Kouhai

"The winner is Golden Lion."

Ethan's face snapped towards Night Bear. Golden Lion? Did Night Bear make a mistake? He opened his mouth, wanting to protest. This wasn't fair. Was some kind of an internal plot to suppress him? He"d defeated Golden Lion fair and square. So why was he declared the loser? Suddenly, he felt Night Bear's heavy gaze on him.

Was he being threatened? Ethan stared back at the husky figure, refusing to back down. He didn't care if he was going against his 'Senpai', who he had to respect while acting submissively. He wouldn't back down. His blue eyes gleamed slightly.

Night Bear took a step towards him. "I do not like the look in your eyes. Do not forget that I am your....." Suddenly, a voice came from behind Night Bear. "Tell him why he lost, Night Bear." It was Nathan. No, it was Cute Rabbit. Ethan couldn't call him Nathan right now. Sensei didn't repeat things twice. And he had a feeling that these people were very much like him in that regard.

Night Bear turned around. "As you wish, Senpai." He bowed slightly. "Burning Dragon! Golden Lion!" Night Bear stared at the two of them. "Your fight right now was splendid." He looked at Golden Lion. "Golden Lion, you displayed an exemplary use of your strengths, not giving Burning Dragon enough time to swing his kusarigama."

He turned towards Ethan. "And Burning Drago. Your performance was even better." A compliment? Well, he'd take it happily. It seemed like Night Bear hadn't declared his loss for no reason. "You improved within this battle, learning to surprise you opponent by planning every single move." So Night Bear was watching their fight very closely. Although he wasn't privy to Ethan's thoughts, he'd still figured out this much simply by looking. His combat instincts were pretty good.

"And most of all, you lasted against your Senpai for 5 entire minutes. That is much higher than most of us have lasted in our first battles. Most people here lasted less than a minute before getting defeated." Ethan snorted. Five minutes? Noah decimated the bottom three members when he first entered the Combat Club. Compared to that, lasting slightly longer than most people seemed pathetic.

"However, after you managed to wound Golden Lion's shoulder, you were immediately disqualified. Tell me, did you feel a sudden burst of power in the middle of your battle?" Ethan nodded. He'd felt a sudden increase in his strength after sticking his kusarigama into Golden Lion's shoulder, just like Night Bear had mentioned. Wasn't it simply a burst of adrenaline?

"The belts are calibrated according to your current rank. They don't automatically change according to the wearer. That's why Poisoned Snake's belt didn't restrict your mana immediately. It was first calibrated to your current stats." Ethan nodded. He was starting to see where Night Bear was taking this. "In the middle of the fight, your rank increased." Of course. It made sense.

Over the last week, he'd been practising channelling his mage type mana every single day. Awakeners' ranks generally increased when their bodies were under some sort of physical or psychological pressure through the process of 'healing' the damage done to the body- kinda like how working out meant breaking your muscle fibres so that stronger and tougher muscles would be built up in their place.

"Your belt failed to restrict your mana completely. That's why the match was declared void instantly." It made sense. The Combat Club wasn't a scummy place where your background mattered like the rest of KGS, and the world by extension. It was different. They held immense respect for their rules. That's why every single person here was wearing a mask.

Ethan smiled slightly. If Darius were in Sensei's place, would he hold as much respect for the rules as Sensei did? Probably not. Nobody was wearing masks when he joined the Combat Club. Something have happened in the first year of KGS. And Ethan would find it out. Because right now, the Combat Club seemed like the purest place in Keystone. And he didn't want to see it get tainted like the rest of the world.

"Night Bear Sensei!" Ethan bowed to him. "Forgive me for my impudence! I should not have questioned your decision." Ethan's voice burst forth as he lowered his head in front of a Night Bear. He didn't like bowing in front of stronger people who took advantage of him. Who trampled on him. Ever since he'd defeated James and the rest of Douglas' gang, he never yielded in front of a stronger power. Yet, right now, he was bowing down in front of Night Bear.

Why? He wasn't sure. Maybe it was because he respected him? He shook his head. No. That wasn't it. The only reason why he was bowing was out of respect for the Combat Club- its rules, its extreme fairness and its opportunities- something he'd never experienced before he entered this building. "You may rise, Burning Dragon."

Night Bear loud, deep voice reverberated throughout the room. "Welcome to the Combat Club. With this, you have been pronounced the weakest member in this club, ranked 19th. Work hard, and you may be able to be called Senpai one day." He glanced at Cute Rabbit. "The initiation in over." Cute Rabbit's crisp, clear voice rang out, completely different from his usual bored tone.

Night Bear nodded slightly. "The two of you may return to your seats." Golden Lion bowed slightly. "Yes, Senpai." "Yes, Senpai." Ethan quickly bowed, following Golden Lion's actions. He handed his belt back to Night Bear. Creak! He sat down next to Golden Lion at the edge of the room, right beside the tatami.

It looked like everybody was placed according to the order of seniority inside the club. Ten people were sitting opposite to him. They were the ten strongest people in the Combat Club. And the people sitting next to him were the nine weakest people in the club. "You may start issuing challenges." Cute Rabbit proclaimed.

There was a brief moment of silence. Most likely, the lower ranked people were waiting for the higher ranked ones to issue their challenges first. "I challenge Poisoned Snake. Third kyu, orange belt." A boy wearing a dark blue coloured wolf mask stood up. His hair matched the colour of his mask. His height was average, not like Night Bear's tall hulking figure. But he still gave off an extreme aura of dangerousness.

"Scarred Wolf, I accept your challenge." A purple haired girl wearing a green coloured snake mask stood up. It wasn't shining green like the emerald krait. No, the colour was plain. Plain and poisonous.

A battle between two high rankers of the Combat Club. This was going to be interesting. And in the third kyu as well! Third kyu, or orange belt. That meant that their mana would be restricted at F-10 rank. So they were second or third years. And plus, they had innate abilities, just like Noah. Something that Ethan was so close two.

He clenched his fist in frustration. Just two more ranks. Then, he'd undergo his First Mana Condensation and finally unlock his innate ability. Though he wouldn't be able to reach orange belt until the end of the year, at the very least.

Clink! Clink! Scarred Wolf puled out a pair of metal claws, placing them on his fingers. They extended out, giving him artificial nails. So Scarred Wolf was a close ranged fighter. Snap! Poisoned Snake tucked her hand into her rope, pulling out a long, spiky whip. It burst through the air, cracking loudly. A snake themed awakener using a whip. How fitting! Its usage was a lot like Ethan's kusarigama. Maybe he could pick up a few tips from her.

"Ready!" Night Bear called out. Poisoned Snake took a step back widening the gap between her legs as she took a stance. Clink! Scarred Wolf bent down slightly, sliding his claws against one another. "Three! Two! One Fight!"

Clink! Snap! Everything seemed to happen in a moment. Poisoned Snake's whip shot out towards Scarred Wolf. He thrust his claws forward, parrying it with his bare hands as a guts of wind shot by. Clink! Clink! Clink!

Her whip danced through the air, making its way towards Scarred Wolf as she tried to find an opening. Clink! Clink! He parried each and every blow with his claws, dashing around her as he tried to move closer. Every time he tried to close the distance between them, Poisoned Snake's whip would rush forwards, pushing him behind.

Clink! The sounds of the weapons clashing slowly became more and more periodic, slipping into a rhythm as the two settled into an equilibrium. Scarred Wolf couldn't move any closer without getting hit. And Poisoned Snake couldn't find a hole in his defence to strike him. It seemed like they were perfectly balanced.

Chink! Chink! Whoosh! A gust of wind blew forth, blowing Ethan's hair behind as his eyes struggled to keep up with the battle. It was much more refined than his fight with Golden Lion. Poisoned Snake and Scarred Wolf seemed to grasp their strengths and weaknesses perfectly, showing no lapses in their judgement as they were matched equally.

But that didn't make sense. Poisoned Snake was ranked higher than Scarred Wolf. So what was it that made her stronger than him? Snap! Suddenly, Scarred Wolf made a mistake. Or, more accurately, he was unable to calculate one of Poisoned Snake's 'surprises' like he had been until now.

Crack...crack...crack. Blue fur started to line his body. His arms grew thicker as muscles started to build up under his skin. His snout elongated, turning into a wolf's as his body grew taller. Yet, his mask still covered his face perfectly. Snap! The whip curled around his right arm, its spikes breaking through his skin slightly. In the moment he'd broken the balance, Scarred Wolf had immediately activated his innate ability.

Poisoned Snake was in trouble. Her whip was wrapped tightly around Scarred Wolf's arm. There was no way she could get it free in time. And Scarred Wolf could use his elevated physical ability to pull her towards himself. Whoosh! Suddenly, he jumped towards Poisoned Wolf.

Ethan frowned. Why was he throwing away his largest advantage? Wasn't making Poisoned Snake lose her balance a better move? Whoosh! Poisoned Snake jumped backwards, trying to widen the distance between the two. She thrust her arm upwards, freeing the whip from Scarred Wolf's arm.

Scarred Wolf shot through the air, closing the gap between the two. His enhanced physical abilities made him much faster than Poisoned Snake, especially since she was jumping backwards. Snap! Poisoned Snake thrust her whip vertically, trying to attack Scarred Wolf's wide chest. Clink! He parried it easily.

Creak! Poisoned Snake's feet landed on the tatami. Scarred Wolf was less than two metres away from her. At this point, it seemed like he'd get her with his claws. Any attack she'd throw would at most graze his tough skin slightly. The chances of her landing a solid hit very extremely low.

Whoosh...whoosh...whoosh. She waved her whip in a frenzy. Right now, drastically increasing her chances of landing a hit on Scarred Wolf. But it made no difference. Her blows wouldn't be able to stop his onslaught. He could simply power through, snatching victory at the price of a few minor wounds.

Bubble....bubble...bubble. Suddenly, Poisoned Snake's skin started to turn purple. Her hair melted together, forming a goopy mixture that hung behind her head. Her entire body turned viscous, hissing and spitting as it came in contact with the tatami. A thin line of poison ran along her weapon, coating every single spike as her whip turned into a sharp, poisonous tongue.

Scarred Wolf's eyes widened. Right now, he was airborne. There was now way he could dodge the incoming blow. Snap! Splotch! A spike broke apart the skin on his arm, injecting a does of poison into his bloodstream. His entire arm started to go numb.

Clink! Suddenly, the claws on his arms lengthened, fitting perfectly into his weapon. Slash! His arm shot out, slashing apart the air as they headed towards Poisoned Snake. Slice! The metal claws ran across her chest, leaving a large gash. Spurt! Blood flowed out of her chest, staining her white keikogi.

"Huff...huff...huff." Scarred Wolf clutched his arm tightly, breathing heavily as he stared at Poisoned Snake. "Thank you, Senpai! That was a good battle." Thud! He crashed onto the floor, breathing heavily as he lost all energy. It was over. All in a fraction of a second. Scarred Wolf's couldn't handle Poisoned Snake's poison. All it took was one hit with her innate ability to defeat him.

What an overpowered ability. "The winner is Poisoned Snake." Well. At least this outcome wasn't unexpected. Poisoned Snake took out a syringe from her body, stabbing it into Scarred Wolf's back. "Cough...cough...cough." He spit out a purple fluid from his mouth. Crack...crack...crack. His body returned back to normal as the effects Poisoned Snake's poison wore off. "You may return." Creak! Poisoned snake started to walk towards the edge of the tatami as her blood slowly dripped on the floor. Pop! She pulled out a bottle from her pocket, chugging it in one gulp. Drip...drip...drip. Her bleeding started to slow down. It was a healing potion. Neither Golden Lion, nor him were given any potions after their battle. Well, it wans't like their wounds were as serious as Posioned Snake's. so he couldn't exactly complain.

But he was curious about one thing. During the battle, why hadn't Scarred Wolf exploited Poisoned Snake's weakness earlier? "Uh... Scarred Wolf Senpai?" Ethan could feel every single person in the room stare at him. Was he being too brazen by speaking to Scarred a wolf after he lost a fight? Well, it didn't matter.

"Why didn't you pull on Poisoned Snake's whip when she wrapped it around your arm? Wouldn't that have led to your victory?" Scarred Wolf stared at Ethan. "No." Poisoned Snake's soft, sharp voice cut through the air. "If he pulled the whip, they spikes would dig deeper into his arm. And then I'd have poisoned him immediately." Her green eyes bore into Ethan.

"Scarred Wolf's best choice was to try to close the distance between us. That way, he could get rid of my whip fast enough. If it was any other gatekeeper, he would have done as you said." Ethan bowed. "Thank you, Senpai." He could still feel the gases of every single person in the room weighing down on him.

"Burning Dragon, is it? You use a kusarigama, right?" Her green eyes bore into him. "You're quite interesting. Maybe you won't stay everybody's Kouhai for long." Ethan could imagine her smiling behind her green mask.