Charles cursed silently as rain soaked his black tunic, streaming down his face and mingling with blood from his wrecked hands.
'Why the hell did I say I'd keep going?' he thought, heart pounding.
His legs shook, barely holding him up, and his vision blurred, like looking through fogged glass.
Nausea churned, and his hands, nearly immobile, hung at his sides, pink flesh exposed under shredded bandages.
'I'm freaking exhausted,' he thought, breathing hard.
"System… show my status," he muttered as quietly as he could.
A blue panel appeared, barely visible in the rain:
Name: Rian Cole
Element: Lightning
Level: 5
Stats
Health: 10/100
Energy: 2%
System Intelligence: 3
Control Level: 2
XP: 1571/1600
Available Upgrade Points: 0
'Damn… 10 health points,' he thought, a knot in his stomach. 'One more hit, and I'm done for.'
Nora's warning about the guy who lost his hands hit like a punch.
'What if I die in this fight?' he thought, feeling a fear he hadn't known before.
He wanted to yell that he gave up, but the words stuck in his throat.
Sarn, the second-best Novice, stood before him, tunic drenched, his confident expression forced.
"I'm gonna end you, Cole!" he shouted, raising his hands.
Wind swirled around him, forming sharp gusts.
One grazed Charles, slicing his left leg.
He grunted, dodging late, but the cut was deep, blood mixing with rain.
'Shit, I'm too slow now,' he thought, staggering.
Sarn laughed, keeping his distance.
"I'm not letting you get close, idiot!" he yelled, launching another gust.
Charles gave a weak laugh, spotting fear in Sarn's eyes.
'He's acting tough, but he's scared of my explosion,' he thought.
But the truth was brutal: an explosion cost 15 health points, and with only 10, using one would kill him.
The water trick wasn't an option either; his energy was nearly gone, and recharging by moving was impossible.
'This fight's a guaranteed loss,' he thought, bitterness in his mouth.
Sarn kept attacking from afar, hurling gusts that sliced the air.
Charles dodged, but not with his earlier agility.
His movements were clumsy, each step a struggle.
Yet something pushed him to try something new.
He spun on one hand, pulling off an acrobatic move that shocked everyone, including himself.
'Since when can I do that…?' he thought, landing shakily.
The Novices murmured, impressed.
"How's he moving like that when he's so beat up?" a girl whispered.
"He's a monster…" another said, eyes wide.
Sarn scoffed, launching another gust.
"I'm not getting close, coward!" he shouted. "Keep running!"
He conjured a bigger gust, so strong it pushed the Novices back.
Isuke, the instructor, had to grab a post to stay upright.
'He's desperate,' Charles thought, seeing fear in Sarn's strategy.
But the truth was he had no strength to close the gap. His legs barely worked, and his vision kept blurring.
Charles closed his eyes, letting the rain hit his face.
'I've done enough,' he thought, feeling the weight of exhaustion.
But a question stopped him.
'Is it better to lose without trying, or to lose giving everything, even knowing I can't win?'
He laughed, a faint but resolute sound.
'Damn it, I didn't come this far to quit,' he thought, shifting to charge at Sarn.
"I'm not letting you get close!" Sarn yelled, firing gust after gust, each faster.
Charles dodged as best he could, but his body was at its limit.
'If I can't use both hands…' he thought, 'what if I use just one?'
He didn't know if it'd work, but there was no time to doubt.
'Even if it kills me, I've gotta try,' he thought, sprinting at Sarn with a yell.
The Novices held their breath, and Isuke clenched his fists, struck by Charles's resolve.
'That spirit…' he thought, recalling the Grand Master's words.
But just as Sarn raised his hands, prepping a gust aimed at Charles's neck, lightning lit the sky.
CRASH!
A bolt struck Sarn with a deafening roar.
"Aaaghhhh!"
He screamed, convulsing before collapsing, unconscious, tunic charred, body still.
Silence gripped the field, broken only by the rain.
Charles froze, eyes wide.
'Uh… I didn't do that!' he thought, heart racing.
He glanced at the sky, then at Sarn, forcing a neutral expression, like he knew what happened.
'I'll play dumb,' he thought, taking a deep breath.
Isuke stared at Charles, baffled.
'Was that him?' he thought, but the idea seemed impossible. 'No… lightning can't be controlled.'
He shook his head, convinced it was an act of the heavens.
'The clan's will has spoken, and now I must step in,' he thought.
"Rian Cole wins!" Isuke shouted, his tone blending awe and excitement.
The Novices murmured, stunned.
"He really won…?"
"Yeah, he won, but… lightning? Seriously?"
"That can't be his power," another said, frowning.
A girl laughed, covering her mouth.
"Talk about bad luck for that guy!" she said, shaking her head.
Grek, a tall, burly boy, stepped forward, but before he could speak, Isuke grabbed Charles's hand, startling him, and raised it.
"Wait!" Isuke shouted, his voice echoing across the field. "Rian Cole is the absolute victor! From now on, he's officially Warrior rank!"
The Novices gasped, and Grek scowled.
"What!? But I'm still left!" he protested, pointing at Charles. "You said he had to beat everyone!"
Isuke looked at him, a tired smile forming.
"You really wanna fight him in that state?" he asked, gesturing at Charles, who could barely stand. "I said beating everyone would make him Warrior, but that was an exaggeration, a tradition. Most don't even beat the tenth, and Rian took down nine of ten, including a coward who fled because of him."
He laughed, shaking his head.
"That counts as a battlefield win."
Grek clenched his fists, cursing Charles in his mind.
'Damn Cole!' he thought, teeth gritted.
But he didn't dare challenge his instructor.
The other Novices exchanged looks, some impressed, others relieved.
"The Coles are something else," a girl whispered.
"Glad I didn't have to fight him," another muttered, laughing nervously.
Isuke raised his voice.
"Anyone object?" he shouted, eyeing the Novices.
But no one spoke. The silence was total, broken only by the rain.
"Then it's settled!" Isuke said, clapping his hands. "Congratulations, Rian Cole, you're now Warrior rank in the Storm Clan!"
The Novices applauded, some eagerly, others grudgingly.
"He's a beast!" one boy shouted.
"Nobody's gonna wanna fight him now!" another said, laughing.
Charles, vision fading, let out a weak laugh.
'Is this… for real?' he thought, looking at the Novices and instructor.
Adrenaline had kept him upright, but his body was done.
Before he realized it, his legs gave out, and he collapsed, unconscious, rain pelting his face.
Isuke, watching, couldn't help but smile, wondering where the hell this monster came from.