Baddie Distribution System

"T-The winner is Jack!" Old Man Manor's voice boomed throughout the facility as he snapped out of his initial shock. A strange grin tugged at his lips, like someone who was secretly enjoying the brutality of the duel.

Class B students erupted with cheers for Jack, while Class A students rushed into the ring to carry Genpo out.

'As expected of Jack. He actually learned from that mistake. If only he wasn't such an asshole,' Dapper thought just as the machine flickered again, matching two new opponents. Once more, the Combat Class claimed victory. Then the third duel started and yet again, Class B took the win.

Old Man Manor no longer looked as excited as he did earlier. Instead, a shadow of concern began to settle on his face.

'Are these Year One students just weak? Or did I overestimate them during the appraisal? In the end, it doesn't matter. They're still raw recruits who need to be molded into proper warriors. It's a little disgraceful, sure, but acceptable for now,' Manor mused, letting out a quiet grunt.

Again, the machine flickered, displaying the next matched names.

"The next round is Ebat versus Shinro!" Manor announced, his enthusiasm slightly renewed. After all, Shinro was somewhat of a personal disciple to him.

Class A didn't cheer. They were quiet. Shinro wasn't popular, so not much was expected from him. Class B, on the other hand, lit up with excitement as Ebat stepped into the ring alongside Shinro.

'I recognize him… that guy from the dungeon. One of the bastards who tried to assault Riley.' Dapper clenched his fists. All of them were strong, even for his current level, so he had little faith in Shinro pulling off a win.

Shinro and Ebat entered the ring. Ebat wore a permanent scowl, hatred burning in his eyes. It was clear he remembered Shinro, but Shinro didn't seem to remember him.

'Why's this guy looking at me like that? It's just a duel, bro. Not a death match,' Shinro thought as the hostility made his skin crawl.

"The match will begin now!" Manor declared, and instantly the tension thickened. Both fighters circled each other cautiously, bodies lowered, eyes locked. The ring was silent except for the weight of their footwork and the pounding of their hearts.

Suddenly, Ebat began to transform, his body expanding into a monstrous humanoid lizard. Thick grey scales wrapped around his flesh, his claws sharpened, and jagged teeth jutted out from his mouth, drool sliding from its corners. At the sight, Shinro's eyes widened in recognition.

"You… you're that guy from the dungeon! You've gotten even bigger!" he blurted, stunned. Ebat's monster form had clearly evolved, a result of completing some conditions after his earlier defeat in the dungeon.

Ebat didn't respond. He merely flashed a grotesque grin at Shinro as he couldn't speak in his current evolved state. Then, a deafening roar shook the arena, and the barrier around the ring activated with a flash. Shinro adjusted his stance, his back hunched, and his toes light, just as Ebat lunged at him, his jaws gaping wide with jagged rows of teeth.

ROOOAR!!!

Ebat was fast, so fast that the old Shinro wouldn't have even seen it coming.

As Ebat's maw closed in on Shinro's head—

Shinro vanished.

'Eh?! Where the hell is he?!'

A moment later, Ebat caught sight of something, bare toes swinging toward his face.

*SHIM!*

*BAM!*

In a flash, Ebat and Shinro were standing at opposite ends of the ring once again.

"Haaa~ Haaa~ Haa~" Ebat panted heavily, having barely leapt back in time as his instincts screamed at him the moment he saw a foot flying toward his face.

'He's fast… Thank goodness I dodged that kick. Though it still grazed me.' Ebat thought, flashing a mocking grin at Shinro.

"Eh? How are you still standing? I'm sure I cut your neck…" Shinro muttered, scratching his hair in confusion.

'Cut my neck? Pfft, I knew this guy was an idio—wait.' Ebat's eyes widened as realization struck.

*POOOOSH!*

*SPURT~*

*SPURT~*

Green blood burst from his neck like a geyser, spilling from his monster form. He immediately clutched his throat, gasping for air.

'What the fuck? When did I get cut?! That graze… but it should've healed already!' Ebat panicked, desperately trying to activate his healing factor. But something was wrong. The wound was closing, just far too slowly. Much slower than it should have.

"Ah, so I didn't miss after all. Well then, I suggest you surrender now. I don't feel like fighting anymore," Shinro said as he kicked his right foot forward, launching a small object which was hidden between his toes into the air. He caught it. A two-inch scalpel.

During his training with Manor, even though the old man didn't know much about Aura, Shinro had learned how to channel aura through his body. More importantly, he had figured out how to imbue aura into items. The effect was temporary, as the aura would eventually fade, but in the moment, it was deadly on other's. Ebat's wound was proof.

"You bastard~! What did you do?! I'll make you pay for what you and your friend did to us that day!" Ebat snarled as part of his body reverted to human form, enabling him to speak. The wound on his neck began healing rapidly now. His resilience was shocking given how much blood he had lost. It became apparent that his monster form blood was vastly different from his human one.

"Haa, what a letdown. I thought you'd surrender by now… Guess I'll have my revenge then. This is for… Riley," Shinro said as he stretched out his palm.

"Ice spikes," he muttered.

Suddenly, several jagged ice spikes erupted from the ground, violently impaling Ebat and suspending his body mid-air.

"Bastard!!" angry voices rang out as Class B students rushed into the ring. The barrier had dropped, and they quickly yanked Ebat off the spikes and poured potions into his mouth.

"The winner is Shinro!" Old Man Manor declared, a pleased smile on his face. A small scoreboard on the wall shifted, changing to 3:1, indicating Class A had secured their first win. Shinro quietly walked out of the ring and returned to his spot.

Despite how bloody the duel had been, students couldn't die under Manor's watch. He had long since activated a spell that would deflect any attack capable of killing. And even if by some freak chance something fatal did occur, the academy wouldn't be held responsible since it was made clear before enlistment that in certain circumstances, including duels, student deaths wouldn't be on the academy's head.