Falling into the Simulation

The wind whistled against the window, pulling Tyrin from his sleep. He blinked a few times before realizing that Karma was sleeping on his feet.

— Good morning, Karma.

The dragon lazily opened one eye, still groggy. Its clumsy, sleepy gaze made Tyrin let out a genuine laugh.

— Today I have class with Custer and Lirina, plus I need to stop by the headmistress's house to talk about yesterday. Do you want to stay here or go back to Gaia?

Karma lifted her head, clearly confused, as if she didn't understand why she couldn't just follow him.

— Well, maybe you don't know this, but you're pretty rare around here… and still a secret. So, unfortunately, you can't come with me.

It was only then that Tyrin noticed how much Karma had grown—thirty more centimeters in a single night. The growth rate was surreal. He was still trying to process it when, suddenly, the dragoness spread her wings and leaped, landing straight on his chest.

— Karma, could you please be a good girl and stay here?

It took fifteen more minutes of arguing to convince her, and he only succeeded when he promised to bring back a stone for her to feed on. In the end, she preferred to keep sleeping in the room rather than return to Gaia.

— Good morning, Gertrudes. How's everything?

The response came laced with frustration.

— Of course, everything's not fine. My father wants to know what the hell happened on Luci's planet and in Klandato. The information is starting to leak, and faster than I expected. I thought they'd try to cover it up for longer, but not even two days have passed.

— What do you think will happen when they find out about the Aracnafon?

Gertrudes sighed, crossing her arms.

— Even my father, who never gets involved in politics, is curious and trying to uncover the truth. I think we have two or three weeks before everything blows up completely. But honestly? I have no idea how the Empire's nobles will react to this.

Tyrin also wondered what the response would be when the Aracnafon threat was revealed. But what really caught him off guard wasn't that conversation—it was what Gertrudes said when he was leaving the library.

— Ty, before you go… I got some important news last night. It looks like Orion and Kael were found nearly dead on the north side of Klandato. I still don't know exactly what happened, but we need to be ready to be called in to explain. We were the last ones to leave that pyramid.

A shiver ran down Tyrin's spine.

— I'll talk to the headmistress and try to understand what we should do.

— Do that… and have a good class.

Tyrin's thoughts were so tangled up in Gertrudes's words that he only realized he'd arrived at his destination when he was already there. In fact, he only truly noticed when he heard a familiar voice calling him.

— Hey, Ty! You seem out of it today. What's going on? — Damian asked, frowning.

— Nothing… Sorry, I was just thinking. But what about your sister?

Damian shrugged.

— Good question. Sometimes she just disappears like this, but don't worry… Wait, look, there she is.

Just minutes before class started, Cassandra appeared. Her face looked tired, but her eyes remained sharp.

— She probably trained too late again — Damian commented, sighing. — She's really competitive, and I think losing a few fights didn't sit well with her ego.

The professor entered the room, looking straight at Tyrin before speaking.

— I see that even some missing faces have decided to grace us with their presence, isn't that right, Mr. Tyrin?

— I apologize, professor. I was on a mission and ended up missing some classes, but the headmistress…

— Tyrin, I didn't ask for an explanation.

Swallowing hard, he remained silent as the professor continued.

— Very well, class. Now that we have a full room, we can resume what we did last week. Unfortunately, for those who weren't here, it was a loss by default. To the ten finalists, please follow me to the arena. As for the rest, form groups of three to five people and enter simulation 468, which I've made available. Remember, the team with the highest score will receive the same bonus as the finalists.

Tyrin watched as a few boys and girls stood up and followed the professor. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation.

Damian hurried over, excitement clear in his voice.

"To give you an idea, out of the ten finalists, eight are from the Essential Clan. Can you believe that? And there's this girl who uses magic... holy shit, she wiped the floor with me. But dude, she's gorgeous! HAHAHAHA!"

Tyrin raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"And the last one? What is he?"

Damian sighed, crossing his arms.

"Honestly, I have no idea. He came from the new sector of human expansion. I thought nothing special would come out of there, but they say his planet favors strength. Don't tell anyone, okay? But he's the guy who beat my sister."

"That explains why she's so focused. Losing to a nobody must have been a shock for her."

"Yeah, it's crazy. But one thing I can tell you—he might be unknown, but he's not weak."

Tyrin's curiosity was immediate. He needed to see for himself who this guy was, the one who had managed to eliminate Cassandra. So he activated his ability.

Balthazar Rino

🌀 STATUS 🌀

• Level: 33

• Rank: A+ / 00 — Apex

• Strength: 99

• Endurance: 70

• Speed: 58

• Skill: 51

• Psyche: 0

• Available Points: 0

🔹 Hidden Abilities:

• Vultras (+50 to all attributes) (Requirements not met)

• Frenzied Advance (+100 to Speed +100 to Endurance) (Available)

🔹 Pet:

• Red Rhinoceros

Balthazar's numbers were impressive. Just by looking at his stats, it was clear that he had endured extreme challenges on his planet. He radiated experience.

But Tyrin knew that raw stats weren't everything. True power lay in specialization and strategy. Despite his absurd attributes, Balthazar had a glaring weakness—his low skill level.

And looking at the other competitors, it became clear why some were still ahead of him. They had likely identified his weakness and exploited it. They might not have Balthazar's brute strength, but they knew how to leverage their strengths and capitalize on their opponent's flaws.

That made things even more interesting.

Damian was still excited beside him.

— So, Ty? Are we forming a group or not? No way I'm letting those bastards get ahead of us.

— Relax, Cassandra — Damian teased, trying to calm his sister. — How about the three of us? What do you think, Tyrin?

Tyrin considered it.

— I don't mind, but do we have any advantage in going with just three? Or would it be better to form a team of five?

— Good point. I don't think there are extra points for having only three... But where are we going to find someone willing to join us?

As they discussed strategies, they noticed that the other students had already grouped up according to the usual cliques in the class. That was when a female voice interrupted them.

— Hello, everyone. Can I join your group?

Damian and Cassandra exchanged surprised glances. They had never seen this girl before, despite sharing the same class. However, Tyrin recognized her immediately.

— Miss Eleonora. I didn't know you were taking this course.

She smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

— Well, I wasn't. But after everything that happened, my family thought it would be wise for me to learn some self-defense. I don't plan to pursue this path, but learning is never a bad thing.

Damian raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

— You know this beauty, Tyrin? Introduce us.

Tyrin sighed and made the introductions.

— Eleonora, this is Damian. Damian, this is Eleonora. I met her in piloting class. She's one of the best in the group.

She chuckled softly.

— That's very kind of you, but I'm not that good. By the way, did you guys know Tyrin made the piloting instructor take a leave of absence?

Damian's eyes widened.

— Wait, I didn't know that.

— It's not exactly something I go around bragging about… — Tyrin muttered.

Eleonora gave him a mysterious smile.

— I know people who know things. But don't worry, Professor Caronte will be replacing him for a few weeks. Apparently, something happened, and his family called him back to help. Things are getting strange.

Damian and Cassandra exchanged a knowing look. Any movement involving powerful families was a sign that something big was happening.

— Anyway, can I join you guys?

Cassandra, who had been silently observing until now, narrowed her eyes and stepped forward, sizing Eleonora up from head to toe.

— I don't know if we need her.

Her tone was cold.

— Sorry, but I don't know you. I don't know if you're here to help us or just to slow us down.

"Sis, what are you talking about? The more, the better. It's not like she wants to sabotage us—her grade is the same as ours."

"Didn't you hear what she said? She literally admitted she doesn't care about this class. I do. And so do you."

Damian and Cassandra shot each other tense glances, debating Eleonora's trustworthiness. Meanwhile, Tyrin decided to step in.

"Guys, I think we can trust her. Eleonora, do you have any specialties? It'd be good to know each other's strengths."

Tyrin and the siblings knew that discussing abilities was a serious taboo. Most people wouldn't share that kind of information without a bond of trust. However, without hesitation, Eleonora began listing her strengths and weaknesses.

"I don't have much strength or agility, but I make up for it with skill. I have a bonus in it, so I'm really good with high-rate-of-fire weapons and effective at crowd control. If you put me in a turret or give me a mid-to-long-range weapon, I promise I won't disappoint."

Tyrin analyzed her posture and activated his ability again, searching for any sign of deception. To his surprise, she seemed to be telling the truth.

Eleonora Delphinus

🌀 STATUS 🌀

• Level: 35

• Rank: B / 00

• Strength: 59

• Endurance: 35

• Speed: 50

• Skill: 115 + 100

• Psyche: 0

• Available Points: 0

🔹 Hidden Abilities:

• Seventh Sense (+100 to Skill) (Enabled)

🔹 Pet:

• Giant Dolphin

"We can trust her. I can feel it."

The siblings reacted in opposite ways. Damian looked thrilled, almost too excited, while Cassandra clenched her fists, her gaze filled with resentment. Tyrin understood why—both of them specialized in skill-based combat, which could create rivalry.

Ever since he arrived, he had been wondering what his allies had to offer. But he realized that if he could help them see their own weaknesses and strengths, maybe they could all grow together. He checked their stats.

Damian Acinonyx

🌀 STATUS 🌀

• Level: 29

• Rank: A- / 10

• Strength: 48

• Endurance: 50

• Speed: 100

• Skill: 31

• Psyche: 0

• Available Points: 0

🔹 Hidden Abilities:

• Speed Surge (+150 to Speed) (Available)

🔹 Pet:

• Desert Cheetah

Cassandra Acinonyx

🌀 STATUS 🌀

• Level: 38

• Rank: A- / 01

• Strength: 48

• Endurance: 63

• Speed: 31

• Skill: 150

• Psyche: 0

• Available Points: 0

🔹 Hidden Abilities:

• Ambush Advance (+150 to Skill) (Available)

🔹 Pet:

• Desert Cheetah

Tyrin and Damian tried to find a fifth person to strengthen the team, but it seemed no one else was available. After a few minutes of waiting, they gathered at the center of the room and prepared for the simulation.

"Let's enter the simulation first and plan our strategy once we understand what we're up against. Sound good?"

"Yes."

Cassandra and Eleonora answered at the same time, casting wary glances at each other, as if they both wanted to be the first to speak.

Tyrin didn't have time to dwell on the tension between them. As soon as they activated the simulation, gravity vanished for an instant—then suddenly, they were plummeting toward the scorching, arid ground of an unknown desert.