[Location: The Grand Battle Arena - VIP Spectator Zone]
[Time: 09:00 AM]
[Event: The Annual Class Wars - Opening Match]
The atmosphere in the arena was electric.
Fifty thousand spectators filled the seats—students, teachers, professional Hunters, and government scouts. The air smelled of popcorn and mana.
Huge holographic screens floated above the stadium, displaying the betting odds.
MATCH 1: Class A (Golden Lions) vs Class F (Suicide Squad)
Betting Odds:
Class A Wins: 1.01 (Safe Bet)Class F Wins: 500.00 (Impossible)
"Hahaha! Look at those odds!" A student from Class B laughed, waving a betting ticket. "I bet my whole month's allowance on Class A. It's free money!"
"Who would be stupid enough to bet on Class F? They are literally called the 'Suicide Squad'."
Suddenly, a hooded figure walked up to the betting counter.
"I would like to place a bet," the figure said.
The betting agent sneered. "On Class A? Minimum bet is 100 Credits."
"No," the figure slammed a heavy bag onto the counter. "On Class F."
The agent blinked. He opened the bag.
It was filled with Gold Coins, piles of Credits, and a few Goblin Ears.
Total Value: 50,000 Credits.
"A-Are you sure?" the agent stammered. "If they lose, you lose everything."
The figure pulled back his hood. It was Ryan.
He grinned, his eyes gleaming with greed.
"Put it all on 'Suicide Squad'. And add a side bet: Ryan gets the First Blood."
The crowd around the booth went silent.
The madman was betting on himself.
[System Notification: You have placed a High-Stakes Bet.]
[Potential Payout: 25,000,000 Credits.]
[Fear Points: +500 (The Agent thinks you are insane).]
Ryan grabbed his receipt and walked towards the waiting room.
"See you at the bank," he winked at the stunned agent.
[The Arena Floor]
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"
The commentator's voice boomed.
"Welcome to the Main Event! In the Red Corner, the undefeated kings... THE GOLDEN LIONS!"
Fireworks exploded.
Leo Sterling walked out first. He wore shining white armor with gold trim. He floated a few inches off the ground, looking like a descending angel.
Behind him walked Arthur (Fire Mage), Liam (Paladin - though he looked reluctant), a Wind Archer, and an Earth Tank.
They looked magnificent. The crowd roared.
"And in the Blue Corner... uh... The Suicide Squad?"
The gate creaked open.
No fireworks. No music.
Just the sound of snoring.
Grog walked out first, carrying a sleeping Jin on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Violet walked next to him, mixing a bubbling purple potion in a beaker, giggling to herself.
Felix walked in, tripped on a flat surface, did a forward roll, and accidentally dodged a firework spark that would have burned his face.
And finally, Ryan.
He walked in eating a hotdog he bought from the concession stand.
The crowd went dead silent.
"Is... is that guy sleeping?"
"Why is the girl drinking poison?"
"Is the leader eating a hotdog?"
Leo Sterling hovered in the air, looking down at Ryan with disgust.
"You mock this tournament," Leo stated coldly. "You bring a circus to a battlefield."
Ryan swallowed the last bite of his hotdog.
"And you bring a nightlight," Ryan pointed at Leo's glowing aura. "Seriously, turn down the brightness. You're hurting my eyes."
Leo's eye twitched.
"Director Malik," Leo shouted at the VIP box. "Let's begin. I want to end this farce in 10 seconds."
Director Malik smiled from his throne.
"Very well. But this year, we have a new rule. Randomized Terrain."
Malik pressed a big red button.
RUMBLE...
The arena floor began to shake and shift.
The flat sand disappeared.
Massive stone pillars rose from the ground. Lava pools opened up. Chains hung from the sky.
[Map Selected: The Burning Ruins]
[Environmental Effect: Fire Damage +50%. Heat Exhaustion active.]
Ryan narrowed his eyes.
This wasn't random.
Leo Sterling used Sun/Light Magic. This map boosted heat and light.
Director Malik had rigged it for a show.
"Perfect," Ryan muttered.
"READY?" the referee shouted.
Ryan turned to his team.
"Plan B," Ryan whispered.
"What's Plan B?" Violet asked.
"Run and make them look stupid."
"FIGHT!"
BOOM!
Leo Sterling didn't wait. He raised his hand instantly.
[Spell: Judgment of the Sun]
A massive beam of concentrated light shot down from the sky, aiming to vaporize the entire Class F team in one hit.
"GROG! SHIELD!" Ryan shouted.
Grog roared. He didn't use a magic shield.
He grabbed Jin (the sleeping boy) and held him up like a shield.
"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty!"
The beam of light hit Jin.
ZAAAAAP!
Any normal student would be incinerated.
But Jin...
Jin's eyes snapped open. They weren't brown anymore. They were glowing white.
His [Dream Warrior] talent activated.
His body reacted on instinct. He drew his sword faster than the speed of sound.
SLASH!
Jin cut the beam of light in half.
The massive spell was split in two, carving deep trenches into the arena floor on either side of Class F.
The crowd gasped.
"He... he cut the light?"
"Who is that kid?!"
Jin, still asleep, landed on the ground. He snored loudly. Zzzz.
Leo's jaw dropped. "Impossible."
Ryan stepped forward, holding his Soul Shatterer.
"My turn."
He pointed the gun at the sky.
"System, activate [Shadow Cam]. Start Stream."
[Stream Started: "Humiliating the Student Council President (Live)"]
"Felix!" Ryan shouted. "Go say hi to their healer!"
Felix, the Jinx, ran towards the Class A formation.
"Stay away!" The Class A Wind Archer fired an arrow at Felix.
Snap. The bowstring broke. The arrow flopped on the ground.
"What?" The Archer panicked. He tried to cast a spell.
Slip. He stepped on a loose stone and fell face-first into a lava puddle (minor burn).
"AAAAHH! MY FACE!"
Felix ran straight into the middle of Class A.
"Hi guys! Sorry I'm late!"
Just by standing there, chaos erupted.
Arthur tried to cast a fireball. It exploded in his hand.
The Earth Tank tried to summon a wall. It summoned a wall on top of himself.
"It's chaos!" The commentator screamed. "Class A is falling apart without even being hit!"
Ryan looked at Leo, who was floating above the chaos, furious.
"Hey, Goldilocks!" Ryan shouted.
Leo looked down, his eyes burning with rage. "YOU DIRT!"
Ryan grinned. He snapped his fingers.
"Annabelle. Go play."
From Ryan's shadow, a small, giggling doll leaped out. She jumped onto one of the rising stone pillars, hopping towards the floating Leo.
She was fast. Too fast.
Leo saw a small toy coming at him. He didn't take it seriously.
"A doll?"
Annabelle leaped into the air, her knife gleaming.
"Peek-a-boo!"
She slashed at Leo's face.
Leo put up a shield at the last second.
CRACK.
The knife shattered the S-Rank barrier like it was glass.
A thin cut appeared on Leo's perfect cheek. A drop of blood fell.
Leo touched his face. He looked at the blood.
For the first time in his life... he was bleeding.
The entire stadium went silent.
The Untouchable President... was cut by a doll?
Ryan blew the smoke from his gun barrel, even though he hadn't fired yet.
"First Blood," Ryan declared to the stunned betting agent watching on the screen. "That's my money."
[System Notification: You have injured an S-Rank Candidate.]
[Fear Points: +5,000]
[Crowd Hype: Max.]
Leo's eyes turned entirely white. The air around him began to vibrate.
"I... will... kill... all... of... you."
Ryan laughed.
"Violet! Deploy the gas! Let's make this map smell like home!"