[Optional quest has arrived: Defeat the opponent to earn rewards.]


    [Rewards are shown after the quest ispleted.]


    ncing at the screen, Ss saw the huge disy materialize in front of him. "It''s grinding time," he thought to himself, his gaze fixed intently on Chris, waiting for the referee''s signal.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The female referee, standing between the two fighters, raised her hands high above her head, signaling the start of the match. As soon as she dropped her hands, Chris let out a loud battle cry and charged forward.


    His speed was unremarkable—nothing special, at least in Ss''s eyes. Chris moved like a drunk man stumbling toward his bedroom, his motions sluggish and uncoordinated.


    Finally, Chris came within striking range, drawing his right hand back and swinging his katana forward in a sweeping arc.


    *Sweeesshh!*


    The de sliced through the air, aiming for Ss, but he casually sidestepped, dodging the attack by just a few inches.


    As Ss avoided the first strike, he spotted Chris''s second katanaing from the opposite direction. Reacting quickly, he swerved to the side, narrowly evading the second strike.


    Chris regained his bnce immediately and swung once again, this time aiming for Ss''s head. Ss ducked low, letting the de pass harmlessly over his head, then swiftly countered with a powerful punch.


    **BAM!**


    Ss''s right fist connected solidly with Chris''s jaw, delivering a punishing blow. The impact lifted Chris off the ground, sending him crashing several meters away.


    Chrisnded heavily on the floor, lying motionless for a moment. Ss stood still, his eyes trained on his downed opponent. ''If he was defeated, the system would have notified me by now. The fight isn''t over yet,'' Ss mused internally.


    A few moments passed before Chris stirred, slowly pulling himself to his feet. His eyes locked on Ss with renewed determination. He cracked his knuckles and began dashing forward again, clearly refusing to give up.


    Once more, Chris charged, his gaze fixed on Ss, who stood calmly, watching every movement. This time, Chris thrust both of his katanas forward, aiming for Ss''s chest. The des shot toward him at blinding speed, but Ss effortlessly sidestepped at thest moment, avoiding the dual strike.


    Before Chris could retract his arms, Ss closed the gap between them and delivered another devastating punch aimed at Chris''s face.


    **BAM!**


    The force of Ss''s fist sent Chris flying backward yet again, lifting him into the air before he crashed face-first onto the tform. He slid several feet beforeing to a stop, motionless on the ground.


    [Congrattions, you have defeated your opponent.]


    [You have leveled up.]


    [You have leveled up.]


    [Reward: 5 attribute points.]


    A series of notifications shed before Ss, who nced at them with satisfaction. ''Too easy... just as I expected,'' he thought, feeling pleased with the oue. ''The rewards might not be huge, but they''re still better than nothing. I can''t wait to face higher-level opponents.''


    He dismissed the notification screen and turned his gaze back to Chris, who was now being checked by the referee. After a brief examination, she realized Chris could no longer continue and raised her hand, dering the result.


    "Winner: Ghost Ranger! Ghost Ranger has earned 5 points and is now on the leaderboard, while Chris has been relegated! Ghost Ranger''s current position is 300!" the referee announced loudly, but the crowd remained silent.


    There were no cheers, no apuse. The audience showed no interest in a battle between two low-ranked students. Their attention was solely on the top-tier fighters, and to them, Ss and Chris''s match had been nothing more than a filler to pass the time.


    Ss calmly stepped off the tform, heading toward the waiting area for his next match. Meanwhile, another fight immediately began on the tform behind him.


    This time, the battle was between two Grade 4 students, both earth ability users. The energy in the arena noticeably shifted as the students exhibited far more skill than Chris had in the previous bout. One of them, a tall, muscr boy named Vic, had a clear advantage due to his experience.


    Vic dominated the match with precise and powerful movements, stomping his foot to send spikes of earth shooting toward his opponent, then raising walls of stone for defense. His control over his abilities was far superior, and it quickly became apparent that his opponent didn''t stand a chance.


    After a few short minutes, Vic delivered a final, decisive attack—a massive boulder formed from the ground that sent his opponent flying off the tform and into the audience.


    "Vic has defeated his opponent and has now risen to 3rd ce on the leaderboard!" the female referee announced.


    The crowd erupted in cheers, chanting Vic''s name over and over. Some of the female students in the stands blushed as Vic, clearly enjoying the attention, waved and blew kisses toward them, basking in the glory of his victory.


    ---


    **Elsewhere in the arena.**


    In a small, dimly lit changing room, a group of students surrounded a boy who was kneeling on the floor, trembling with fear. His face was covered in bruises, and his jaw was swollen and red. It was clear he had juste from a fight and had lost badly.


    "You useless idiot! How could you lose to a nobody like that? Some trash with no mutant ability?!" a bulky student, Billy, shouted angrily. He grabbed a fistful of the boy''s hair and yanked it, causing the boy to cry out in pain. "Now you''ve been relegated, and that jerk Vic and his crew are ranking up, stealing all the attention!"


    "I-I couldn''t help it..." the boy, Chris, muttered weakly. "You know I can''t use my mutant ability properly..."


    "Shut up! Can you hear yourself right now?" Billy roared, yanking Chris''s head back even harder. "Even if you don''t know how to use your mutant ability, you still have that Grade 2 skill slot! You should have an advantage over someone with no skill slot at all! Stop making excuses!"


    "You don''t understand..." Chris whimpered, his voice trembling. "That student... Ghost Ranger... I know he doesn''t have a skill slot, but his strength... the way he moved... It was almost like he was a Grade 3 mutant ability user!"


    Billy and the other students exchanged confused, startled nces, their eyes widening in surprise.