The noises from the arena slowly faded as Theo walked down the stairs.

He cracked his neck and loosened his shoulders, a wide smile forming on his face.

’The more matches I get in before I leave, the faster I’ll get to that number one spot.’

From what he remembered, there were nearly two hundred pre-admission students in total.

And right now... he didn’t even have a rank yet.

’I wonder how strong the others are,’ he thought, pressing his lips together.

His mind churned for a moment.

He understood full well that what he had wasn’t normal.

Realistically, it was unlikely that there were others like him.

But that didn’t mean it was impossible.

’Just look at Owen,’ he thought. ’Though others won’t have his exact circumstances... I have no doubt there’ll be people who are unique in their own way.’

With that in mind, he reached the bottom of the stairs.

He glanced around briefly.

Several students still lingered in small groups, even the people continuously mocking him were still there.

Theo didn’t pay them any attention, focusing back on the registration area.

’I wonder how all of this works,’ he thought, tilting his head slightly. ’Do I take over the rank of people I beat or...?’

Before he could get any further, a hand pulled on his shoulder.

Theo immediately reacted.

He spun around, slamming the arm away followed by a step back.

’’Fuck!’’ the student cursed, holding his arm. ’’What the fuck is wrong with you, you beggar bastard.’’

Theo narrowed his eyes.

’It’s one of them again...’

His expression turned ice cold.

’’Don’t touch me again,’’ he said.

The student stared at him for a second, clearly not expecting that kind of reaction.

Then his expression twisted.

"You’ve got some nerve," he said, rolling his shoulder once as if testing it. ’’How dare you lay your hands on me?’’

A few other familiar students stepped closer, their earlier amusement gone.

"Do you even know who you’re talking to?" one of them added mockingly.

’’Probably not,’’ another scoffed. ’’Doubt people like him have the decency to do so.’’

The guy in front of Theo let out a cold laugh.

Before any of them could continue, Theo let out a deep sigh.

’It really is always the same,’ he thought, rubbing his temples.

That’s when a flicker of inspiration flashed through him.

’Wait... the same, huh,’ he thought, a faint smile growing on his face. ’Can’t I just solve it the same way too?’

His eyes locked on the student that had grabbed his shoulder.

The student had a frail build, with perfectly styled blond hair.

Luxurious accessories covered his body, clearly showing off his status.

But none of that mattered to Theo.

’’I sincerely apologize for my ignorance,’’ he said, feigning innocence.

He paused for a moment, keeping his tone steady.

’’If you would, we can settle this in the arena.’’

The student opened his mouth, clearly caught off guard.

For a moment, he hesitated.

That’s when Theo noticed something strange.

One of the girls at the back looked at him differently.

As they locked eyes, she nodded softly.

’’Did you hear that?’’ one of the other students laughed. ’’He wants to fight Jim.’’

A few others chuckled.

The girl smiled faintly, her eyes moving away from Theo.

’’He’s offering himself to you,’’ she said calmly, amongst the chuckles. ’’Take this chance to beat some sense into him.’’

The blond student immediately looked up.

He cleared his throat, the awkward smile vanishing from his face.

’’You want to settle it in the arena?’’ he repeated. ’’That’s fine.’’

He took a step closer.

’’But we’ll do it right now.’’

Theo didn’t react.

’’Sure,’’ he said calmly.

The blond student, Jim, smirked with new confidence.

’’Good,’’ he replied. ’’Let’s not waste any time then.’’

He turned immediately, gesturing towards the registration desk.

The others turned away, heading for the spectator area, their eyes full of expectation.

Theo stood still for a moment, staring at the back of the brown-haired girl.

’Why did she egg him on?’ he thought, frowning.

’I can’t say it wasn’t helpful, but still...’

After a few seconds, a quiet breath escaped his mouth.

’Whatever,’ he thought, turning. ’I can think about that later.’

There was only one thing he needed to do now.

Without hesitation, he walked in the same direction Jim had gone.

As he reached the registration desk, Jim and an employee had already begun setting up the fight.

’’Before we continue,’’ he said politely. ’’There’s something I need to confirm.’’

His gaze fell on Theo.

’’Do you agree to fight Mr. Halberg, whose current rank is 121?’’

Theo nodded immediately.

The employee slid a small stack of papers forward, alongside a pen.

’’You’ll need to sign this.’’

Raising an eyebrow, Theo scanned the pages slowly.

’A liability waiver?’

His eyes moved across the text once more, slower this time.

’Injury... loss of limb... death, not the responsibility of the academy...’

For a moment, he fell silent.

It made sense in a way.

You are fighting a real battle inside the arena... accidents are bound to happen eventually.

Without another thought, Theo grabbed the pen.

’’Anything else?’’ he asked, handing the paper back.

The employee shook his head lightly.

He turned to the terminal, pressing a few buttons in quick succession.

A soft mechanical voice echoed through the area.

"Match registered. Theo Lane versus Jim Halberg."

At the announcement, a few nearby students glanced over.

Jim smirked, clearly enjoying the attention.

"Make sure you watch closely," he said over his shoulder. "Wouldn’t want you to miss this."

Theo rolled his eyes.

Then glanced back at the employee.

"Your match will begin in five minutes," the employee continued.

’’Proceed to the right.’’

Jim immediately turned, walking off with a straight back and confident steps.

Theo followed calmly, though his heart was pounding from excitement.

’I almost can’t wait,’ he thought. ’I wonder what rank I’ll get if I beat this guy.’

As they continued down the corridor, they were separated by other employees.

A middle-aged woman continued guiding him forward.

Finally, they reached a large waiting area.

’’Pin this on you,’’ the employee said, handing over a glowing badge.

Theo raised an eyebrow, holding it up to his eyes.

’’It carries a protective barrier inside it,’’ the woman continued. ’’In case either of you are faced with imminent danger, it’ll activate automatically.’’

He turned the badge slightly between his fingers.

’A safety measure...’

That made sense.

Without another word, he pinned it to his chest.

’’Thank you,’’ he said.

The employee nodded once.

She continued further inside, nodding towards the left side.

Large racks filled with all kinds of standard weapons stood there.

’’You are required to leave your own weapons behind,’’ she said. ’’And use one of those instead.’’

Before Theo could even answer, she gestured to a screen above her.

’’Once that timer hits zero, the door will open,’’ she explained. ’’Another timer will start as you walk into the ring.’’

She paused, narrowing her eyes.

’’Do not fire a spell before it hits zero.’’

Theo nodded once.

’’Understood.’’

Hearing that, the employee turned around and left the room.

Theo remained where he stood after the employee left, his gaze settling on the weapon racks.

Dozens of weapons were lined up, each one different from the other.

Yet... he only looked at two of them.

A spear and an umbrella.

’Which one should I take?’ he thought, tilting his head. ’Or rather... which element do I want to reveal?’

Revealing both here was completely unnecessary... stupid even.

Sure, he had no doubt it was slowly spreading somehow.

But if it became public knowledge, who knows how much trouble he’d get in.

He fell silent for a moment, calculating his best option.

Not only did he only have one non-lethal spell for his lightning element, it wouldn’t make sense to use it as his instructor doesn’t have it either.

With that in mind, Theo made his decision.

’I’ll use my water element.’

His gaze fell on the umbrella, a small smile appearing on his face.

’I’ve gotten a lot better with you,’ he thought. ’But there’s still plenty of room to improve.’

And what better way than actual combat?

He picked it up, immediately feeling the difference compared to his own.

’A little light... but it’ll do the job.’

Just then, a mechanical voice echoed through the room.

’’One minute remaining.’’

Theo turned towards the screen, seeing the countdown slowly tick down.

His eyes sharpened immediately.

’Focus.’

He stood still in front of the door and let out a deep breath.

Above him, time continued to go down, second by second.

’’Five...’’ the mechanical voice rang out. ’’Four... three...—’’

A low hum filled the room as the mechanism behind the door activated.

’’Two... one...’’

The doors creaked—

and slid open.

Faint cheers and voices immediately flooded inside.

Bright light spilled into the corridor, barely allowing him to see outside.

Theo closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

Then—

He walked forward.

The noise grew louder with every step.

As he stepped foot on the hard arena grounds, his gaze locked onto his opponent.

’Let’s see what you can do.’