Dreambreaker

Chapter 24: Sparring Session

I was an omniscient seer. In front of me played out a scene: a man found himself alone, in his father's office.

But, the otherwise spacious and tidy building that he was used to, was now all but abandoned. Rusted, and crumbling apart.

His gaze scanned through some of the damaged ceilings. He walked into one of the rooms. One of the computer rooms, to be more exact.

Inside, the computer room was shivered.

Everything was in ruins, and the ceiling was barely there.

The man saw some computers on the floor, destroyed, while others were rusty, broken, and still in their place.

Stupified and lost in the sight of the decimated room that he used to visit often, stood the man.

???

Suddenly, he heard something that he couldn't explain.

It wasn't long before he felt something grab his arm and throw him against the room's wall.

When the man's gaze refocused, it landed on the culprit.

The culprit— a tall, skinny creature with skin of midnight black. It's eyes all white, like the unwritten pages of a paper. Its hands, unusually long and nails sharp as daggers.

'What is this thing?!' The man thought. Probably not the brightest thought, but given circumstances, this was the only thought.

The man was petrified. His mouth didn't utter a word when the creature hurled him to the ground.

He lay there helpless while the creature seized its sharp, lethal nail, and pushed it viciously into his stomach.

The world around glitched for a moment and everything turned dark.

When my vision returned, I found myself slowly look below and found that a pair of sharp black nails stabbed into my stomach and a black, very very dark hand coming out of the wound. It was as if the hand was made of...space-time? As my eyes followed the hand, my eyes fell upon the creature infront of me.

I could see veins and arteries running from my stomach, and a strange sensation of emptiness crawled up inside of me.

My mind was in disarray as I tried to make sense of the scene in front of me.

It felt like a nightmare, and it was difficult to tell what was real and what wasn't- wait, a nightmare?

***

"Hnfaaa!" my lungs greedily absorbed the cold AC air, perhaps in the urgency to cool down the boiling turmoil in my stomach.

My mind slowly refreshed as consciousness and rationality of who what and when entered my brain.

Huffing heavily, I woke up, seated in my bed.

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"Huff huff huff," my breathing was ragged and inconsistent.

???????????? ????????????!—My heart raced like a freight train, threatening to escape my chest.

The sensation overwhelming and consuming.

The chill in the room was palpable, and I could feel the goosebumps rising on my skin.

The faint light was barely enough to illuminate my surroundings, casting eerie shadows that seemed to dance across the walls.

Every sound was amplified, from the rustle of my sheets to the ticking of the clock on my nightstand.

????????, ????????, ????????.

It was as if someone cranked up the volume on my senses and I could hear everything clearly.

Despite the cold, I felt sweat on my forehead, and my clothes clung uncomfortably to my skin.

I took few deep puffs, attempting to regulate my breathing and slow down my heart rate.

The fear and disorientation from my dream was still lingering vividly.

I continued to focus on my breathing, taking measured inhales and exhales.

Gradually, my heart rate began to slow down, and my breathing stabilized.

"Fuck! That fucking dream again," I exhaled in frustration, covering my face with my palm.

'If I could... if I could, then I would break this dream.'

Looking at the clock, it was 3:00 AM.

"I doubt I can fall asleep again," I reasoned, rising from my bed and walking towards my computer desk.

I checked the app store where I uploaded my chess game.

It hit 100k+ downloads within a week.

"Awesome! Once the official documents are done, I can start earning from the app," I thought aloud as I stretched my arms.

***

Professor Riya explained the rules, "Your names will be drawn and whoever is selected will have to spar."

She continued, "As it isn't feasible to organize so many battles, only five matches will be held. The draw will decide the matchups, not the rank."

Most students looked nervous upon hearing this.

"Isn't it unfair for a weaker combatant to face a stronger one?" someone questioned.

Professor Riya retorted, "That's a stupid question. Battles in real life aren't fair or honorable. Who's to say that your opponent won't be much stronger than you? The academy is preparing you to face such situations."

In reality, if someone faces an overwhelmingly stronger opponent, there may be little they can do.

However, by giving students an example of this in advance, it can help them maintain focus in real-life scenarios.

A moment of distraction in a real-life battle could lead to fatal consequences.

The purpose of such experiences is to train students to think quickly and stay focused in order to effectively deal with the situation rather than panicking and wasting time with irrelevant thoughts on the battlefield.

-"I hope I don't get matched up with a tough opponent," whispered one student.

-"Please, I don't want to fight someone strong," prayed another.

-"Finally, something interesting is happening," remarked a student, while others murmured with anxiety.

The top-ranked students remained silent.

Professor Riya approached the drawing box and drew the first name.

As she shook the box, two balls fell out with a "tuktuktuk" sound.

Riya picked them up and announced the names, "Kai Lee" and "Abdul Aziz."

Both Kai Lee and Abdul approached the disc arena.

Kai Lee seemed focused, assessing his opponent and preparing for the battle.

Abdul, on the other hand, looked placidly proud.

With a smirk, he said, "People often say that fighters are special, but today I'll prove that mages are better with my own abilities."

Looking at Kai from top to bottom, Abdul snorted, "A weakling like you, with just an (F-) strength, doesn't deserve to be in the top 10 rankings."

As far as I remember the story, Kai Lee practices in a unique style of martial art that enhances not just his muscles, but his bones too.

As the story progresses, he even unlocks the ability to manifest 'Ki', an incredibly potent energy.

Watching the scene unfold, I couldn't help but feel a sense of apprehension.

"There's absolutely no way he'll be defeated," I muttered under my breath.

With a nod, Professor Riya gave the signal to start the match.

"The match ends when either one gets thrown out of the ring or one side accepts defeat. Fatal attacks are not allowed. Of course, I don't need to tell this, but killing is also not allowed. Now begin," she announced in a clear voice.

Abdul wasted no time and launched his attack first.

"Flaming Tornado!" he shouted as he brought his palms together, unleashing a powerful flame that rushed towards Kai at an alarming speed.

Kai managed to dodge it by leaping into the air.

Not one to give up, Abdul quickly formed a defensive shield made of rocks as he saw Kai heading towards him.

"Go Abdul! Show him what you can do!" some of the kids in the crowd cheered.

James and I observed the scene with keen interest, but we couldn't help feeling a tinge of doubt.

"They must be cheering him on to stall for time. What is he, a sacrifice goat?" James muttered beside me, his eyes glued to the fight.

James was the only one standing beside me, or perhaps I should say that I was left alone by the rest?

After all, who would want to be anywhere near the "machete guy"?

"Exactly. If the match stalls for long enough, it'll be a small victory for Abdul," I chimed in.

Kai Lee landed beside Abdul and infused his limbs with mana, appearing to trigger a silent skill.

He struck the shield concealing Abdul with force, causing it to shatter with a resounding shock.

In an instant, Kai executed a powerful back kick that sent Abdul hurtling through the air like a lifeless puppet.

Tears welled in Abdul's eyes in pain.

He begged, "Please, stop. I surrender-"

Without allowing Abdul to finish his plea, Kai sprang towards him and punted him out of the ring like a football.

That was the end of the match.

The match lasted only ten seconds, a sharp contrast to the extended battles presented in anime.

In truth, a real fight could be over in the blink of an eye.

As the match ended with Kai as the victor, I could hear muted murmurs of astonishment from nearby students, not surprising given that Abdul was ranked (F-).

The ease with which Kai defeated Abdul showcased his impressive skill.

But, some students seemed disturbed by the quick victory.

-"It's too much," someone muttered. -"Only two kicks, and he beat his opponent like it was nothing. If Kai truly wanted to, he could kill with a single move in a real life."

Kai left the ring with an nonchalant look.

Kai Lee was a very strong character in the novel.

Although he only appeared briefly during major arcs and was never a main character.

Despite this, he was extremely powerful and stood out even as a side character.

As I looked over at the main characters located on the other side of the cylinder arena, I couldn't help but think, 'If the side characters are this strong, then they're just monsters. Even with Nano's help, I don't think I could survive a fight against any of them.'

'And if they are monsters, what makes of', my thoughts faded as my eyes darted towards a guy with brown eyes, who seemed to be aloof in his own world.

Someone who really didn't gave a fuck about the world. It was not a metaphor. He really didn't gave one fuck about the world.

But this whole fight gave me an insight.

It's true that I don't want to associate with the main characters but-

'Maybe Kai Lee could be my ally?' I thought to myself.

The protagonist had a team, and soon enough, I would need one too.

It was clear that without a reliable team, it would be difficult for me to survive the early stages of the novel, especially when facing significant events and challenges.

Anyway, as much as I remember the contents of the novel the next match should be between Nola Reinheart and some random girl, whom I don't remember properly.

As I was thinking a sudden shook came my way-

"Next Match..."

"Nola Reinheart and Noah Grey..."