"Hey, wake up, Hoon, you bastard!"
Ugh, damn it. Just 5 more minutes. I didn't sleep a wink last night.
"It's our battle with the Skylaids! Wake up!"
I jumped out of the bunk bed with full energy and landed like a ninja.
"It's today, huh? Time to kill those bitches!"
"Go ahead and prepare. We have to win this, after all. Keke." He smirked. I paid no heed—some Baldy's shady business, though I don't know what he's on about.
I got dressed, washed my face, and we walked to our classroom. I saw them both there—the Skylaid sisters. I knew I was prepared because I'd practiced like hell with Rei and Mizaki. The only thing left now was to kill these bitches.
"The first match for today is Team Hoon and Baldy vs. The Skylaids!" Instructor A shouted with exaggerated enthusiasm. I couldn't help but still feel mad at her; after all, she only gave the one who tried to assassinate me a measly -100 karma.
"Good luck, Hoonie!"
"Good luck, I'm rooting for you!"
The only ones supporting me were Sakura and Yuzuki.
"Boo! Kill this Hoon, Skylaids! Make sure to torture him!"
Of course, I had haters too. I spotted Mizaki and Rei watching, so I had to entertain them, didn't I?
---
[Commencing 2v2: Hoon Ravi and Mr. Baxter Dome vs. Seraphina Skylaid and Nocturna Skylaid]
[Teleporting you to the Battle Zone. In this zone, injuries and even death will leave you unharmed in real life.]
---
Alright! Let's start, shall we? The setting was different this time. We weren't on those white box stone thingies but somewhere more design. Still, I'd have to take advantage of this place to win.
"Have you noticed your surroundings now, students? And teacher?" Instructor A said in her usual grating voice. "This battle zone is designed for teamwork. There are plenty of obstacles in your path. You'll need to communicate with your teammate to reach the opponent! My advice: one stays at the top, and the other tackles the obstacles!"
Shit. I should stay at the top since my skills aren't battle-oriented, right? I needed to convince this Baldy.
---
[Battle Start!]
"Hey, Bald—I mean, teach, can you g—"
W-what's this? I couldn't control my body.
"No way in hell, Hoon. Keke, you're the one who'll face the traps. From now on, I'm controlling your body!"
Shit, this motherfucker! My body was moving on its own. Baldy was controlling me, dragging me through the obstacles. There were traps everywhere—some visible, others not—and they hurt like hell. Especially the arrows.
"Argh… fuck! Be careful, Baldy, you motherfucker!"
Two arrows hit me, piercing deep into my ribs. I felt like I'd broken a bone or two.
"Wait! Don't pull the arrows out, fucker! I'll die from blood loss!"
He pulled them out anyway. Shit. I swear I'm going to murder this guy in his sleep. Finally, we reached an open area in the middle of the map, free of obstacles.
"You're way too slow. We were about to go to your place, but we figured we'd just wait here," one of the Skylaids sneered. They both looked unscathed. I shouldn't be surprised—one of them had shield powers.
"Now, let's start."
---
The bloodied Seraphina crafted a sword from her own blood and rushed toward me. Fuck, I couldn't dodge it—she was too fast. With Baldy controlling me, I managed to dodge swiftly. It wasn't my body anymore, after all. He could surpass my limits.
"You're fast, huh? Now taste this. Sanguine Lance."
Oh shit. It was the spear-like weapon! Baldy wouldn't be able to dodge this. She threw the spear, but surprisingly, I caught it and shattered it.
"Behold my gift, Puppeteer's Pact! I can control someone like a puppet and amplify their strength!"
This Baldy… seems like he has a powerful ability. But my body was hurting like hell, exceeding all limits. And my fucking blood too!
"Behold this punch!!"
With incredible speed, I rushed toward Seraphina. Nocturna conjured a shield, but I broke through it with my enhanced strength. Seraphina was knocked out cold.
"One more to go! Let's do this, Baldy. Just let me kill these two bitches!"
"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 shield was growing larger. Wait, won't that be too dangerous? I might actually die for real.
"Hey, Baldy! Stop it! Her shield is no joke!"
"Shut up, Hoon. Don't you trust my power?"
I punched the shield with overwhelming force, refusing to back down. If I just kept pushing, I could really destroy it.
"Sweet! There's a crack! Just a few more! Keep punching her shield, Baldy!"
Sanguine Lance.
Fuck—behind me! It was Seraphina. She woke up!
The lance pierced me from behind, and I collapsed to the ground.
"Stay put, Seraphina. I'm the one who will kill this dude."
"No. I'll kill him for real. I'll even torture this guy for trying to harm you."
Huh? I could control my body again. But damn, it still hurt like hell. And what the hell were they talking about? Deciding who gets to kill me? Not before I kill you first—taste my Wrathkindler, bitch!
[You inflicted furious rage on your target, Seraphina Skylaid.]
[Karma Gained: -10]
Oh right, it's minus 10 now since it leveled up. Still, it's too much.
"Seraphina, hey, are you about to throw that spear at m—"
Sanguine Lance.
With those words, Seraphina hurled a spear—at her sister. Wait, now that I think about it, didn't Instructor A say something about these teams being rivals? That means they hate each other? Sweet!
"Seraphina… why do this... coughs..."
"I've always been annoyed with you! Why don't you ever follow my orders? I want to work a part-time job so we can earn money, but you insist on being an idol!"
Huh? Nocturna is an idol? That explains her singing.
"B-but... it's my dream to become an idol... BITCH!"
Oh. That escalated quickly. Nocturna passed out from blood loss. And me? I couldn't even move because of this goddamned spear. Oh wait, she dropped her blood sword nearby.
"Take this, motherfucking assassin!!"
I mustered all my remaining strength to throw the sword at her, but she dodged it. I missed. Shit, how careless of me. Why did I shout that out loud? Dumb! Or so I thought—this was all part of my plan. Baldy was sneaking up behind her.
"Take this!"
Baldy stabbed Seraphina from behind, catching her off guard. Just like that, she went down.
---
[Winner: Hoon Ravi and Mr. Baxter Dome]
"Woohoo! We did it, Hoon!!"
Yeah, sure. After hiding like a scared cat and controlling me the entire time. But still, we did it. I was completely exhausted.
---
[Teleporting to dormitory]
I needed to figure out who the hell tried to kill me last night. I went to the Skylaid sisters' dormitory and opened the door. Seraphina was passed out from exhaustion, but Nocturna was just sitting there. Baldy followed me out of curiosity.
"What are you both doing here?"
"We're here to find out who the heck choked the shit out of me!"
"Ah… before that, I'll tell you a story."
Huh? Why is this bitch trying to tell a story out of the blue?
"When we were kids, our family adopted Seraphina. I wasn't ready to have a sister, so I always told her we weren't related by blood. It must've hurt her. I know I was an awful person, but I worked hard to become an idol as a kid."
Why is she telling me their backstory? I don't give a single shit! But Baldy here was completely absorbed in her story.
"Everything changed when I was assaulted by the director. I was just a kid, but Seraphina got mad. She's the one working now instead of me because she doesn't want me to get hurt. I still disobey her and act in secret. And the scar on her face? She got it protecting me. The boss at her job tried to assault me, so she tried to kill him but ended up hurting herself instead."
"So who the fuck tried to choke me?"
"Hoon, sorry, it was me... but I have my reaso—"
Fuck you, bitch! I grabbed her by the neck and choked her just like I'd been choked last night.
"Hey, Hoon, stop it!" Baldy shouted, but I didn't give a single shit. I was going to kill this fucker.
[Unconsented battle in the system. Initiating force.]
Suddenly, I was electrocuted, and boom! I almost got roasted alive. Damn, it hurts getting electrified.
"So, continuing my story," Nocturna wheezed, "I tried to kill you because I don't want Seraphina to hurt someone again because of me. Yes, it's a dumb reason, but I want to bloodstain my hands instead of hers. I want to protect her."
Meh, her story was putting me to sleep. But Baldy? He was full-on crying.
Sniffles. "It's fine, Skylaid sisters. You're both beautiful, strong, and amazing! You can do it!"
Ah, shit. I need to get out of here. Oh right, what were the rewards for the earlier match?
---
[Status Window]
[Unread Notifications: Karma Gained: 200, 1x Food Voucher]
[Karma: -4824]
Sweet! My karma decreased, and I could buy food from the shop! I bought pineapple pizza and savored every bite. After that, I collapsed into bed. I hadn't slept much the entire day.