Number 34

Just as Luke bewildered about what's the relationship between Amon and Zach, the door got knocked once again.

Remembering how the annoying Zach managed to enter his room, Luke warily asked, "Who is it?"

Without any warning, the door slides open, and a small head belonged to Aisyl popped out. Seeing it was Aisyl who came to visit him, Luke subconsciously let out a sigh of relief. Realizing Aisyl kept standing outside the door, Luke beckoned him, "Come in, Aisyl."

Hearing the confirmation from Luke, Aisyl began entered the room and glanced curiously at Luke, "Why are you sound annoyed before?"

"You can tell?" Luke answered as he began sat comfortably on the couch and patting the seat beside him, signalling Aisyl to sit on it.

"Of course, you're too obvious." Aisyl chuckled and sat beside Luke.

"Am I? Just before, a senior came to visit me and asked me to join his team for Lark Yearly Battle Cup." Luke narrated and began telling how Zach entered his room and offered him an invitation.

Finish with his narration. Luke asked Aisyl's opinion, "So, what do you think?"

With fingers curled upon his chin, Aisyl asked back, "What do you think then?"

"I think I'm gonna reject his proposal. Not only my power isn't sufficient, but I also kinda feel uncomfortable around him." Luke answered after contemplated for a moment.

"Good choice," Aisyl gave thumbs-up before narrowed his eyes, "Why do you feel uncomfortable around him? Did he harras you?"

"Of course not!" Luke quickly rebuked embarrassedly.

-Two Days Later-

After getting approval from his appointed doctor, Luke could now finally leave the hospital. Even the doctor itself was surprised by how fast his recovery is. Luke could only laugh awkwardly at his question regarding that. He couldn't possibly disclose system existence, didn't he?

Upon exiting the hospital, Luke immediately goes to the stadium as the competition would start in two hours.

...

Because most students that participated in battle royale two days ago already lose, the stadium is getting more crowded than before. Even Luke, who is the champion, had to squeeze through the crowd to finally able to enter the stadium.

'I wonder where my friends are?' Luke wondered as he began walked to a private lounge that belonged to the top 64 participants.

Kuvar and Timothy were visiting him yesterday. Then, as Luke expected, both of them didn't succeed and even lost miserably. As for Brian, his whereabouts were still unknown until now.

After confirmed his identity with the attendant, Luke start entered the lounge. Once inside, Luke immediately spotted many unfamiliar faces that directed their gazes over him and scrutinizing him as if he was object observation. Even with his eccentric personality, Luke found it awkward and uncomfortable for getting stared at. Fortunately, they only stare at him for a few seconds before retracting their gazes as their eyes landed on his badge.

'Lucky, lucky' Luke patted his chest inwardly and thanked God that his E Rank Badge actually saved him now.

(I changed his rank from F to E)

After finding his seat respectively, Luke began sat on it and took out his phone, trying to relieve his boredom.

"Sorry for couldn't pick you up. My friend is still sleeping and only woke up just now." Aisyl messaged apologetically.

"It's fine. Wait, what's the connection between your friend oversleep and you couldn't pick me up then?" Luke responded confusingly.

"Of course they are related, but I cannot tell you for now, ~" Aisyl replied mysteriously before sending another text, "Anyway, what's our mister champion feeling right now? Are you nervous? Are you feeling thrilled that you felt goosebumps rising on your whole body?"

Luke chuckled at her attempt of joking to ease his anxiousness, "It was, but not anymore."

Time flew by while they were chatting and soon, the two-hour duration finished. An attendant came inside the room and briefed them a little that they would be required to draw lots after they entered the arena. Luke and the rest nodded their heads as the attendant started giving them a number that will be used as their participant number.

"Number 34," Luke muttered under his breath and began marched along with other participants exiting the room.

At this moment, all participants already changed their clothes into the same uniform as they got on battle royale.

--Stadium--

"Do you think big brother Luke will win?" Timothy asked Kuvar, who seated beside him anxiously.

"I don't know, that jerk really conceals himself deeply," Kuvar said furiously. When he visited Luke a few days ago, he wanted to ridicule Luke for getting severely injured without managed to reach the top 64. But, who would expect that he actually did it! He was taken aback by that fact as he didn't expect a normal-looking like Luke was that strong.

"He even hid the fact he got a girlfriend already! I guess we don't need to get much worried about him. Who knows what else he got this time." After their misunderstanding a few days back, Kuvar and Aisyl never meet again at the same place. So misunderstanding kept continued even after Luke explains until his saliva runs out.

The two didn't say anything else because the top 64 participants already come out from their lounge.

Except for Luke, every participant that present now had a rank between D until A. Thus, Luke's appearance quite strings a commotion between the onlookers.

"Isn't that guy Rank E? How does he enter the top 64?"

"I bet he's hiding throughout the entire battle royale and lucky enough to remain standing until all of us fell one by one."

...

Luke was aware of many pairs of ridicule gazes that directed over him, but he couldn't care any less since his attention was all placed upon the drawing lots he would draw later on. As one after another participants began raffling the lots, it's finally Luke's turn to draw.

Sauntered over a glass jar that contains papers with participant numbers on it, Luke silently prayed as his hand slowly ventured inside the jar. He rummaged and pulled out his hand within a couple of seconds.

Holding his breath, Luke began to unfold the paper.

"Number 1," Luke mumbled and showed the unfolded paper into the camera.

"Heh, don't worry guys, I'll make him know his own place." An ugly-looking man with a small build cupped his fist to the rest of the participants. Although no one voiced their complaint toward Luke partaking in the competition by his E-Rank. They silently had an agreement that they should teach this low-rank guy.