“Good, what a display!” the wrinkled announcer shouts as another battle ends quickly. “Now, brave contestants, it’s time to start the second round! Even if you fail here, you should be proud! Reaching the second round of the Academy’s entrance exam is no mean feat!” His forced enthusiasm moves no one as I stretch, wincing as some of my joints crack. As if anyone hopes for a participation trophy, especially from a place like this. The other contestants also become more alert as they once again eye their competition, probing for weaknesses. I snort at the hidden condescending glances coming my way. I bet they already forgot my little display.

I answer the unwanted attention with a raised middle finger. It would be my pleasure to wipe off those predatory gazes of those arrogant bastards.

The old announcer doesn’t wait for anyone. “William Kane, with a Potential Level of four thousand, will face Connor Koch with a Potential Level of three thousand and ninety-four!” The two men nod as they head to the arena. From a preliminary inspection, the two of them are Mages. Connor, the taller of the two, is wearing a bandoleer of One-Time-Use Wands. The stout William is carrying something resembling a magazine-fed pump-action shotgun. I raise an eyebrow at the weapon, the barrel seems too thin, and the magazine has a strange shape.

Maybe it’s a weird caliber? I shrug, I’ll understand soon enough as the two take their position on opposite corners of the arena. The fighters stare at their respective opponent, ready to burst into action. I pay close attention to William’s sci-fi-looking helmet. I whistle, that’s the latest model of Dungeon-specific protective gear. Even the military is getting those. Hell, some Tower Runners are sporting similar equipment. The all-black helmet shaped like a skull can endure a blast of plasma, and its wearer won’t even feel a hint of heat. His armor looks like it comes from the same manufacturer as the helmet since the deep black material is the same. I bet this tactical-looking equipment is full of hidden gadgets! It must also have enough enchantments to make any spell throwers jealous.

Of course, such performance comes at a price. A very high price.

I focus on William, who looks a bit more relaxed as he adjusts his aim. His armor is more of a standard affair. Skin-tight gray enchanted fabrics cover him from head to toes, only leaving a slit for the eyes. The strands of Mana conductive materials reflect off the skylights. I remember to brace myself for another blinding incident. When two Mages fight, it usually gets pretty spectacular. But still, William’s weapon gives me pause. It looks—disproportionate would be the best way to describe it. The receiver is a regular shotgun receiver, but I spot a few weird weld marks.

I chuckle, don’t tell me that this guy is using one of those ridiculous calibers like 20 mm. This ammunition is for anti-material purposes, but it has seen popular use with certain Tower Runners. That led to the rise of custom-made small arms chambered in anti-aircraft ammunition. I watched a few videos on the subject, and it’s a miracle that the people using these don’t rip off their arms with each shot. But I digress, Tower Runners are all exceptional in their own way. Instead, I’m a bit puzzled by this choice of weaponry. The recoil alone would make follow-up shots complicated. Not to mention that this magazine can only hold four, maybe five rounds of 20 mm at most.

But William might have an ace in the hole, and it could blow me away.

“Contestants, begin!” The old man shouts. A beam of purple superheated plasma immediately comes out of William’s hand cannon, making me jump in my chair. My jaw drops as he racks the pump to eject something I never expected to see here. I rub my eyes to make sure I’m not imagining things, but I have to accept the insane reality unfolding in front of me.

William’s weapon is firing One-Time-Use Wands. Scratch 20 mm, if someone can harness such ridiculous spells and amplify them, then that’s serious firepower. A thick red barrier appears in front of Connor before cracking with the sound of broken glass. The magical construct didn’t endure the onslaught, but it still saved its caster’s life. Connor doesn’t let William react as a large cloud of thick oily smoke engulfs the arena in the next instant.

Good thinking on his part. There’s not a lot anyone can do against someone with a fast-firing weapon. Especially one that packs so much of a punch. So making it impossible for that person to aim is the best way to survive. The smoke dissipates in the next few seconds as a shower of sparks erupts in front of William. The gasps of the surprised audience echo as a faint outline of a gigantic bear appears behind Connor before disappearing.

Connor has a Manifestation too. I click my tongue, I bet he kept it hidden in the first round to take his opponent by surprise. William jumps back, just in time to avoid a sedan-sized fist that leaves a crater in the ground. Connor is relentless in his assault as he also grabs a handful of Wands from his bandoleer before throwing them in the air. His Manifestation once again appears behind him, but this time it grabs the Wands and fires them at tricky angles.

“Locking his movements? Smart.” A Mage sitting next to me mumbles as he clicks his tongue. That guy must be thinking about how he could counter-attack such a ridiculous offensive.

Despite everything, the rainbow-colored bursts of power all miss their mark. William dances between them with supernatural agility. Seeing a guy that looks like he lifts cars for fun dodge with the grace of a ballet dancer is a sight to behold, that’s for sure. Even then, I can’t help but also think about how I would counter someone like Connor. Unlike William, my agility is comparable to that of a brick so dodging is out of the equation. Hiding beneath a steel shell layered in concrete might be my best way to survive. Or opening with a Porcupine Burst, then shooting my dazed opponent.

I shake my head, that wouldn’t work. Porcupine Burst is a last resort, so—I’m getting distracted again. I focus back on the battle, and William turns into a jolt of purple electricity. He reappears behind Connor, who grunts as his opponent empties his Wand cannon. Multicolored beams of energy crashes into Connor as he raises his Manifestation in a desperate attempt at defense. The sheer power of William’s weapon destroys the apparition and sends the Mage flying.

A hair-raising scream echoes as Connor smashes into the ground. One of his legs bends in many places. I shudder, I bet he felt that. Coldness spreads into my body as I stare at the bloody bones poking out of the armor. The melted skin—somebody vomits once the smell of charred flesh reaches her nostrils. I grunt, this shouldn’t affect any proper Runner. I speak from experience, since burning a nest of Goblins with homemade napalm will make anyone insensitive to that horrible odor.

So that’s William’s trump card, he has a Power that allows him to turn into a burst of electricity. Dealing with someone who can move at the speed of light sounds impossible. At the moment, I have no idea how I would counter such a Power. I can only hope that I won’t face him in the following round.

The field nurses escort Connor to an emergency room as the old man announces the next battle with a jovial tone. His complete lack of concern for the safety of the mangled candidate is impressive. His blood isn’t even dry as the next fight begins. That one is over quickly, once again the consequence of an unlucky matchup between the contestants. The Mage prepared a massive fireball while his opponent shot him with a high-caliber sniper rifle before he could even finish gathering Mana.

I frown, the battles are already on another level. There’s no room for mistakes. Hesitating for half of a second could result in a painful loss. I glance at my hands, doing my best to control the tremors coursing through my limbs. I’m not going to fail, I need to focus! I take a deep breath and tighten my fists until my wild heartbeat calms down.

A faint rumbling echo in my mind as I recall my goal. I have to succeed, no matter what. I owe it to her. Industrial Revolution is getting audible now, so I use my vape to pacify my nerves. The rumble dies down before anyone can turn towards me as I wait for the next battle.

“Next round!” the old man announces. “Ian Rivers, with a Potential Level of one hundred and fifty! He’ll face Fabio Langley, with a Potential Level of four thousand two hundred!” I let out a heavy sigh. My lips curl upward as I get up, there are no remarks about my Potential Level this time.

So they didn’t forget my first round! I narrow my eyes as I stare at my foe, a wiry man with olive skin covered in slender armor. The metallic suit flows like fabric while shining like silver, so it has to contain a ton of enchantments. I glance at his weapons, two thin rapiers with coiled serpents decorating the guard.

There must be something hidden in these weapons. Perhaps it’s a distraction? My opponent jeers as he puts a hand through his long black hair. “How embarrassing,” he pretends to mumble while still being plenty loud for anyone to hear. “To have my amazing blades tainted by the blood of such—”

“Let’s see if you’ll stay cocky when I shove those toothpicks into your eye sockets,” I growl back, causing his sneer to freeze. My blood boils as my Power revs up. That bastard is exactly the type of person I hate the most. Arrogant idiots who think the entire world is beneath them. I bet the ones who sent my sister to die acted the same way, unconcerned by the lives they extinguished. Industrial Revolution bellows while blood trickles out of my hands where my fingernails dig into them.

“Such vulgar language, as expected of —” Fabio shuts up when the sound of a roaring engine makes him take a step back. He clicks his tongue before yanking out his swords from their ornate scabbards.

I pull out my bullpup rifle as I switch the fire control lever to full auto. Despite his appearance, that guy must have some capabilities if he got to this point. As much as I want to rip him to shred, destroy every—I grunt. I must not go into a frenzy now. I have to take deep breaths and stay in control. I glance at the vape in my pocket, it’s a shame I can’t use it now since the fight is about to begin.

“Go!” the old man announces the start of the battle. Fabio turns into a blur as two blades aim straight for my eyes. I grin, it looks like my interruption of his little monologue rattled him. I duck as a concrete barrier appears between me and the swordsman.

As expected, the rapiers go straight through. A vortex of air that could separate my head from my neck follows the blades. I answer with a volley fired at Fabio’s knees. That burst should either cripple his mobility or put some distance between us, then—My eyes bulge once he parries my bullets. The world seems to slow as I watch the armor-penetrating projectiles getting sliced in half by a sword.

How? That’s impossible! Nobody can—a gut reflex saves my life as I turn my head to the side, earning myself a new scar on the nose as the blade misses me by a hair’s breadth.

“Crawling on the ground, rat? Die, you vermin!” Fabio sports a crazy smile as he slams his rapiers down. Industrial Revolution rumbles as a thick steel slab appears in front of me. The angle of the plate is enough to deflect the deadly blow, but not by much. Blood trickles out of my nose, forcing such a large piece of metal out in such a short period will wreak havoc on my body. My brain is already turning into mush, I can’t keep going like this for too long!

I smelt sand in Industrial Revolution and dump it out before it can cool. A burst of half-molten glass fragments erupts, causing Fabio to take a step back as he winces. My enemy deflected most of the surprise attack, but I was right. He couldn’t avoid everything as two sizable jagged shards fall from his sizzling left arm. I grin as I abuse my Power to throw sand into my opponent’s eyes, but he swats it away. Not like it matters since I got the distraction I needed. I empty my magazine in Fabio’s general direction. The lean man turns into a blur as he puts some distance between us. He clicks his tongue as he pulls out a glowing pendant from under his silvery armor.

“How shameful, I had to use a barrier against vermin,” Fabio mutters as despair flow into my veins. Does that guy also have a barrier? It looks so clear! I bet it’s on the level of the Academy’s artifact. Shit! I pound the ground as I reload my rifle before getting up. I wipe the blood off my face as my brain goes into overdrive. How am I supposed to beat him?

Fabio doesn’t give me the time to think as he lunges forward, covering the distance between us in the blink of an eye. A kick into my stomach knocks me off balance as a rapier head for my neck.

Shit, shit! Panic wells up as I try my best to come up with something, anything to survive. But nothing comes up, no matter how hard I try. There’s nothing I can do! The tip of the blade inches closer and closer to my throat as I grit my teeth.

I roar as blood bursts out of my mouth while the world goes dark.