”Hi, what can we do you for?” Ning asked.

”Where’s your star?” she asked.

”Ain’t got one,” Ning replied with a smile, knowing perfectly clear what she was here for.

”Are you not an elite?” she asked.

”Nope,” Ning said, not giving Trevain even a chance to speak. “We just joined the school half a month ago.”

The woman was shocked. “How did you get the spot then?” she asked.

”Connections, of course,” Ning said.

He didn’t have to speak any further since the girl left without saying another word. Ning held his smile for a while longer as he watched her leave.

”Why were you so direct?” Trevain asked.

”Oh right, I hope you like fighting. You will get challenged a great many times now,” Ning said.

”Uhh… I don’t hate it, but won’t it be annoying to fight so many people?” Trevain asked.

Ning thought for a moment. “Well… we can just refuse, right? If you don’t want to fight just ref—”

”Ning!” Tessa came running towards him.

”Hmm? What’s wrong?” he asked as he had never seen her so flustered.

”Come with me, quickly,” She shouted.

Ning didn’t know what was happening, but seeing that she was in such a hurry, he worried that something must have happened to the old woman.

”I’ll see you later,” he told Trevain and ran quickly, leaving Tessa in the dust.

”Madam Verina? Where are you?” he asked, entering the library. The people looked at him, some a little frustrated with his loud voice, but once he left, they forgot about him.

Ning quickly entered the secluded room and saw the old woman there.

”Ah, you’re he—”

”Madam Verina, are you okay? Are you hurt?” he asked.

”What? No, I’m not hurt. Why would you think I’m hurt?” she asked.

”Tessa, she… she sounded like there was an emergency, so I came running,” Ning said while making the system do a check-up on the old woman. Aside from some muscle aches, which were normal for people her age, she was fine.

”That girl… sigh. No, there is no emergency,” the old woman said. “But there is an urgency. Why didn’t you tell me you were being chosen to be part of the group that went to the Forbidden Island?”

”That… I didn’t think that was relevant information to just give out,” Ning said. “You would find out either way.”

”Sigh, you idiot,” the old woman said. “You just placed yourself in the middle of a crossfire without any protection.”

”Oh, I know that,” Ning said, nearly laughing out loud.

”Here, this should help protect you a bit,” the old woman said and handed Ning a golden star.

”Oh, you’re making me an elite? I had thought of asking you for this, but didn’t really see the point of it back then,” Ning said.

”Yes, you don’t need testing. Your talent is clear, so you will become an elite with my say,” the old woman placed the star on Ning’s chest. “Don’t lose it.”

”Of course not,” Ning replied.

Tessa appeared not long after, totally out of her breath as she entered the room.

”Just… just how fast can you… can you run,” she spoke in between breaths.

”Just a little faster,” Ning said. “I will get out now that I have this star.”

”What? No, hide here and do your job. You will only get targeted if you go out,” the old woman chided from the side.

”Yeah, but that’s… kind of what I am hoping for,” Ning said. “I want people to come challenge me so I can fight them.”

”You… is something wrong with your head?” the old woman asked. “Just stay and work for now. Finish the book you were writing.”

The old woman Verina pointed to the book he was in the middle of writing when Tessa had walked in. “Ah, right. I should at least finish that.”

He sat down on the chair and started writing. There was still a month or so remaining, so he wasn’t worried about not getting targeted.

By the time he was done with the book, the day was almost over.

”Well, I guess I’m not fighting today,” he thought and walked out of the library.𝐎𝒱𝐥xt.𝔠𝑜𝓂

When he was out, people stared at him and pointed to his chest. The star was quite the attraction around here.

People avoided him as he walked and that saddened Ning a bit. As he walked, he saw sounds of fighting from far away and looked towards the arena.

With a simple zoomed-in vision, he saw Trevain in the middle of his duel against someone.

”Wait, isn’t that his brother?” Ning thought and watched.

Lanley was clad in fire, while Trevain was submerged in water.

Lanley jumped and punched forward, sending flame at Trevain like a flamethrower.

Trevain moved his arms and the water coalesced to form a shield against the fire. When the fire was gone, he moved his right arm and sent a wave of water toward his brother.

Lanley flew up, narrowly avoiding the attack. He spun in the air and came down with a rain of fire, which Trevain had to block with a column of water that froze into ice.

5 water arms appeared from the side of the water bubble that submerged Trevain, and each one of them started attacking Lanley from the side.

Lanley was momentarily distracted by the water arms, and Trevain used the opportunity to send water out and created a whirlpool beneath him. The water started swirling around him, and Lanley got dragged in with the water.

Lanley tried to push through with the fire, but before he could do anything, the whirlpool exploded and sent him flying backward. Trevain used the chance to create a giant wave and sent it crashing down on his brother.

Lanley was buried beneath the water and was soon sent out of the stage.

The water around Trevain disappeared and he appeared unharmed, as if he didn’t even have to give it his all for this battle.