Yuuji woke up in the only way one should at Halcyon Academy: with mild dread and an overwhelming desire to transfer schools.
The sun peeked through enchanted windows that automatically adjusted based on the student's sleep cycles. (Which sounded helpful until you realized it was tracking your REM state.)
He rolled over and smacked a glowing notification box out of the air.
[System Reminder: Tournament Rankings Post Today]
➤ Optional Quest: Emotionally Prepare Yourself
➤ Sub-Objective: Pretend You Don't Care
➤ Bonus XP if You Don't Sigh Before Breakfast (0/1 Completed)
Yuuji sighed.
From the other side of the room, Elira gave a low, almost amused hum. "Failed already?"
"Before I even stood up," he muttered. "This system is cruel."
"Life is cruel. The system just has better graphic design."
He groaned into his pillow. "I'm too emotionally fragile for wisdom right now."
Hall of Rankings — Also Known As: The Public Shaming Plaza
By midday, nearly the entire student body was packed into the central courtyard, where four glowing obelisks towered like ancient monoliths of doom.
Each bore the crest of a House — Draconis, Sylvaeon, Nocturne, and Aetherlight — and hovered beneath them were magical projections of the current team standings.
Yuuji shuffled in beside Elira and Kael, the latter of whom had somehow managed to make his cloak billow without wind. Again.
"Why is everyone so dramatic here?" Yuuji muttered.
Kael didn't even look at him. "It's not drama. It's atmosphere."
The rankings flared to life.
Inter-House Tournament Trial Rankings:
1st Place — Team 2 (Draconis): A-rank Trial Completion, Zero Injuries, Bonus Objective Completed2nd Place — Team 7 (Aetherlight): A-rank Trial, High Damage Output, Stylish Execution3rd Place — Team 5 (Mixed): B+ Completion, Strategic Improvisation, Moderate Trauma
[You Are Here →]
4th Place — Team 3 (Nocturne): C+ Completion, Summoned a Minor Hellbeast, Points Deducted5th Place — Team 9 (Sylvaeon): B Completion, Allergic Reaction to Challenge Flora6th Place — Team 6 (Draconis): D Rank, Disqualified for Punching the Puzzle Room
Yuuji squinted. "Wait... third? We placed third?"
[System Alert: Achievement Unlocked — "Unexpectedly Competent"]
➤ +1 Stat Boost: Reputation (Academic Combat Division)
➤ New Passive Perk: "People Might Actually Expect Things From You Now"
Elira blinked slowly. "Acceptable."
Kael just muttered, "The raven is satisfied."
The raven cawed and hopped ominously.
Yuuji scratched the back of his neck. "Well, at least no one—"
"Yuuji Hoshino."
The voice sliced through the courtyard like a perfectly polished blade.
Yuuji froze.
"I formally challenge you to a duel."
He turned. Slowly. Regretfully.
There, standing on the raised stone platform like he was posing for a promotional poster, was none other than Liam Everhart.
Crimson cape, flawless posture, one eyebrow raised with just the right amount of noble disdain. A crowd had already formed around him, half in admiration, half in anticipation of blood.
Yuuji blinked twice. "You're kidding."
"I am not," Liam replied smoothly. "House Draconis does not ignore affronts to its honor. And your... unconventional victory during the Trial has not gone unnoticed."
"I was literally the last person to touch the artifact."
"Exactly," Liam said. "In the moment of glory, you stood above me."
Yuuji turned to Elira. "Is that even what happened?"
"You technically retrieved it," she admitted. "While Kael was unconscious."
Kael helpfully raised a hand. "I was embracing entropy."
Yuuji turned back to Liam. "Okay, so this is because you tripped on my spell trap and lost the crowd?"
"Precisely."
[New Quest: Duel of Honor — "Liam's Revenge!"]
➤ Objective: Don't Die
➤ Bonus: Embarrass Him Again (1,000 Bonus XP)
➤ Warning: High Chance of Property Damage
Yuuji looked to the sky. "I JUST wanted to teach."
The Arena Again — Someone Please Remove His Name From the Plot
Yuuji stood at the center of a smaller dueling arena now hovering beside the main one. It was made of polished obsidian and embedded with containment glyphs. Floating seating rings surrounded the battlefield, currently filling with gossip-hungry students.
Elira sat off to the side with her arms crossed. "This is a mistake."
Kael sipped something dark and probably cursed. "Oh, he will fall. The question is how poetically."
Professor Varnes officiated from above. "ONE ROUND. FIRST STRIKE OR CONCESSION. BEGIN ON MY MARK."
Yuuji adjusted his sleeves nervously. "Okay, Yuuji. You've fought worse. Probably. Maybe."
Liam twirled a wand engraved with golden dragons and smirked. "Try to impress me, commoner."
"Try not to trip again, drama prince."
Gasps rippled.
[Bonus Objective: Completed — Deliver Pre-Duel Burn (Grade: B)]
Varnes raised a hand. "BEGIN!"
Liam opened with a blazing arc of crimson fire—classic Draconis aggression. It spiraled into a twin-headed serpent that hissed through the air.
Yuuji reflexively dropped into a slide, summoned a wind barrier, and redirected the flames just enough to make the serpent crash into the containment wall.
A cheer rose from the bleachers.
"Fine," Liam muttered, eyes narrowing. "Plan B."
Three quick flicks of his wand and a shower of razor-light glyphs danced across the floor. They spun, locked, and surged toward Yuuji like magical landmines.
[System Quick Prompt: Use Adaptive Combat Trick?]
➤ Suggested: Improvised Reversal — Illusion-Cloaked Counterstrike
Yuuji accepted without thinking.
He swirled his mana, summoned a decoy illusion just before the glyphs struck, and disappeared in a blur.
The crowd gasped.
Yuuji reappeared behind Liam and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
"Boo."
Liam flinched—and triggered one of his own glyph traps in panic.
Boom.
A small, neat, entirely non-lethal explosion sent him spinning into the sand.
The silence was beautiful.
Varnes cleared his throat. "VICTORY: YUUJI HOSHINO."
Yuuji blinked.
Elira actually applauded. Twice.
Kael whispered, "A work of art."
Liam groaned. "Unacceptable..."
[Quest Complete: Duel of Honor]
➤ Rewards:
• +3 Public Reputation
• Title Gained: "Unintentionally Cool Under Pressure"
• Special Item: Duelist's Ribbon (Proof of Victory)
Back in the Lounge — Where Sanity Goes to Nap
Yuuji sprawled across the couch like a man who had just accidentally become cool.
Elira handed him tea.
"You survived."
"I got a ribbon," he said, dazed. "Why do I have a ribbon."
Kael leaned over. "You impressed the student body and embarrassed nobility. You're either doomed or beloved."
"Both," Elira added. "Welcome to the middle arc."
[System Update: Story Progression Unlocked — "Arc II: Tournament Chaos"]
Yuuji moaned into his tea. "I hate arcs."