DING!
DING! DING! DING!
The sounds were incessant now, a digital chorus of triumph and failure chiming from the bracelets of a thousand contestants. Deep within the raid zone, the leaderboard was shifting with violent frequency. Some players earned their keep by hunting the grotesque magic beasts prowling the ruins; others chose the darker path, harvesting points by hunting their fellow students.
I checked my wrist. The numbers were staggering. The total count of participants was plummeting, while the top ranks were ballooning with points.
LEADERBOARD STATUS:
1ST PLACE: Kageno'nenji: 7,050 Ps
2ND PLACE: Sinata Leesburg: 5,000 Ps
3RD PLACE: Oliver Veyron: 4,500 Ps
4TH PLACE: Marcus Cinandra: 3,100 Ps
5TH PLACE: Kael Vinsord: 2,200 Ps
6TH PLACE: Ria Lisbon: 1,999 Ps
CONTESTANTS REMAINING: 856
I stared at the first and second names. Kageno'nenji? Sinata Leesburg? I'd never heard of them in the elite circles of the academy. To hold those positions while Marcus was struggling at fourth suggested that these were the true dark horses of the exam.
I didn't let it bother me. My goal wasn't just to be first, it was to reach the final zone without wasting my stamina. I began to move, leaping from the gnarled branches of ancient trees, my white-lined coat snapping like a flag in the wind as I carved a path toward the center of the zone.
-----
In a secluded sector of the forest, far from the main cluster of contestants, the air smelled of ozone and iron.
A lone figure moved through a pack of giant orcs and demon monsters, dismantling them with terrifying precision. As the last beast fell, five students—a mix of Tier-Six and Tier-Seven elites—emerged from the canopy, landing on the blood-soaked grass.
"Shit... those monsters could have been ours," their leader growled, eyeing the mountain of points that had just been snatched away.
"Oi," one of the Tier-Six lackeys sneered. "So this is the guy climbing the list? He looks like a weakling."
"C'mon, look at his insignia. How can an E-rank trash-tier defeat a pack of orcs?" another added, his hand hovering over his sword hilt.
The leader stepped forward, his eyes narrowing at the figure's back. "Oi, E-rank! What kind of trick are you using to get above us?"
Silence.
The figure didn't turn at first. Then, slowly, he gave them a cold side-glance, his high dark-blue collar framing a sharp, pale chin.
"You guys are a nuisance," the boy, Kageno, whispered. His voice was like a freezing wind. "If you intend to get in my way, I suppose I'll have to take you out regardless of your rank."
"You arrogant bastard!" the leader roared. "Your overconfidence ends here. Die!"
One of the Tier-Six students lunged, two daggers held in a reverse grip. Kageno shifted into a low, ninja-like stance. In a blur, he drew a kunai-spear and launched it. Before the student could react, Kageno was gone. He reappeared behind the group, a blade already singing as it left the sheath from one of the groups waist.
In a single, fluid flash of steel, the air was cut. Before the group could even turn around, their bodies flickered. The system judged the strikes as fatal. The five bodies shattered into light holograms instantly.
"Pebbles," Kageno muttered. With a blink of an eye, he was back on the trees, leaping toward the final zone as the timer on his wrist began its relentless countdown.
[02:10:01]
[02:09:57]
[02:09:56]....
As I continued my way towards the final zone, I found the magic beasts to be little more than distractions. They lacked the sheer predatory pressure of the bat demon I had slain earlier.
I halted my tracks when I reached a clearing. Ahead, a beautiful girl with long, azure-blue hair was engaged in a cinematic display of swordsmanship. She wore a long combat jacket over her blue uniform, her white-and-gold skirt fluttering as she danced between a swarm of twenty demons.
These weren't common beasts, they were knuckle-bladed demons, possessing razor claws and a refined battle sense. Sinata Leesburg was holding her own, her twin blades flickering like silver lightning, but I could see the cracks in her defense.
She had already taken out eight, but her breathing was ragged due to her exhaustion. The body of the giant demons were so hard to pierce through that it had put her in a tight spot. Her primary sword lay shattered on the ground, broken against the steeled hide of the monsters. She was channeling every ounce of her mana into her breathing technique just to make her strikes pierce their skin. It was a desperate, stamina-draining strategy.
As the remaining twelve demons lunged from all angles, closing in for the kill, I moved.
I blurred into the center of the fray. A series of lightning-fast blows landed on the demons' reinforced chests, sending them skidding backward, their claws digging into the dirt to halt their momentum.
Sinata looked up, panting, her eyes widening as she saw me. My black hair and amber eyes were unmistakable.
"Like I said," I said, my voice calm as I stood amidst the monsters. "Don't force the energy from your core. Use the standing wave to maximize your breathing. It increases the weight of the strike without draining your lungs. Like this..."
My body blurred and appeared toward the nearest giant demon, using him as a live demonstration. I placed my right palm an inch from its chest. I didn't pull back. I didn't wind up.
I vibrated my mana at the exact frequency of my soul's zero-point. The energy didn't move forward or backward—it became a standing wave, oscillating in place and building massive potential energy without losing a single drop to the environment.
Then, I released it. A One-Inch Punch.
CRACK-BOOM.
The impact didn't just knock the demon back, its chest cavity exploded inward. The force was so concentrated that the shockwave passed through the demon and blew a matching hole in the massive tree twenty feet behind it. The demon stared at its own shattered chest in confusion before slowly toppling over to the ground, dead.
"Wow... amazing," Sinata whispered, her eyes filled with awe.
The remaining demons flinched. Their predatory bloodlust evaporated, replaced by a cold, primal fear.
"Well..." I ran a hand through my hair, a dark grin tugging at my lips. "If you're not ready to fight, I might as well make your deaths quick."
I spread my hand. A sapphire-blue sphere of light condensed in my palm, humming with a high-frequency thrum.
VMMMMMM—
The Risho blue roared across the clearing. When the energy beam faded, the remaining twelve demons were nothing but ash, leaving a long, scorched trench in the earth that glowed red with heat.
I turned back to Sinata and offered a hand. "I believe you're alright now?"
She reached out, taking my hand to steady herself, her gaze still lingering on the scorched earth I'd created. "Thank you for the help. And... I never knew you were this awesome." She said giving a warm smile.
I returned her warm smile. "Thanks." I turned to continue my destination.
"Wait!" she called out. I glanced back over my shoulder. "I'm Sinata Leesburg. Tier-Seven."
"I'm Oliver Veyron. Tier-One. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier."
"Yeah it nothing... I just wanted to say thank you once again."
"No problem," I said, giving her a nod. "And Sinata? Nice swordsmanship."
I walked away, waving a hand lazily in the air behind me as I disappeared into the brush. Behind me, I could almost feel her heart skip.
"He complimented my swordsmanship?" she whispered to the empty clearing. "Thank you... thank you for the compliment!"
I smiled to myself, eyes closed as I picked up the pace toward the final zone. The real test was just beginning.