The new screen flashed again.
[Connecting to Opponents…]
Raze stared at the window, his pulse picking up.
When Felix first explained the 2v2 Duel queue, he assumed he'd be matched against people close to his level.
But the way Felix's expression hardened…
And the way the screen kept loading…
He already knew.
He wasn't going to be helpful in this fight.
"This… this is stupid," Felix muttered, dragging a hand through his hair. "Why the hell are they both sevens? Who queues dual sevens for fun?"
Before Raze could ask what that meant, the world shattered apart like glass. The fragments dissolved and rebuilt themselves into solid ground beneath their feet.
A massive stone arena rose around them, torches igniting along the walls.
Two players waited on the opposite side.
The first cracked his knuckles, sparks spilling from his arms like snapping wires. His username hovered above him:
[ThunderFang — Level 7]
The second stood calmly beneath a wavering heat haze, his cloak rippling from the faint shimmering air around him.
[IgnisShroud — Level 7]
Felix cursed under his breath. "Lightning and fire. Great. Just great."
Raze turned toward him. "How about we forfeit? I don't think I'll be of much use here."
Felix rolled his shoulders. His whole demeanor shifted. His expression tightened, posture lowering, eyes sharpening.
It was a version of Felix Raze hadn't seen before.
"Oh, we're not backing out," he said. "But listen carefully—if you mess up once, you're done. These guys will one-shot you."
Raze nodded. "I understand."
The air grew still as a countdown appeared above all four of them, the numbers glowing bright.
5…4…3…2…
Above each head, HP bars materialized. Thick, long bars for ThunderFang and IgnisShroud…
Felix's slightly shorter…
And Raze's, the shortest by far.
A reminder that the VR pod didn't lie.
Your real physical body determines everything. Your stamina, your endurance, even how much punishment you could take inside the game.
Raze tightened his fist, feeling the unstable energy of Starflare Burst twitch beneath his skin.
1…
[Match Start.]
A sharp crack of lightning split the arena the moment the timer hit zero.
Raze didn't even have time to process it.
ThunderFang vanished from his starting position then reappeared mid-dash, lightning exploding off the ground behind him like shattered sparks.
"He's fast—!"
Felix grabbed Raze by the back of the collar and yanked him aside.
ThunderFang's lightning punch slammed into the stone where Raze had been standing a heartbeat earlier, carving a crater into the arena floor.
The blast of electricity shot outward, forcing Raze to shield his face from the static.
IgnisShroud came next.
He didn't charge blindly like ThunderFang. Instead, he lifted one hand, and a wave of heat swept outward. Flames curled around his arm, forming a spiraling whip of fire.
"Middle distance type…" Felix muttered, lowering his stance.
Raze watched the whip extend and realized something:
These two weren't just at a higher level than him. They were experienced.
IgnisShroud flicked his wrist. The flaming whip cracked across the ground, sending sparks scattering as it carved a burning line straight toward them.
Felix shoved Raze behind a pillar.
"Keep cover! He's zoning you!"
Raze leaned out slightly.
ThunderFang was already moving again.
Lightning wrapped around his legs as he sprinted across the battlefield, zigzagging unpredictably, closing the distance with frightening ease.
Raze lifted his hand, Starflare Burst flickering within his palm.
"Focus… don't explode early."
But even as he thought it, the light sphere twitched violently, begging to burst.
ThunderFang reached him first.
He threw a straight punch which was fast, direct, and clean.
Raze barely ducked under it.
The air above his head crackled as the punch grazed by, the static tingling across his scalp.
But ThunderFang didn't stop.
He shifted his weight forward and forced Raze back step by step with a barrage of rapid jabs. Each one wrapped in small arcs of electricity.
Raze raised his glowing palm, trying to time his strike.
'Now!'
He thrust his hand forward but the light sphere detonated the moment he moved.
A loud BOOM burst outward from his hand, sending dust and heat splashing across the arena.
The blast wasn't stable and it wasn't even close to ThunderFang.
The explosion forced Raze backward, burning his arm slightly from the shock.
ThunderFang slid sideways through the smoke with practiced ease, his footwork tight and controlled. He lunged again and struck Raze clean across the ribs.
A sharp electric pain surged through him.
Raze's HP bar instantly shaved off a noticeable chunk.
"Gah!"
He stumbled, coughing.
IgnisShroud stepped in from the side now, flames swirling around his leg as he spun, delivering a sweeping fire kick.
Felix interrupted at the last second.
He slid between them, arms up, catching the flaming strike on his forearm. The fire rolled off him as he redirected it away.
"Don't get caught isolated!" Felix shouted. "Stick closer!"
Raze nodded, still clutching his side, breath uneven.
ThunderFang didn't wait. He dashed in again, but this time Felix pivoted sharply, catching ThunderFang's wrist and flipping him over his shoulder.
The lightning user skidded across the floor, sparks scattering.
IgnisShroud tried to punish Felix's back, but Felix twisted, grabbing Raze and pulling him behind cover again.
"Raze, listen. Your awakening. Don't use it at full charge. Give it HALF the energy. Anything more and it blows up on you."
Raze swallowed hard. "Right… okay."
He focused.
The light sphere formed again but smaller this time, barely the size of a ping-pong ball instead of a grenade.
It was more stable and easier to manage.
ThunderFang recovered, shaking off dust as he dashed forward again, lightning brightening around his arms.
IgnisShroud angled left, preparing to corner Raze from the side.
They were going for a pincer.
Raze steadied himself.
ThunderFang threw the first strike.
Raze side-stepped to the right, letting the punch graze past him.
He caught ThunderFang's momentum and guided it forward just like he instinctively did earlier in the bot fight.
Felix noticed.
From the sideline, he muttered, "…Huh. That's not beginner movement."
Raze didn't hear him.
ThunderFang overextended just for a moment.
Raze thrust his smaller Starflare Burst forward, aiming for the torso.
BOOM!
A controlled blast erupted, sending ThunderFang skidding back several meters.
He wasn't defeated… but definitely surprised.
IgnisShroud moved in immediately behind the explosion, flames coating both his hands.
Raze tried to dodge but he was a second too slow.
The flaming strike landed against his shoulder.
His HP bar plunged into a red color.
A warning sound chimed in his vision.
[Critical HP Detected.]
Raze gritted his teeth, he could feel a burning pain on his shoulder.
IgnisShroud stepped forward again, fire swirling for another hit.
Felix intercepted it.
He pushed Raze back with one hand and delivered a sharp heel kick straight to IgnisShroud's chin. The fire user stumbled, losing his balance.
This time, Felix took the lead.
He darted toward ThunderFang, meeting the recovering lightning user head-on. Their clashes sent bursts of sparks and flame into the air—Felix weaving between them like someone who had done this hundreds of times.
Raze staggered to his feet.
He raised his hand, trying to form another sphere of light.
But his HP was too low.
His stamina was too drained.
The light flickered weakly.
IgnisShroud approached again, fire forming into a small sphere in his palm.
Raze forced himself to lift his arm.
'Come on… just one more…'
But ThunderFang reappeared behind him in a flash.
Lightning surged.
Raze exhaled, accepting his fate.
He knew he wasn't getting out of this one.
The combined strike from both players hit him squarely.
Lightning slamming into his back, and fire exploding across his chest.
The world flashed white.
[Player Eliminated.]
He respawned outside the arena boundary, breath still shaky from the simulated pain.
Felix was alone now.
But he looked nothing like someone who cared about being outnumbered.
Felix dashed forward, parrying ThunderFang's jab, rolling under IgnisShroud's fire stream, and landing a solid kick into ThunderFang's stomach.
Sparks flew in every direction. Felix followed with another strike, hitting IgnisShroud with a clean right hook.
His movements were sharp. Precise. Efficient.
Raze watched in silence, almost mesmerized.
'He's… incredible.'
For a brief moment, Felix actually forced the two level sevens to retreat.
ThunderFang shook out his arms.
IgnisShroud tightened his stance.
They respected him now.
Felix grinned. "Alright. Round two."
They attacked simultaneously.
Felix blocked ThunderFang's kick but IgnisShroud's fire strike clipped at his side.
Felix gasped, but returned a quick counter-knee to ThunderFang's chin.
Then ThunderFang used his lightning to speed up his movements, and IgnisShroud used his flames.
And Felix couldn't avoid both at the same time.
A bolt of lightning pinned him in place.
A wave of fire crashed against him.
Felix's HP took a massive hit.
[Player Defeated.]
[Winner: ThunderFang & IgnisShroud.]
And just as they appeared, they disappeared, heading off to their next matchup.
The arena dissolved into smoke and light.
Felix dropped onto the white void that they were now in again, panting hard. "Damn… almost had them."
Raze lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I should've supported better."
Felix flicked his forehead lightly. "Relax. You did fine. I forgot how unstable Starflare Burst was."
He pushed himself upright. "Next time, we should learn how to control that thing."
But before Raze could answer, the VR pod shook slightly as the system disengaged and opened.
Cold academy air rushed in.
Felix stood out of his pod. "Well, I guess times up then."
Raze chuckled. "Yeah."
Then suddenly an intercom blasted through the room:
"All first-year students, report to the central hall immediately."
Felix and Raze exchanged a tense look.
"This can't be good…" Felix muttered.