"Number 23! You're ranked first again! What is it now? A hundred weeks in a row? We should celebrate!"
A young boy came running with a bright smile, his laughter echoing down the hall as he approached a black-haired youth emerging from the training facility. The latter was drenched in blood, none of it his own, and his dark eyes were utterly devoid of emotion.
Through the slightly ajar door behind him, the cheerful boy caught sight of the scene inside: more than a dozen bodies strewn across the floor, each marked by deep lacerations and grievous wounds. The air was thick with the scent of iron and silence.
It was clear what had just occurred, yet neither of them so much as flinched.
"Number 99, you again."
