“Fuck you! No, seriously, fuck you! You’re a fucking psycho, you know that?!”
“No one will ever love you! You hear me, Samael Theosbane?! You will die alone and unloved!”
“Please, man! Please! I gave you every last Credit I had in my account! What more do you want from me?! Let me go!”
I laughed like a maniac who’d just escaped a mental asylum.
A little over four hours had passed since the evaluation exam began, and I was having the time of my life!
By now, the terrain had changed seven times.
First, giant stone pillars shot up from the ground, then concrete mountains rose from nowhere, and after that came a field of thorny brambles.
That last one was fun. Some idiots tried to fight the brambles. It didn’t end well. The thorns, as it turned out, were laced with a paralyzing poison.
Then we had to face jagged spikes, bone-rattling tremors, and furious sandstorms.
Currently, the arena had turned into a massive stone labyrinth, its towering walls creating a confusing maze.
The clocks read: [08:34:51].
Around me, seven Cadets were stuck.
And when I say stuck, I mean their limbs were literally stuck in the stone walls like grotesque trophies.
I’d been camping in this section of the labyrinth since it appeared.
Anyone unfortunate enough to stumble here was swiftly ambushed and trapped by me.
Naturally, they weren’t too happy about that.
Some of them were cursing, some were crying. Most were silent in quiet resignation, while others simmered in seething fury.
“You’ve messed with the wrong guy, Theosbane! You don’t have the Golden Duke’s protection anymore! I’m Doron Stormwatch, son of Lord Daniel Stormwatch! My father rules the five seas! I’ll ruin you!”
“Yeah, you tell him, young master Doron!”
“We’ll get you after this test is over! You better not let us see your face again, Theosbane!”
I leaned back against the wall, shaking my head.
These three were the loudest of the bunch.
The one doing most of the shouting was a tall, dark-haired guy with red eyes.
He boasted an impressive physique and sharp face which was not exactly handsome, but not quite ugly either.
His name was Doron, scion of the Stormwatch family, rulers of the seas.
In the game, he was a minor character with barely enough screen time to be remembered.
His only memorable moment was when he tried to start trouble with Juliana after she eliminated his brother in the evaluation.
To no one’s surprise, she handled him easily.
After that incident, he never appeared in the story much and was only seen hanging around in the background.
So for him, a mere background character, to be threatening me? It was hilarious!
I chuckled.
“What’s so funny, you brat?! Didn’t you hear who my father is?!”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, your father rules the seas. Very impressive. But how many seas do you rule? Oh right. None!
Because you’re stuck in a wall! So, how about you just shut your mouth and surrender your pointless protest?”
Doron’s face turned red with anger. “You dare!”
His lackeys were quick to chime in.
“You can’t talk to the Young Master like that!” one screeched, his voice trembling just enough to break his tough-guy act.
“Yeah! The first four hours have passed! You can’t intimidate us anymore! We’ll never surrender to the likes of you!” the other one puffed his chest, trying to sound brave. “We don’t even know the meaning of the word surrender!”
I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t?”
“No!” he barked, puffing up even more. “You’ll pay— Khuak!”
Before he could finish, I blurred forward and drove my fist into his solar plexus, knocking the wind right out of his lungs.
The familiar sound of brittle glass shattering followed as his last orb broke.
His eyes rolled back, his body going limp, but since his hands were still stuck in the wall, he just dangled there like a broken scarecrow.
Scoffing, I turned to the other one — who was still glaring at me.
For a second, I was impressed. He saw his friend break right in front of his eyes, and yet he wasn’t scared of me.
But then, his façade cracked and he gave me a sheepish grin. “While it’s true we don’t know the meaning of surrender… we are willing to learn.”
Doron shot him a murderous stare, and I couldn’t help but laugh again.
“Ah, I like you, boy!” I clapped him on the shoulder. “Okay then, sing for me.”
“S-Sing?” His grin faded, replaced by confusion.
“Yeah,” I stretched lazily. “This exam had been going on for way too long. I’m bored. I could use some entertainment. Impress me, and I’ll consider eliminating you as painlessly as possible.”
He stared at me, dumbfounded. “Wh-What?!”
Even though he was ready to surrender, the idea of having to perform like a jester was clearly too much for him to handle.
Every man has his pride, after all.
He glared at me again, trying to summon some courage, “Y-You!”
My smile widened. “Wait, let me finish. If you fail to entertain me, I’ll freeze the moisture on your skin and peel it off your face. Very. Slowly.”
His expression brightened instantly as he mirrored my smile. “Oh! You should’ve led with that! So, what song would you like to hear on this fine afternoon, Young Master?”
•••
The guy was actually a good singer. Much to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed his performance.
But, as with all good things, it had to end.
I glanced at the ticking countdown: [08:30:00].
It was time for the terrain to shift again.
As if waiting for that cue, the ground began to rumble.
I moved quickly to eliminate the seven Cadets I had trapped, knocking them unconscious and shattering their orbs.
The medical team would soon come here to carry them out of the arena.
So, using my Origin Card, I got them out of the stone walls and laid them on the ground.
It drained a good chunk of my Essence, but leaving them stuck in the walls during the terrain shift could’ve been lethal.
And I’m nothing if not considerate and generous.
The labyrinth trembled before collapsing in on itself. The towering stone walls retracted into the ground, leaving the arena wide open once again.
I took in my surroundings.
The coliseum was still crowded and full of chaos — Cadets battling, bodies crashing, powers flaring — but the number of people had thinned now.
After the first four hours, the rate of elimination had been greatly increased since people began to take more risks and stopped holding back.
The ground quaked again.
This time, large portions of the concrete floor caved in, forming deep grooves that were rapidly filled with water, turning the terrain into a shallow marsh.
The murky water sloshed across the arena floor, barely reaching my knees, but enough to make footing treacherous.
“Oh, this is bad!” I groaned.
It was really dangerous.
The marsh was an easy conduit for certain abilities, and I had a bad feeling about what was coming.
My suspicion was confirmed when I heard a crackling hum behind me.
Lightning.
I turned around just in time to notice a Cadet with a crazy look in his eyes. Arcs of electricity were dancing around his hands.
His plan was obvious — flood the marsh with electricity and fry everyone within range.
I acted fast, summoning my Origin Card and slamming my hand into the waterlogged floor beneath.
A platform of solid concrete rose under me, elevating me above the marsh just as that Cadet unleashed a violent wave of electricity.
The water lit up and sparks flew.
Thankfully, I was safely perched on my concrete platform.
From my relatively higher vantage point, I took a moment to assess.
That guy was weaving electricity through the water, trying to hit as many opponents as possible.
Some Cadets screamed, others collapsed in the water as the shock ran through them. It was total mayhem.
But he was too focused on his assault to notice me.
Without hesitation, I dismissed my Origin Card and summoned a Spell Card I had taken from Jake.
Instantly, a fire arrow conjured in my hand. I whipped my arm forward and threw the fiery projectile at that guy.
The arrow struck him square in the chest and exploded. His body jerked violently as he stumbled, momentarily disoriented.
His focus on controlling the electricity broke.
That was all the opening I needed. I deactivated the Spell Card and brought out the Skill Card that I also took from Jake.
Its name was «Flash Step» and it allowed me to cross a couple of meters in a single step.
I leapt from the platform, splashing into the marsh and closing the distance between me and my opponent in a blur.
My fist collided with his jaw in a menacing uppercut before he had the time to recover, snapping his head back.
His shocked eyes met mine, but before he could react, I followed up with a sharp elbow to his ribs.
He staggered, which gave me enough time to run up to him and slam my shoulder against his chest like a battering ram.
He fell back on his butt, gasping and coughing, and I finished him off with a roundhouse kick to the side of his head.
His body crumpled into the water, unconscious.
Another one down.
Unfortunately, he only had a single orb left on him, so I didn’t get much points. But that was fine.
I surveyed the battleground again.
The fights were growing fiercer with every passing moment.
It was to be expected. The weak had already been weeded out, leaving only the strong.
“Time to get serious, I guess.”
And I did get serious.
For the next six hours, I fought relentlessly, pushing my limits without risking complete exhaustion.
Some battles were difficult, others outright challenging. But with a bit of strategy and grit, I still won them all.
It was tough, but manageable.
After eliminating a particularly tough Cadet, I knelt down to one knee, breathing heavily.
I could barely feel any strength left in my legs. My right arm throbbed painfully, and the left side of my face was bruised in a deep shade of blue.
In front of me lay the young man who had managed to put me in this state.
“Damn bastard!” I cursed, standing up straight before kicking his limp body a few times in irritation.
Finally satisfied, I paused to catch my breath and swept my eyes across the battlefield.
The terrain had changed again. Giant concrete blades had sprouted from the ground and were spinning across the land.
I could see Juliana in the distance. She was fighting alongside a group of Cadets as they targeted another fraction of opponents.
I also caught sight of a couple of named characters flitting through the chaos. But I didn’t have time to linger on them, as I spotted my next target.
A short girl stood a few steps away, alone and clearly exhausted.
She looked like she wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight.
If I attacked her now, it would be an easy score.
Taking a moment to steady myself, I summoned an Item Card. A sword materialized in my grip almost instantly.
It was nothing special — a simple miao dao sword. It didn’t have any enchantments. I’d taken it from one of the Cadets during this exam.
I usually preferred not to use any weapons.
My innate power required me to create direct physical contact with my target, which meant I usually had to keep my hands free.
But my Essence pool was dangerously depleted now. I didn’t have it in me to use my Origin Card for much longer.
In this situation, wielding a weapon was a better choice than going bare-handed.
And while I wasn’t a master swordsman, I was proficient enough with most weapons to handle myself.
So, with the sword in hand, I shifted into an offensive stance and rushed toward my target.
She didn’t seem to notice me until I was almost upon her. I swung the blade in a wide arc, aiming for her side—
—Tang!!
A sharp clash of metal rang through the air as my sword was intercepted mid-swing.
“What–?” I muttered, my eyes snapping to the side. There, another blade had blocked my strike.
A young man stood beside the girl, his face a mix of shock and disbelief.
His hair, black as midnight, fell in soft waves to his neck.
His eyes were like two deep and endless pools of darkness that seemed like they could devour the world itself.
His skin, pale and smooth, like the finest silk, gleamed under the floodlights.
I almost couldn’t believe it.
This young man before me…
He was none other than Michael Godswill.
The hero of this damned world.