Nixxin was lying on his bed while looking at the message his teacher had sent. It contained the rules and information about the upcoming tournament.
The video message from Mrs. Pelz began to play.
"As for the year 1203 of Section 465Z, the Proxima Centauri Tournament follows several important rules. Everyone knows that tournaments like this can harm participants, but after the game they will completely recover. Because of this, strict rules must be followed.
First, there must be no aggression before or after the game. Second, every player must follow their assigned lane.
The arena contains four lanes that form the shape of two horns. Each team's horn contains a tower that faces the enemy team's horn. There is one respawn point behind each of the two bases, and there are ten towers placed before reaching each base. Each lane contains five towers.
In the center of the lanes is a land filled with monsters. Many creatures roam this area. Players can gain passives by using the blood of monsters or NPCs they defeat. However, passives are selected only by the Gameron.
Each planet in the Proxima Centauri system will send a team of four representatives."
The video ended.
Nixxin stared at the ceiling while thinking.
"Hmm. This really is just like a MOBA game. The difference is that this is real life and it actually hurts. I still have never played something like this."
He turned off his phone and placed it on the table beside his bed. After setting his alarm, he lay back down and slowly closed his eyes.
Soon he fell asleep.
---
Later, Nixxin, Kael, and Drei arrived at the gate of Datora.
Drei looked around in amazement as he stared at the massive palace before them.
"So this is your gate, Nixxin. It is amazing," Drei said.
Kael crossed his arms while admiring the palace.
"This is where we are going to train. It is a beautiful place, right?" Kael said.
Datora appeared and spoke directly to Nixxin.
"What would you like?"
Nixxin answered calmly.
"Adjust the time flow. I want one hour outside to equal one week inside. That means we will train here for twenty four weeks. That is about five and a half months."
Drei almost choked on the juice a maid had just handed to him.
"What? That is a very long time for training," Drei said.
Kael was doing push ups on the floor while speaking.
"Relax. Nixxin owns everything here."
At that moment, another person approached them.
Drei looked at the newcomer with curiosity.
"Who is this guy?" Drei asked.
Kael quickly sat down on the sofa.
"You probably do not want him to introduce himself," Kael said.
The man bowed politely to Drei.
"My name is Ardent. I am the Heavenly Diligent General and Regent Head of Datora."
Nixxin casually picked up a book from the table.
"He says his name is Ardent. He is one of the generals here," Nixxin explained.
Drei sat beside Kael.
"So he is going to help us train?" Drei asked.
Ardent nodded confidently.
"You can trust me."
---
Ardent began guiding the three of them through the palace. When they reached the highest balcony, they could see the entire capital below them. The city was massive and full of life. People filled the streets and the empire stretched endlessly across the land.
Ardent looked at them.
"I know you are preparing for the Proxima Centauri Tournament. I can provide enemies from the empire for training. I can also help you develop resistance to specific attacks."
Drei stared at the massive city.
"What is this place?" Drei asked.
Ardent turned his gaze toward the capital.
"This is Dilo, the capital of the Danlio Empire within Datora. There are twenty eight empires inside Datora. The Danlio Empire is the largest and most famous among them."
Nixxin stood near the balcony door.
"So what kind of training will we start with?" Nixxin asked.
Ardent turned back toward them.
"First, we will focus on Drei. His current abilities come from martial arts, but he needs additional skills. Let us go to the training ground and I will show you."
---
They soon arrived at the training ground.
Ardent stood across from Drei and picked up a dagger.
"Drei, you should learn how to use a dagger first. You have the potential to become a very effective assassin. Dagger techniques take years of training to master, but you have a special advantage. You can copy skills just by seeing them once."
Ardent raised the dagger.
"Daggers are designed for thrusting and stabbing. The goal is to reach the enemy's vital organs. A strong grip is necessary so your attack can penetrate effectively."
Drei raised his hand.
"Wait. I am not sure that will work," Drei said.
Ardent looked at him.
"What do you mean?" Ardent asked.
Drei explained carefully.
"My copy ability only works when my gate is open. Right now we are already inside a gate. How can I open a gate inside another gate? Also, I do not even have magic."
Ardent calmly sat down on the sand of the training ground.
"You can open it inside this world. This place is a Worldview Gate created by Nixxin. Your gate is a Selfseeing Gate, which means you can still open it within this space."
Drei slowly summoned the Depraved Eye Key.
He hesitated for a moment. In his mind he believed it might fail.
Still, he tried.
A small gate appeared before him.
Drei stared at it in shock.
"Wait. It actually worked."
Ardent stood up again.
"Because of your ability, you do not need blood to cast magic physical skills. Now we will begin the training."
Ardent raised his hand.
"Game mode arena. One versus one. Respawn time one second. Unlimited blood."
A massive sphere suddenly surrounded the training ground. The barrier was formed from hexagonal shields.
Drei looked around in surprise.
But before he could react, something flashed through the air.
A dagger pierced directly through his head.
Drei instantly died.
One second later, he respawned.
Before he could move, another dagger struck him.
Again and again, Ardent killed him.
Drei tried to fight back, but he could not keep up.
Even though he had already copied the skill, he could not properly use it.
The dagger skill had no cooldown. The attack created a burst of magic at the start of the throw, pushing enemies away with powerful knockback. The attack was almost silent unless it successfully struck a target.
If the dagger missed the main target but an enemy stood behind the trajectory, the knockback effect could still push them away.
The skill could be used for many situations such as defense, attack, long range strikes, short range combat, or constant poke damage.
After each throw, the dagger would vanish in midair and reappear in the user's hand.
If the user carried multiple daggers, the skill could be used endlessly. The speed of the attack depended entirely on the strength of the throw.