> And thus began Kairo's rise through the ranks—powered by sarcasm, accidental skill downloads… and the desperate hope his phone didn't brick during a boss fight.
It was safe to say the academy didn't know what to do with Kairo Jin anymore.
After his surprise simulation win and sudden jump to Rank 87, the instructors were confused, the students were gossiping, and the system itself glitched twice when trying to assign his class title. "Glitched Trickster" wasn't exactly official… but the app refused to call him anything else.
"I'm not sure if that's cool or insulting," Kairo muttered as he walked down the academy's main hall. "Like, am I Loki? Or just a magical accident?"
Beside him, Juno nodded thoughtfully while sipping a bubble tea. "Dude, you're like a chaos mascot. People don't know whether to fear you or give you a participation ribbon."
Kairo's phone buzzed.
> [New Ability Scans Available: Nearby Signatures Detected]
> Lina Seris — Sync Rate: 98%
Potential Skill: Divine Barrier — (Copy Unavailable: Insufficient Authority)
"Oh come on," Kairo muttered. "Can't even borrow a shield? I'm literally the most undercooked protagonist in this school."
Juno raised an eyebrow. "You thinking of challenging Lina?"
"Pfft. What do I look like, suicidal?"
"She's been watching your matches."
Kairo froze. "What."
---
Training Hall – Later That Day
Lina Seris was like the academy's poster girl for perfection. Blonde, poised, always glowing like her morning coffee was brewed in heaven. Her divine barrier abilities were practically legendary. Even Tobin didn't mess with her.
So naturally, Kairo ended up standing right across from her on the sparring floor, wondering how his day had gone so wrong.
"I didn't agree to this," he whispered to Professor Arkell.
"You're Rank 87. She requested a match. You're allowed to decline," the professor replied, adjusting his clipboard.
Kairo smiled. "Then I—"
"But that would make you look like a coward in front of the entire student body."
"…Of course."
Juno shouted from the bleachers, "Try not to die! Or if you do, do it funny!"
Lina stood calmly, hands behind her back, eyes assessing him like he was a riddle. "Kairo Jin. I'd like to see if your power is real—or just another glitch."
"Well," he said, cracking his knuckles, "you're about to find out I'm basically the human version of unstable Wi-Fi."
Professor Arkell nodded. "Begin."
---
Round One – Trouble in Style
Lina didn't move at first. She just raised one hand and a shimmering gold shield formed in front of her—like a glowing ripple of divine energy.
Kairo, meanwhile, pulled out his phone and tapped frantically.
> [Energy Level: 3%]
[Skill Slot: Mockery Aura Lv.2 available.]
He squinted. "That's it?! Where's my 'God Mode' or 'Accidental Overpowered Combo'?"
> [Premium abilities locked. Subscribe to Divine+ for $9.99/mo.]
"…Not funny."
Lina advanced, calm and composed, and threw a light spear of energy. Kairo dodged—barely. It scraped his sleeve and left a smoking mark.
"She just threw a holy javelin at me!" he yelped.
"She's being gentle," Juno called out. "If she were serious, you'd be toast already."
Kairo rolled behind a training dummy. "Helpful as ever, Juno!"
> [Mockery Aura Activated.]
"Hey, Lina! Nice moves. Did they come with the free trial of 'Heaven's Gym Class'?"
For the first time, her brow furrowed.
She fired again—faster this time.
Kairo activated a skill—sort of.
> [Random Passive Activated: Divine Clumsiness]
(Trip to dodge incoming damage. Looks accidental but is actually OP.)
He stumbled, fell face-first, and Lina's golden spear flew overhead.
The crowd gasped.
Arkell stared at his clipboard like it had betrayed him.
Even Lina blinked. "That was… unorthodox."
Kairo raised a hand from the floor. "It's called combat ballet. Very niche."
---
Round Two – Unexpected Upload
Kairo's phone buzzed again.
> [Trace Signature Detected – Minor Copy Possible]
Skill: Divine Reflection (Shield Rebound – Lv. 0.1%)
Activate?
"…0.1%? What is that, a shiny Pokémon chance?!"
Still, he tapped "Yes."
As Lina prepared her final attack, a golden blast spiraling with radiant energy, Kairo instinctively raised his arm.
A microscopic glimmer of light formed—a flicker, a glitch in the air—and for half a second, it reflected her blast just enough to deflect it sideways.
It slammed into a practice wall, which exploded in sparks.
Silence.
Kairo stared at his hand.
Lina slowly lowered hers. "You copied part of my divine signature."
Kairo blinked. "I—I did?"
"You should be dead."
"…I get that a lot."
---
Aftermath
Later, as Kairo sat on a bench with an ice pack to his shoulder, Lina approached.
"You have no control, minimal sync, and your powers are unstable," she said calmly.
"Thanks, I love compliments."
"But… you adapted mid-fight. That's rare."
He gave a tired grin. "So… I'm rare trash."
"You're not trash. Just… unreleased beta content."
He laughed.
> [Rank Increased: #78]
[Class Title Updated: "Glitched Trickster" → "Unstable Ascendant"]
[Warning: New threats approaching. Observe caution.]
Kairo's smile faded.
"Great. Can I at least install some kind of emotional support mode?"
> [No. But sarcasm's been upgraded.]
"Close enough."
---
And somewhere deep in the academy systems, a red dot blinked next to his name—marking him for a new level of attention. And danger.