The atmosphere today feels heavier than usual. Many of the noisiest schools from the previous day are now silent and deeply focused. I can feel countless gazes settling on us—some with ill intent, others very different. I feel like a target, not prey.

  “Today’s event can last many more hours. It could even stretch into days if many schools take a more cautious approach. Be careful and try to regroup with your teammates as soon as possible.” Areci’s voice sounds very serious.

  “It’s likely we’ll become the focal point for many schools trying to drain our strength in the following stages. It’s quite common for several schools to band together to attack the strongest for different reasons—this could be one of those occasions.” Her tone turns somewhat ominous. She also has sharp senses and can feel the stares.

  To be honest, I’m not worried in the slightest about my own safety. I don’t see myself losing even against two limit breakers, and if things get rough, I can escape. What I am worried about are my companions—especially Brendu. I don’t care if they lose in a fair fight; that can happen to anyone. What would anger me is if they were hunted relentlessly until eliminated.

  If they’re unlucky enough to run into me while doing something like that, they’ll learn what fear is. I’ll make sure to hunt down every single member of those schools one by one until they’re all gone.

  I lift my gaze slightly to scan everyone around me. There are several very tempting participants—I hope I get to run into some of them.

  The enormous place called the coliseum is even larger on the inside. Special magic alters its size. Since we finished among the top five schools in the first stage, we’ll have the privilege of spawning in more favorable locations. At least there’s a small advantage at the start.

  “Participants, get ready! The second event begins in 10 seconds!” The hostess’s voice echoes throughout the smaller coliseum where we’re waiting. The crowd responds with a mix of sounds.

  “Do your best. Try to regroup, and don’t feel bad if you’re eliminated—it can happen.” Areci gives us all a fierce smile, lifting our spirits.

  “The second stage is beginning!” the hostess shouts. A golden light wraps around my body. The special mana holds me gently, like a mother holding her newborn baby. I watch as all participants are enveloped in the same golden mana. My vision shifts for a moment, and after a few seconds, I’m inside the next stage.

  I’ve appeared near a massive mountain. No—not just one mountain. There are four, as far as I can tell, positioned in specific places, forming what feels like a diamond or a square. I’m at the base of one of the four. The sky has neither moon nor sun—it’s simply a midpoint between dusk and night. We already knew that beforehand.

  “Now what?” I sit on the ground for a moment to think. I could go hunt monsters or treasures to obtain Honor Medals. Another option is to look for strong people—or just wander until one of the first two happens.

  Areci and Brendu already lectured me about not seeking out other schools. I need to hide my abilities as much as possible. I only showed my gravity affinity to a certain extent, and electricity in a single skill. “Although they did see me flying… well, it doesn’t matter much.” I doubt many of them can do that.

  If the participants from the top five schools are in privileged positions, it’s possible we’re fairly close to one another. There’s a chance I’ll run into the Empire’s prince, the rather savage guy, that very tall woman who controls many types of magic, and the spear user.

  Those four schools also managed to destroy the orb, but they weren’t as efficient as we were. They suffered a lot during the defense—some ended up terribly injured, almost on the brink of death. Each school held out just long enough for their star to break the orb. The second-best time was 22 minutes; the last was almost 29 minutes.

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  I was surprised to see Jefran’s school in sixth place. Did that idiot improve his behavior? I wouldn’t mind knocking him back into reality again if he doesn’t know his place.

  It takes me a couple of minutes to decide on the best option for myself—simply walk wherever the wind takes me. I won’t attack anyone unless they attack me, and if there’s a strong monster, I’ll turn it into pulp. I won’t seek things out; I’ll just let events unfold.

  My instinct and curiosity tell me to climb the mountain path closest to me. I have a hunch something fun will happen.

  Along the way, I spot some monsters that look a lot like moles—all grade three, though on the weaker end of the scale. Each of them runs away as soon as they sense my Imra. I’m actively sending out violent pulses at every monster—if they run, they’re not worth my time.

  After two hours of travel, I’ve only advanced about halfway up the massive mountain. I speed up to cover as much ground as possible. Finally, within my Personal World, I find something interesting—a huge cave ahead. I’ve already sensed several monster presences inside.

  When I arrive, the atmosphere around me feels heavier. A combination of Imras overlaps, making it far more intense and oppressive. I’ve never seen monsters capable of something like this.

  The moment I step inside the cave, the pressure increases noticeably. I feel killing intent for having entered their territory.

  My Imra is far from weak—my willpower has always been one of my strongest traits. I can withstand the pressure with relative ease if I want to. I relax my Imra a bit to feel the difference, to understand how a normal person would experience it.

  The pressure crashes down on my entire body like a heavy hammer. My movements become much slower and delayed. My body struggles to counter the combined Imra, and the most ridiculous part is that my mana is being disturbed—I have to force my body to gather enough mana for even a basic construct.

  I increase my Imra pressure again to suppress that of the monsters, and everything immediately returns to normal.

  The monsters are strange. They’re almost one and a half meters tall, with somewhat bulky bodies. Their arms and legs are very thick, and their claws remind me of armadillos—long and sharp. The difference is that these monsters are bipedal, and they must have very specialized vision in the dark, because after I take a few more steps, I can’t see ahead at all. I rely solely on my Personal World.

  Two monsters cling to the ceiling, while four stand on each side. They’ve all sensed me and are ready to spring an ambush. I calmly walk straight toward them.

  They all attack at the same time when I’m only two meters away. The monsters on the sides use their hind legs to launch themselves at me in powerful leaps, claws aimed forward to skewer my body like a sieve. The two above drop down, aiming straight for my head.

  “What should I call them?” I ask, knowing I won’t get an answer, as I use my prison to restrain all of them. It’s a bit risky with ten of them at once, but if I don’t have too many abilities active simultaneously, I can manage it.

  “They’ll be armadillos—their claws remind me of those little animals.” I open my eyes and have to move to avoid their attacks. My prison holds them for a moment, but it starts breaking apart quickly. Their claws are the cause—the rest of their bodies remain frozen and suspended in the air, while their claws tear through gravity itself.

  I try to focus on those massive claws. I can sense multiple skills and Laws. Those claws are extremely dangerous. The closest armadillo becomes my test subject. My sword descends swiftly toward its body, and I’m surprised when I don’t cut it in half. I have to move again to dodge its combined attack.

  The injured armadillo trembles slightly but remains very much alive and energetic. I didn’t use my full power in that strike—I thought they were weaker, and I was wrong. What’s strange is that I didn’t sense any defensive skill, only a thin layer of mana and the natural Imra any living being has.

  They don’t have defensive abilities? That question crosses my mind. After testing several cuts with the same strength on its armadillo siblings, I draw some conclusions. Their abilities are focused on offense and attack. They rely on their natural defense and carapace to take hits.

  At one point, my sword collides with one of their claws as I defend myself. I have to shift slightly to redirect the force and avoid being sent flying by the impact.

  Their movements are clumsy and repetitive. They’re not very fast, nor do they seem particularly smart. They’ve focused on oppression through combined Imras, killing with overwhelming offense, and trusting their bodies to endure attacks.

  I play with them a bit more. My conclusion doesn’t change after a few minutes. The most interesting part is the three pseudo-Laws in their legs and claws—many people struggle to acquire even one. A plague of these beasts could be extremely dangerous for any small territory.

  My sword finally moves to split one of them in half. “That’s enough playing—let’s get serious.” I sense dozens, maybe hundreds, of them behind me. It’s time to begin.