I walked toward her without emotion, the water sphere in my hand swirling at an incredible speed.
Murmurs rose behind me—shocked whispers from those who still had the ability to think. But the one most affected by what was happening stood directly in front of me.
Serena.
She had completely lost her mind.
Had the staff taken control of her? Or had she always been this terrible—this cruel—and only now had the power to act on it?
I couldn't tell.
All I knew was that I needed to put an end to this.
"Why are you all just standing there?!" Serena screamed, her voice shrill with desperation. "Attack him!"
At her command, her puppets lunged toward me.
But I had no intention of killing them.
That wouldn't solve the problem. It would only burn through their Reincarnation Stones, and the last thing I wanted was for them to die permanently.
[Heavenly Angel watches your next actions carefully.]
[Sneaky Puppeteer sneers at you.]
More Watchers were revealing themselves.
Was this normal?
I still found it strange that so many were watching a low-ranked game like this. Surely there were hundreds of other matches happening right now.
So why was I drawing so much attention?
Some of the students swung at me, their attacks sloppy and uncoordinated—movements devoid of skill or thought.
To me, they looked like they were moving in slow motion.
Their low stats made them laughably weak. I barely had to try to dodge, maneuvering through the group effortlessly.
Serena's panic grew with each failed attempt.
Her commands became more frantic.
"Everyone! KILL HIM! KILL HIM BEFORE HE KILLS ME!"
I smirked.
Kill her?
That would be too merciful.
I had something else in mind.
Swiftly, I knocked out a few more of my classmates, ensuring they wouldn't continue attacking. One by one, they fell unconscious around me.
There was only one left standing in my way.
Jake.
Serena's golden boy.
Even in this state, he was the strongest of the group.
But that meant nothing.
His mind was wiped, his movements sluggish. He couldn't even react properly, let alone put up a fight.
And after facing the real enemy team, I realized something.
If I hadn't been here, our side would have never stood a chance.
They would have been slaughtered.
The System must have known that—and placed us against a stronger enemy because of me.
But I had no way of knowing for sure.
What I did know?
None of my teammates came even close to matching me.
Jake swung, putting all his strength into a desperate punch toward my face.
I blocked it easily, twisting his wrist before sweeping his legs out from under him.
He hit the ground hard.
"Stay down."
He gritted his teeth and tried to push himself up.
So I kicked him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him.
He wheezed, clutching his ribs.
"I said—stay down."
Now, only Serena remained.
I turned my gaze toward her.
She staggered back, her face twisted in fear.
"D-Don't come any closer!" she stammered, gripping her staff tightly. "I—I'll take control of your mind too!"
She was completely delusional.
[Heavenly Angel is paying even closer attention to your actions.]
I frowned.
What exactly were these Watchers looking for?
I had no clue.
But it didn't matter.
I was going to finish this.
[??? offers you a deal.]
[Kill everyone—your teammates and your foes.]
[Reward: A chance to become ???'s apostle. 1 Legendary Skill from ???'s collection.]
I froze for a moment.
What the hell is happening?
This wasn't normal.
No one else had gotten this much attention. Not even Serena, and she had received direct assistance from a Watcher.
But me?
I was being targeted from all sides.
I had no doubt—I was being watched by far more people than I realized.
A strange feeling settled in my chest.
I knew I was talented.
But now, for the first time in my life, I wasn't the best.
Not yet.
I had a long way to go.
And the beings I would meet in the Universal World?
They would far surpass me.
Just the thought of it sent adrenaline racing through my veins.
For the first time in years—maybe in my entire life—I was looking forward to something.
I couldn't wait to see what was next.
But first—
I had to deal with this mess.
And I had no intention of accepting an offer from whatever twisted entity had just contacted me.
[You have rejected ???'s offer.]
[??? is disappointed.]
[Heavenly Angel is relieved.]
[Many Watchers agree with Heavenly Angel.]
[A few Watchers agree with ???.]
I frowned.
Just how many of them are watching me right now?
That was a question I wanted an answer to—but now wasn't the time.
I dashed forward, sword in hand, aiming straight for Serena.
But before my blade could reach her, a barrier materialized around her.
My attack bounced off.
Serena burst into laughter.
"HAHAHA!"
She raised her staff, glowing with power.
"Thank you for trusting in me!" she cried out. "I will deal with him accordingly!"
More messages flashed before me.
[The Watchers are not pleased with your refusal.]
[They have decided to assist Serena further.]
[Serena has received multiple items.]
Weapons.
Armor.
Potions.
All appearing in her hands one after the other.
I narrowed my eyes.
So that's how it's going to be?
They were desperate for me to lose.
I shook my head.
How annoying.
But time was slipping away.
The enemy team could be claiming the Control Point as we speak.
I needed to end this now.
But with that barrier, I couldn't even touch her.
Items began appearing in her hands at a rapid pace.
Potions, armor, weapons.
I wasn't sure who the being was that I had refused, but he seemed angry—angry enough that he wanted to take revenge on me.
However, what this individual ignored was that I also had allies of my own.
[Heavenly Angel is shocked by what she sees.]
[Righteous Wanderer is appalled by what he sees.]
[Countless others who prefer to remain anonymous are also appalled.]
[Many decide to support you against the evil.]
[You have received a massive temporary stat boost.]
As that message appeared before me, a strong light covered my body from the ground up.
I felt a certain heat rising around my chest and my muscles. They seemed to be almost "overheating" from this change.
Still, with this amount of strength, it didn't matter what Serena obtained. After all, while she relied on items, I relied on the strength of my body.
I clenched both of my fists, and just from doing that, I felt that they were at least twice as powerful.
The first obstacle in my way was that annoying shield that protected Serena from all attacks.
I needed to break it.
Before, my strike had not done anything; it had bounced off. However, this time, it would be different. I was confident in myself.
I grabbed the helm of my sword with just the right amount of grip—not too tightly, not too lightly. After all, I did not want to be swift.
Good sword fighters all had one thing in common: they could adapt themselves no matter the situation. That's what put them above others—the way they can change their stance in an instant depending on the situation. It's truly impressive when you think about it.
Then, I stared at the shield and wound my sword over the top of my head.
I closed my eyes, blocking out all external noise.
The only thing I now focused on was this magical barrier made of mana.
And then, I swung down as hard as I could.
I didn't feel any resistance; it was as if I had just sliced through butter. The shield exploded into thousands of pieces, and there was no longer anything separating me from Serena.
However, I took precautions.
She was now wearing strange armor, holding her staff, and she had drunk a few potions while I broke that shield.
Serena was much stronger than before, and I felt it with a glance. She no longer needed to rely on others to pose a threat against me.
"Haha! Do you really think breaking that shield will change anything?" Serena said with an evil smirk forming at the corner of her mouth.
I didn't say anything.
I simply walked forward, ready for anything headed my way.
A small pink sphere formed over her staff—a sphere that strongly resembled the one I had just made using water.
'Did they give her access to mana?' I frowned.
However, that made no sense; she couldn't have made a mana core with that amount of time and her lack of knowledge.
The ball began spinning faster and faster as it was launched in my direction.
It moved extremely fast; even with my higher stats, I barely managed to dodge it as it created a small explosion upon touching the ground.
-Boom!
'…just what the hell is this staff?'
I could no longer keep my distance from her. Otherwise, I would lose.
With this thought in mind, I dashed forward as other mana spheres headed in my direction. However, with my current speed, none of them were even threats to consider.
Within seconds, I was close enough to Serena that I swung my sword at her.
"Good try."
She then teleported five meters behind.
"You're gonna have to try harder if you want to defeat me."
-Boom!
My ears rang.
I had been hit.
From where, I had no idea; however, I had been touched by one of her mana spheres.
Then, as my eyes opened again, I could no longer see Serena in my field of view.
A whisper entered my mind.
"Behind you…"
-Boom!
"Argh…"
My mind was wavering.
I tried to look down toward my hands, but all I could see was red.
'Am I really about to lose against her?'
I shook my head.
That movement technique.
She could teleport at will.
It was completely overpowered. How was I supposed to deal with that?
"Haha! That's right. Cower in fear!" she shouted, smiling like a madman. "Finally, you're on your knees before me. It took you long enough to understand who you should look up to, fucking loser."
A kick in the stomach.
I felt it grinding against my bones.
It hurt.
However, even now, my face was neutral. I was neither mad nor angry.
The only reason I had lost was because of my lack of strength.
I had received help just like her and had still lost.
"LEVI! WAKE UP!"
I felt my eyes closing; I was close to dying.
It was a good thing that I had a .
"LEVI!"
I wasn't sure who was calling out to me, but I knew there was no point. I needed to respawn. I couldn't defeat Serena in my current state.
I could no longer feel my arms or my legs.
Pain was the only sensation spreading through my body.
[Many Watchers are disappointed in your mindset.]
[They look at you in a negative light.]
I smiled at those words that reached my mind.
"I don't give a shit what you think of me."
[Warning: Offending Watchers is a very bad idea and could impact your life in the Universal World. I would suggest speaking with caution.]
[Heavenly Angel is very disappointed in you.]
With my mind wavering, I looked at the sky and insulted that angel without a single care in the world.
"If you're not happy, why don't you come here yourself? Pathetic angel."
"LEVI! WAKE UP! IT'S NOT OVER."
But then, I finally recognized the voice that had been calling out to me.
It was Ruby.
Why did she believe in me?
Couldn't she see the state of my body?
I could no longer fight. I had no choice but to use my second chance to win against Serena.
[Godly Constitution is pushed to its limits.]
[You will be fully healed in five seconds.]
'What?'