> Location: Eastern Training Grounds, Vija Magical Academy – 2 Days Before the Royal Tournament
Team Name: "Team Efficient Failure"
Members: Jay (Lazy Genius), Alicia (Overpowered Princess), Echo (System Hacker), Kenji (Prophecy Book Addict)
"Where’s your team leader?" the instructor asked flatly.
Alicia bowed, holding a clipboard. "Jay-sama is meditating."
Kenji coughed. "He’s in bed. Hugging a sandwich."
"Same thing," Echo added without looking up from her blade.
The instructor sighed.
"You have twenty-four hours to get combat-synced or you’ll be disqualified."
Echo flicked her dagger toward a training dummy and whispered, "Then we’ll just fake it."
Alicia smiled. "Don’t worry. Jay-sama has a plan."
He shuffled into the training field wearing mismatched boots and chewing something that might’ve once been breakfast.
Echo threw him a schedule.
He blinked. "...I thought we were skipping?"
"No. You’re the captain. Lead."
Jay sat down on a bench. "Great. First order: Alicia, train them. I’ll watch. From under this tree."
Alicia gave him a thumbs up.
Kenji stared. "Wait, is that really allowed—?"
Jay opened one eye and said:
> [Skill: Lazy Command – Delegate with 999x Efficiency]
Suddenly, Alicia’s coaching turned superhuman.
Kenji’s footwork corrected itself mid-stumble.
Echo’s dagger strikes doubled in speed without her noticing.
Alicia blinked. "...What did you just do?"
Jay yawned. "Taught you how to teach. You’re welcome."
Midway through training, Kenji tripped again.
This time, his hand hit something buried—an old rune.
The moment he brushed it:
The ground shimmered.
A circle of ancient symbols lit up beneath the training field.
Not academy runes. Older. Forbidden.
Jay sat up. "...Did someone summon an underground relic while I was napping again?"
Kenji held up the dust-covered book page he’d uncovered:
> "System Core #7 – Buried Under Trial Grounds. Unauthorized Activation May Trigger Apocalypse Simulation."
Echo groaned. "Why does this always happen around you?"
Jay shrugged. "It’s a gift."
Suddenly, the sky darkened.
Magic surged up from the ground, forming a floating, cracked crystal—the System Core.
It pulsed once. Twice.
Then it scanned them.
> "System Users Detected."
"Threat Level: High."
"Initiate Trial: Survive 3 Minutes."
Dozens of phantoms burst from the shadows—creatures built of raw code and corrupted mana.
Echo spun her daggers.
Alicia drew her rapier.
Kenji began reading frantic chants from his tortilla prophecy.
He pulled out a juice box.
> "Alright. I’ll be the bait."
"What?" Alicia blinked. "You never volunteer—"
Jay floated up lazily, System HUD blinking behind him:
> [Skill: Mock Threat – Taunt All Enemies With 999x Precision]
Every phantom turned toward him.
Echo swore. "You just pulled aggro from a death simulator?!"
"Don’t worry. I’ve got a plan."
"Step 1: Run around screaming while you guys attack from behind."
"Step 2: Improvise step 2."
The Core crackled with energy as waves of digital phantoms rushed forward.
Alicia: "Let’s cover him!"
Echo: "I’m not reviving him if he dies."
Kenji: "According to page 9 of my tortilla, this ends in fire and respect."
Jay: "Cool. Sounds like a Tuesday."
As the phantoms struck—
Reappearing behind them, holding a cracked orb from the Core itself.
"I downloaded its source code."
The countdown stopped.
The Core let out a mechanical chime and said:
> "Trial Complete. System Linkage Stabilized."
"Access Unlocked: ???"
The field fell silent.
Jay held up the glowing orb. "This confirms it."
Alicia walked up beside him. "Confirms what?"
Jay’s eyes narrowed slightly—an unusual thing.
"Someone buried these Cores beneath all the trial fields."
"They’re not just testing us... they’re scanning us."
Echo’s expression turned grim. "Then the Royal Tournament—"
Jay nodded. "It’s a trap. For people like me."
Kenji looked down at his prophecy page.
"Yeah. That’s the part with the dragon made of time and screaming nobles."
"Better rest up, team.
Because I think we’re not entering a tournament..."
"We’re walking into a harvest chamber."