Stell's First Battle.

It was Stell's first fight. Although he had Felix, his opponents also had a whole 'bunker' they could hide behind.

'Actually, scratch that.'

"Felix, you go first. After defeating one, retreat and let me have my fun." He decided to stop relying on Felix.

He believed it was best if Felix could create a one-on-one situation. Even if he couldn't, Stell refused to believe that Felix could be eliminated so easily.

And true to his expectations, as soon as Felix rushed out with impeccable timing, the opponents started reloading.

Taking a shooting stance, Felix took a second to aim before firing, instantly hitting a person's head and eliminating him.

Just as the second person was about to start shooting at Felix, he had already retreated behind the building, meeting with Stell.

"Well, that was fast," Stell chuckled, his excitement reaching its peak. Contrary to his expectations, his thoughts began to flow smoother and more precise.

At times, he felt as if he was moving in slow motion.

Chuckling, he peeked. Noticing that the person didn't peek back, Stell rushed out, quickly hiding behind a trash can.

Then, he started shooting at the opponent's 'bunker', intending to disrupt any inconveniences.

It clearly worked as the opponent didn't dare to even raise his hand and fire blindly.

Turning towards Felix, Stell shouted. "Hey, wanna make a bet?"

"Sure." Felix clearly liked gambling. Well, it wasn't a surprise. With his luck, who wouldn't love gambling,

"I'll finish him with the knife I found. Mid-Tier Rare achievement." Stell's terms stumped Felix.

Felix thought that Stell might actually go through with it, while his logical brain believed it was almost impossible. Noticing the conflict in his thoughts, Felix decided to gamble simply for the fun factor. "Deal!"

With a grin, Stell looked at the 'bunker'. While he was making a bet, his opponent fired a few shots, scaring the hell out of Stell. Thankfully, if the opponent's trash can was sturdy enough, his was too.

While Felix was watching the intriguing battle, Stell was inwardly cursing.

'I made that bet to give me the motivation and do an extraordinary feat, but I am not sure how I can even do it! This fucker just won't stop shooting.'

After waiting, he finally heard his opponent stop firing. With a grin, he stepped to the side for a moment before quickly hiding behind the can again.

A barrage of bullets followed.

"I knew it. He took his teammate's gun," Stell grinned, pleased that he had outsmarted his opponent. However, there was no way for him to peek again.

With two guns, his opponent could reload with one hand while aiming with the other. True, his precision was questionable, but who was to say that a bullet wouldn't hit Stell?

After the gears in his head turned, Stell devised a plan. Taking the grenade, he bit the safety pin off. After counting to three seconds, he threw the grenade between his opponent and himself.

The grenade exploded, creating a commotion in the area and obstructing the opponent's line of sight.

Acting swiftly, Stell ran to the left while removing another pin from his second grenade and throwing it to the right side.

Concealing himself behind the left building, Stell observed his opponent fifteen meters away.

His opponent was frantically searching for him, panicking. Just as the opponent was about to locate Stell, the grenade exploded in another direction.

At that moment, Stell, who covered his ears, started running at his opponent, who didn't manage to cover his ears.

The opponent started trembling as he aimed at the direction the grenade exploded. However, after a few seconds, he didn't see anyone.

With a look of realization, he turned to the left, seeing Stell's smug grin next to his face. Just as his hearing was slightly restored, he heard Stell say.

"See ya, mothertracker."

In one swift motion, Stell's knife reached the opponent's neck.

Stell didn't hear any notification, but he was certain his opponent was finished. Content that he had won his first fight, he approached Felix with a grin.

"See? It's interesting." Felix laughed.

"It is." Stell's eyes practically shined. His inferiority complex was reduced again.

That was the world he was looking for. That was the situation he dreamed about! Stell almost started jumping from happiness.

"Now, let's go and win this game." Stell grinned.

The next few minutes were mostly uneventful.

'Felix's luck is truly deterring all opponents. If it weren't for the notification stating that there are only ten teams left, I would have doubted this game.'

Stell couldn't believe it. As time passed, he couldn't find any opponents, even in the city center.

After some time, they heard gunshots around them.

"Hey, how about we go grab that lemonade over there?" Feeling cheeky, Stell pointed at the lemonade stand a hundred meters away from them. It was in the middle of the map.

Although the zone was limited to the city center and was still shrinking, there was no need to take such a big risk. Especially for a virtual lemonade.

However, when did logic apply to the fortunate?

"Sure." Felix felt like it might be an interesting experience, so he agreed. He didn't feel like it was wasting an achievement as he had enough strong Rare Rank achievements.

Then, as if they were in a safe haven, Stell and Felix strolled casually to the lemonade stand. Although gunshots could be heard in the distance, none of the bullets came anywhere near them.

It was as if they were invisible.

"Are you drunk?" Felix looked at Stell strangely. 'This guy just did a complete turnaround!' He couldn't believe that Stell had gone from being so cautious to this in such a short time.

And, in fact, he was indeed right. Stell was still wary of his surroundings, even though he didn't look like it. The only thing that changed was the adrenaline rush he still had and the slight confidence he gained after winning that bet.

Although the confidence wouldn't last long, little things accumulated. At least, he wanted to believe in that.

After a while, the last opponent appeared, limping. The zone had forced him out of hiding.

Looking at his opponents casually drinking lemonade and chatting, he couldn't help but feel a burning sensation in his eyes, having just gone through one of the toughest games of his life.

Summoning the last of his strength, he fired. However, due to his weakened state, his shot missed, striking an unknown object above him.

Before he could even see where his shot went, he got crushed, eliminating himself.

"Does that count as his elimination?" Felix, who had witnessed the entire scene out of the corner of his eye, chuckled.

"I guess." Stell laughed.

After a congratulatory message, they found themselves back in the White Room again.

"Now, let's gain some affinities. I am sick of being without powers." Stell grinned.

Just to make sure, he asked his System about his current achievements.

He had one Low-Tier Epic Rank, one Low-Tier Rare Rank, and the rest were Common Rank.

'No. It's two Rare Rank achievements.' He grinned as he turned to Felix. "Pay up."

"Sure." Felix requested his System to transfer an achievement to Stell. "I'm surprised we can transfer achievements so easily." He chuckled, unfazed by losing a valuable achievement.

"It's really surprising." Stell nodded. He had anticipated that the Universal Entertainment platform might demand some form of compensation. If not Common Rank achievements, then at least gold coins.

"It doesn't matter, anyway." Stell's smile couldn't be wiped as he contemplated which affinity to get first.

"Let's exit this place for now." Stell suggested.

After leaving the pagoda, they looked for an empty street. Meanwhile, Stell explained to Felix everything Damian had taught him, causing Felix's eyes to sparkle.

"So that's how it works!" He thought excitedly of his wish.

"What is your wish going to be?" Stell asked Felix, curious about his wish.

"You'll see." Felix answered, standing on the street, prepared to finally make a wish and gain an affinity.

Stell also stood, waiting for Felix to finish. Once Felix obtained an affinity, it would be Stell's turn, and he was quite excited about his wish.

"I've got a fantastic idea about which element I'll start with." he grinned as he watched Felix.

Then, Felix spread his hands and finally made his first wish.