Chapter 4: When Idiots Fight Smart People
The hallway buzzed with life. Students clustered in groups—guys and girls laughing, talking, some practicing minor spells. A kid levitated a pencil. Another girl made frost patterns on the wall.
"Why do those guys look like rejected protein shake products?" Zin muttered, walking a few steps behind a group of muscular students. Tobi shuffled beside him, eyes darting everywhere. "I wonder why they had such low energy today..."
"Bruh—" Tobi tore his gaze away from a passing girl's figure. "I'm pretty sure they're planning something for you."
Goosebumps crawled up Zin's arms. His mind spiraled. 'Dancing in just boxers in front of the whole class. Getting beaten to a pulp. Being forced to help them cheat on exams.' "Oii, you're being dumb. They won't do anything like that—I know it for sure..."
---
Ahead, in the Arena Room extension of Teacher Julie's office...
"Reon, did you find any volunteers?" Julie asked without looking up from her book. She sat at her desk, one leg crossed over the other, black slacks hugging her frame.
"Gimme a few seconds, Madam!" Reon bolted out the door, scanning the hallway like a hawk hunting prey. His eyes landed on Zin and Tobi. "That guy's the Lowest Rank... and the one with him looks decent enough." He grinned. 'Perfect sacrificial goats.'
"Hey, you."
"Hmm?" Zin stopped mid-step, glancing at Tobi, then at the guy blocking their path.
"I'm Reon Vulin. B-Rank." He stood tall, white uniform crisp, arms crossed. "Madam Julie wants to talk to you."
Reon smirked internally. 'This'll work. Madam Julie's gorgeous—he'll come running.'
Zin's face flushed instantly. Heat crawled up his neck. A tingling current ran through his body. He swallowed hard, trying to compose himself.
"Let's go." Zin's voice cracked slightly. "It's our priority.Madam's orders are absolute." He started walking—or rather, his legs vibrated forward in jerky, unnatural steps.
Tobi blinked, confused. Then it clicked. He burst out laughing.
Reon was already cackling.
---
Inside the Arena Room, Julie stood up from her desk, eyes wide with disbelief.
"So..." She stared at Zin. "You're volunteering to fight a B-Rank Assassin Class?" Her tone softened, almost maternal. "What if you get hurt? You don't need to prove anything, okay?"
'What?! That bastard Reon... but I gotta play it cool!' Zin stepped closer to her, heart hammering in his chest. "Yes, Ma'am Julie. I'm volunteering. I want to see the gap between us."
Julie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Here we go..." Reon strolled back into the room, grinning ear to ear. He turned to Tobi. "So, you. Wanna team up with him? One E-Rank and one D-Rank might actually stand a chance against me." He shrugged off his white uniform jacket, revealing a fitted black shirt underneath.
"Well, sure!" Tobi plopped his bag of snacks onto a nearby table. 'Perfect. Maybe this'll convince that dumb Zin to fuse our elements!'
---
The Arena Room was packed.
A hundred students—maybe more—crowded the raised platforms around the combat floor. Students from different classes, different ranks, all waiting for a show.
"I guess I should leave..." Aira muttered from her seat near the front. Her wolf ears flicked in irritation. "But what can he do as an E-Rank?" She crossed her arms, tail swishing behind her. "Even I'd struggle because of the power gap. And against an Assassin Class? Forget it."
"That's the E-Rank clown... look at him..." someone whispered in the crowd.
"Ugh, no one told me we'd have so many spectators!" Zin's voice cracked as he scanned the room. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He turned to Tobi, forcing a grin. "So... do you have a death wish against a B-Rank?"
Tobi snorted. "Pfff—ha ha!Good one, Zin. That actually loosened me up!" He jogged onto the arena floor, rolling his shoulders.
Julie stood at the edge of the combat zone, arms crossed. "You three—keep it brief. Don't hurt each other too much, okay?" She glanced at the CCTV camera mounted in the corner, then back at the fighters.
---
Reon Vulin vs. Zin & Tobi
"I'm gonna show why I'm better than them... hehe..." Zin stepped onto the arena floor, green light flickering around his hands. A half-grin spread across his face as Reon entered from the opposite side, spinning a short knife in his hand.
1...
2...
3...
START!
Reon vanished.
One second he was there. The next—gone. Only a faint purple streak remained, like an afterimage burned into the air.
Tobi immediately wrapped Zin in a thin layer of fire—protective, controlled. "Stay close!" Zin's body shimmered with heat as he sprinted after the purple traces, eyes darting wildly.
"Hehe... this is fun." Tobi grinned, flames dancing around his fists. "The longer I'm in a fight, the stronger my fire gets."
"What the hell is wrong with them?" Reon muttered, circling the pair three times without landing a single hit. "Are they the dumbest fighters I've ever seen, or...?" He narrowed his eyes. "His fire's heating up fast. I need to end this now."
Reon blurred forward, knife aimed at Zin's ribs—
Zin dodged.
Barely. He stumbled, rolling across the floor in a graceless heap.
"Oii, Tobi! What are you doing?!" Zin scrambled to his feet. "Your fire's better for direct attacks—why are you trying to heat up the whole ground?!"
Before Tobi could answer, Reon reappeared behind Zin and slammed his back.
Zin crashed forward, gasping.
"You're right—we don't have that much time!" Tobi spun in place, flames spiraling around him. He couldn't track Reon. The guy's stealth was too good.
---
Julie clapped her hands together, eyes sparkling. 'They're all awesome!' She gripped the edge of her black slacks, leaning forward. 'I'm so happy I got the chance to teach them!'
---
"Why the hell did Zin avoid two stealth attacks?" Aira leaned forward, wolf ears twitching in frustration. "A loser like him lasting this long? Even in a mock battle?"
---
'Hehe... my trump card—Wind Nerves.' Zin's grin widened. Every time Reon moved, the air currents shifted. Zin could feel him. Not perfectly. But enough.
"Tobi!" Zin sprinted toward his partner. "Let's use your trick!"
"Hehe, sure! My fire's already way hotter than usual—and I'm starving!" Tobi's flames roared to life, spinning into a controlled spiral. Green light erupted from Zin's hands, merging with the fire. "Why does he run like a Ninja...?!FIRE!"
FIREWINDWHIRL!!
The combined attack tore across the arena—a violent, spiraling storm of flames and wind. It howled like a living thing, tearing toward Reon.
Reon tried to slash through it.
His knife bounced off harmlessly.
The storm veered wildly—straight toward Julie's desk.
"OI! How do we stop it?!" Zin's voice cracked in panic.
"We can't!" Tobi shook his head frantically. "It's a mixture—we're both controlling it differently—it's out of our hands!"
"Enough playing around." Reon blurred forward, slashing both Zin and Tobi across their sides. The cuts were shallow—barely more than scratches. He held up the knife. "What'd you expect from plastic?"
Both of them collapsed like broken mummies.
Julie screamed, scrambling backward as her desk and books turned to ash in seconds.
---
"They did great... but it still wasn't enough," someone muttered in the crowd.
"That's E-Rank for you... haha..."
A figure stood in the corner near the window, watching in silence. "They're not what they seem. Reon noticed it too." The figure vanished.
---
"Good job... Tobi..." Zin groaned, trying to sit up as the crowd filed out.
---
TWO HOURS LATER. On the footpath near Zin's home...
"That fight made me starving." Tobi stretched his back, walking beside Zin. "Hey, why not invite me over? Your mom—she a good cook?"
"Yeah, she's a great cook." Zin's voice was flat. He leaned his bicycle against a lamppost. "The only faulty ingredient... is me."
"Even faulty ones are made of the same material, blud." Holy Monkey's voice drifted through reality itself, tearing past timelines. They stared directly into Zin's eyes—but he couldn't see them. "You're just a misfit making Rai ka pahad. That's Hindi, I think...!"
Zin paused in front of a bulletin board near the mall.
"Freshmen Combat Trials—Next Week. All Ranks Eligible."
His eyes locked onto the words.
"Don't tell me you're joining that." Tobi's voice dripped with disbelief.
"He'd be on bedrest after the first round."
Zin turned. Aira stood behind them, arms crossed. Her wolf ears twitched with alpha pride, tail swishing slowly. She walked past them without another word.
Zin said nothing. But then his eyes lit up.
A bunny girl stood near a dessert stall across the street. Long ears. Soft features. Curves that cried cuteness. She was STUNNING.
"Fuck it all—look at her!" Zin pointed straight at her.
The bunny girl noticed. Her eyes widened.
"You're a dumbass, Zin!" Tobi grabbed his finger, yanking it down frantically.
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[End of Chapter 4]