[Location: Student Dorms - Outside Building F]
[Time: 02:00 AM (The Night Before Finals)]
The night was quiet. Too quiet.
While Ryan and his team slept, shadows moved in the forest.
These weren't Ryan's shadows. They were the Elite Four—the strongest students of Class A (after Leo Sterling).
Magnus (Mage Leader)Titan (Tank)Viper (Rogue - unrelated to the teacher)Seraphina (Healer)
They were desperate. Leo had lost. If they lost the Finals to "Class F Trash" tomorrow, their families would disown them. Their reputation would be destroyed.
"We can't fight Ryan head-on," Magnus whispered, hiding behind a tree. "He has a Demon, a Ghost, and that cursed Doll. But..."
He pointed at the window where a massive snoring sound was coming from.
"If we take out the Tank (Grog), Ryan is defenseless. He's a Necromancer. Without a meat shield, he's squishy."
"How do we lure him out?" Titan asked. "He's huge."
Magnus smirked. He pulled out a massive, steaming Dragon-Meat Steak (Cost: 5,000 Credits). The smell was intoxicating.
"We use bait."
Inside Room 666.
Sniff... Sniff...
Grog's nostrils flared. Even in his sleep, his nose worked perfectly.
He opened his eyes.
"Meat..." Grog mumbled.
He sat up. He looked at Ryan (asleep). He looked at Annabelle (recharging in her box).
"Grog just... take a bite. Be right back."
Grog quietly (loudly) tiptoed out of the room.
He followed the scent into the dark forest behind the dorm.
There, sitting on a stump, was the steak.
"MEAT!" Grog cheered. He ran towards it.
SNAP.
A magic circle on the ground lit up.
[Trap Spell: Binding Chains of Light]
Golden chains shot up from the ground, wrapping around Grog's arms and legs.
"RRAAAH!" Grog roared, trying to break free. "Shiny ropes! Let Grog go!"
Magnus and his team stepped out of the bushes, grinning.
"Got him," Magnus laughed. "The dumb brute fell for the oldest trick in the book."
"Tie him up and throw him in the warehouse," Titan commanded. "By the time Ryan finds him, the Finals will be over."
Grog struggled. "Boss! Help! Bugs!"
"Your Boss is sleeping," Magnus sneered, walking closer to mock the demon. "Tomorrow, we will crush your team, and Ryan will be crying on live TV."
Magnus raised his staff to cast a silencing spell.
Suddenly... a voice came from Grog's shadow.
"You know," the voice yawned. "Kidnapping my roommate is rude. But wasting a 5,000 Credit steak? That's a crime."
Magnus froze. "Who's there?!"
The shadow beneath Grog's feet began to bubble.
Two blue eyes glowed in the darkness.
Ryan slowly rose from the shadow, like a vampire rising from a coffin.
[Skill Used: Shadow Exchange]
(Ryan had swapped places with a shadow he secretly attached to Grog earlier).
Ryan stepped out, fully dressed, holding his phone on a selfie stick.
[Stream Started: "Catching Thieves in 4K"]
[Viewers: 15,000 (Night Owls)]
"Surprise!" Ryan flashed a peace sign.
Magnus stumbled back, pale as a sheet. "You... how... you were sleeping!"
"I never sleep when there's Exp nearby," Ryan grinned. He looked at the Elite Four. "So, you guys tried to disqualify my Tank?"
"Kill him!" Magnus screamed. "It's 4 against 1! He has no summons!"
Ryan checked his nails. "4 against 1? Actually..."
He snapped his fingers.
From the trees around them, pairs of red eyes opened.
Bob (The Butcher) stepped out from the left.
Annabelle dropped from the branches above.
20 Skeleton Soldiers rose from the dirt.
"It's 24 against 4," Ryan corrected. "Math is important, kids."
The Elite Four were surrounded.
Titan (the enemy tank) charged at Ryan. "I'll crush you!"
Ryan didn't move.
"Felix! Trip him!"
Felix, who was hiding in the bushes (Ryan woke him up too), flipped a coin.
Ping.
Titan's shoelaces mysteriously tied themselves together.
THUD.
The massive tank face-planted into the dirt, right at Ryan's feet.
Ryan placed his foot on Titan's head.
"Pathetic."
Magnus tried to cast a teleport spell to escape.
"Violet! Now!"
Violet stepped out, throwing a vial of purple gas. [Paralysis Mist].
Magnus inhaled once and froze stiff as a board. His spell fizzled out.
Within 1 minute, the "Elite Four" were tied up with their own magical chains, sitting in a row on the grass.
Grog was happily eating the steak in the background.
Ryan stood in front of the captives, the camera focused on their terrified faces.
"Okay chat," Ryan addressed the stream. "These honor students tried to sabotage the Finals. What should we do with them?"
User_Slayer69: "Strip them! Loot everything!"
User_RichKid: "Shave their eyebrows!"
User_Justice: "Disqualify them!"
Ryan smirked. "Disqualify? No, that's too easy. We have a match tomorrow."
He leaned close to Magnus.
"I'm going to let you go."
Magnus blinked, hopeful. "Really?"
"Yes," Ryan nodded. "But there's an entrance fee."
Ryan pointed his gun. "Hand over your gear. All of it. Armor, rings, staffs, wallets. Even the shoes."
"What?!" Magnus cried. "We need them for the Finals!"
"Exactly," Ryan's eyes glowed cold. "You can fight tomorrow. But you'll fight naked."
[Time: 03:00 AM]
Ryan walked back to the dorm, whistling a happy tune.
His inventory was full.
[Magnus's Staff (Rank B)][Titan's Shield (Rank B)][Speed Boots x4][Credits: 50,000]
Behind him, the Elite Four were running back to their dorms in their underwear, crying.
Ryan looked at the camera.
"Lesson learned, kids: Never try to scam a scammer. See you at the Finals!"
[System Notification: You have psychologically broken your opponents.]
[Fear Points: +10,000]
[Reputation: 'The Devil of the Academy' Maxed Out.]
But as Ryan entered the building, his True Sight caught something.
On the roof of the dorm opposite him.
The man in the Grey Hood was watching.
He wasn't attacking. He was... taking notes.
"Interesting," the Grey Hood whispered to himself. "He uses Shadows like a monarch. The prophecy might be true."
The man vanished into mist.
Ryan stopped. He looked at the roof.
"System," Ryan muttered. "Did you feel that?"
[System: Stalker detected. Danger Level: SSS-Rank.]
Ryan gripped his new staff.
The tournament was fun. But the real predators were getting closer.
"Let's wrap up this tournament tomorrow," Ryan said grimly. "I need to get stronger. Fast."