And so I raised the level.

Level 22.

The bot charged at me, its sword moving so fast that I couldn't even see the start of my holographic line.

The room was glowing a light blue, the sheer number of holographic lines surpassing a thousand.

They started at every part of the bot's body, even its elbow, and ended on me.

Even so, I ran forward as well and jabbed my sword ahead.

However, its movements as fluid as the wind, the bot stepped to the right, my sword barely passing by its stomach.

Then, before I could see anything, a barrage of pain assaulted me as my body went flying backward, banging against the white wall and sliding down to the floor.

Blood leaking from my mouth, I stood back up and sprinted forward, meeting the same fate as the sharp pain of something wooden hitting my neck dropped me to the ground.

All I had to do was open my mouth, say that one word, "surrender," and all the pain would vanish, as if it were never there.

But, I didn't.

I stood back up, and before I knew it, the robot was standing right before me, its sword jabbing right at my nose.

I blocked the robot's first few attacks with my swords, but at some point, I'm not sure when, the wooden weapon dropped from my hands.

I just feebly held my hands in an "X" formation before my head, as I felt unbearable amounts of pain flood through my body.

My eyes forced open by the pain, I could only see the emotionless face of the robot, its sword getting ready to destroy my body once.

Once again, I flew backward, the back of my head screaming with pain as it met the hard wall.

My eyes closed, I simply breathed and slowly stood back up, awaiting the next moment of pain.

But it didn't come.

Instead, a simple holographic menu appeared.

[You have been forced to surrender. Please exit the room, and try again tomorrow.]

Blood dripped down from my chin, tears in my white collared shirt revealed my stomach, and I could barely walk straight, my vision blurred and tilted as if I were intoxicated.

Stumbling out of the white room and back into the training hall, I covered my ruffled hair with the hood of my black windbreaker and looked down to avoid the blinding light pouring in through the windows.

Just as I reached the stairs and prepared to descend to exit the hall, though, a familiar voice called out to me from below.

"Athen...?

Glancing down at the black-haired girl standing below me, I clicked my tongue.

Just another messy variable.

Ignoring her, I walked down the stairs, but she stayed still, and as I reached the same step as her, her cherry-red lips parted.

"I-i never got to thank you for the desk."

Descending onto the next step, I paused.

The information about the first-year battle royale should have been sent out Today morning, so teams were already beginning to form.

With no one to hinder her progress anymore, Ruby could grow extremely powerful, and she was actually ranked 1900, making her a steal for battle royale teams.

Of course, there was a slight caveat that came with Ruby becoming powerful, but it was manageable.

Turning around, not minding the blood leaking down my chin, I suddenly asked, gazing up at Ruby.

"Join my battle royale team. That'll make it equal."

Her pupils dilated as she comprehended my words, and surprisingly...she nodded her head, prompting me to narrow my eyes.

The old Ruby would have been too scared to even join my team or any team for that matter, frightened of bringing anyone else down.

"Hm?"

However, taking my questionable expression the wrong way, she paused and sighed.

"Ah...you were joking."

"No, I wasn't."

As if proving my point, I took out my smartwatch and navigated to the school's app, creating a team and inviting Ruby all within a few seconds.

*BZZT*

As the notification popped up on her smartwatch, Ruby fell back in shock, and I continued walking, scrolling through the messages I had previously ignored.

[Haerin: Where did you go?]

[Haerin: Hello?]

[Haerin: Breaking the deal already? I should have known.]

Rubbing my head, I stepped onto the first floor of the training hall and entered the empty sparring area.

[Athen: Come to the sparring arena; I'll make up for yesterday's missed session.]

Within a few minutes, the training hall's doors burst open, letting in the still early-morning sun, as Haerin strolled in.

Unexpectantly, there were no other students behind her.

As she approached me, I tilted my head and confusedly asked before she could say anything.

"Where are...the other students?"

Titling her head in the same direction as me, Haerin pretended to think for a moment before saying.

"They're in class...I think."

"...? Isn't today a free-study period?"

Shaking her head, Haerin grabbed a wooden sword and stepped into the sparring area.

"Nope; Professor Lily is giving a review lecture."

At a loss for words, I paused before finally asking, gripping a wooden sword myself.

"Then...what are you doing here!?"

Pointing the tip of her sword at me, her mouth open, and a sly smile spread across her face, Haerin answered.

"I'm skipping! I just asked to use the restroom and left!"

"...why!?"

Narrowing her eyebrows as if the answer were obvious, she responded.

"Because you said to come here?"

A smile inadvertently spreading across my face, I scoffed and raised my sword.

"Really, that's your excuse? I guess I'll have to make it worthwhile."

...

...

...

Exhausted, I raised my hands as the tip of Haerin's sword touched my chest and rolled back on the soft, sand-like ground.

Retracting her sword, Haerin said while walking back to the start position.

"Work on your positioning and strike speed. You're going faster than you need to be; slow it down and make each strike more complex or incorporate different attacks."

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