“Kai breathes intensely.” The arena’s soil was mixed with Kai’s blood. That pit was deep beneath the Ironspire Academy. It was located beyond the sterilized halls and gilded towers. Failures were sent there as a punishment to fight for entertainment of nobles and elites.The crowd shouted at the top of their voices. Their faces were a blur of academy students, professors, and nobles, each hiding behind a mask and they were all gathered for tonight’s illegal match.At the center of the pit was Kai Draven. His shirt was torn, lip bleeding and hair clinging to his sweat-streaked face. Around his neck was a glowing red collar. Unbeknownst to Kai that it was a suppression ring that disabled any latent aura or system-activated ability.Kai was at Level 0 which was also known as Trash and Systemless. He was the only student in the entire Ironsphire academy with no combat code or ascension path.Across from him was a fierce opponent who was snickering and flexing his gauntlets. His name is V

The underground dorm was a cage. Even though Kai doesn't feel convenient. He thought of the idea of getting himself trained since he now has a system.That thought made him turn the dorm into something incredible...There were no training weapons, no manuals and no mentors. Kai only had Hex, the flickering system AI which was bound to his neural core pattern. Kai's body slowly adapted to the protocols which were now rewiring his core.Each morning, before the academy lights activated, Kai trained in silence - From shadow punches to elbow strikes and controlled footwork. As Kai trained, Hex calibrated Kai’s form with every repetition.“Targeting instability is reduced. Strike correction is now at 6.3%. Your muscle latency is decreasing.”At night, which was supposed to be Kai's sleeping period. Kai felt he needed more than just training in the afternoon. So, he meditated, which allowed the Presence of Command passive to sharpen.Kai’s system wasn’t just a buff. It was psychological dom

Kai bled into the cracked concrete floor and his eyes blurred out. Raid’s savage boots had pulverized the last of his strength, almost paralysing him. The jeering crowd howled for blood. Their chants echoed like a death drum with hate within their bellies.“Trash-tier!”“End him!”“Rip his protocol out!” Their voices echoed like a storm.Kai breathed intensely, hoping that he wouldn't die in that manner. But Raid didn't hold on. His fist pulsed with red light and he charged one final blow.Then a person moved swiftly. A sudden blur slammed into Raid from behind with a thunderous crash. The crowd gasped as the berserker stumbled forward and he crashed into the metal rail.Kai looked up and his vision made contact with the familiar figure who had come to help him. ‘It Darius Vane.’ Kai echoed silently.“On your feet, boy!” Darius growled and he extended a gripping rusted pipe which Kai held onto to stand on his feet. Kai breathed intensely as he widened his eyes slowly. Raid finally

Night fell like a heavy curtain over Ironspire Academy. Kai stood in the dark, his eyesight focused and his body ready for action.Beyond the academy's controlled zones is the Forbidden Sector. It was a region even elite students dared not tread.But that was where Kai had to go. He didn't flinch neither was he scared. The system echoed in his head,‘Mission Active: The Caged Flame‘Objective: Infiltrate Forbidden Cell Block 7 and Rescue Fire Mage, Xira Wren.Difficulty: S-RankReward: Alliance Bonus, Fire Affinity Unlock, Bonus XPStatus: High Risk Council Surveillance Active’ Kai puffed out a heavy breath from his nostrils. He knew the mission wasn't going to be easy. Kai sneaked out from his room in the dead of the night and he went into the depths of the academy.Kai moved through the sewers beneath the northern wall. He was guided by his system-enhanced minimap and upgraded reflex tier. The air reeked of chemicals, rust, and blood. “Gosh!” Kai echoed in disgust, his voice was a

"Every hand that once held me down… I will return the favor with a fist." Kai echoed within himself after accepting the challenge. His eyes darkened in horror while he smirked. The next day, the wind that morning was cold in Ironspire, but Kai’s blood ran hot. With only two days remaining before his battle with Kate Von Halden, every second counted. Kai had to start training.Xira and Kai went inside the shadow-forged training hall beneath the academy’s south tower. Xira Wren stood opposite Kai while her flame sigils and its glow was faintly visible across her knuckles.The training started and Kai was extremely drilled by Xiren. But Xiren doesn't find him impressive."Again!" she barked.Kai moved fast this time and he tried to dodge the wave of fire but he was not fast enough.A searing wave of fire brushed his shoulder as Xira’s spell flared past his face.“You hesitate before impact,” she snapped and stepped forward. “If you want to defeat Kate, you’ll need more than brute streng