The crowd exploded. Fifty bodies launched forward simultaneously. Elbows flying. Shoulders colliding. The immediate chaos of competition.
I moved through the pack like water through stones. Smaller than most. Faster than all. The first climbing wall approached at terrifying speed. Fifteen feet of artificial rock face designed to separate the strong from the weak.
Reyna reached it first. Her hands found holds with the ease of long practice. She pulled herself upward in smooth motions that made climbing look effortless.
I hit the wall two seconds behind her. My fingers dug into the textured surface. Arms burning. Legs pushing. The System couldn't help me here. No stats to boost. No abilities to activate. Just muscle and bone and the kind of stubborn refusal to lose that defined my entire existence.
The top of the wall arrived faster than expected. I vaulted over and dropped to the platform on the other side. Reyna landed beside me at nearly the same instant.
