As I waited for the signal, I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. I opened and squeezed my hand to ensure I was in peak form. Everything was supposed to be fun. I would have hung out with Connor and Reyna regardless of the outcome of this contest.

Not any longer, thanks to your intervention, Harold. I don't like you one bit. Why did you feel the need to get in the way?

Three—!

Because of the ringing in my ears, I barely caught that. My heartbeat became stronger, threatening to burst through my chest.

Two—!

When I closed my eyes, doubts pierced my consciousness. What if I'll just humiliate myself in front of them? That would be... Would I even be able to meet their gazes? It's not as if Reyna and Connor hadn't seen a miserable side of me before...

One—!

My actions were impulsive and illogical. Was there any reason for me to go out of my way to provoke Harold? He was influential and talented. Someone I shouldn't be in the presence of. Picking a bone with him was reckless.

Start—!

I breathed in a chunk of cold air and opened my eyes, then rushed forward. My eyes were drawn to the devastated world around me. I felt lighter with each stride, my mind growing numb.

A monster snarled in front of me, blocking my path, but I wasn't concerned. I leaped over the rail between us, grasping the handle of my dagger. To win, a risker approach was necessary.

It resembled more of a skeleton than a ghoul, flesh barely hanging onto its bones. Not that it matters. I stabbed where its eye should've been, its body shattering into countless particles of light.

I felt the momentum I'd built propel me forward, then panic poured over me as I realized—I forgot those creatures were holograms without any weight.

Instead of fighting against the momentum, I gritted my teeth and went with it. The world spun around me as I performed an aerial. Fortunately, I landed on my feet, and just as a goblin was ready to get me, I stabbed beneath its chin with the tip of my dagger. Its eyes widened as it realized it was going to vanish.

How in the world did they even create such realistic holograms?

---

Reyna hummed to herself as she peered through the window, her cheeks in both of her palms. There were serval words that might be used to describe the situation, but—

When I saw what happened below, I couldn't help but laugh as I remarked, "Did you even see that, Harold? You'll never be able to pull that stunt off! Do you know why? My buddy over there has something known as talent. Raw talent! Do you hear me?"

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When our unwanted visitor saw the number on the screen approach his, he sighed and mumbled, "He's impressive, however, a regular citizen fighting against monsters isn't something I can condone."

That kind of petty reaction only brought a smile to my face.

"Look at you, trying to hide your humiliation beneath compassion for a 'regular citizen,' huh? I almost pity you."

"I second that," my dear sister hoped in.

When confronted with our mockery, Harold redirected his gaze to the performance below, adding, "Does that mean you want your friend to risk his life while fighting monsters?"

There's no way I'd want him to endanger himself like that, but it wasn't as if he was, or will be fighting against any monsters, to begin with. Once Gray graduates from Artemis, which I'm sure he will, he still wouldn't be allowed to enter any dungeons due to the fact that he wasn't born a hunter.

Those were the rules, and as much as we despised them, we had no choice but to follow them. Not only that, but I had a feeling my pal would walk right into one if given the chance.

At this point, overexerting himself was just a nasty habit, and I hoped that one day I'd be able to beat it out of him, or that he'd recognize it and deal with it all on his own.

Still, hearing that from his mouth pissed me off.

"Don't say something like that," I growled, annoyed that this narcissist would even insinuate something like that. "Don't pretend you understand what's going on with us."

"It's not that difficult to figure out."

"You—"

"He's just messing with you," Reyna interrupted just as I was about to curse, knowing Harold's comments had gotten to me. I had to admit that my sister was a lot more level-headed than me, well, most of the time. "We are not going to make Gray's decisions for him."

"You could've offered him a job. Some kind of sponsorship at the very least."

"We could've." Reyna glared at him. "But that's none of your business."

Trying to buy him off like that would be an insult to his efforts. Toward whatever Gray tried to accomplish without relying on us. And imagining the strain that kind of offer might have on our relationship was quite terrifying to consider. That's why I, and mostly Reyna, decided to avoid that vexing subject until Gray brought it up himself.

However, there are moments when I wonder if it would be better if I just helped him without considering how he might feel about it. I just shook my head, knowing he'd refuse.

"So you're actually friends..." Harold muttered, frowning as he gazed ahead.

There were only a few seconds remaining.

---

As I went by, I sliced another monster's throat. I knew I had a few seconds left, but couldn't remember how many points I had gathered.

Even I had to admit I've been reckless.

There was a staircase ahead, as well as a monster. I jumped, blade held high in both hands, and brought it down, aiming for the back of its head.

Another point.

I could barely hear the taps behind me. As I twisted around, disgust filled my insides. A spider the size of a human's head. One of the most horrific creatures that appeared during the examination. That noise was mostly caused by its pals as it plummeted from the building. It crouched before leaping towards my face. I flung the dagger instinctively, knowing that I shouldn't come in contact with its venom.

The dagger spun through the air and smacked the spider with the handle. Then, its body dispersed into particles. I wasn't sure if it was due to my thrown or because of the ring that echoed around me.

I collapsed on the ground, panting for air. That's when it dawned on me.

"It was just a... hologram..."

Although the notion of a big spider munching on my face was sickening, it couldn't have hurt me.

When a shadow approached me, I couldn't see who it belonged to because of the light above. Then something cold splattered on me. I tensed my abdomen, bent forward, then wiped the water with my sleeve, caught entirely off guard.

"Relax, Gray," she chuckled. "It's your victory."

"Why?"

"Why did I spill water onto you? Revenge," Reyna replied with a grin, still holding the beaker above my head. "Oh, and your score's 16, in case you're wondering."

It was my victory.