Clang!
Gorn's shield groaned under the weight of the massive pincer.
"Sunny! I can't hold it forever!" Gorn roared, his boots sliding backward through the mud, leaving deep furrows. "This thing is on steroids!"
"Just one more minute!" Sunny screamed, sprinting along the edge of the arena.
He commanded his Obsidian Spike-Stag mentally. Dive bomb. Now.
The black beetle shot down like a kinetic missile. It aimed for the crack in the Scorpion's carapace that Gorn had opened earlier.
Green blood sprayed. The Twin-Tail Death Stalker shrieked, thrashing its tails wildly.
[Scorpion HP: 15%]
"It's working!" Sunny grinned, sweat stinging his eyes.
"We have it on the ropes!"
Despite the exhaustion, despite the terror, the dopamine was flooding his brain. They were actually doing it. Two nobodies were taking down a Tier 2 Boss.
But apparently, someone didn't like the script.
High above the arena, Prince Valerian yawned. He floated there, looking down at the desperate struggle like a god watching ants fight over a crumb.
"Boring," Valerian murmured. "They are using brute force. No elegance. No style."
He raised a manicured hand. A ring on his finger glowed with a soft, mocking light.
"Let's make it interesting. A true warrior overcomes adversity, right?"
Valerian flicked his finger.
"Spell: [Aqua Vitality]."
A stream of pure, glowing blue water shot down from the sky. It didn't hit Sunny. It didn't hit Gorn.
It hit the Scorpion.
The water enveloped the monster. Steam rose from its chitin. The crack in its armor knitted itself back together. The broken tail tip regenerated. Its eyes, which Sunny had blinded with the potion, cleared up instantly.
[System Warning!]
[Target Healed!]
[Scorpion HP: 15% -> 100%]
[Status Effect: [Enraged] - Attack Speed +50%]
Sunny froze mid-step. He stared at the blue screen, his brain refusing to process the information.
"Did..." Sunny's voice trembled.
"Did he just heal the Boss?"
Gorn was thrown backward as the revitalized Scorpion slammed its pincer into him with renewed strength. The big man tumbled through the dirt, his shield flying from his grasp.
"Gah!" Gorn coughed up blood. "What the hell happened? It's stronger!"
High above, Valerian laughed. It was a light, musical laugh that made Sunny want to vomit.
"Come on, show me your struggle!" Valerian called out, smiling pleasantly. "If you can't beat it at full power, do you really deserve to be here?"
The Scorpion, now fully healed and pissed off, turned its gaze toward Sunny. It ignored Gorn. It wanted the little annoyance controlling the bug.
It charged. It was faster now. Much faster.
"Fuck this," Sunny whispered.
He turned around and looked up at the VIP balcony. He looked straight at General Korg.
"HEY!" Sunny screamed, his voice amplified by pure, unadulterated rage. "ARE YOU SEEING THIS SHIT?"
The Scorpion was closing in. Ten meters. Five meters.
Sunny didn't flinch. He pointed a shaking finger at the Prince.
"Is this your Academy? Is this the 'Starfall' standard?" Sunny roared, ignoring the monster behind him. "Because from down here, it looks like a fucking joke!"
The Scorpion lunged. Its pincer snapped shut inches from Sunny's spine.
At the last second, the Obsidian Spike-Stag intervened on its own, wedging itself into the pincer to stop it from crushing its master. The beetle whined under the pressure.
Sunny didn't look back. He kept his eyes locked on Korg.
"We fought! We bled! We had it beaten!" Sunny yelled, his veins popping in his neck. "And then Little Lord Fauntleroy up there decides to press the reset button because he's bored?"
General Korg leaned over the railing, his expression unreadable. "The battlefield isn't fair, kid. Enemies will heal. Unfair things happen."
"This isn't the battlefield!" Sunny shouted back. "This is a test of potential! You want to see who can survive? We survived! You want to see who has guts? Gorn took a beating for me! But this?"
Sunny gestured to the Prince, who was still smirking.
"This isn't testing us. It's stroking his ego! If you want soldiers who lick boots, go ahead and fail us! But if you want people who will claw their way out of hell to kill the enemy then you better stop this farce right now!"
Silence descended on the Colosseum.
Even the Scorpion seemed confused by the shouting.
Gorn, lying in the mud, looked at Sunny with wide eyes.
"Sunny... shut up, you're gonna get us executed..."
Sunny breathed heavily. "I'd rather die fighting than play a rigged game."
Prince Valerian stopped laughing. His eyes narrowed. "Watch your tongue, peasant. I am simply raising the bar."
"You're not raising the bar," Sunny spat. "You're just afraid we'll look better than you without a platinum spoon in your mouth."
Valerian's face flushed red. "You—"
"ENOUGH!"
General Korg's voice boomed like thunder. It physically shook the air.
Korg jumped.
He leaped from the VIP balcony, falling fifty meters. He landed in the center of the arena, between Sunny and the Scorpion. The impact created a shockwave that knocked the Scorpion backward.
Korg stood up, dusting off his pants. He looked at the Scorpion.
Punch!
He threw a casual, lazy punch. The air pressure condensed into a fist. The Scorpion's head exploded. Just like that.
[Boss Defeated.]
Korg turned to Sunny. He walked up to him, towering over the boy. Korg smelled like cigars and dried blood.
"You got a big mouth, kid," Korg grunted.
Sunny held his gaze. "I'm not wrong."
Korg stared at him for a long, agonizing second. Then, a massive grin split his scarred face.
"No. You're not."
Korg turned to the Prince. "Your Highness. The exam is over. Interfering with other examinees is technically against the rules. I'll let it slide because you're the Prince, but don't treat my arena like your toy box."
Valerian scoffed, floating down to the ground.
"Fine. They were boring me anyway."
Korg turned back to Sunny and Gorn.
"You two," Korg pointed. "You didn't kill the Boss. But you forced a Tier 2 monster to 15% HP with trash gear and a beetle. And you," he looked at Sunny, "You have the balls to yell at a General."
[Ding!]
[Quest Complete: Path to Power]
[Objective: Pass the Entrance Exam - ACCOMPLISHED.]
[Reward: System Shop Access (Restricted), Fusion Level 2 Unlocked.]
[Bonus Reward: Reputation with General Korg +10.]
"You pass," Korg announced.
Sunny's knees nearly gave out. "Fuck... yes."
"However," Korg raised a finger. "We have a ranking system here. Rank is determined by power, potential, and speed."
He pointed at Valerian.
"Prince Valerian. Platinum Beast."
Valerian didn't even smile. He expected it.
Korg pointed at Sunny and Gorn.
"You two. Good teamwork. Good grit. But your mana cores are trash. Rank 2: B-Class (Elite Stream)."
"B-Class?" Gorn groaned, limping over, supported by his mace.
"I'll take it. Better than being dead."
"As for the rest of you!" Korg roared at the students cowering in the stands or clinging to the walls.
The gates opened, and the terrified mob of survivors shuffled onto the field. They looked traumatized. Some were crying. Some were injured.
"You survived. Barely," Korg spat. "You are Rank 3: D-Class. You are fodder. If you want to stay in this Academy, you better prove you're worth the food you eat."
The crowd cheered weakly.
Sunny looked at his stats.
[Name: Sunny]
[Class: Student (B-Rank)]
[Fusion Level: 2 (Unlocked)]
[Current Objective: Survive the First Week.]
He recalled his Obsidian Spike-Stag. The beetle buzzed happily, landing on his shoulder.
Valerian walked past Sunny. He didn't stop, but he whispered as he passed.
"Enjoy your little victory, peasant. In the Academy, accidents happen every day. Watch your back."
Sunny smirked. He tapped the hilt of his Pyro-Leech Dagger.
"Don't worry, Your Highness," Sunny whispered back. "I'm looking forward to it."
"Alright, maggots!" Korg clapped his hands. "Welcome to Starfall Academy! Now get to the infirmary before you bleed out on my dirt! Dismissed!"
As the adrenaline faded, the pain hit. Sunny's ribs ached. His mana headache was back.
Gorn slapped a massive hand on Sunny's shoulder, nearly crushing him.
"We made it, brother!" Gorn laughed, blood staining his teeth.
"We're Tamers!"
"Yeah," Sunny looked at the massive white towers of the Academy looming over the arena. "We made it."
He touched the invisible screen of the System.
[Fusion Level 2 Info:]
Can now fuse: Tier 2 Monsters!
Can now fuse: Skills!
Sunny's eyes widened.
Fuse Skills?
He looked at the backs of the retreating students. He looked at the arrogant Prince.
"Oh," Sunny grinned, a dark, predatory look returning to his face.
"This is going to be fun."
He turned to Gorn. "Come on, Big Guy. Let's go find the library. I have some downloading to do."
"Library?" Gorn scratched his head. "I thought we were going to eat?"
"Knowledge is power, Gorn. And I'm starving for power."