The morning sun of the second day bled through the narrow window of the dormitory, casting a sharp, linear shadow across Xavier's bed. He didn't wake up to a buzzing alarm or the shout of a drill sergeant. He woke up to the soft, violet chime of the System.
He felt… different. The 4.0% mana output was no longer a jarring surge; it had settled into his veins like warm honey. His muscles, hardened by a month of brutal conditioning, felt light and responsive. He swiped the air, bringing up the bracket notification that had been pushed to every cadet's device overnight.
[STAGE 3: THE DUELS]
Format: 1v1 Close Quarters Combat (CQC). No Exo-Suits. Standard Training Weapons.
Xavier's eyes scanned the list. There were twenty-five fights total. Fifteen today, ten tomorrow. He scrolled to the very bottom.
Fight #25: Kiko (30%) vs. Xavier Reyes (4.0%)
He was the final act. The closer. He let out a long breath, a mixture of relief and anticipation. "Last fight of Day 2," he muttered. "At least I can sleep in."
But as he lay back down, a new window snapped into his vision.
[SIDE QUEST: WATCH AND LEARN]
[OBJECTIVE: OBSERVE THE COMBAT STYLES OF THE TOP-TIER PROSPECTS.]
[REWARD: 100 SHOP POINTS (SP)]
Xavier sat bolt upright. "One hundred points just for sitting in the stands?" He grinned, the exhaustion from the previous day's psychological trial vanishing. "Fine. I was curious about Jake anyway."
The arena had been transformed once again. The urban warzone was gone, replaced by a raised, circular stone platform in the center of the stadium. The crowd was even louder than before, the air buzzing with the electricity of live combat.
Xavier arrived ten minutes before the first match, balancing a large tub of popcorn and a cold drink. He found a seat in the mid-tier stands, trying to blend in.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer's voice boomed. "Day 1 of the Duels begins now! First up, the pride of the European Sector, the 34% prodigy—Jake!"
The stadium erupted. Jake stepped onto the platform with a terrifying level of composure. His long black hair was tied back, and his eyes were fixed on the far entrance.
"Look at him," Xavier mumbled through a mouthful of popcorn. "Just because he's handsome and has a 34% output, he thinks he's the main character."
"You're just jealous, 2%," a voice snickered from the row behind him.
Xavier spun around. "Who said that?"
The group of students behind him suddenly became very interested in their fingernails, staying quiet. Xavier scoffed and turned back to the stage.
"And his opponent," the announcer continued, "the icy flower of the European Sector—Noelle!"
Xavier leaned forward. He remembered her from Team 1—the girl who had tried to hunt him down on the hill. Up close, without the bulky Exo-suit, she was striking. Her hair was a rare, shimmering ice-blue, and her features were delicate, though currently clouded by a look of intense anxiety.
When Noelle stepped onto the stone, she didn't look like a warrior. She looked like she was walking toward a firing squad. She and Jake locked eyes, and a ripple of recognition passed between them. It wasn't the look of rivals; it was the look of two people who had grown up in the same shadow.
"Choose your weapons!"
A rack of wooden training gear rose from the stage. Jake didn't hesitate. He gripped a heavy kendo stick, testing its weight with a single, effortless flick of his wrist. Noelle followed suit, her hands trembling as she grabbed an identical weapon.
"Fight!"
Noelle charged. It was a move born of desperation. She swung high, her mana flaring to boost her speed. But Jake didn't even move his feet. He caught her strike with the center of his stick, the wood cracking with the force of the impact.
"What is wrong with you?" Jake's voice carried over the speakers, cold and biting. "I know you're better than this. Are you trying to embarrass the family name?"
He didn't just counter-attack; he toyed with her. Every time Noelle tried to find an opening, Jake was already there, delivering a stinging strike to her ribs or her shoulders. He moved like water, shifting his weight with a grace that made the kendo stick look like an extension of his arm.
He delivered a brutal horizontal strike to her midsection, sending her sprawling back toward the edge of the ring. Noelle coughed, struggling to find her footing.
"Disgraceful," Jake spat, looking down at her as she lay on the floor.
"I'm... I'm sorry," Noelle whispered, her voice breaking.
Jake didn't offer a hand. He turned his back on her and walked out of the ring before the referee had even officially called the match.
Xavier felt a surge of genuine irritation. He gripped his popcorn tub a little tighter. "What a prick. If I got him in the next round, I'd give him at least two good ones to the jaw."
The day continued in a blur of strikes and parries. Xavier watched every move, his Level 15 Vision dissecting the footwork of every fighter.
By mid-afternoon, it was time for a break. Xavier headed toward the restroom to splash some water on his face. As he walked back through the darkened service tunnels that led to the arena, he heard raised voices.
He stopped behind a concrete pillar.
In a secluded alcove stood Noelle and Jake. They were flanked by two adults—a man and a woman dressed in high-collared, expensive military coats. The man was shouting, his face inches from Noelle's.
"A 23% output and you couldn't even land a single strike?" the man hissed. "Do you have any idea how much we invested in your tutors? You're making us a laughingstock in front of the Commanders!"
Noelle was staring at her boots, her shoulders shaking. Jake stood to the side, his arms crossed, looking bored.
Xavier felt a cold knot of anger in his stomach. He'd lived his whole life being told he was a Zero, but seeing someone with talent being torn down by their own family felt worse. He shifted his weight, his shoe scuffing against a loose stone.
Jake's head snapped around. His eyes, sharp and predatory, locked onto Xavier's position behind the pillar.
Xavier didn't wait to be caught. He turned and ran, his Speed of 80 making him a blur in the dim hallway. He didn't stop until he was back in the bright light of the arena stands.
"Fight Number Five! Kenji vs. Asher Williams!"
This was the one Xavier had been waiting for. Asher stepped onto the platform, shirtless, showing off the physique he'd spent years carving. He chose two short kendo sticks, a dual-wielding style that emphasized his aggression. Kenji, the smaller of the twins, chose a long staff.
"Fight!"
The match was a masterpiece of kinetic energy. Kenji was faster, his staff a spinning wheel of wood that kept Asher at bay. But Asher was a monster. Every time the staff hit his arms or shoulders, he didn't flinch. He used his superior Strength to bull-rush through the strikes, closing the distance.
Asher caught the staff mid-swing, his muscles bulging. He yanked Kenji off-balance and delivered a double-strike to Kenji's chest that sounded like a gunshot.
Kenji hit the floor, gasping for air.
Xavier leaned back, letting out a slow whistle. He hated Asher's guts, but he couldn't deny the truth: the guy was a natural-born fighter. He didn't just rely on his 24% mana; he knew how to use his weight.
By the time the sun set over the stadium, the first fifteen fights were over. Xavier walked back to his dormitory, his head swimming with the day's events.
Ping.
[SIDE QUEST COMPLETE: WATCH AND LEARN]
[REWARD GRANTED: 100 SHOP POINTS (SP)]
He sat on his bed and pulled up the Shop. He had 100 points to spend, and he knew exactly what he needed. He'd seen the way Jake moved, the way Asher struck. He needed more than just raw stats.
"System, browse Hand-to-Hand Combat techniques."
The list scrolled by. He skipped the basic military brawling and the standard karate forms. He stopped when he saw a violet icon.
[SKILL SCROLL: KID DYNAMITE - IN-FIGHTER (RANK: RARE)]
Description: A combat style that utilizes explosive speed and punching power, an all around boxing style.
[COST: 100 SP]
"Buy it," Xavier said.
The scroll appeared in his hand and dissolved into light. A torrent of information flooded his mind—hundreds of hours of training condensed into a few seconds of neural imprinting. He felt his hands twitch, his body instinctively adjusting to the new stances.
He looked at his status one last time before the lights went out.
[XAVIER REYES]
[MANA: 4.0%]
[STR: 70 | SPD: 80 | AGI: 60 | VIT: 79 | VIS: 15]
[SKILL: KID DYNAMITE]
He thought about Noelle's face when her father was shouting at her. He thought about Jake's cold eyes. And then he thought about Kiko, the 30% sniper who was waiting for him tomorrow.
"Tomorrow," Xavier whispered, his knuckles cracking in the dark. "Tomorrow, I stop being the kid who's lucky to be here."