5–2= Maruti

Even though Kaelith had won—

It didn't feel like a real victory at all.

Kaelith's face twisted in frustration.

When she finally had the chance to show off her true power, Maruti had surrendered just like that.

She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms.

She watched as Maruti casually walked out of the arena, acting as if nothing had happened.

Kaelith gritted her teeth.

Then—

Bam!

She kicked a loose stone on the ground with all her strength, sending it flying across the arena.

"Tch... I'm not playing anymore! I withdraw from this competition!" she shouted angrily.

Without waiting for anyone's reaction, she turned around and stormed out of the arena.

The entire crowd was left in shock.

Kaelith actually withdrew?!

That meant both Maruti and Kaelith were now out of the competition.

Nobody dared to stop her.

Nobody even dared to speak.

Everyone was simply too stunned.

Well—

Everyone except Esdeath.

She was smiling.

A mischievous, knowing smile.

"It all went according to plan after all!" she thought, her eyes gleaming.

Actually—

Before the competition even started, Maruti and Esdeath had made a secret agreement.

The deal was simple—

If either of them ended up facing Kaelith before the final round, that person had to make Kaelith withdraw or at least injure her.

Maruti had been the unlucky one to fight Kaelith first.

But by hurting Kaelith's pride, she had managed to make her quit the competition—just as they had planned.

Esdeath chuckled softly.

"Now, it's all up to me… Whether I get first place or not," she thought with a smirk.

--------------

A few minutes ago, outside the arena—

Two guards stood at their posts, wearing… rather unusual outfits.

Bright yellow chicken costumes.

Complete with shiny, oversized rockstar goggles.

One of the guards let out a deep sigh.

"Seriously… We're guards. Why do we have to wear these ridiculous costumes? It's so embarrassing!" he grumbled.

He adjusted his goggles in frustration.

"Especially these stupid goggles! I can't even see properly because of them!"

The second guard just shrugged.

"What can we do? It's part of the job. Besides, this year's competition is crazier than ever. More than twice the usual number of people are coming to watch," he explained.

Just then—

BOOM!

BAM!

The ground shook as loud explosions echoed from the arena.

But the two guards didn't even flinch.

They had already gotten used to it.

The first guard sighed again.

"I can tell just by the sounds… This fight must be insane. I wish I was inside watching," he muttered.

But then—

A girl walked towards them.

At once, the guards moved to block her path, standing tall at the entrance.

"Stop right there!" one of them said firmly.

"You're an academy student, right? If you want to enter, you have to pay! Five copper for an economy seat, two silver for a first-class seat. No one gets in for free!"

The girl nodded quickly.

"Umm… S-sorry! Wait a minute!"

It was Caramel.

She had a gloomy aura around her, and her bangs covered most of her forehead.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out five silver coins.

"I have five silver coins… and I need to pay two silver coins…" she mumbled, staring at the money in her hands.

"That means… Five minus two is…"

She paused.

Her expression stiffened.

Realization hit her like a bolt of lightning.

"Wait… How much is five minus two again?"

She froze.

No matter how hard she thought—

She couldn't figure it out.

The guards watched her in silence as she murmured to herself.

"Five minus two… Five minus two…"

They exchanged confused glances.

"Hey, girl… Are you okay?" the second guard asked, raising an eyebrow.

Caramel blinked at them.

"Umm… Yes, I'm fine! I was just trying to figure out… If five silver coins minus two silver coins equals six copper… or eight copper?" she asked seriously.

The two guards stared at each other.

Was this girl…

Mocking them?!

Or was she actually struggling to do basic math?

The first guard sighed, then placed a gentle hand on Caramel's shoulder.

"I think you should go back and rest," he said in a calm, concerned voice.

"Your condition doesn't seem too good. Make sure to visit a healer, okay?"

Caramel eventually nodded as she turned away, her footsteps light but her mind heavy with thoughts. She left the area and headed back toward the academy dormitory, her heart still racing from the lingering excitement.

Upon reaching her room, she sat on her bed, staring at the ceiling with wide eyes. Her thoughts ran in circles, her mind grasping at something just beyond her reach.

"Let's start again from the beginning," she muttered, her voice filled with determination. "Five minus two… One, two… Six, nine, three, eight…" She continued to mumble an absurd string of numbers, her brows furrowed in deep concentration.

Then, suddenly—

"Maruti!" she gasped.

Only one word escaped her lips, but it carried the weight of a revelation.

"Yes! That's it!" Caramel jumped up, her golden eyes gleaming like crystals under the moonlight. A crazed smile stretched across her face as she clapped her hands together.

"Five minus two equals Maruti! Maruti! Maruti is my everything! One is also Maruti! Two is also Maruti!" Her voice was filled with a strange mix of excitement and obsession.

She started spinning in circles, whispering, then chanting, then outright screaming—

"Maruti, Maruti, Maruti, Maruti, Maruti, Maruti, Maruti, Maruti—"

She repeated the name endlessly, as if the very sound of it was the answer to life itself. Her room echoed with her crazed devotion, her entire existence reduced to that one word.

Her breathing turned heavy, her chest rising and falling with excitement. Her face was flushed, her hands trembling.

She finally collapsed onto her bed, hugging her pillow tightly. "Maruti…" she whispered, her voice soft now, almost like a prayer. "You are my everything."

Her obsession had taken root—deep, unwavering, and unstoppable.

Meanwhile, at the grand arena, an unexpected turn of events had shocked the spectators.

Kaelith had withdrawn from the competition.

This sudden withdrawal changed everything.

Now, only two contestants remained—Esdeath Crimson and Ethan Rothslayer. The semi-final match had instantly turned into the final battle.

Whoever won this fight would take first place.

Some people in the audience were disappointed that Kaelith had withdrawn, but the majority were thrilled.

Why?

Because if Kaelith had stayed in the competition, she would have likely won. There would have been no tension, no excitement, no suspense.

But now?

Now, anything could happen.

The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation. The crowd murmured in excitement, their eyes locked onto the two remaining contestants.

The referee stepped forward, raising his hand. "Ethan Rothslayer! Esdeath Crimson! Step into the arena!"

Both fighters moved forward.

Ethan carried a long, gleaming sword, its sharp edge reflecting the golden sunlight. His expression was calm but focused, his grip on the hilt firm.

Esdeath, on the other hand, held a sleek, black pistol in her hand. It was small, seemingly unimpressive compared to Ethan's powerful blade.

The audience whispered among themselves.

"Does she really think she can fight with a gun?"

"Guns are useless! She's already lost!"

"There's no way she can defeat Ethan with that!"

Esdeath ignored the chatter. She knew the truth.

Guns were weak in this world.

But that didn't mean she was.

She tightened her grip on the pistol, her sharp blue eyes calculating.

"I can't use my full power," she thought, her mind racing with strategy. "If I start pulling out advanced weapons from my inventory, it'll cause too much attention. The ZK-20… I can't reveal it until the second arc ends."

She knew the dangers.

If the higher-ups—especially Lilith—saw her using weapons far beyond this world's technology, they wouldn't be amazed.

They would be afraid.

They would want to take those weapons for themselves.

This wasn't some cliché ecchi isekai where the protagonist shows off their power and everyone just admires them or falls in love.

This world was cruel. This world had politics.

If someone had power, that power had to benefit the rulers—or they would eliminate the threat before it could grow.

Esdeath knew her own personality too well. She was not the kind of person who could be easily controlled. Even Lilith understood that.

That's why she had to be careful.

"But," she smirked to herself, "I can still use the newly developed weapons from the Dwarf Kingdom. They look similar, but their power levels are much lower. Even if someone notices…"

She glanced at Lortell Mariette in the audience.

"I can just say Lortell provided me with the blueprints, and I only modified them a little. Then I can call myself a genius."

It wasn't even a lie.

Lortell had given her information on firearms—rifles, snipers, even other advanced weapons.

But Lortell didn't know one thing.

Esdeath knew far, far more about weapons than Lortell ever would.

She hid her smirk and focused back on the match.

The final battle was about to begin.