Nixxin was sitting casually on top of his enemy, who lay helpless beneath him, unable to move. The battlefield around them was already quiet, as if the fight had ended long before this moment. Nixxin rested his chin on his hand and looked down with mild boredom.
"Oh... hey Oniu. What are you doing here?" he asked, as if they had just met in a hallway instead of a battlefield.
Without answering right away, Oniu raised his bow and fired an arrow straight toward the tower nearby. The arrow struck with precision, and the structure began to crack before collapsing into pieces.
"I already ended my enemies in the bottom lane," Oniu replied calmly.
Nixxin glanced down again at the defeated enemy beneath him. He picked up a small stick lying beside him and stabbed the enemy with it. The stick did no real damage, but he kept poking anyway, almost absentmindedly. Again and again, he stabbed, as if trying to feel something from the action.
After a few seconds, he let out a long sigh. "I didn't know it would be this easy."
He stood up and stretched his arms. "Oniu, since you're a good healer, follow Drei. He has problems with energy. I'm going to Kael. He has problems controlling himself, you know, some kind of hulk stuff."
Oniu nodded, and the two of them moved toward the enemy base. They expected resistance, maybe a final struggle, but when they arrived, they froze for a moment.
Kael and Drei were already there, standing near the remains of the base, doing nothing. It was already over.
"You guys took your time," Kael said with a smirk.
"It was the easiest fight we've ever had," Drei added.
"And with that, the match has ended," a voice echoed, signaling their victory.
When they returned, Drei rushed straight back to their room. "It's so damn easy," he muttered under his breath.
The others stayed behind. They ate, watched random shows, talked a bit, and eventually fell asleep without much thought. But Drei could not sleep.
He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind racing. No matter how hard he tried, he could not stop thinking about how much better he needed to become. The victories did not comfort him. Instead, they made him feel like something was missing.
Eventually, he got up and walked outside.
The night air was cool, but the sky felt empty. He looked up, expecting to see stars, but there were none. Everything was blocked by the massive Dyson Sphere that surrounded their world, cutting them off from the natural sky.
As he walked down the road, he passed by a shoe store. Something in the window caught his attention. He stopped.
There was a pair of shoes on display. They looked familiar. They reminded him of Zia.
The shoes were much more beautiful than the ones Zia currently owned. Zia had something similar, but not as polished. He remembered that her friend had given her those shoes as a birthday gift.
Drei had not given her anything.
He stood there for a moment, staring at the display, then slowly turned away. He told himself that he just needed the prize pool from the tournament. That was what mattered.
The tournament rewards were huge. Even reaching the top ranks could change a person's life. If you made it into the top four as a standout player, you could afford a house, a car, and everything else you needed.
But for Drei, it felt impossible.
There was a gap between him and the strongest players. Names like Aeolous came to mind. He could not compete with people like that. He knew it deep down.
He would lose.
And worse than losing, he would embarrass himself.
The next morning came quickly.
"Huaahhhhh!" Kael shouted as he woke up, stretching loudly.
Outside, a vehicle was already waiting to take them to their second match. Everyone got ready, though Nixxin barely bothered to change.
"Ugh, I just want to go home early," Nixxin said. "Let's end this game fast."
When the match started, Nixxin faced an opponent wielding a sword. The enemy was not particularly skilled, but still strong enough to be considered above average.
The enemy lunged forward, aiming a thrust at Nixxin. Without hesitation, Nixxin raised his hand and stopped the blade mid attack. He grabbed the enemy's arm tightly.
Then, with ease, he pulled the sword away.
Nixxin swung the weapon in a wide arc, cutting through waves of minions. He moved forward toward the tower, slashing repeatedly, each strike chipping away at its structure.
Suddenly, the enemy respawned. The sword vanished from Nixxin's hand and reappeared with its owner.
The enemy charged again, delivering a powerful slash. Nixxin dodged effortlessly, causing the attack to hit the tower instead.
Before the enemy could recover, Nixxin grabbed their face and slammed it into the tower. He kept pushing, crushing them against it until the structure gave way and collapsed.
When they reached the enemy base, Nixxin simply sat down.
"I'm done," he said casually.
Oniu stepped forward and destroyed the base without much effort.
Later, while everyone was eating, their trainer entered the room.
"Everyone, we're going back home. Our two days here are finished, and you all have school tomorrow."
The group reacted instantly. They rushed through their food, eating so quickly that crumbs and spills scattered across the table. No one bothered to clean up.
Kael stood up first. "Let's go home. This tournament has no challenge anyway."
The four of them boarded their spaceship. The journey back was quick, and when they landed, they realized something unexpected.
They were at school.
It was lunchtime.
Drei stepped out and looked around in disbelief. "What the hell? Why here? Out of every place?"
They had landed right in the school yard.
Students quickly gathered around them, cheering loudly. Their fame from the tournament had already spread.
Kael noticed some familiar faces. His friends were trying to get his attention, calling out to him, but he ignored them and started walking away.
"Wait, Kael!" Oniu called out. "School isn't finished yet!"
Only three of them stayed behind in the school area. They eventually made their way to the court, where students were eating and talking.
"Hey, Oniu!" someone shouted.
Oniu turned and saw his brother waving at him from across the court.