The air was thick with mist and the tang of ozone. The Water Dragon had retreated to the southern river basin, leaving a trail of shattered flora and raging rapids in its wake. The plain was a chaotic mess of broken ground, overturned trees, and magic residue.
Takeru staggered along the bank, every step sending a shiver of exhaustion through him. His hands still trembled from the Air Dragon ordeal. His mana bar lingered precariously at 18%, still too low to take any serious risks.
> Advisory: Mana critically low. You are walking a thin line between inconvenience and death.
"Yeah, I know," he muttered, voice dry. The system's voice cut through his thoughts immediately:
> You always know. That's why you're alive. Barely.
He stumbled forward as the rest of Class 2-B began regrouping. The river sparkled unnaturally, residual mana flowing visibly along its surface like liquid energy. Students who'd been spread out were slowly converging. Haruto and the S-rank mages were visibly exhausted but triumphant.
The Water Dragon appeared in the distance—a massive serpentine beast, scales shimmering like liquid sapphire, flowing across the river with uncanny grace. Its roar split the air like thunder.
Takeru froze. His mana stung in his veins, every flicker of power a reminder of how close he'd come to dying.
> Advisory: Attempted engagement with a high-density mana organism is not recommended without adequate resources.
He groaned. "Yeah, I know, you asshole."
---
The class split instinctively into attack formations. Fire-affinity users worked to dry riverbanks, water users manipulated currents, and air users skimmed the skies to hinder the dragon's flight. Haruto barked instructions with his usual overconfidence.
Takeru hung back. He was low on mana. He couldn't keep up with them. But sitting there doing nothing wasn't an option.
> Recommendation: Contribute minimally and survive.
He began forming a single water-core, earth-secondary circle. Not much, but enough to destabilize the ground under the dragon's feet if it attempted to step on the bank. Every glyph was painfully slow to form. His hands ached. Mana burned.
The dragon roared again. It moved closer. Students' combined spells lit the river basin with explosive energy. Takeru's weak, wobbly circle wasn't impressive. But then:
> Toon Distortion activated: Micro compensation engaged.
The circle's lines stretched, warped, and snapped back in improbable alignment. When he activated it, the earth beneath the dragon shifted slightly, enough to make its footing unstable. A synchronized attack from multiple S-rank students struck the beast precisely at its weak spots.
A series of controlled explosions and water blasts slammed the dragon. It thrashed violently, tail sweeping over the riverbank and tossing several students off their feet. But the attacks continued, relentless.
Finally—
A final coordinated strike hit the dragon's head. It screamed one last deafening roar before collapsing into the river with a massive splash. Currents of mana rippled across the basin. Silence fell over the battlefield.
Takeru dropped to his knees, breathing hard. Mud and water splashed over him, mingling with blood and residual magic energy. His hands shook.
> Mana Level: 4%
He nearly groaned aloud. The system immediately snapped:
> Warning: Mana critically low. Host survival at severe risk.
"Yeah, I fucking know!" Takeru yelled. He slammed a hand into the dirt.
From the rubble, a classmate appeared—Shiori, a quiet AAA1 water mage who had been mostly focused on currents during the fight. She walked toward him, holding something small and glowing faintly.
"Here," she said, tossing him two small vials. They sparkled faintly with condensed mana.
Takeru blinked. "What is—?"
> Advisory: Mana potions detected. Recommended consumption for survival.
He caught the vials instinctively. Each one contained enough mana to restore roughly 30% of his depleted reserves. He didn't trust himself to wait. He uncorked the first and swallowed it down. The liquid felt like fire sliding through his veins, burning and soothing simultaneously. The mana bar shot upward to 34%. He didn't even wait before popping the second. 64%.
> Recommendation: Do not die.
Suggestion: Consider this a temporary reprieve, not a miracle.
Takeru exhaled, leaning against a jagged boulder. "Thanks…" he muttered.
> Sarcasm acknowledged. You are welcome in the minimal sense.
He glared at the system, which made a faint squiggly frown appear in its hand-drawn interface.
> Observation: You are exhausting your survival margin faster than anyone sane would.
Additional observation: You look ridiculous doing it.
"Glad you noticed," he muttered.
---
Across the basin, rewards floated into existence—small glowing boxes with gold trim. Students were already grabbing them, opening chests to reveal a mix of consumables, spell scrolls, and minor magical artifacts.
Takeru crawled toward one nearby, hesitating as his hands brushed the glowing chest. His fingers itched to see if there was something useful for him.
> Advisory: Loot efficiency low for bottom-tier users. Likelihood of beneficial outcome: minimal.
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, opening the chest.
Inside were a small enchanted dagger, a crude leather pouch, and a single spell scroll: Basic Arcane Focus. Not game-changing, but enough to make him marginally more effective in the next fight.
> Advisory: Congratulations. Your spoils are technically functional.
Probability of usefulness: 37%.
Takeru grinned faintly. "Better than nothing."
Shiori waved from a nearby ridge. "Don't die before you learn how to use that scroll," she called.
> Advisory: Your social interactions are minimal and awkward. Continue as is.
"Yeah, I got it, thanks," he said, swallowing another gulp of water and adjusting the leather strap of his small dagger pouch.
> Advisory: You are still FFFF20. You are still alone. You are still ridiculous.
Recommendation: Move forward.
Takeru pushed himself up. Mana now stabilized at 64%. Still not full, but enough to survive a moderate engagement.
> Observation: You are breathing. That counts for something.
He scanned the horizon. The last dragon—the Air Dragon—was down. The other two, Earth and Water, were gone. The battlefield was littered with students, debris, and residual magical energy.
> Advisory: Class-wide coordination has fractured. Survival now depends on self-reliance.
Takeru clenched his fists.
"Alright," he muttered. "I survived. I got loot. I'm not dead yet. Let's see how annoying I can be next."
> Advisory: That is the correct attitude for a low-tier nuisance.
With that, he slung the dagger across his back, pocketed the mana potions, and began walking toward the next challenge, keeping his eyes on the distant mountains where new threats could appear at any moment.
> Advisory: You are an FFFF20 organism.
Congratulations. You are still alive.
Objective: Keep it that way.
---