Mutant awakening: My evolution knows no bounds

Chris's trembling voice echoed in Billy's mind, creating a ripple of tension among the group. For a moment, the usually brash and confrontational Billy found himself grappling with the possibility that something deeper had taken place in the fight against Ghost Ranger.

Still, he refused to let fear seep in. He clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing. "What the hell are you talking about, Chris? We all saw the fight. You lost because you were weak, not because that guy is overpowered," Billy barked, his disbelief clear in his tone.

Chris's gaze remained glued to the floor, his voice a little more urgent now. "That's what you think, but I swear... I put everything into that fight. It was like he knew every move before I even made it. There's something off about him."

Billy stood silently for a moment, assessing Chris. He wasn't one to back down from a fight, but hearing Chris's conviction made him pause. "Fine," he said after a moment, turning his sharp gaze toward Kenny, one of the Grade 4 fighters in their circle. "Kenny, go to the organizers and pay them off. I want to see if Chris is telling the truth. Get yourself a match with Ghost Ranger.

I want to see this for myself."

Kenny raised an eyebrow but quickly nodded. He was used to Billy's demands and, more importantly, knew better than to question him. Without another word, Kenny walked off to meet the organizers.

Matchmaking in the ranking arena was designed to be random, with students facing off against opponents of the same grade or one grade higher or lower. However, there was always a way to cheat the system if you had enough tokens to spare. Some students could bribe the organizers to arrange a match against any opponent they wanted, whether for an easy win or to settle personal scores.

Though it was illegal and punishable by a ban from the arena, corruption was rampant. Students who could afford it rarely faced consequences, as long as they knew who to bribe.

Kenny met with one of the organizers, a man hidden behind a silver mask, and after a quick exchange of words, handed over a small pouch of tokens. The organizer nodded and began typing rapidly on his computer. Within moments, the deal was sealed. Kenny would face Ghost Ranger in the next round.

---

While Kenny was making arrangements, Silas stood in a secluded corner of the arena, observing the ongoing fights with his arms crossed. He was growing impatient as the minutes ticked by. He had planned to fight several more opponents by now, gathering enough attribute points to prepare for his evolution quest, but the long wait between matches was slowing him down.

There were still five hours left before his time ran out, and he needed to rack up more points if he was going to survive what came next.

On the platform, a fight was playing out between two Grade 2 girls, Lucy and Rose. Lucy was a chain user, her shiny black chains whipping through the air as she tried to land a hit on her opponent. Rose, however, was quicker. She dodged the first chain easily and, with sharp reflexes, caught it when Lucy sent it toward her again.

Rose yanked hard, pulling Lucy toward her, and when Lucy stumbled forward, Rose leapt into the air and drove her knee into Lucy's face with a sickening crack.

**BAM!**

The sound of Lucy's nose breaking reverberated through the arena as she collapsed outside the platform. The announcer declared Rose the winner, but as usual, the crowd didn't react. Fights between lower grades were a mere distraction to the spectators, who were here to see the top-ranking students battle it out.

Silas continued to watch, taking mental notes about the various mutant abilities on display, but his frustration was mounting. Time was slipping away. The fights dragged on, and he couldn't afford to lose any more minutes. If only the arena had multiple platforms so fights could occur simultaneously—he might have already had three matches by now. But there was nothing he could do except wait.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the battle between two Grade 3s—one a wind user and the other a telekinesis user—came to an end, with the wind user victorious. And just like that, it was finally Silas's turn.

The announcer stepped onto the platform, microphone in hand. "Next match: Ghost Ranger versus…" She trailed off, confusion crossing her face as she read the name on her list. She blinked, then excused herself, stepping down to confer with one of the organizers.

Silas felt a sense of unease crawl up his spine. Something wasn't right.

He stretched and cracked his knuckles, preparing himself for what he assumed would be another easy fight. According to the ranking system, his opponent was a Grade 2 ice ability user, someone who should pose no real threat. He planned to finish the match quickly and move on to his next opponent.

The announcer returned to the platform after her brief conversation, and her voice was filled with uncertainty as she spoke again. "Next match: Ghost Ranger, a fighter with no mutant ability, versus Kenny Dogs, a Grade 4 mutant ability user!"

The crowd let out an audible gasp at the announcement, murmurs spreading like wildfire through the stands. Silas's eyes widened as the words sank in.

'Grade 4?'

That couldn't be right. His opponent was supposed to be a Grade 2. What had changed?

His gaze scanned the crowd, quickly zeroing in on Chris and Billy standing with a group of high-ranked students. They were smirking, eyes glinting with malicious intent. It didn't take long for Silas to realize what had happened. The fight had been rigged. They'd paid off the organizers to set him up against a much stronger opponent, hoping to find out if Chris was indeed telling the truth.

But instead of fear, a slow grin spread across Silas's face.

'Ah, so they rigged the fight. Smart. Whoever rigged it should be... rewarded handsomely because that was exactly what I wanted!,' he thought to himself. His fingers twitched in anticipation, and a familiar red notification screen materialized beside him.

[A stronger opponent has been detected.]

[Defeat the stronger opponent to earn rewards.]

Silas's heart pounded with excitement. This was the moment he had been waiting for—the chance to test himself against a stronger foe and earn even greater rewards. He turned his attention back to Kenny, who was swaggering onto the platform, a smug look on his face. The arena lights gleamed off the crystalline armor Kenny had formed around his body, a testament to his Grade 4 defensive mutation.