The scenery inside the training facility shifted instantly.
A dense jungle surrounded them—ancient trees towering overhead, the damp scent of soil filling the air.
A thin line of blood ran down Shiv's lip.
Right in front of him stood Veer—his T-shirt torn in multiple places, a long cut across his chest leaking deep crimson blood.
"What… what is this? How the hell can you do something like this? You traitor!" Shiv shouted, gasping for breath.
Veer let out a cold laugh.
His eyes glinted like a predator's, a murderous smile stretching across his lips.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
The next second—
A brutal kick came crashing toward the back of Shiv's neck.
Shiv caught it at the last moment and dropped low, sliding as he threw a counter kick.
But that same twisted smile stayed on Veer's face.
Just when Shiv thought he had dodged it—
Veer adjusted mid-air.
Instead of the neck, his strike slammed straight into Shiv's left shoulder.
BOOM!
The entire jungle filled with smoke.
When it cleared, the sight was terrifying.
Shiv was buried three feet deep into the ground.
A short distance away, Veer was lodged into the trunk of an old tree, blood trickling from his mouth.
"…Gotta admit," Veer said, pulling himself out of the tree, "you're actually strong."
Suddenly—
Everything in front of Veer began to glitch.
Black and white lines swallowed the jungle whole.
The next moment, he ripped off his VR headset.
His face was drenched in sweat. His breathing was heavy.
"I won! I actually won!" he shouted, unable to hold back his excitement.
On the other side, Shiv removed his headset as well.
His hands were shaking uncontrollably.
Even though he knew it was virtual, the moment he was crushed into the ground—it had hit his mind so hard that the instant he returned to reality, his legs gave out.
He stumbled trying to stand—
And nearly collapsed.
Viru rushed in and caught him.
"What happened, Shiv? Was it really that real?"
Shiv stared at his trembling hands.
"It… it was just a fake world… but my body is still feeling that impact."
In front of him, a display flickered:
Result: 1 Loss | 1 Victory | Rating: 2.3
"What is this?" Shiv pointed at it.
"No clue, bro. Probably VR fight data," Viru said, snatching the headset from his hands.
"My turn now! You go check out the other stuff."
Just then, Aarav walked past them, holding a thin black chain in his hand.
"What are you taking that for?" Shiv asked.
Aarav gave a cruel smile.
"It'll be useful for my mission. This thing's perfect."
Shiv shut his eyes and shook his head.
He's lost it… is this because of the last mission?
Veer let out a long yawn and glanced at Shiv with a mocking look.
"Everyone here's turned into a bunch of kids."
The veins on Shiv's forehead throbbed with rage.
He lunged forward and grabbed Veer by the collar.
"What the hell is your problem, bastard?"
Veer didn't back off.
He grabbed Shiv's collar right back.
"Bastard… you've got some nerve touching my collar."
They were just about to throw punches when—
"Students!"
Principal Niraj's voice thundered through the hall.
Veer instantly stopped and switched to an innocent face.
"You ruined all the fun… But Principal sir, look at Shiv! He's the one creating a scene!"
The Principal held his head.
"This boy just won't listen…"
He was still trying to handle Shiv and Veer when—
thud.
The heavy doors opened with a deep echo.
A death-like silence fell over the hall.
Every head turned toward the entrance.
Suzuka stood at the front.
But the three people behind her made the entire room feel colder.
A red-haired girl, Sakura, casually sucked on a lollipop.
Beside her, Yura stood still—scanning everyone with flat, ice-cold eyes.
But everyone's attention locked onto the boy in the center—
Oda Takahashi.
The sound of his footsteps echoed clearly through the hall.
Hands in his pockets, he walked forward with a smile full of arrogance.
He stopped.
Closed his eyes.
Shiv felt it instantly—
Like someone was staring straight into his soul.
A strange chill ran down his spine.
Oda opened his blue-lit eyes.
"So… why do you all look so shocked?" his low voice echoed through the hall.
He took a step toward Shiv.
The pace was so slow that Shiv could hear his own heartbeat.
Oda looked him up and down from the side—
Like he was inspecting some worn-out toy.
"Why the shock?" he asked again.
Ritika spoke softly, "No… it's just that you all appeared so suddenly."
"Let me introduce myself," Oda said calmly.
"I'm Oda Takahashi. Captain of the 1st-year team. That's Sakura, that's Yura—and you already know Suzuka."
Suzuka clicked her tongue in irritation.
"Oda, I didn't come here to waste time. Wrap it up."
Oda closed his eyes again.
Then opened them—
Locking straight onto Shiv.
"So, you all came here to spar with our academy?"
Veer appeared in front of him in an instant.
"Why not? I've been waiting for this."
"Fine," Oda said.
"The match is this evening. Be back here."
As they walked out through the gallery, Oda spoke to Suzuka,
"You figured out who's strong, right?"
Suzuka looked tense.
"Yeah… I understand."
Sakura giggled behind her hand.
"Seriously… you…"
Yura Sato cut her off.
"Quiet. Oda, what do you think? How strong is that Veer guy?"
Oda kept walking, hands still in his pockets.
"Roughly on our level."
Outside, in the training area, Shiv's eyes landed on a girl.
She was wearing a fitted sports top and leggings, drenched in sweat from intense training.
She glanced at him once—
And walked away.
Before Shiv could process it, a commotion broke out behind him.
Veer had already picked a fight with a Keebo student.
Kavya and Ritika were failing badly at holding him back.
Shiv let out a breath—
Then sprinted straight toward the chaos.