You will lose

Niard noticed that he fell asleep while reading the book, so he quickly got up fearing he might be reprimanded by the library attendant, scanning around but found no trace of him. The wall clock indicated it was nearly four in the morning.

Yawning, Niard slowly rose from his chair, opened his personal system screen, and details of his daily reading task success appeared.

"Rewards: Intelligence level increased to 200, Falcon Eye upgraded to level two, New skill: Imposing Authority (Information unknown yet)."

Niard rubbed his eyes. He expected to get a spaceship, perhaps effective combat skills, or even a promotion to the next rank as a reward for completing the mission ahead of schedule, but none of those were done. 

"I guess daily task don't have a quick impact on my system development. Should I take mission from level S?"

He pondered. He noticed a glow coming from the shelves directly in front of him and felt that something strange was happening as the hall suddenly flooded with bright light. Niard moved from his place to explore this unknown.

His heart trembled slightly; he hated being startled. He swallowed hard and tightened his grip before reaching the source of the light. A system notification appeared telling him to leave immediately.

"Danger! Powerful forces threatening the system. Presence of a player from another system. Please evacuate the area as soon as possible."

Niard couldn't comprehend what was happening with this strange system, but his heart was pounding hard, as if whatever was behind the shelves was a monster or an even more powerful entity.

As Niard started to run, he knocked over some books, and then he heard a strange sound emanating from the source of the light, even the library lights began to flicker and dim.

There was no trace of the guards, which increased Niard's suspicion about the nature of what was happening to him currently. The academy seemed lifeless, his breaths rising and falling.

"Damn, what's that feeling of looming horror? By God! This system is driving me crazy. Shouldn't I be the hunter, not the prey?" Niard said, his words faltering. It seemed he had forgotten himself and kept running ten laps around the building designated for newcomers, not feeling the passage of time; his legs only sought escape.

He stared at the window overlooking the second-floor library window, catching a glimpse of a boy placing his hand on the window, only his bright smile and his golden fang, which shimmered from afar, were visible.

Chills, hatred, even fear coursed through Niard as he was confident these sensations were because of the presence of that boy. "But who is he? He doesn't seem like an ordinary student. Is he a magic user?" Niard tightened his grip, still glaring at the boy with looks that threatened defeat.

"What are you doing out of your bed, you idiot? I've been looking for you everywhere," Tala's yelling cut through Niard's train of thought, hitting him hard on the back. He hadn't felt her presence when she stood behind him; his focus was on the boy at the window.

"Where did he disappear? Aren't me the only player with a magical system? Damn it." He whispered to himself as he continued to stare at the window. The boy was gone, and Tala kept lecturing him on the importance of sleep, but he ignored her as if she wasn't there, heading towards the training hall to run for two hours before starting the military science class.

"What's wrong with this idiot? He's infuriating me. Is he autistic, maybe deaf or mute? No, no, he should know his place; he can't ignore me like this and turn his back on me as if I'm nothing. I accepted the task of monitoring him, and he should appreciate this great honor. I'm the perfect model for the Human Empire to emulate," Tala said to herself, speeding up to catch up with Niard. She was somewhat surprised by the general's increased interest in him, as well as Mr. Beck's unfavorable position regarding his behavior.

"I wonder what kind of things he did in my absence over the past few weeks. His body seems unscathed, reassuring." Tala said as she stopped to marvel at the sight of Niard, who had taken off his upper shirt, revealing his clearly defined chest muscles, enhanced by detailed veins, his running speed was high.

Tala's jaw dropped in surprise; she couldn't believe this was the same person who couldn't even run for a few minutes on the treadmill a few weeks ago.

"Are my eyes deceiving me? It's unbelievable how this scum has evolved in this way," she whispered, feeling as if she were watching the growth of the greatest legend in the galaxy, feeling that her position in the Empire was crumbling.

"Move out of the way, little one, you're blocking the path," a young man said in a gruff voice, his eyes carrying a huge amount of hatred, pushing Tala aside and making his way.

"Stop it, you damn it! How dare you push me?" Tala shouted as she approached the young man, who took off his hat, leaving his long brown hair to cascade over his shoulders; his demeanor was princely.

"Don't you know who I am?" Tala said through her teeth, pushing her hair back, Niard settled for watching what was happening for a few minutes before continuing his run as if nothing had happened. 

"Aw! Did I hurt your pride, little girl? I don't care who you are or what you are, you're just a worm that's been given too much attention." 

That man spoke as if he hated Tala, so much so that the veins in his neck became visible. He moved his arm in preparation for a fight. Tala's face turned red with anger. She was like a volcano that would explode at any moment. 

"Of course I will not tolerate to_" 

He interrupted her words with a lower kick, which she barely avoided. His blows were so sharp that it was difficult to predict their location. His movements took place in the blink of an eye.

"It can't be that this frail man made me take a step back," Tala thought, noticing that Niard's eyes on her were not just any looks, but rather as if he was studying their movements. 

"You will lose, Tala" She heard Niard whispered, which turned her mood to be on top.