The Inevitable Rival

A clinking sound echoed in my apartment as the horn of cars could be heard in the distance. The magenta sky bled into darkness as city lights illuminated the commercial district and street vendors.

I stabbed my fork into my plate of carbonara and twirled it into a medium sized ball of pasta. Popping it into my mouth and chewing methodically, flavours of creaminess and bacon filled my tongue.

Lapsing into a state of content for a moment, I was pulled back into reality when another fork collided with a plate.

From my position of standing beside my kitchen, an easy look to my bed showed a figure hunched over a plate of pasta. Their mouth stretched wide to accomodate what looked to be a massive ball of carbonara on their fork. 

To no surprise Vanessa simply chomped down and ate normally.

This girl...

"What are you looking at me for?"

Vanessa jolted her head up to swish her bangs to the side before starring at me. On her lips smeared all over was my food...

"Well, what do you think? Just leave if we're done already, I'm trying to leave some for tomorrow." Both our gazes subconsciously looked to the frying pan two thirds already finished. 

I sighed and bit into my carbonara once again. Was I being too kind-hearted to these female leads? Did that blessing from Nala give me nine subconsciouses, or nine hearts?

I need to stop doing this.

As soon as I collected the plate from the regretful Vanessa who still had an eye on my leftovers, I opened the door and ushered her out.

"Leave and never come back..."

"...Like never?" Her face tiled down and her beady eyes shined with pitifulness.

"Yes."

...

...

Apart from training, there wasn't much to do by myself anymore. Hidden powers like the blessing from Nala weren't just scattered throughout the place. They weren't things I could simply go to and pick up.

Power ups by definition weren't meant to be gained through that way. A person needed to struggle or make a difficult decision in order to gain something. That was a common sense in this world and something this now realised world made abundantly clear.

Despite my extensive efforts in trying my hardest to train up my strength and agility, they never even budged a minor upgrade. It made sense since I was just in the beginnings of the novel.

Of course in time I would need to drastically level up my attributes, but in the mean time they were decent to say the least. The rest of the cast fared much better, but thats because they were the main characters.

There was no real reason at the moment for me to be concerned. With most of my strength coming from my movement art and my strong quick decision-making, pairing it with my foreknowledge of things made me confident in most fights. 

Speaking of main characters, there was still a person I had yet to meet. Of the cast for the first act of the story, he's considered the most pivotal character. Someone with a personality like mine almost.

Arthur Starlight's rival, conquerer of the copper sky and everlasting desert,

my fellow tribe member,

Damian Ellot.

The dragon rider prince...

I'll let that sink in a moment.

Anyhow, Damian was an essential plot point for Arthur's progression as he actually motivated the both of them to grow ridiculously strong. From being regular freshmen to having the same prowess as a second year at the very end of the semester, it was absurd.

But then again it was a mandatory growth due to the 'incidents' that would happen frequently surrounding them.

As for why I'm talking about him, perhaps the situation I'm in would be of some help. 

Of the three trials for Kordell Academy, the first one tested individual strength and personality. The second tested battle prowess against a similar opponent of strength. 

But as for the third trial, in a world as crazy as this one, it rightfully tested one's survival skills. It was a wilderness simulation that was hosted in the city of Jye.

I was living in a novel's world but to some degree, it started to feel like my old one? So what better way to entertain myself than to watch the plot unfold when nothing else was going on.

So that's how I ended up as a spectator in this gigantic colosseum probably built a couple hundred years ago. Spectators of all kinds came to view the event since the Kordell Academy was essentially the National school for the elite.

The entrance exam was a small time event that people of all ages were welcome to observe. To see the potential of the next generation's heroes. 

The structure of the stadium was said to have been made from limestone and volcanic rock. But as the years went by, the city counsel repurposed the 'death arena' and renovated most of its base structure with more compact metals such as the all purposed Mana Stone.

It can also be noted in the crowd a few professional folks with assistants and tablets out. Not only was it a free experience to the everyday person, but also to the scouts looking for fresh meat for their guild. Nothing new really.

Looking down at the simulated environment of the jungle in the middle of the colosseum, there seemed to be a sort of space manipulation. From my extreme viewpoint it seemed impossibly deep and compact in the centre that so much could fit in.

Students. Beasts. The jungle environment. Even remote controlled robots meant for a more up-close and personal viewing experience which would be shown from the four massive screens towering over the crowds like a stadium.

Space magic is pretty nifty like that.

With a hand gripping onto a half-eaten corndog and the other scrolling through my phone, I was genuinely enjoying myself. Who knew watching children running from great beasts and fighting against each other could be so amusing.

The influence of this world is too great...

"Shouldn't you be focusing more on the trial, Khael?"

A husky voice sounded from the side of me and I turned to his attention. Spiky obsidian hair. Golden eyes. A love-heart shaped face and copper skin...

He's essentially a better version of me.

"Nah, I'm not all too worried about the others." I bit into my corndog. "I mean, I already passed the examination. Right?"

The much more duller and gentle guy nodded before scribbling something in his notebook. He pushed a pair of silver-rimmed glasses up his nose before continuing to study our classmates. 

"...I see." A sidewards glance that was pointed at me which barely noticeable, hinted at his skepticism.

I looked at my sudden companion and contemplated a thought. Our interaction was happenstance as our allocated seats positioned us next to each other. It seemed he recognised me from some clip on the internet and began to talk to me. That was how our acquaintanceship began.

It helped even more since we came from the same tribe. At least allegedly for one of us. Mere memories don't quite help my familiarity of the place.

One wouldn't believe this was The Damian Ellot, surely not this awkward nerd. His moniker by many fans of the novel was, Charging Ox. So how could it be this timid young man? But that's where you'd be mistaken. 

He simply hasn't reached his final form yet.

In the flickering of his gaze towards the simulation before us, there was a magnetism to a certain girl. Flowing black hair, pointed ears and a round cute face. She wielded a bow and arrow against an enlarged rampaging gorilla.

Her figure traversed the tree tops as she effortlessly unleashed a volley of arrows at the beast. The wind picked up as the battle came to a close, battering hard and sharp against the creature. 

But as a lone sword severed through the neck of the beast the harsh elements calmed. Two figures smiled at each other and gave themselves a high-five. Both looking equally flushed and tired.

From the spectator's seats, a rising heat could be felt. Emanating from a very close focal point. Boiling and marinating under stress and wrath.

Like a dragon waking up...