Magnus Lynton
I was disappointed.
After the first stage of the tournament, I blacked out. The reason? I used my new ability, Spatial Disruption. I didn't have a choice as I was surrounded. I woke up later, hearing that everyone inside the simple spirit realm was killed.
Violet had saved me by feeding me a mana potion while I was unconscious. If not for her, I might've been thrown out of the tournament for being incapacitated. Still, it left me with a lingering sense of guilt. I didn't like using an ability that was that devastating—especially when it meant killing more than just monsters.
The second stage was announced after that: Team Battles. Each of us would be grouped into a trio, and the battles would test not only individual strength but also teamwork.
Honestly, I had hoped for strong teammates—people I could rely on—but it seemed like fate had other plans. I got paired with Violet and Tim. While Violet was competent, knowing how to handle herself in a fight, Tim… was a disaster waiting to happen. His spells were unpredictable, his coordination was off, and I wasn't sure he even understood the basics of combat.
And here we were, expected to fight in sync against teams much stronger than us.
As the day went on, I decided to watch a few of the battles. I was curious to see how the other teams fared—and if there were any potential threats I needed to worry about. Some of the fights were intense, but none of them compared to the match I witnessed between two overpowered teams.
One team consisted of three powerful Ascenders: a man wielding an enormous greatsword who seemed to be able to bend time around him, a speedster who moved faster than the eye could follow, and a sorceress controlling shadows that slithered across the arena floor like living serpents. They had synergy, that much was obvious.
Their opponents, however, were equally terrifying. There was a woman who controlled fire on a scale I hadn't seen before, her flames reaching out like serpents of her own. She was paired with a man who commanded lightning, and their teamwork was flawless. The third member of their group was a hulking brute, clearly built for close combat, his skin gleaming like steel as he shrugged off blow after blow.
The clash between the two teams was a spectacle. Time seemed to warp as the greatsword-wielder fought against the fire-wielder, their abilities colliding in explosive bursts of power. Each strike sent shockwaves across the arena, while the sorceress wove her shadows into snares that tried to trap the enemy speedster.
The speedster zipped around the arena, dodging lightning strikes from his opponent with inhuman reflexes. At one point, the fire-wielder launched a massive wall of flame that threatened to consume half the arena. But the time-warping greatsword Ascender cut through it as if it were smoke.
Their teamwork was perfect. The crowd was on the edge of their seats, unable to predict the outcome. Both sides were evenly matched, and it was clear that each member of these teams had honed their skills to the highest level.
I couldn't help but feel a bit of envy as I watched them. These were the kinds of people I wanted to face in the later stages. People who were strong enough to actually challenge me. My team, on the other hand… we were barely holding it together.
Still, I had no choice but to make this work. If Tim and Violet couldn't pull their weight, I'd just have to carry them through the next stages.
As the day ended, we were all escorted to our respective rooms. The exhaustion of the day weighed heavily on me, and I was glad to have a few hours to rest. Each room was small and minimal, just a bed and a table with a screen mounted on the wall. As soon as I walked in, I sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. The key card to my room sat on the table, and I immediately picked it up.
That's when the TV suddenly flickered on, catching my attention.
"Attention, participants! A surprise challenge has been initiated. Every room has been assigned a key card. If your key card is taken by another person, you will be disqualified from the tournament. You have until sunrise to secure your key card. Good luck."
I stared at the screen, my frustration building. A surprise challenge? Really? After everything that had happened today?
I glanced at the key card in my hand, thinking quickly. There was no way I was going to leave it lying around in my room. People would be desperate enough to break in and steal it, and I wasn't about to take any chances.
Without hesitation, I slipped the key card into my Dimensional Storage. It was the safest place I could think of, and there was no way anyone could access it but me.
"Stay put," I muttered to myself. There was no point in running around trying to steal other people's key cards. I just needed to survive until sunrise.
After that, I decided it was time to check in on Ava. I hadn't spoken to her since I left, and I needed to make sure she was okay. Pulling out my communication device, I dialed home.
The call connected, and Ava's face appeared on the screen. She looked a little tired but smiled when she saw me.
"Magnus! Finally, you called," she said, relief in her voice. "How's the tournament going?"
"It's been rough," I replied. "But I'm managing. How are things at home?"
"Same old, same old," Ava said, waving it off. "Though… Sarah hasn't visited me at all."
I frowned. "What do you mean? I told her to check on you every day."
Ava shrugged. "She hasn't come by. I figured she was just busy."
That didn't sit right with me. Sarah was always reliable. She wouldn't have just ignored my request. Something was off, and it gnawed at the back of my mind.
Before I could ask more, a sound from outside my door made me freeze. It was faint, but unmistakable—the sound of footsteps stopping just outside.
"Ava, I'll call you back," I said quickly, ending the call before she could protest.
I stood up and moved quietly to the door. The footsteps had stopped, but the tension in the air was thick. My eyes narrowed as I listened carefully.
Whoever was out there wasn't here for a friendly chat.
My hand instinctively went to summon a mana dagger, but I stopped myself. I needed to be cautious. There was no reason to reveal my position just yet. I could hear them fiddling with the doorknob, testing the lock.
I decided to open a portal right outside my door and activated Mana Eyes, the glowing energy sharpening my vision. Carefully, I peeked through the portal, focusing on the person messing with the lock. To my surprise, it was none other than Tim, crouched down, fiddling with the door.
"Son of a b*tch," I muttered. Seriously? What was he thinking?
Quietly, I stepped through the portal and moved behind him. He hadn't noticed a thing, too absorbed in trying to break into my room. With my mana dagger in hand, I crept up behind him and pressed the cold edge against the side of his neck.
"What are you doing here, Tim?" I asked, my voice low and dangerous.
Tim froze instantly, his whole body stiffening as the blade pressed against his skin. Slowly, he turned his head, his eyes darting toward me. He looked like a deer caught in headlights.
"Magnus! Uh… this isn't what it looks like!" Tim stammered, panic lacing his voice.
I raised an eyebrow, my grip on the dagger tightening. "Really? Because it looks exactly like you're trying to steal my key card."
Before Tim could even attempt to respond, vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around my ankles. I knew this magic—it was Violet's. What the hell were my teammates doing?
Before I could react, the vines yanked me upward, leaving me suspended in the air.
"What did I tell you, Magnus?" Violet's voice echoed through the corridor, her tone laced with fury. "This isn't over! You dare humiliate me by stealing my ticket?"
I tried to cut through the vines, but before I could act, a sharp jolt of electricity shot through my body. Pain surged through me as I screamed, looking up to see Tim standing there, his hand crackling with lightning.
"Tim... why are you helping Violet?" I asked, gritting my teeth through the pain. His lightning was no joke—if he hadn't deliberately missed my vital points, I could've been dead.
Tim's face twisted into a mixture of guilt and anger. "I saw the look of disappointment in your eyes after we almost lost the battle, Magnus. I know that look. You're planning to get rid of me at the first chance you get."
I clenched my jaw, understanding his insecurity but also realizing just how far this betrayal had gone. "I see... then consider yourself an enemy."
Without another word, I summoned a wind blade, slicing through the vines holding me captive. As I dropped down, I opened a portal, teleporting right behind Violet. Before she could react, I activated Portal Entrapment, locking her in a spatial cube.
Violet thrashed against the walls of the portal, her vines snapping out in every direction, but they couldn't break through the trap. Tim's face paled as he realized how quickly the tide had turned.
"You should've thought this through," I said coldly, locking eyes with Tim.
"N-no, I won't let this happen..." Tim's voice wavered as he spoke, but there was a fire in his eyes. "All my life, I was considered a weakling by people like you who were blessed with strong power. I came here to become stronger, but people like you... people like you keep getting in my way!"
He rushed at me, the ground trembling beneath his feet as jagged rocks erupted in his wake. His body crackled with lightning, and as he ran, the arcs of electricity sparked and twisted around him. He was fast, too fast—each step propelling him in a blur as he began circling me, gathering momentum.
I stood my ground, watching carefully. "When?" I asked coldly, activating Mana Eyes to sharpen my perception. Dodging the chunks of earth he flung at me, I remained calm, my gaze locked on his erratic movements.
"Ever since I became an Ascender!" Tim shouted, his frustration and desperation evident in every word. He kept darting around me, trying to find an opening.
"No. When did I ask?" I said, my voice cutting through the chaos.
With a flick of my wrist, I summoned a portal right in front of me, slipping my hand through it. I predicted his path, knowing exactly where he would run next. Sure enough, he barreled straight toward it, too caught up in his speed and anger to see the trap.
Tim's foot collided with my outstretched hand on the other side of the portal, causing him to stumble forward. His momentum carried him hard into the ground, the impact sending dust flying.
I stood over him, watching as he tried to push himself up, the energy around him fizzling out. He had been so focused on his rage, so intent on proving himself, that he hadn't seen the simplest counter coming.
"You're reckless," I muttered, staring down at him. "You let your emotions control you, and that's why you're lying here in the dirt."
Tim coughed, his expression a mix of fury and shame as he struggled to rise. I didn't enjoy this—it wasn't satisfying to beat someone who was already fighting a battle within himself. But he had made his choice.
Magnus looked down at Tim, who was still lying on the ground, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. For a moment, the two were silent, the only sound being Tim's labored breathing. Magnus sighed, sheathing his mana dagger and stepping back.
"Get up," Magnus said, his tone neutral.
Tim blinked, confused. "What?"
"I said, get up." Magnus extended his hand toward Tim, who looked at it in surprise. "You made a stupid decision, but I'm not going to kill you for it. We both want to win this tournament, right? So either you can stay down there, or you can get up and fight next to me."
Tim hesitated, staring at Magnus's hand for a long moment. His pride and anger warred with his desperation, but finally, with a shaky breath, he reached up and took Magnus's hand. Magnus pulled him to his feet.
"Why would you… after everything?" Tim asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Because we're on the same team, whether you like it or not. And because winning this thing is more important than a petty fight," Magnus replied simply, letting go of Tim's hand once he was steady on his feet. "Now let's move on. Other Ascenders could come any minute."
Tim nodded silently, the weight of the situation settling over him. He wasn't sure if Magnus was offering him a second chance or just being practical, but either way, he wasn't going to waste the opportunity.
Before they could take another step, a familiar group of Ascenders approached from the far end of the hall. Magnus recognized them immediately—the powerful team he'd seen battling earlier. They were intimidating, their confident strides and well-polished gear showing just how seasoned they were.
The leader of the group, a tall man with sharp eyes and a wicked grin, stopped in front of Magnus and Tim. His eyes flicked between the two, then settled on Magnus. "So, these are the ones causing a bit of a stir," he said, his voice dripping with amusement. "What's your next move, tough guy?"
Magnus tensed slightly, preparing himself for another fight, but something strange happened before anyone could make a move.
One by one, the people around him—Tim, Violet, and the entire group of Ascenders—began to sway on their feet. Their faces twisted in confusion, then their eyes grew hazy. The leader of the opposing group, who had been so cocky just a moment before, stumbled, clutching his head.
"What the hell…?" Tim muttered before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
Violet dropped next, her knees buckling as she hit the floor beside Tim. All around him, the others crumpled like puppets with their strings cut, their bodies falling into unconscious heaps.
Magnus glanced around in confusion. "What the…?"
Everyone—except him—was down.