Suddenly, his vision blurred, and Shadow’s consciousness was pulled away to a different place.

For a brief moment, everything around him faded into darkness, as if his senses had been cut off entirely. Then, just as quickly, light returned.

When his sight cleared, he found himself seated among a massive crowd inside a futuristic arena. The structure was enormous, stretching far beyond what he could immediately perceive, with countless rows of spectators surrounding a central battlefield below. The atmosphere was alive, filled with loud cheers and restless energy as the audience focused entirely on the fight taking place.

The noise alone was overwhelming, yet it didn’t feel chaotic. Instead, it carried a strange sense of immersion, as if every sound was carefully controlled to enhance the experience.

Shadow’s eyes moved slightly as he took everything in, his expression calm despite the sudden shift.

Only then did he notice the familiar presence beside him.

"Good, you all accepted the invite request. I was starting to wonder if I made the right call," Lucian said, letting out a breath of relief as he saw everyone gathered.

"Where are we?" Jane asked, her gaze moving across the arena as she tried to understand what she was looking at.

"I’m not really sure," Lucian replied honestly. "I just saw an option to watch a live fight between ranked participants and chose it without thinking too much."

"It seems like two people are fighting down there, and all these people are just here to watch," Talia said quietly, her eyes focused on the battlefield below.

Shadow followed her line of sight.

In the center of the arena, two figures were engaged in a fierce battle.

Both of them were women.

One of them had a small and petite build, almost doll-like in appearance, but the energy surrounding her made it clear she was anything but weak. The other stood in sharp contrast, her figure mature and curvy, with exaggerated proportions that drew attention to her chest and hips even in the middle of combat.

Despite the difference in appearance, neither of them seemed at a disadvantage.

"Why are you so mad? Just relax. You’ll eventually find a man who likes small girls," the taller woman said in a mocking tone as she moved gracefully, dodging a circular wave of ethereal energy aimed directly at her head.

Her movements were fluid, almost effortless, as if she was enjoying the fight rather than taking it seriously.

"You fucking whore—who are you calling small?" the petite girl snapped, her voice filled with anger that didn’t match her size. "I’m going to rip that body of yours to pieces."

Without hesitation, she released a violent surge of ethereal energy.

The attack wasn’t focused.

Instead, it spread outward in every direction like an explosion, covering a wide area as if she didn’t care about precision at all.

"Fuck—are you insane? Do you want to lose too?" the busty woman cursed as she immediately realized what kind of attack it was.

There was barely any time to react.

She quickly summoned a large fan and raised it in front of her, using it as a shield in an attempt to block the incoming energy.

But the difference in power was obvious.

The moment the wave made contact, the fan was shredded apart as if it were nothing. The force of the attack didn’t stop there—it pushed through and slammed into her body, sending her flying backward across the arena.

Her clothes tore apart under the pressure, unable to withstand the impact.

By the time she stopped moving, only fragments remained, leaving her exposed in nothing but her pink underwear.

For a brief second, there was silence.

Then the crowd exploded.

"Yeahhhhhh!"

"That’s my queen!"

"We all like pink!"

"You look so cute, Misa!"

"Please expos— I mean, keep fighting!"

The reactions came from all directions, loud and unrestrained, as if the fight itself had suddenly become secondary.

Shadow’s eyes narrowed slightly, not at the scene below, but at the reaction of the audience then back at the two fighting before muttering in a low voice.

’System, aquire’

[Spells aquired]

Shadow had a little smile that went unnoticed by the others

"Fuck... fuck... fuck..." Misa the sexy woman muttered, her face turning red as the realization of her situation hit her all at once.

Her earlier confidence disappeared instantly, replaced by pure embarrassment.

Without wasting another second, she muttered something under her breath.

Her figure vanished.

A mechanical voice echoed throughout the arena, clear and emotionless.

[Participant Misa has surrendered. Winner: Participant Lili]

The petite girl—Lili—stood still for a moment before a smug smile slowly formed on her face as she heard the announcement. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Victory.

But the same couldn’t be said for the audience.

"Fuck, she surrendered even though she hadn’t lost yet!"

"Why did she log out now?!"

"Guys, learn to be content. I’m already satisfied with what I saw today. When are we ever going to witness something like that again?" one man said with a laugh.

Some people nodded in agreement, clearly sharing the same mindset.

Others didn’t.

"You’re disgusting," a few girls said before logging out, their expressions filled with disgust.

The noise slowly began to settle.

Back where Shadow and the others were seated, a different kind of silence lingered.

"But... what have I just witnessed?" Talia asked, her voice quieter than usual, clearly unsettled by what had just happened.

"This might be new to you," Jane said, her tone more composed, "but I’ve heard from my mother that things far worse than this happen in real fights. So having the option to escape like that is still a blessing."

"That’s true," Lucian added, "but this felt way too real. She probably didn’t expect things to go that far."

His expression carried a mix of amusement and discomfort.

"What do you think?" he asked, turning toward Shadow.

Shadow didn’t respond immediately.

His gaze remained on the arena for a moment longer before he finally spoke.

"What is there to think about? The ability to mentally pressure your opponent into surrendering without physically injuring them is efficient," he said calmly. "I understand why Talia finds it disturbing, but this system is meant to prepare people for real combat. From that perspective, the result is effective."

His tone didn’t carry judgment based on his feeling. It was simply the truth.

"I couldn’t agree more," Jaden said, though his expression was noticeably different. "But those people..." he added, his gaze shifting toward the crowd, "...they were pathetic."

There was clear annoyance in his voice.

But his thoughts told a different story.

’Fuck all of you...’ Jaden thought, his jaw tightening slightly.

’From today onward, I’ll be Misa-san’s number one admirer.’

His eyes lingered for a moment where Misa had been.

’Anyone who tries to look at her... I’ll deal with them.’

A quiet resolve formed in his mind.

’She’s mine... mine alone.’