My System Doesn't Give Power

The third morning of the tournament felt different.

For once, the arena no longer resembled an abandoned venue. More people had gathered in the stands.

A group of trainee mana chefs in green kitchen-department uniforms occupied the lower rows, while several research students had returned with notebooks in hand, whispering among themselves and pointing toward the stage.

There were also academy assistants, shopkeepers from the market district, and students who had been drawn in by the rumors spreading across campus.

’A notorious troublemaker ending fights in a single move.’

’A mage blasting opponents away with raw mana.’

’A quiet, nerdy student suddenly becoming a martial artist.’

’And, of course, the girl with black mana.’

Even with the larger crowd, though, the atmosphere remained strangely dry. There was no cheering, no grand introduction, nothing that made it feel like a proper tournament.

The biggest difference was at the center of the arena. Instead of five stages, only one remained.

Zac and the others stood near the edge of the contestant area, and Marty was unusually quiet.

Normally, he would’ve found something to joke about before they even settled in. Today, he simply stood with his shield strapped across his back, staring at the stage.

Daniel stood a short distance away with his spear in hand, and neither of them had said much since arriving.

Kelly looked between the two with concern written plainly across her face. "Are you two really okay?"

Marty turned to her and forced a smile a little too quickly. "Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? It’s just a friendly match between friends."

The words sounded lighter than they should have. Daniel’s expression tightened. "You don’t have to force it."

"I’m not forcing anything."

Zac glanced down and saw Marty’s fingers clenching tightly around the strap of his shield.

Sabrina stood nearby with her usual cold expression, offering nothing.

Adrian, on the other hand, released a dramatic sigh. "How tragic. Friendship is forced to clash beneath the merciless hand of competition. At last, this tournament has developed a shred of dramatic value."

Marty slowly turned toward him. "Adrian, if you turn my emotions into theater again, I swear I’ll haunt you for the next seven lives."

Adrian recoiled. "If a ghost is going to haunt me, I’d rather it be an elegant noble lady consumed by forbidden love. Not some heavily built man carrying a shield."

Marty closed his eyes and tilted his face toward the ceiling. "I hate this group."

"No, you don’t," Kelly said softly.

Marty opened one eye, then looked at her with a small smile finally appearing on his face. "Yeah. I don’t."

He looked around the group. "Any advice?"

Shobin considered it for a moment. "Both of you are my friends. Giving one of you advice feels unfair to the other."

He adjusted his glasses. "So just do your best."

Marty stared at him. "Great. Invaluable wisdom."

No one else volunteered.

Eventually, Marty turned toward Sabrina. "What about you? You’re definitely not going to give me the friendship speech."

Sabrina looked at him for a moment. "You’re going to lose."

["..."]

Everyone turned toward her. "Snow..." Kelly’s voice came out almost pleading. "You could’ve said something nicer."

"Why? It wouldn’t help him win."

Marty let out a breath through his nose. "Don’t worry, Kelly. I know my limits."

He glanced toward Daniel. "I’m basically casting a fishing line into a pond I already know is empty."

Daniel’s grip shifted on his spear. "Don’t give up before the match even starts."

"I’m not." Marty straightened slightly. "I’m still going to give it everything I’ve got."

That earned a few smiles from the others.

Soon, Matilda’s voice carried across the arena. "Twenty-two students remain."

"By the end of this morning, only eleven will advance to the fourth round, which will be held this evening."

She gestured toward the center of the arena. "As you can see, there is only one stage today. Matches will therefore be held one at a time."

Her gaze swept across the remaining contestants. "Give it everything you have and earn the highest evaluation you can."

"Now, let the third round begin."

The referee stepped onto the stage and read out the first pairing. "Number twenty-two against number sixty-four."

Marty and Daniel rose at the same time.

Kelly blinked. "Wait. You two are the first match?"

Marty rolled his shoulders and pulled the shield from his back, strapping it firmly onto his left arm. He forced some cheer into his voice and looked at Daniel. "Let’s go."

They climbed onto the stage and took their places opposite each other.

The referee checked both VSBs. "Marty Williams, Class A, versus Daniel Martel, Class A."

A murmur immediately spread through the stands.

"They’re from the same class?"

"That’s gotta be rough."

Another student scoffed. "Are you an idiot? This is a tournament between two classes. Obviously, people from the same class were going to fight eventually."

"Still, shield against spear. Let’s see which one holds up."

"The spear, obviously. You know Daniel Martel comes from a prestigious family, right?"

"Yeah. The buff guy doesn’t seem to have any background at all. I heard he’s from some village."

Marty planted his shield in front of him and stared across the distance between them.

Daniel lowered his spear into position.

Marty gave him a crooked smile. "Just so you know, if I get hurt, I’m blaming you for the rest of my life."

Daniel remained perfectly calm. "That’s fine."

"Begin!"

Daniel moved first. Mana flowed along the length of his spear in a thin, controlled layer.

Marty raised his shield in defense.

The first thrust shot toward his shoulder.

He caught it at the right moment. The impact wasn’t particularly heavy, yet the force traveled cleanly through the shield and into his arm.

The second thrust came immediately, lower this time.

Marty twisted aside as mana flared around his legs. The spearhead missed his thigh by inches, scraping across the edge of his coating before sliding away.

The third strike arrived before he could fully reset his stance.

Marty barely brought the shield up in time.

Thud!

His feet scraped across the stone.

The crowd grew quieter.

Daniel wasn’t attacking wildly. Every thrust had a purpose.

He was dismantling Marty’s defense piece by piece, testing where his reactions slowed and where his mana control would fail first.

And every strike seemed to ask Marty the same questions.

’How fast can you react?’

’How long can you hold?’

’Where will you break first?’

Marty clenched his jaw and kept answering the only way he knew how.

By enduring.

He pushed forward, trying to close the gap, but Daniel retreated half a step and swept the spear low, and Marty’s charge died instantly.

The shaft slammed against his shin, and the defensive coating flared just in time. Even so, one leg buckled beneath the force.

Daniel gave him no room to recover. One thrust, then another. Marty blocked both, but the third slipped past the shield and struck his upper arm.

Pain shot through him.

"Damn it..."

Daniel heard him, but his expression never changed.

Below the stage, Kelly clasped her hands together. "This is so one-sided. Daniel’s controlling the range completely."

Adrian folded his arms. "The shield cannot shine if the spear refuses to let it breathe."

Everyone turned toward him.

Adrian frowned. "What? That was a perfectly valid observation."

Zac never took his eyes off the stage.

[Pure defense only delays the inevitable. He should concede.]

The system paused. [Although judging by that face, he’d rather get beaten into the floor first.]

"I know."

Zac’s gaze tightened. "That’s what I’m worried about."

On the stage, Marty tried again. He waited for Daniel’s next thrust, angled his shield, and knocked the spear aside.

Mana surged through his legs, and he charged forward. For one brief moment, it looked like he might finally break through Daniel’s range.

But Daniel immediately released the pressure. His grip shifted, and Marty’s shield passed harmlessly beside the spear, and Daniel pivoted the shaft in one smooth motion.

Bang!

The strike landed across Marty’s ribs, and the sound echoed through the arena. Marty staggered sideways, one foot grinding hard enough against the stone to leave a deep mark.

He stopped himself just before crossing the boundary.

Marty dragged in a breath and pressed one hand against his side.

"That one..." He winced. "That one was rude."

Daniel lowered the spear slightly. "You know this is only going to get more painful, right? You should surrender."

A quiet laugh escaped Marty.

"Surrender?"

He tightened his grip around the shield.

"Not today."

Mana spread across its surface once more.

Daniel watched him for a moment and understood. "I respect your choice."

His spear rose again. "So be it."

This time, the attacks came faster, and Marty blocked the first. The second struck his shoulder, and the third crashed against the shield hard enough to drive him backward another step.

Pain spread through his arm, and his breathing grew heavier. The mana coating over his shield flickered, struggling to remain stable.

But Marty stayed on his feet.

The people in the stands had stopped whispering now. Even those who had expected an easy victory were beginning to wonder just how long he could keep going.

Every impact chipped away at his strength, and every block cost more mana than the last. His limbs grew heavier, and a thin trail of blood slipped from the corner of his mouth.

"Marty..." Kelly’s face had gone pale.

Zac didn’t move. His expression remained unreadable, but his eyes never left the stage.

Daniel struck again. The spear shaft slammed into Marty’s abdomen. His body folded around the impact before crashing onto the stone.

For a moment, he stayed there. Then Marty planted one hand against the floor and slowly forced himself back onto his feet.

He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes lingered on the red smear for a second.

A memory surfaced without warning.

A quiet room beneath warm, muted light.

His mother’s face was in the VSB, asking whether he was eating properly, whether he was getting enough sleep, and whether he was still following Zac around like a lost puppy.

Marty had laughed. "Mom, Zac isn’t my only friend anymore."

The memory faded.

Marty blinked and found Daniel standing across the stage once again. His gaze drifted past him, toward the others.

Sabrina, Kelly, Shobin, even Adrian, unfortunately, and finally, Zac.

His fingers tightened around the shield. Marty pushed himself upright and raised it in front of him.

Daniel’s spear came down harder than before.

Crack!

The impact thundered across the stage and drove Marty’s boots backward across the stone. Pain tore through both arms, sharp enough to numb his fingers. The shield nearly slipped from his grasp.

Another thrust came.

Blocked.

Then another.

He blocked that too.

Again and again, Daniel’s spear hammered against his defense, and every impact shook something loose inside him.

Daniel finally stopped. "Marty, you’re at your limit."

Marty spat a mouthful of blood onto the stone and grinned. "Good."

Daniel frowned. "That wasn’t a compliment."

"Wasn’t taking it as one." Marty lifted the shield again. "Now come at me."

The arena had gone quiet.

Every time Daniel shattered the mana coating over his shield, Marty dragged more mana from somewhere and forced it back into place.

Every time his knees threatened to give out, he somehow found enough strength to straighten them again.

His arms burned, his ribs screamed with every breath, and his mouth tasted like iron.

Even gathering mana now felt like scraping the bottom of an empty pot and hoping there was still something left.

But one thought refused to let him stay down.

"I don’t want to be left alone."

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