Ascension Protocol: From Trash to Tyrant

Chapter 13: The Cost of Survival

Kai returned to his dormitory afterwards. He gazed at the ceiling, “Sometimes, the greatest power comes not from resisting the poison, but enduring it.” Kai muttered to himself while he thought about the battle he had with Mulan the next day. 

‘I pity her.’ Kai winked his eyes as he thought, owing to the fact that he was going to defeat her.

With thought bottling and bothering him, Kai slept off.

Kai jotted awake the next morning and he prepared himself for the battle he had that morning.

The morning sun hadn’t even reached its peak when the arena began to fill with students, council members, and even enforcers. Everyone was eager to witness the anticipated duel between Kai Draven and Mulan, the cousin to the defeated Kate.

The tension was thick and the academic students couldn't wait as their heart was tense to watch. 

The moment the horn sounded, Kai and Mulan walked into the arena with great strength and agility. They got to the stage and the battle started with an echo from Mordas Rex.

On hearing that, Mulan lunged with the fury of a storm. Fire laced her first strike as the memory of her late cousin flooded her mind. 

Kai didn’t dodge, because he couldn’t due to the system's order. Not yet, Kai was meant to endure. 

Each attack slammed into him like a boulder. Kai's ribs cracked, his face became bloodied, and his breath became ragged.

 By the 30th blow, Kai's vision began to blur. And on the 40th, Kai couldn't endure further.  He dropped to one knee and then collapsed to the ground entirely.

The academic students gasp filled the arena. Kai blinked his eyes as the wave of the wind hit his face. 

When the academic students got immersed in what was actually happening, a sudden laughter followed.

“Guess that’s the end of the hero,’” someone whispered.

“I knew he was a fluke,” another snorted.

High Councilor Vane watched with quiet pleasure and his fingers steepled.

“Now… fall.” High councillor Vane whispered as he watched tightly. 

But then, just as Mulan lifted her arm for a final blow.

The system echoed,

‘Ding!

System Alert!

Mission Completed. 

Reward awarded is +1 Reflex Tier and Bonus XP Awarded.

System Recharge: +15 percent.’

Kai’s eyes snapped open and golden with visible light. Kai felt a strength within him and he twisted his body in the air. Kai unleashed a devastating energy punch…

“Huh!” Mulan echoed  because she didn't see that coming from fallen Kai.

BAM! Kai hit her. The shockwave sent her crashing against the far wall.

“Argh!” Mulan let out a painful groan. She was barely conscious, before she finally passed out. 

The arena that was filled with murmurs of Kai's defeat fell into silence. They couldn't believe their eyes too.

After a moment, the academic students began to murmur in awe.

“Kai Draven had done it again.” One of them whispered.

“I didn't expect that outcome.” Another said.

“But how did he keep scaling?” Joe expressed with a shrink in his eyes.

Kai didn't jubilate. He knew Mulan was no match for him from the onset. She wouldn't have gotten a chance if the system hadn’t informed him to withstand her blow. The victory was celebrated briefly.

The students returned to their dormitories. As the day went by, the breakfast bell rang and students filed toward the meal hall. 

Kai’s thoughts darkened in thoughts, ‘The poison.’ He echoed within himself as he blinked his eyes in worry. 

Councilor Vane’s brutal voice echoed in his mind, “Every portion… slowly… until he breaks.” Kai made up his mind not to eat the food.

Kai went to the meal hall with that intention. As usual, he got the food and placed it before him.

With a sigh, Kai stared at the food on his tray, ‘I will just stay like this until breakfast time is over.’ Just as he gave that a thought, the system spoke within him,

‘Ding!

New Mission alert: The poisoned path

Objective: Ingest the food laced with Vane’s poison each day.

Secondary objective: Kai must survive the battle scheduled for the day.

Kai's reward is the Immunity skill fragment and hidden trait unlock.’ On hearing that, Kai blinked. “What are you trying to do to me…?” he whispered in hesitation.

The system  didn’t respond to him. For the first time, Kai doubted the system as his heart raised against his chest. He glanced at the food before him and he was reminded of how the system had helped him in the past. 

Despite every instinct screaming at him and his heart wavering, Kai took the first bite from the food. After eating, the meal time ended and he went back to the dormitory.

For the first hour, Kai felt fine and he wondered if there was actually poison in the food he ate. He felt nourished and energized.

But by the second hour, Kai suddenly felt a numbness that seized his limbs. His joints started aching while his pulse slowed, and his focus faltered.

‘What’s happening to me?’ As Kai asked himself, he remembered the poison he had injected. ‘This must definitely be the effect.’ He echoed within himself. Kai tried to stand but he fell. He realized he could barely stand without clenching his fists.

That afternoon, a grand announcement echoed across the academy from Councilor Vane himself. The enforcer had told him earlier that day that Kai had injected the poison. 

“Kai Draven, your next duel has been scheduled and your opponent is Drake, a warlord-Class.” After the echo, Kai's jaw dropped and he thought of how he was going to stand against him in battle.

The crowd stirred with murmurs. Drake was a well known warlord. He wasn't known for cruelty or politics but for his sheer power and unmatched war technique. 

Even Kai knew of his reputation - the more reason he had been giving it a long thought.

But Drake  wasn’t an enemy even though he wouldn’t hold back.

Drake accepted the duel out of respect. “Let’s see if the rumors are true,” he had said.

Kai relaxed as the time ticked. It was afternoon in no time.

As Kai dragged himself toward the afternoon meal hall, still nursing the aftermath of the morning poison, another plate of food waited for him. It smelled delicious. Even though he knew it was deadly.

Still…  Kai ate it without flickering. As the time passed by, Kai was hit by the waves of the poison.

He felt sharp dizziness. A weakening pulse and a cold sweat breaking out on his back. His vision began to blur.

The system echoed within him,

‘System Status: Kai’s poison reached a great height. Poison Saturation 43 percent and Combat efficiency is reduced to 57 percent.’ After he heard the system,  Kai clenched his fists as doubt flooded his mind.

‘I don’t know if I’ll make it through the next battle…’ He echoed within himself while he foresaw his dead end.