EVIL SYSTEM

Ben lay in the passenger seat, strumming his guitar with a happy and calm smile on his face.

Several days had passed since that terrible incident. Judy and Shen Huiliang had been seeing a psychologist for a few days.

When they felt well and safe, they hit the road again.

This had delayed them a lot, and they were practically sure they wouldn't find a single available hotel.

But Ben was happier than ever, and that was because after the incident, Judy had started to open up more to him.

They talked more often and laughed together while sharing memes from the internet.

Slowly, they began to get to know each other—their likes and dislikes, hobbies, and activities they enjoyed.

Shen Huiliang, on the other hand, seemed more distant and hardly spoke to them.

She grew closer to Ryuji, and they spent a lot of time together. Although it might sound wrong to say it, the kidnapping had actually helped Ben and Ryuji a lot.

Finally, since meeting Judy, Ben had made a small step forward.

Together, they agreed to go see a highly anticipated movie that had just been released.

If he remembered correctly, it was called: The Promised Mage.

Apparently, it was about an ancient legend that foretold the imminent arrival of a super mage who would destroy all the horrors and monsters invading the world.

As he played his guitar, Ben stared at the large metal sign welcoming them.

[Welcome to Magnolia]

Worthy of being the country's capital, Magnolia's streets were wide and well-maintained. But it wasn't just a concrete jungle—many green areas adorned the city, giving it a modern yet environmentally friendly image.

Tall skyscrapers began to appear in everyone's view.

The guys and Ben alike leaned out the windows to observe everything with evident excitement and curiosity.

For most of them, it was their first time in the capital. The cold weather was bearable, around 14°C.

"Look at that!!" Dante pointed at a giant building with LED screens displaying an equally large image.

It was a man in his 20s wearing a long black trench coat with red decorations.

He had short black hair and piercing red eyes. The man was incredibly handsome, devilishly so.

Large red letters appeared on the advertisement, and Dante read them with awe and excitement.

"Dragon Raider!! It's Dragon Raider!!"

"No way!! He's going to compete!!" Everyone in the minivan got excited, except Ben.

He wasn't someone who idolized others to that extent. He could admire and respect his role models, but he couldn't idolize them. He understood that everyone was human, and no one was superior to anyone else.

"He's number one in the ranking of favorites to win the tournament!"

"Of course he is!! He's invincible with his dragons!!"

"No way!!" Ryuji pointed with his mouth open at another large billboard.

On the billboard was a man completely covered—no part of his body was visible except for his blue eyes.

His figure was wrapped in a tattered black cloak that fluttered in a spectral wind. A conical straw hat, soaked by the rain, projected an electric blue glow at its brim, dripping with a spectral radiance as if overflowing with energy.

Around him, tiny blue flames floated in the air, like ashes from a fire that never went out.

In his hand, he firmly held a katana with a glowing blade. The metal seemed to vibrate with a cold and lethal energy, as if it could freeze the soul of anyone it pierced.

"It's Blue Samurai!!" Ryuji's shout was filled with unrestrained excitement. He practically jumped out of his seat. "I can't believe I'm going to see Blue Samurai fight!"

"It's incredible!!" Shen Huiliang agreed. "I heard his flames are special."

"Not just special!! They're divine!!" Ryuji's eyes shone with fanaticism. "He was lucky enough to find a divine flame and had the audacity to consume it and try to control it."

"They say that when he tried to control it, the divine flame burned his entire body, which is why he never shows any of his skin."

The more they traveled through the streets of Magnolia City, the more billboards and characters they encountered along the way.

Ben stared at the images with a different emotion than everyone else in the minivan.

Who's stronger? Them or me?

These people weren't strangers to him. Although they were just university students, they were recognized throughout the country and even the world.

Just like today, they were going to attend the annual university competition in Venzia. High schools also had this kind of competition.

His school had never stood out for producing powerful warriors. It was a miracle if they even presented a single intermediate-level student.

In the last three years, they had only presented students at the peak elemental level, which made them the laughingstock of recent competitions.

To put it into perspective, Dragon Raider entered that competition as a peak intermediate mage.

He swept through everything in his path and won without much mystery. Nowadays, it's suspected that he has broken the maximum barrier and entered the advanced level.

That's why there's so much excitement about his participation.

Ben thought with a smile that he would surely be his school's representative in the next competition. If it weren't for the fact that, in everyone's eyes, he was a normie and also officially dead.

The streets of Magnolia were buzzing with excitement. People walked around wearing shirts with their school and idol logos.

Firecrackers and confetti were set off every few seconds, and the police tried to maintain order amidst all the excitement.

The fraternity guys also joined what seemed like a carnival. Foam was sprayed into the air as everyone shouted with excitement.

People joined them and even climbed onto the bus and minivan.

It felt like a music festival or a World Cup from Ben's previous world.

The energy was contagious, and it didn't take long for everyone to let out smiles as they joined the party and celebrations.

Day 8, Month 11, Year 3211.

Ben, Dante, Judy, Shen Huiliang, Ryuji, and the Chanzio fraternity arrived in Magnolia City.

The competition officially began on the 15th of Month 11.

++++

We've finished the mini-arc of the road trip through Venzia.

Now begins the arc of the Magnolia City disaster.

I've been a bit absent due to some setbacks, and I've tried to come back, but I lacked the motivation.

But that motivation has arrived. I've advanced the plot a bit and skipped over some other things that were supposed to happen on the way to Magnolia, all to get here.

Why?

Because I've imagined this arc so many times that you can't even imagine.

I can't promise anything, but if I write it the way it's in my head, it's going to be an arc full of action, chaos, action, chaos, action, and chaos again.