Garth stood in the middle of the plains his hands extended in the air while chanting “let fear come to those who seek to harm”. His words radiated through the air as fire swirled around him like a thin whip. It raged twirled changing directions when it finally shot forward like a spear into a plant creature's chest. Garth bent down and took a blue crystal out of its ashes and slid it into his pocket. A lot has happened over the last month. Every single day after class he and Kinkaru have come to the training grounds and fought these plants. Their levels were steadily rising throughout the battles. The two had managed to climb their way up to level 10. Garth had also managed to gain a more intimate connection with his fire magic. He was beginning to understand how to use them more effectively without lengthy and mana heavy chants. In all aspects, he was at least twice as strong as he was before the training. On the other hand, Kinkaru was failing to precessions as quickly. The entire time he only used lighting magic and barely increased his ability to use it. It was as if the concept to understand it was there but he physically couldn’t progress. On two occasion Kinkaru vanished during training and when asked all he said was it was necessary to develop his affinity. Garth was starting to think that he failed to help Kinkaru be prepared for the exam and felt partially at fault. He quickly changed his line of thinking however, it wasn’t he Garth’s fault Kinkaru was born with useless magic.

It had been two days since Garth last saw Kinkaru and he began to worry that maybe he was abandoning the exam altogether. He doesn’t believe he is the type to run away, but not everyone is as they seem. All Garth could do is to continue to grind out mobs and levels. He needed to secure his place in school. He wanted to find his brother at all close. As he stood in the field waiting for some of his mana to return he had brief flashbacks of his brother talon. Garth knew the disappearance of his brother was ultimately his fault. He dreamed of the attack on his city every night. He dreamed of the lizards surrounding the area and burning it to a crisp. He longs for the day when he’s strong enough to punish whoever allowed the creatures past the cities forcefield. Every time he slays a monster he can feel himself taking a step in the right direction and he knew he was on track. He clinches his fist allowing mana to pour into it. If he had just been at least this strong his brother would still be here. A single tear rolled down his right eye as the grass behind him shifted.

Vines lifted from below him attempting to ensnare him. A plant monster had him in its clutches just like before. It laid its body flat and opened its giant mouth using vines to pull the lone boy towards it. If he were to pull in, it would use its acid if fluids to digest him quickly. This, however, did not bother Garth, he wasn’t the same mage as he was before. He wrapped his fingers around one of the vines and sent a single flame racing down it. The flame rushed towards the main body and began to consume the creature. Ironically, the monster tried to eat him was consumed by Garth instead. Garth shifted through the ashes and again pocketed a blue crystal. He looked at the time through his status menu and saw that it was just a few minutes from the practical. He rushed out of the training center and headed towards the coliseum. No one wanted to miss this exam. It would likely be the most entertaining thing that happens all day.

Garth arrived at the entrance to the colosseum with a few minutes to spare. This was his first time arriving but he was familiar with its scale. His older brother participated in the first exam voluntarily. When he got home Garth would make him tell the story of the exciting battles and explain what it looked like in detail. The building's size is incomparable with anything that we have in the modern world. Imagine a football stadium with a different biome for every climate. Now place that football field into a stadium designed to hold an entire Forrest of them. That was the scale of this arena. It’s not uncommon for students to get so lost that they have to be pulled out by school officials. Just navigating it alone was a task in itself, but it’s also inhabited by monsters and other students gunning to take your spot in the school. Garth took his seat in the audience, he sat in the seat designated for student rank 400. His leveling had raised his base stats enough to raise his rank, he also never spent skill points. As he sat and the crowd finished arriving a giant monitor appeared showing the name of all 475 students competing. All of the names have a spot that said score beside them and they all had the number 0. Garth used the screen in front of him and found Kinkaru's name. That confirmed he was still at school.

A man appeared on the screen. He was dressed in a very Nobel attire. He had a fancy and eccentric green suit on and a hat with a feather tucked into it. He then began to speak “Hello students of Meznor Academy, I am Dean Norris and I am excited to present you with the annual practical exam. People from all around the world have traveled here to see potential stars compete in a bloodthirsty battle against each other and the creatures of the world. By the end of the exam, less than half of the students will be allowed slots per into the school. Everyone focus while I explain the rules!” Garth shifted in his seat, the crowd around him roared in excitement. It’s likely tickets to this event are expensive and fuel the school's expensive operation. As this was a magic stadium the seating was expansive. There were easily over a hundred thousand in attendance. Garth had never seen so many people in his life at one location. He was glad that he had an assigned seat as a student because he couldn’t imagine looking for a slot without it. Dean Norris began to speak when the cheers leveled off “Each student will be spawning in a random biome. They have to obtain a minimum of 100 points to guarantee a placement. Killing a monster will grant anywhere from two to ten points each, however defeating a student will return their points to zero and give all of their points to the student that defeated them. There is a total of 200,000 points available. A student may acquire as many points as they want, there are no restrictions on teamwork or tactics. If you fail to have a minimum of 100 points by the end of the time limit, then you will be removed from school and forced to reapply next year.

The crowd went insane at the revelation that there were virtually no rules. Garth assumed it would be an elimination match but he never expected a battle royal where even more could be eliminated. In theory, a single student could gain all 200 thousand points and eliminated the entire student body. That was unlikely to happen but it does add an extra level of risk. Garth pulled up the menu and selected to prioritize spectating Kinkaru. He was excited to see that Kinkaru was in fact in attendance. It looked as if he was in a forest crouching. The dean concluded with the time limit being set at 72hours. As he said it a virtual clock appeared over the biomes. The clock was set in a way that students could look into the sky and see how much time they had left. Every 20 minutes a scoreboard would appear next to it showing the students, their points, and their last known biome. This meant hiding would be significantly harder for students who had points. Garth began to focus on his friend's movements and uttered good luck under his breath.

Kinkaru looked around frantically trying to figure out his surroundings. He stayed low and was thankful he had so much over around him. He felt his past life’s experience may help him in this situation. When he was 18 he had joined the military where he learned a lot of tactics and survived techniques. He was medically discharged out after basic when he received an injury during a training routine. He knew he needed to secure shelter and a water source first. He darted around hiding behind trees and observing his surroundings. As he made his way through the Forrest he found a stream in the distance. As he approached the stream he became more and more cautious. Everyone would need this water as well as the monsters in the area, so he needed to be prepare. He had managed to acquire a decent short sword by selling the magic crystals of the grass creatures. It wasn’t magical but it was a form of defense at the very least. He climbed up a nearby tree for a vantage point and began to watch the steam carefully. A few moments later a beautiful deer could be seen making its way towards the water. It lowered its head and began to take small sips of water. Kinkaru couldn’t help but admire the beauty of nature. As the creature drank a shadow figure emerged below it. Before the creature could realize what happened a tentacle shot out and wrapped around its neck. It began to pull the deer into the water and vanished with its remains. Kinkaru was shocked at what he had seen but was glad he was cautious or that may have been him. This, however, meant that the stream was far deeper than it looked and he would either have to defeat the monster or find another water source. As he was thinking of his next plan of action he saw two students walking g towards the water. They were coming from the east and west side of it and had not noticed each other or him.

A man who appeared in his 30s kneeled to drink from the water. When he did the familiar shadow floated towards him. The creature launched its tentacle at the men next attempting to pull it him in. The man was quick however and caught its tentacle in his hand. He then muttered some words and lightning raced down its body shocking it over and over. The creature floated to the top of the water stunned where the man manifested a spear of lightning and stuck it into the creature's head. The creature faded into darkness and appeared to despawn. The other student a young girl noticed this conflict and hid behind a tree observing the man. If Kinkaru had not already seen her he likely would have lost her as quickly as she crouched. This girl had significant skill in hiding and sneaking. He couldn’t help but admire it. She crept up on the man as he continued to drink the water from the stream. She was much stealthier than the monster he had just slain. Right before the man stood up she had already struck him in the back of the head. The man collapsed on the ground and the girl began rummaging through his pockets. The sky lit up as the words “student eliminated “ appeared. The man faded away and despawned as the scores appeared. Of all the students with scores, there was only one that was a girl, the name read Sarah and she already had 20 points.

Kinkaru began to mimic her movements trying to make himself more adept at concealing himself. He kept his distance as he watched her throughout the day. She kept the same ritual of hiding and sneak attacking the students she came across. It was apparent she was used to this type of fighting. Her score had scored to 50 points by the end of the day. Kinkarus sneak skill had grown 3 levels from just mimicking her. He could feel himself getting more and more confident in his ability as he progressed through the grounds behind her. The night was beginning to fall at this point and already 30 students had 100 points and over 50 students had been eliminated. Kinkaru was in a weird position as he forgot to find shelter and was worried if he moved too suddenly the girl may hear him. He decided to take an elevated position in a tree and sleep there when she made camp. Kinkaru laid wondering what he would do to get points when he heard the girl singing in the distance. She had a beautiful voice, but the voice was filled with sorrow. As she sang he felt more and more invested in the song as it spoke of a girl trapped in poverty. It spoke about eating from garbage cans and what sounded like a horrible childhood. This girl couldn't have been much older than he was. How could something sound so beautiful and be so sad he thought. As he glanced over at the girl while she laid in bed. Something in the distance caught his eyes. There were 2 very faint blue lights as if someone was channeling magic.

As Sarah closed her eyes ready to finally sleep she felt a tug and sprang up. Her legs were covered in tree roots. She couldn’t free herself from them no matter how hard she tried. The tree roots began to move upwards in an attempt to secure her arms. She struggled and pulled before finally escaping the grass of the trees. She pulled a small ragged from her pants and took a crouched position. A whirl of blue light flung by her head. It looked like an arrow of lighting had been shot. When she jumped the roots attempted to catch her on landing. She frantically looked around for who was targeting her. Kinkaru noticed the students were smart and keeping their distance. They used teamwork to limit her movements so they could eliminate her with ease. Kinkaru wasn’t sure why, but he couldn’t let this girl be eliminated. He jumped from the trees and darted towards their location. He crouched down and used the techniques he learned from shadowing her to conceal himself.

Sarah kept dodging lightning arrows and roots for as long as she could. She had just barely dodged an arrow before slipping on a rock she had overlooked. Before she could scramble to her feet the roots took hold and held her still this time binding her arms and legs. She knew she was trapped at this point. She let out an angered and defeated yell. This was her one chance at a better life, and she knew it was over. The two students came out of the bushes laughing at their handy work.

“You had some nerve getting all of those points while being a frail little girl.”

The earth user said. He was around the age of a teenager may be a young adult. His voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard. The lightning used made his way closer to her. He took the dagger from her grasp.

“You know there are no rules here right? We can do whatever we want to you and the audience will cheer”. The man began tracing the blade down her body.

Sarah began to panic, she knew what he was implying. She knew people like him in the city loved taking advantage of defenseless girls. “She spat in his face “ you’re weak and targeting me because no woman wants you.

"You may get what you want today but no one will ever give it to you willingly.” She managed to spit right into the eye of the man assaulting her. The lightning user was enraged by this and struck her in the face drawing blood. He began to cut off her clothes piece by piece while the roots wrapped themselves around her mouth quieting her.

As the blade made its way to the pants she was wearing he heard a thud. He turned around and was greeted by a short sword swipe across his cheek. The roots behind him vanished and Sarah was freed. The man looked at his attacker and saw a young boy with black hair swinging again. He jumped back and called out to his friend, when he received no response he looked over and saw the headless body. The body began to despawn but left behind a pool of blood. He let out a battle cry as launched lightning arrows towards the boy. The boy ducked and dodged all while sprinting forward. The man swapped his stances and let out a laugh as he clapped his hands. When his hands made contact lightning erupted forward like a thin net attempting to catch Kinkaru in its path. Kinkaru jumped to the side losing the momentum he had. He thought the earth user was the stronger target but now he knew he miscalculated. The lightning user jumped forward with an onslaught of lightning arrows. Kinkaru moved to duck behind a tree, hearing the impact of the attacks. The user kept firing into the same spot drilling a hole through the tree and striking Kinkaru in the arm. The man stepped forward preparing to continue his attack when suddenly his vision was upside down. He realized he was airborne and his feet were where his head should be. Sarah let out a laugh, the man had fallen for such a primitive trap. Sarah chanted and water began to rise, as she shot it forward they pierced the man's arms which fell limp. He let out a cry in pain then begged

“let me free, we can work together! I can give you money anything you want. Just spare me” his cries were desperate.

But as he gazed In her unforgiving eyes he knew his words fell on deaf ears. Her face was twisted in a way that made her frightening. Her eyes almost seemed red with anger as she pushed her dagger into his throat. “I didn’t cut the vein, can’t have you dying too soon. “ she said as she twisted the knife. The next moments of the mans life were pure agony and no one felt the least bit sorry for him. Finally, when the man couldn't handle the pain anymore he fell unconscious. The man coughed blood and life left his eyes as she cut with a wide swing. Blood fell from where his body once was as he vanished. “Student eliminated”.

Sarah yelled out to Kinkaru “why did you help me?”.

Kinkaru responded with “because no rapist deserves to live”.

(Status Menu)

Inventory

Quests

Settings

General Information

Name: Kinkaru

Level: 2

EXP: 15000/20000

Affinity

Dark/???

Skill Points:5

Class/Job

NA

HP: 1000

Mana: 400

Stamina: 2000

Status Information

Stats

Spells

Skills

Strength:10

Shock

Reading: 4/4

Agility: 20

Speech: 1/4

Wisdom: 11

Wisdom of Another Life?

Endurance: 10

Critical Thinking 4/4

Dark Manipulation

Blunt Weapon Mastery 1/10

Sword Mastery 1/10

Sneak 2/10