"Cinister, I never asked, but why don't you use your staff?" Ragna asked.
"Well, when people started to develop abilities, the whole world changed," Cinister said. "Nowadays, money is a second thought, while magic is now how you determine nobility. There are five houses."
"Five royal houses?" Ragna asked.
"Yeah-House Brimstone, House Toutder, House Draevenholt, House Caelanthir, and House Morgrave," Cinister explained. "I don't know much about the others, only mine, which specializes in using magic without a staff."
"Wait! You're royalty?" Ragna shouted.
"Yeah, you could see it like that," Cinister said. "But don't pay it much attention—I'm nothing like my family. Still, it's sad to see them gone."
"Oh… yeah? What exactly happened?" Ragna asked.
"Well, during the first Event, four of the families including mine went to the First Winter Event," Cinister said. "But they never came back home."
"What floor was the event on?" Ragna said
"Floor 45" Cinister replied
"Wait, look at this guy from Group Z," Ragna said.
One of the guys, wielding a claymore, took on a 1v3 and shattered the base.
"Who is he?" Cinister asked.
"And in the number three spot Duvant," Jarvis announced.
"Duvant. He looks strong," Cinister said.
"Yeah, but Alen is stronger, so it's fine," Ragna replied.
"But he was holding back the entire time... and he still got first place," Cinister said.
Just then, Duvant walked up to them.
"So, you guys are the new Eldrich? You look weak," he said.
"Smart*ss," Cinister muttered but the moment he said it, a cut appeared on his cheek.
"Listen, just because you're special doesn't mean you'll have an easy time," Duvant said. "You probably don't even have a rank."
"A rank?" Cinister repeated.
"Yeah," said Duvant, showing a card that read Spark.
"Spark? What's that?" Cinister asked.
"Well, there are seven ranks-Fade, Spark, Ember, Flare, Blaze, Inferna, and Ascendant," Duvant explained.
"How do we get them?" Cinister asked.
"During events, the challenges are ranked by difficulty," Duvant said. "Depending on how well you do, you climb the ranks."
Duvant bumped Cinister's shoulder as the next match began Group D versus Group J (Brayden, George, and Michael).
"Look, it's our gang," Ragna pointed out.
"Calm down, cheerleader. They'll be fine. By the way, where's Alya?" Cinister asked.
"She went to the restroom," Ragna replied.
Michael started by covering their base with ice, while Brayden and George advanced toward the enemy's base.
"Who even is in Group D?" Ragna asked.
"It's Vitale, Corry, and Jamey. But Vitale seems the strongest and strangely, he doesn't have a class," Cinister said, confused.
"No class? Wasn't there a ban on people who don't have a class and a Nexus?" Ragna asked.
"Class and Nexus not or," Cinister corrected.
"This is going to be a tough battle for them," Ragna muttered.
Vitale rushed Brayden, fists flying. Despite the speed, Brayden managed to parry.
George jumped in to help, but Vitale held them both off then summoned Dustbreaker.
With a crushing swing, he shattered Brayden's shield and snapped his sword.
Vitale raised Dustbreaker for the finishing blow, but before it landed, Michael intervened spikes of ice erupting from the ground, forming a wall of icicles to block the strike.
Vitale and Michael began trading blows, but Vitale held his ground and broke through Michael's defenses with sheer force.
Then Michael activated [Ice Cage], freezing the air around Vitale and slowing his movements.
Seizing the moment, Michael dashed toward the enemy base while Brayden and George moved in to keep Vitale at bay.
Michael reached the enemy base and immediately started throwing hands with Corry. He landed a solid punch to Corry's gut, but Corry retaliated with a sharp blow to Michael's jaw.
Without hesitation, Michael spun into a roundhouse kick clean and brutal knocking Corry out cold.
He turned to finish the job and destroy their base…But it was too late.
"And Vitale takes the 4th spot, with Michael claiming 5th!" Jarvis announced over the arena speakers.
As Group J exited the field, Cinister stepped forward and dapped up Michael.
"Good job making it," Cinister said with a nod.
"Yeah… but poor Brayden and George," Michael muttered, glancing back.
"They'll be fine. They're strong no need to worry," Cinister replied, his voice calm but reassuring.
"So, how many battles are left?" Cinister asked.
"Five more," Michael replied. "But there's a break coming up. During it, we'll get to see Jarvis fight him and another Guardian are doing a demo match."
"Really? That's going to be interesting," Cinister said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
Then Alya appeared out of nowhere and smacked Cinister on the back.
"Hey! Jarvis is going to fight Allen first to show how strong he really is," she said excitedly.
"Something tells me Jarvis is gonna lose that matchup," Cinister muttered.
"He's not that strong," Alya shrugged.
"Whatever," Cinister said, brushing it off. "Let's go grab a drink."
As we go to a vending machine we meet Duvant and Vitale arguing
"You guys just finished fighting calm down a bit," Cinister said, raising an eyebrow.
"Then tell this shortie I was here first," Duvant snapped, glaring at Vitale.
"I was here first, you overgrown cactus," Vitale shot back without hesitation.
"Can you two just shut up already?" Allen said as he stepped forward, his voice calm but firm.
"You're not as mysterious as you think," Cinister muttered.
"Shut up," Allen fired back instantly.
"Alright, whatever. Let's just get a drink," Cinister said, brushing it off.
Everyone grabbed a soda and found a bench nearby. They sat down, the tension easing as the conversation turned more casual.
"So, Allen," Cinister began, "mind if I ask your backstory? Why are you climbing the tower?"
Allen took a sip before replying. "My motive's simple. I just want to climb the tower... and maybe find a lost sibling along the way"
"And I have a battle I have to catch so bye" Allen said as he made his way to the arena to fight Jarvis
Editors note - Sorry for not posting I've been busy lately. Sorry.