The system flickered and came to life. Jelo could hear it clearly, even though no one else around him seemed to notice anything.
100 points gained. Opponent defeated. 100 points gained.
The voice echoed in his head.
But Jelo barely registered it. He was still trying to process everything that had just happened. He had defeated Nylen. Nylen. And now, he was among the top six in the class—one of the contenders for the four available positions.
The arena still felt charged. That residual energy that lingers after a real fight—when the crowd has gone quiet and the dust is still settling and nobody quite knows what to say yet. Jelo stood in it and let it wash over him. His knuckles were loose at his sides. His breathing had already leveled out. But his mind was still running.
Nylen hadn't been weak.
