He rolled to his feet and drove both fists upward into the bot's undercarriage. Glass edges bit deep, sparks flying as metal screeched.
**Critical Hit! Bleed Effect Applied**
**Damage Dealt: 38**
**Robot HP: 62/100**
The bot staggered. Kairo didn't let up — he grabbed the exposed wiring, focused hard.
**[Analyze Complete]**
**Target: Two-Pointer Combat Bot**
**Components: Reinforced Alloy (x2), Servo Motor (x1), Basic Circuitry (x3)**
**Weak Point: Core Processor (Back Panel)**
He twisted, deconstructed on contact. The bot's back panel dissolved into glowing motes that flowed into his palm.
**[Deconstruct Successful]**
**Materials Acquired: Reinforced Alloy x2, Servo Motor x1**
**Forge Points +15**
The robot collapsed in a heap of sparking junk. Kairo's vision flashed.
**[Villain Points +2]**
**[EXP +80]**
Two points. Pathetic. He needed more.
He pushed deeper into the arena. The rain masked sounds, but he heard the chaos — explosions, screams, the whine of quirks activating. A girl with pink skin and acid quirk melted a one-pointer into slag nearby. A boy with engines in his calves rocketed past, kicking another bot into scrap.
Then he saw her.
Kyoka Jiro stood atop a crumbled rooftop, earjacks plugged into the ground. Vibrations rippled outward — sonic pulses that shattered the legs of a three-pointer closing in on a group of trapped examinees. She yanked her jacks free, leaped down, and delivered a point-blank heartbeat amp to the bot's head. It exploded in a shower of parts.
She was efficient. Precise. No wasted movement.
Their eyes met across the battlefield for a split second. She raised an eyebrow — *You still alive?* — then turned back to the fight.
Kairo smirked under his breath. Challenge accepted.
A massive three-pointer — taller than a house, with missile pods and claw arms — lumbered toward a cluster of examinees. Kairo sprinted toward it, dodging debris.
He needed better gear. Fast.
**[Inventory Check]**
- Reinforced Alloy x2
- Servo Motor x1
- Low-Grade Steel x5 (from earlier)
- Glass Shards x3
He skidded behind a wrecked car, focused on the Forge interface. The mental crafting table appeared — glowing blueprints, material slots.
He slotted everything in, prioritizing speed over perfection. The system hummed.
**[Forge Attempt: Upgraded Knuckle Dusters]**
**Materials Used: Reinforced Alloy x2, Servo Motor x1, Glass Shards x2**
**Success Chance: 87%**
The glow intensified. Energy surged through his arms.
**[Forge Successful!]**
**Item Created: Servo-Reinforced Knuckle Dusters (Rare)**
**Stats: Damage 28-42, Durability 80/80**
**Bonuses: +15% Attack Speed, Auto-Repair (Slow), Impact Shockwave (On Crit)**
**EXP +120**
Kairo flexed his fingers. The new dusters felt alive — servos whirring softly, edges sharper, weight perfectly balanced.
He charged the three-pointer.
The bot swung a claw. Kairo ducked, rolled forward, and slammed both fists into its knee joint. The shockwave bonus triggered — a concussive blast rippled outward, cracking armor plates.
**Critical Hit! Shockwave Bonus**
**Damage Dealt: 68**
**Robot HP: 132/200**
It roared (or tried to — just a mechanical screech). Kairo vaulted onto its arm, ran up to the shoulder, and drove both fists into the missile pod. Explosion. Shrapnel everywhere.
**[Villain Points +3]**
**[Total: 5]**
Still not enough.
The bot flailed. Kairo leaped off as it toppled, landing in a crouch. His health bar blinked.
**[Health: 68/100]**
**[Stamina Low – Regen Penalty Applied]**
He needed points. Fast. And he needed to not die.
That's when the zero-pointer appeared.
The ground shook. A colossal machine — easily ten stories tall — breached the far wall of the arena. Its single red eye scanned, then locked on the highest concentration of examinees.
Panic rippled through the crowd. People scattered.
Kairo's eyes narrowed. Zero-pointers gave zero points… but they were worth insane EXP if destroyed. And the system loved high-risk quests.
A new notification flashed.
**[Emergency Quest: Topple the Titan]**
**Objective: Deal significant damage to the Zero-Pointer or assist in its defeat**
**Reward: 1000 EXP, Level Up Guaranteed, Unique Blueprint Unlock**
**Failure Penalty: Heavy Health Deduction, Quest Lockout**
Kairo grinned. Worth it.
He sprinted toward the monster. Around him, examinees fled or froze. But not everyone.
Kyoka Jiro appeared at his side — running parallel, earjacks whipping like weapons.
"You're insane," she called over the roar of rain and machinery. "That thing'll crush you."
"Maybe," Kairo shot back. "But I've got new toys."
She glanced at his glowing dusters. "Show-off."
They reached the base of the zero-pointer together. Its massive foot slammed down, cracking pavement. Kairo dodged left; Jiro leaped right, plugging her jacks into a nearby lamppost for stability.
She sent a sonic blast upward — not to damage, but to disorient. The bot's eye flickered.
Kairo used the opening. He analyzed the leg joint on the fly.
**[Analyze Complete]**
**Weak Point: Hydraulic Core (Protected by Armor Plate)**
He needed to get inside.
"Cover me!" he shouted.
Jiro didn't hesitate. She amplified her heartbeat into a focused pulse, shattering smaller debris and forcing the bot to pause.
Kairo leaped, using the shockwave from his dusters to propel himself higher. He grabbed a protruding rivet, climbed, punched through a weak panel.
Inside the leg — wires, hydraulics, glowing core.
He deconstructed furiously.
**[Deconstruct x3]**
**Materials Acquired: High-Grade Hydraulic x1, Advanced Circuitry x2**
The bot staggered. Kairo dropped out just as the leg buckled.
The zero-pointer toppled forward — slow, inevitable.
Examinees cheered. But the eye still glowed. It wasn't done.
Jiro landed beside him, breathing hard. Rain plastered her hair to her face, earjacks dripping.
"Not bad," she said, smirking despite the exhaustion. "But you almost got flattened."
Kairo wiped blood from his lip. "Almost doesn't count."
Their eyes locked again — longer this time. No words. Just the shared adrenaline, the mutual respect of people who'd stared down death together.
The system chimed.
**[Quest Complete: Topple the Titan]**
**Contribution: 45% Damage**
**[EXP +1000]**
**[Level Up! Level 2 → Level 3]**
**+2 Stat Points Available**
**New Blueprint Unlocked: Hydraulic Impact Gauntlets (Epic)**
**[Hidden Affinity Progress: Kyoka Jiro – +15%]**
Kairo allocated one point to Strength, one to Agility. His body felt… sharper. Stronger.
The exam horn sounded. Time up.
As the bots powered down and recovery bots swarmed in, Jiro turned to him.
"See you inside, alley boy," she said, voice low, teasing. "Don't die before classes start."
Kairo watched her walk away — confident stride, earjacks swaying like they had a rhythm only she could hear.
He clenched his new dusters. The rain began to lighten.
He wasn't quirkless anymore.
He was forged.
And something — someone — was starting to matter.
**End of Chapter 2**
(Word count: ~2050)