The arena wasn’t really an arena. It was a jungle, dense and alive, vines crawling over shattered stone, massive trees breaking through ruined structures. Fireballs streaked between the trunks, ice shards tumbled like knives, and lightning cracked overhead as competitors screamed at each other.

  I wandered through it all. Calm. Blank-faced. Observing.

  The world might have been burning, but I sipped my mana water and yawned. I wasn’t here for fame. Or rankings. Or even the prize money, though it was nice. I was here to test myself. To see how far I’d come after a year of secret training. To see if the spell I had invented actually worked.

  Everyone else thought I was a nobody. Weak. Forgettable. Perfect.

  The first hour passed under the arena’s truce rule. People whispered, formed teams, sized each other up. The moment it ended, chaos exploded. Alliances shattered instantly. Spells tore through foliage and stone alike.

  As I strolled past a flaming crater, a familiar group stepped into my path.

  “Oh, look who it is,” one sneered. “The nobody who thinks he belongs here.”“Ha! You really are pathetic,” another laughed. “You’re going to get roasted before the first round even starts.”“Seriously… why even try?”

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  I let them laugh. Let them feel superior. Let them bask in their delusions.

  I stopped. Blank expression. Silence.

  “…oh f—fuck it. DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.”

  The moment the words left my mouth, the jungle hesitated.

  Time slowed. The sky darkened, then reddened. A massive crimson sphere began forming above me, pulling light, air, and sound into itself. Ice stretched unnaturally. Fire curved inward. Reality itself seemed unsure whether it was allowed to continue.

  Behind me, the red moon rose.

  Then the cost hit.

  Pain flared through my body, sharp and burning. Blood burst from my mouth and chest, splattering the ground beneath my feet. My vision wavered for half a second. I stayed standing.

  From the bushes, Kawahara Tatsuya stumbled into view, always stylish, always composed.

  He froze.

  Then he screamed.

  “DOOM? DOOM? DOOM? WHAT THE HELL IS DOOM?!”

  The crimson sphere surged. One by one, ten competitors, including Tatsuya, were dragged into it. Their screams cut off instantly. Moments later, they reappeared outside the jungle boundary, sprawled across the outskirts of the arena, dazed, bruised, and utterly helpless.

  The jungle fell silent.

  I blinked once and slowly looked up at the red moon hanging above me. Blood dripped from my chin. The crimson sphere lingered like a monument behind me.

  I admired the chaos I had created.