Chapter 7: Steel Flowers and Water Serpents
"Why do you need to hide them? They look fine!" Kia plucked a small chip from Zin's wrist—a vitality tracker, standard issue for tournament fighters.
"I just wanna look more human." Clara sat on the edge of the medical bed, watching the pathetic teenager sprawled unconscious in front of her. Her pink hair caught the fluorescent light.
'It seems fine because you didn't see more than one...' Clara thought, smirking to herself.
"Sooo... this guy got a nosebleed just because you touched him?" Clara picked up her phone, scrolling through the bracket list.
"Yeah... I don't know what the hell that was." Kia pulled on a pair of gloves, adjusting them carefully. "Not taking any chances with this one."
Clara leaned closer to Zin's unconscious face. Her breath warm. Deliberate. She whispered into his ear, voice dripping with amusement. "What if I did that with much more warmth?"
Zin's body shivered. Even unconscious.
Clara pulled back, grinning. "This guy's over the top... cute." She stood, stretching her arms. "Okay then, Kia. I'm going!"
She walked out, heels clicking against the tile.
The door swung shut.
Zin's eyes snapped open.
"Where is my goddess?!" He bolted upright, wild-eyed, looking around frantically.
"Hah?" Kia nearly dropped her phone. "You just woke up from a near-coma like it was a nap?You're way beyond magic or science!" She laughed, shaking her head. "You're free to go if you're okay."
Zin stood wobbling slightly. He headed for the door.
"Hey, stop!" Kia called after him, holding up the steel chrysanthemum weight stone. Her tone was mocking, amused. "Your 'Steel Chrysanthemum Premium Quality Weight Stone!' "
Zin snatched it from her hand without looking back.
'Where did that woman go? I felt...great. I need to find her!'
He stumbled toward the waiting lounge, clutching the weight stone like a lifeline.
---
In the Arena...
The crowd roared.
A B-Rank Hunter clashed with an A-Rank Mage in the center of the massive arena floor. Fire exploded. Ice shattered. The audience leaned forward in their seats, cheering, gasping, shouting names.
Zin reached the high floor—an open balcony overlooking the arena. Perfect view. He scanned the crowd below, eyes darting.
'Now I can find her easily!'
Then he saw him.
A guy with maroon hair sat on a couch near the edge of the high floor, surrounded by women. They leaned in close, talking, laughing, touching his arm. He looked... effortless. Confident. Untouchable.
'Hah?! This guy's stealing my dream?!'
Zin started walking faster, fists clenched—
Tobi grabbed his arm, yanking him toward the opposite side of the high floor.
"Oii, I thought you were in the bathroom!" Tobi plopped onto a couch, looking half-asleep. "And why'd you bring that thing with you?" He gestured lazily at the weight stone in Zin's hand.
Jack followed them quietly, sitting beside Tobi. He adjusted his glasses, looking down at his hands.
Zin spun toward Jack, glaring. "You bastard... I'd throw you into the arena between those two kitties!",He pointed at the fighters below, voice trembling with barely contained rage.
"W-what?! What are you saying, Z-Zin?!" Jack stuttered, gripping the armrest. Fear flickered across his face. "I-I don't know why you're saying that!"
"But bruh..." Tobi tilted his head, genuinely confused. "Telekinesis is on him, not you. Logic?" He gestured vaguely at Jack. "Or are you gonna lift him yourself?"
"Ughh..." Zin ground his teeth together. 'Fuck them... My fight's coming up. And I'll take my revenge on that guy too!' He glared toward the maroon-haired man across the floor.
---
BRACKET 3: Hyun Dai (A-Rank Hunter) vs. Draken Myura (S-Rank Mage)
The arena floor shifted. New fighters entered. The crowd's energy spiked.
"Oii, Hyun—do you forget why we're here?" Draken stood at the opposite end of the arena, body radiating watery steam. His robes rippled like liquid.
"Draken, you've gotten better..." Hyun crouched low, gripping his spear. "But you're in the wrong place."
He launched forward. The ground cracked beneath his feet. His spear became a blur—four strikes in rapid succession, each one aimed to kill.
Draken dodged. Barely. His movements fluid, serpentine.
"It's enough to remind me of our school days!" Draken gasped for air, lifting one hand. Water erupted from his palm, spiraling upward like living serpents. He clenched his fist.
The serpents collapsed inward, forming a sphere around Hyun. A water domain. Suffocating. Crushing.
Hyun struggled. Thrashed. His movements slowed.
Then—nothing.
He collapsed, unconscious.
"Winner: Draken Myura!"
The crowd exploded. Cheers. Shouts. Stomping feet.
---
Aira sat alone in the stands, arms crossed, watching intently.
'Mages can be this strong?' She frowned, analyzing every movement in her mind. 'My thunder and ice might help if I faced him... but the rank gap is huge.'
Her eyes drifted to the screen. The next bracket list scrolled by.
BRACKET 4: Zin Lein (E-Rank) vs Nceera Finefila (D-Rank Mage)
'This idiot's really doing this...' Her tail swished in irritation. 'And I'll crush his balls if he tries that again.'
---
Chairman Kient Rabe's Chamber...
"Draken's a great asset in team fights." Kient stood at the window, watching the city skyline. His phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen. Messages flooding in.
"I wonder when this new generation will reach my rank..." He turned, walking back to his desk. "Time's ticking. One Ground-rift is on the verge of outbreak. Metal creatures are already wandering out."
"Sir... should I contact Rio Blaze?" Lizzie adjusted the holographic display, reorganizing the Ground-rift map. Red circles pulsed. One of them—massive, throbbing—dominated the screen. "It's...Above S-Rank, sir."
Kient stopped at the doorway. His voice was calm. Controlled. "Don't call it 'Above S-Rank.' Call it S-Rank. I don't want people panicking."
He opened the door. "I'm going myself. I've already messaged Rio and all six S-Rankers from the AH Guild. Let's see if Fire & Ice Academy sends their elites."
The door closed behind him.
Lizzie stared at the screen, hands trembling slightly.
---
Back at the high floor...
"Okay, ladies..." Rio Blaze stood up, stretching casually. The women around him looked disappointed. "I don't know why you asked me to sit here, but duty calls."
He walked to the edge of the high floor, pulling off his jacket. He tossed his phone and accessories into a nearby locker.
Then he jumped Above shield on arena stage.
Flames erupted around his legs and whole body mid-fall. He twisted, accelerating like a bullet, blazing across the sky toward the coastline.
"WHOA! Zin! Jack! Did you see that?!" Tobi leaned over the railing, eyes wide. "Rio Blaze! He's my idol! Fire element, hunter class, speedster!" He shoved another handful of fries into his mouth.
'That clueless firecracker who wants to steal my girls...!?' Zin stood up, jaw tight. "Okay. I'm going for my fight."
"Good luck, Zin!" Jack mustered every ounce of courage his entire lineage could provide and smiled nervously.
"Haha, I don't need it. But okay." Zin stood, dragging himself toward the prep room. He glanced back once—toward the girls in the crowd. Toward Aira.
'I'll show all of them that I can get it ....all !'
---
[End of Chapter 7]