"Phew… here I was thinking it would be embarrassing to cherish them."
He stretched out on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
"The EYES OF THE OBSERVER is more convenient than I thought."
"It even shows which tasks to be done to stay on streak."
But then, he exhaled deeply, flipping to his side.
"But… doing this for 100 days is tiring."
He closed his eyes, trying to push away the thought.
---
Next Morning
"Yawn… what time is it?" he mumbled, reaching for his wristwatch.
"5:30." He sat up, rubbing his eyes and stretching.
"What's today's task?" He activated EYES OF THE OBSERVER on his objects.
Tasks: Wash, Wear, Polish.
"Doing these tasks sure is... easy." He chuckled softly.
Minutes later, he stood in front of his polished items.
"Phew… all done. Let's go out."
---
The campus was alive with activity, students practicing with their weapons, sparring, and exercising.
He made his way toward the combat branch dormitories, where there was always something interesting happening.
"Hmm? Why is there a crowd?" He quickened his pace, moving closer.
The buzz of conversation filled the air.
"He's the top of his class, right?" whispered a boy.
"And his opponent's from Alpha Division too! This is going to be intense."
"I'm betting on Ren," someone else said.
The protagonist's eyes widened.
"Ren? He's going to spar? So cool." His gaze scanned the crowd.
"But... who's his opponent?" He stretched his neck to get a better view.
"Ramiir ." He smirked.
"Of course. Hot-headed as ever."
He is 180cm tall, lean athletic build. He has jet black nearly styles hair ,wearing trousers and t-shirt. Even in this state giving commanding aura.
---
The crowd grew silent as Ramiir sent a duel request to Ren. Ren accepted, and a holographic message blinked in the sky:
[Duel Request Accepted]
A security drone hovered above them, activating a shield around the arena to contain the fight.
"Let's see how strong both of you are," the protagonist muttered, activating EYES OF THE OBSERVER to analyze their stats.
Ren drew his sword, taking a firm stance. Across from him, Ramiir stood with his fists ablaze, flames licking up his arms.
"This is going to be good."
---
Ramiir launched the first attack, sending a rapid barrage of fireballs toward Ren. The crowd gasped as Ren dodged and weaved, closing the distance between them.
Ren suddenly dashed forward, his body low to the ground.
"Fast," the protagonist thought.
But Ramiir was prepared. He compressed the flames around his feet and launched himself into the air with an explosive burst, firing a massive fireball five times the size of the others.
Ren leaped backward, barely dodging the blast, then sprinted toward Ramiir 's landing spot.
"He's predicting his movements!"
As Ramiir landed, he summoned a flash of fire to blind Ren. The crowd held their breath. But Ren was too quick—he struck, his blade grazing Ramiir 's arm.
Ramiir hissed, touching the scratch.
"Heh… not bad."
Ramiir retaliated with another barrage of fireballs, leaping back to keep the distance. But Ren stayed close, dodging and slashing, keeping the pressure on.
"Wow... he's not giving Ramiir a single opening."
The protagonist clenched his fists.
"They're only using basic combat skills, but even that looks intense."
---
Ren lunged forward and hurled his sword with a sudden, explosive force. Ramiir , caught off guard, stumbled backward. Seizing the moment, Ren dashed in, tackled him to the ground, and pinned him down.
.
Ren grabbed Ramiir 's wrist, locking one arm while pressing his knee onto the other.
"Damn it, you cheater!" Ramiir growled, flames sparking in his palms.
[Ren Won]
A hologram appeared in the sky, signaling the duel's end.
The shield around the arena dissolved, and Ren stood up, stepping back.
"Typical. Always relying on cheap tricks," Ramiir muttered as he got to his feet.
The crowd erupted.
"Ren! Ren!" they chanted, swarming around him.
The protagonist stood at a distance, watching.
"That was intense… Will I ever be able to survive in this world?"
He lowered his gaze, walking away with renewed determination.
"I need something stronger. These objects… I don't know what abilities they'll awaken. I can't expect something grand from simple items."
His mind raced.
"No sword, No wand. But he does not even have a needle. A knife..., A kitchen knife... yeah, that could work."
A smirk crossed his face.
"And I know exactly where to get one."
---
The rest of the day passed in a blur. His school life was nothing special. He avoided interacting with others, afraid of accidentally changing the story's events.
"For now, I'm just a nobody. Luckily, people don't care much about me."
But one person worried him: the professor.
"He can influence the storyline… His research on mana crystal efficiency made him a key figure. That one paper changed everything, leading to the mass production of new magic artifacts."
He sighed, sitting at his desk.
"Yet in this timeline, this body's memories don't even mention him. Either he left... or died."
A chill ran down his spine.
"The thought of his death gives me the creeps."
---
"Finally, it's over." He yawned, stretching as he left the classroom and made his way to the lab.
The lab was quiet, filled with the hum of mana crystals and glowing equipment.
"Just one more day of this… and tonight, I'll execute my plan."
A sly grin spread across his face as he headed back to his dormitory.
"If everything goes right... I'll have my first weapon."