[Warning: Unconsented battle in the system. Initiating force.]
An electrifying shock coursed through her body, forcing her to release me.
Gasp, gasp. "What'd you do that for? Choking me and all," she sputtered before collapsing, unconscious.
Instructor A suddenly appeared, her stern face illuminated by the faint moonlight.
"Hey! Why are you two fighting in the middle of the night? People are sleeping!"
"She snuck up on me and tried to choke the life out of me!" I retorted, glaring at the bitch's motionless form.
"My, my… an assassination attempt? I mean, it's not entirely a bad plan," Instructor A mused, almost impressed.
This bitch. How could she take her side like that? How imprudent of her!
"Still, I'll need to punish her for this, I assume."
[Notification: Skylaid lost 100 Karma for attempting to assassinate you.]
Not bad. Losing 100 Karma isn't much, but it'll do for now.
"I'll take her back to her dorm, Hoon. Get some rest. Both of you have a match tomorrow."
"Oh, right, the match. I can't wait to kill that bitch."
Once Instructor A left with her, I opened my status window:
[Unread Notification: Team Battle Match - Hoon and Baldy vs. The Skylaid Sisters.]
Huh? A 2v2 match? And my teammate is Baldy? Fantastic. But first, I needed to study the sisters' abilities to prepare for the fight.
---
[Watching the duel of Seraphina Skylaid.]
The screen displayed a girl with long red hair, the spitting image of the one who tried to strangle me earlier. So, it was this bitch. Their surname had confused me at first, but it made sense now—they were siblings.
Seraphina's abilities screamed "villain." She wielded a knife, slicing into her own flesh to manipulate her blood. She could even control her opponent's blood—a seriously overpowered skill.
"Sanguine Lance."
She formed a spear out of her blood and handled it with remarkable expertise. Clearly, she was trained in spear combat. Her opponent didn't stand a chance. The fight ended quickly, with Seraphina emerging victorious.
I decided to dig into her background.
Seraphina Skylaid, the older of the two sisters. Despite their stable financial situation, she worked part-time jobs. A scar ran down her face near her eye, rumored to have come from an accident at work. Respectable, sure, but I didn't care. I just wanted her dead for what she did to me.
---
[Watching the duel of Nocturna Skylaid.]
Wait, what? She looked identical to her sister—same long red hair, same face. Were they twins? The only distinguishing feature was Seraphina's scar. Damn, it was hard to tell them apart in the dark earlier.
To identify her, I focused on her voice. If she doesn't have matching voice with the assassin, then Seraphina is my target.
"Echoing Rebound."
Crap. Seraphina and Nocturna had the same voice as the assassin. What kind of cosmic joke was this? I groaned in frustration but kept watching.
Nocturna's ability involved singing. Her melodic voice summoned a shield of sound that grew in size as she sang.
"With every note, the walls rise high,
A shield of sound beneath the sky.
Strike it once, the force rebounds,
Sing on strong, the power surrounds."
Her opponent attacked the shield, only to have the force rebound and defeat him.
"Winner: Nocturna Skylaid."
Between the two sisters, Seraphina seemed stronger because offense usually has the upper hand. But if Nocturna's shield was truly impenetrable, she might have the edge.
---
Now that I'd reviewed the sisters, it was time to evaluate myself.
[Status Window]
[Gift: Art of Trickery]
[Skills:]
- Emotional Conductor
- Joyweaver: lvl 1 – 10/100 EXP
- Sorrowmonger: lvl 1 – 0/100 EXP
- Wrathkindler: lvl 1 – 10/100 EXP
- Ectasy Enchanter: lvl 1 – 10/100 EXP
Sweet. So my skills could level up. I wondered if maxing them out would allow me full control over someone's emotions.
---
Snore... Control...
Baldy's snoring under the bunk bed was driving me insane. And what was he muttering in his sleep? I climbed down, an idea forming in my head.
"Joyweaver!"
[You can't use gifts in the safe zone.]
Figures. Guess I'd have to wait until tomorrow to spam my abilities in battle. For now, I needed some fresh air.
---
Outside, the night was serene. The stars sparkled like diamonds against the dark sky. It felt surreal, like I'd stepped into another dimension. I mean, I'm in an alternate dimension.
I wandered to the school gates, but the familiar road home was gone, replaced by a void of endless darkness. My chest tightened with nostalgia. I missed the simplicity of my old school days.
---
A loud BOOM snapped me out of my thoughts. The sound came from the covered court, which now looked different—more enclosed, with lights glowing inside. Curious, I decided to investigate.
[You have entered the training grounds. You can freely use your gifts here, but you cannot use them to harm others.]
I spotted a familiar buzz-cut figure. It was Mizaki, the muscle-brained jock from class.
"Ice Cube Pitch!"
I laughed. His attack was just as ridiculous as ever.
"What are you doing here, Hoon? It's late."
"I could ask you the same thing. Training alone, huh? Respectable. Care to help me test my skills?"
"No."
"C'mon, Mizaki! You get stronger when I use Wrathkindler on you. Isn't that a good deal?"
He hesitated before nodding. "Fine. But you owe me an apology first."
"I'm sorry for mocking your business and insulting your grandma."
---
[Duel invitation: Kaito Mizaki]
Huh? A duel? He explained that the system allowed duels in the training grounds since it prevented actual harm.
"Wrathkindler!"
[You inflicted slight madness on your target. Gained Karma: -5. EXP Gained: 10.]
Mizaki's next pitch shattered the sound barrier, his ice cube attack packing serious force. We continued like this until dawn, both of us exhausted but stronger.
"Thanks for training with me, Hoon. I'm heading back."
I returned to the dorm, collapsing into my bunk bed. Exhaustion washed over me, but my thoughts lingered on the upcoming battle.
"It's soon, huh? Our fight with the Skylaid sisters. I can't wait to crush them… Still can't figure out who tried to kill me, though."
With that, I drifted into a dreamless sleep.
---
[Wrathkindler lvl 3 - 0/300 EXP]
[Karma: -5014]