When the Serial Killer Next Door Gained Harem System

Chapter 140: You’re F

I turned back, and saw the Professor looking right through the black smoke. Was she able to see me? She was looking at me with cold and calculated eyes, not moving.

This time, from the smoke a bear formed and attacked Eselin. She lifted her weapon but she couldn’t even hurt it. The bear pushed her on the ground, roared, and then lifted one paw up to strike her... but she acted quick. Raised her sword and rolled over, then swung it, dissipating the bear.

"I gotta give it to you, Ambly-blessed." She panted, still not being able to see me in the zone. "You know your stuff."

"Thanks. Could say the same thing to you."

My mana was running low. I had already pushed past the amount I should have been able to cast, and the only reason I had gotten this far was mana regeneration. Right now, though, I was running on fumes.

"Well, shit."

I sprinted toward Eselin, knowing this had to be my last real chance if I wanted to win. As I moved, something lunged out of the shadows and slammed into her. I only caught a glimpse of it, but it was big enough to tower over me, with heavy shoulders and curved horns that made it look like some kind of hulking beast. It hit her hard enough to knock her off balance and sent her crashing to the ground before fading back into smoke.

A second later, another shape moved through the darkness. This one was low and fast, a long snake-like creature that hissed as it slithered toward her through the shadows. While she was still on the ground, it wrapped around her leg and bit into her thigh before vanishing as well.

She let out a pained groan and pushed herself back up, but even though she was facing me, the spell still kept her from seeing me properly until I was close enough to strike. I drove my wooden dagger into her chest, and she staggered backward as the spell finally broke apart. The smoke around us thinned and disappeared, leaving just the two of us in the arena and leaving me with almost nothing left in reserve.

"What a spell," she muttered, spitting on the ground before raising her eyes to me again. "You made me angry, Ace."

"Hmm."

Uh-oh.

She released the sword, and it remained hovering at shoulder height beside her. Then she clapped once. The ground beneath me shuddered, and a narrow split opened in the dirt at my feet. When I looked down, I saw red light deep inside the crack, followed by fire.

I jumped back immediately, but she clapped again and another fissure opened, sending a second burst of flame straight up from the floor.

I dodged left and rolled before I could get caught in it. Another clap sounded behind me, and I threw myself forward without even bothering to stand properly. Another burst of fire cracked the air where I had just been, then another, then another, until I was scrambling across the arena floor just to stay ahead of them.

When I finally managed to turn, Eselin was standing behind me with her sword still floating at shoulder level, looking far too calm for someone who had just turned the ground into a weapon.

"Keep dancing for me, little jester," she said, the corners of her mouth twitching into a small smirk.

This chick...

I opened the system and checked my mana again. I barely had enough left for a single Shadow Leap, and that was not enough to turn the fight around on its own. I needed something better, something that would actually end this, but I had already spent too much. I did have one other option, though. One touch was all it would take to make her lose control and collapse in front of everyone.

No.

I was not winning like that. It would be disgusting, and besides, it would turn her into an enemy I absolutely didn’t need.

"I give up," I said, lifting both hands while still sitting on the dirt. "Good job."

The golden barrier vanished, and our weapons returned to normal. Eselin scoffed, caught her sword as it dropped beside her, and turned away without saying anything else. She walked out of the arena like she had already forgotten I existed.

I lay back on the ground with my hands over my forehead and shut my eyes for a moment, letting the dirt cool my back.

A shadow fell over me after a few seconds, and when I opened my eyes, Ken and Mio were standing above me.

"Dude," Ken said. "You held your ground pretty well."

"For a punching bag," Mio added.

"Thanks," I said with a tired smile.

"Do you need healing?" Ken asked as he crouched beside me.

"Nah. Just some water’d be nice."

"Want me to get some?"

"It’s fine. Dinner’s about to start anyway."

Mio looked at me with a curious expression. "I didn’t even recognize half the spells you used. Were those your own creation?"

"Creation?" I asked. "People can just make spells?"

"How do you think spells were invented in the first place?" Ken said. "Most people suck at making them, though. It is really hard."

"Huh," I muttered. "Right."

Ken nudged my shoulder and got to his feet before offering me a hand. "Come on."

I took it and pulled myself up, brushing dirt off my school uniform as I stood. Thank fuck nothing had happened to it, because if it had, I really did not want to pay a tailor to fix it. I was going to need new clothes soon anyway. I had been sleeping in my school uniform every night, which was starting to feel pretty ridiculous.

"Oh, boy," I exhaled. "I’m tired..."

ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎

I woke up in a sweat, breathing a little harder than I wanted to. It was one of those dreams that never stayed in my head properly, the kind that vanished the second I opened my eyes, only to crawl back later during the day and ruin my mood all over again.

Ken was already awake. His wardrobe stood open, and he was taking out his school uniform when he noticed me stirring. He closed the door right away, pulled his shirt on, and then sat down at the chair to fix the hem of his pants.

"You good?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, swinging my legs off the bed. "Bad dream, I guess."

"Ah. How bad out of ten?"

"Six?"

"Could’ve been worse."

"Yeah..."

"Man, you really need to buy some clothes," he said as he stood up. "You can’t keep sleeping in your school uniform."

I let out a breath. "I know."

I got up and walked to my wardrobe, opened it, and glanced at myself in the mirror while I fixed my hair. Once I looked at least somewhat presentable, I shut the wardrobe and headed for the door with Ken. We both put on our boots and stepped outside.

It looked like we were early. The clock on the wall said we still had about an hour before first class, which meant the breakfast line would still be short for once. That was something I could work with.

"Why are you up so early?" I asked as we walked down the corridor.

Ken shrugged. "I usually get up early. Waiting in that line is painful."

"Yeah." I nodded. "There are a lot of students here, though. Is that the only place where breakfast gets served?"

"Nope," he said. "There are five more. I think there’s one on every three or four floors. Not sure, though."

"Hmm."

When we reached the dining area, we grabbed our trays and headed for the counter. The cook was sitting behind it on a stool, reading a book while waiting for the students to come through. In front of him, the breakfast had already been laid out in neat rows. There were slices of bread, boiled eggs, cucumber strips, tomatoes, a little butter, and a few pieces of fruit beside the main dishes, along with cups of water and a bowl of steaming porridge that gave off a warm smell in the cold air.

I went first, and the cook filled my tray without looking up much from his book. Then Ken stepped forward, got his own breakfast, and we carried our food over to a table near the window.

"Eselin and you really shook the whole street today," Ken said while picking up his fork.

"Yeah," I scoffed. "I was the one getting shaken, not the street."

"She’s S-class, man," he said, taking a bite of cucumber. "That was kind of expected. You’re F."

I shrugged. "I guess. I wasn’t trying to win anyway. I knew I wouldn’t lose. I just wanted to limit test myself."

Ken shook his head. "That was some limit testing, Ace. The amount of spells you can use from different classes is ridiculous."

Before I could answer, a boy from behind me spoke up with a plate in his hands.

"Yo, Ace! Yesterday’s spells were insane, man."

I turned and gave him an awkward smile. "T-thanks. I still lost, though."

"She was S-class anyway," he said, then moved to sit at the table behind us. "Good shit, Ace. Seriously, good shit."

Guess I was getting popular now.