Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!

'If it weren't for my speed, I would be the one on the ground instead. That's what pisses me off the most.' Nikolas thought to himself, unamused at his flawless win streak coming to an end.

"Winner: Nikolas. Alex ends with Nine wins and One loss. Nikolas ends with Ten wins and Zero losses."

The AI's voice echoed through the arena, announcing the end of the fight.

The crowd erupted into chaos, applauding both fighters for their incredible display of skill and power.

***

Alex woke up in his dorm room, groggy and disoriented. His head throbbed with a migraine, and his vision was blurry.

He looked around in confusion, trying to piece together how he ended up there. The last thing he remembered was losing the fight against Nikolas.

'What the hell happened?' he wondered, rubbing his temples. 'I remember losing... and then nothing.'

Alex grabbed his head and groaned, as the pain from the continuous hits to his head all hit him at once. Combined with the migraine he was experiencing, it made for quite a nasty combo.

As his vision slowly adjusted, he noticed a blurry figure in the corner of his room.

'Huh, my head's so messed up that I'm even seeing things now.'

He thought it was just a hallucination caused by his migraine. He blinked several times, trying to clear his sight.

But no matter what he did, the blurry figure just wouldn't go away.

'Weird.' Alex thought.

The blurry figure began to speak. "You fought impressively against Nikolas. Although you lost, I know the outcome will be different in the future when you grow stronger."

Alex was startled. 'Am I hearing things too?' He dismissed it with a grunt, grumbling, "Great, now I'm seeing and hearing things."

He stood up from his bed, waving his arms about randomly as he tried to swat away the image of the blurry figure.

If all else fails, attack it!

The blurry figure moved closer, and Alex's heart skipped a beat.

The figure moved at a speed faster than Alex could comprehend — faster than even Nikolas had been during his fight.

The figure rested a hand on Alex's head, and suddenly, a wave of pure energy flowed into him. His headache vanished instantly.

He looked up, his vision finally cleared and scrutinised the face of the person resting his hand on his head.

"You're not a hallucination are you…" He asked, still a little confused.

"Nope." General Marks answered.

That's right, it was General Marks standing in Alex's room.

The instant Alex realised, his face paled and he dropped back onto his bed, his legs shaking.

He quickly sat up, his eyes wide with surprise and embarrassment. "General Marks! I'm sorry, I thought I was hallucinating!"

General Marks chuckled, a stern expression still on his face. "No need to apologise, Alex. You took quite a beating out there. It's understandable that you're disoriented."

Alex looked down, feeling a mix of frustration and shame. "I lost... I thought I could handle it, but his speed..."

"You fought well," General Marks interrupted. "Better than most. It's not every day someone like Nikolas is pushed to that extent. You've got raw talent and determination. Don't let this loss define you."

The words General Marks spoke were deep, and hit quite hard for Alex. He had only been solely focused on winning and hadn't taken the time to consider the fact that he was essentially from a completely different world from Nikolas.

He was born with nothing, and had to work hard to gain what he had. While Nikolas was born with everything, literally everything at his disposal with the help of his family.

Alex nodded slowly, absorbing the words. "What happened after I passed out?"

General Marks sat down on the edge of the bed. "After the fight, you were taken to the infirmary. You were in pretty bad shape, but nothing that couldn't be healed. You've been out for a few hours. The results have been tallied."

Alex's heart raced. "And?"

"You ended up in third place in your batch for the combat assessment," General Marks said, a hint of interest in his voice. "And 37th overall across all the assessments in the city."

Alex clenched his fists. "I deserve to be higher. If it weren't for Nikolas's speed..."

General Marks nodded. "I understand your frustration. But rankings are just numbers. What matters is how you use this experience to improve."

Alex sighed, feeling a bit more at ease. "I guess you're right."

After a moment, he looked up, curiosity burning in his eyes. "General Marks, do you know of a girl named Mira? What place did she achieve in the overall combat assessment rankings?"

General Mark's expression shifted slightly, a glimmer of surprise in his eyes. "Mira? You know that girl?"

Alex didn't notice the increased focus on General Mark's face and answered out of instinct. "Yeah, she's my friend. We travelled here and enrolled in the university together. We even took part in the same entrance examination and both achieved a joint first place."

He explained his relationship with Mira to General Marks, which only caused the general to look away, deep in thought.

But a few moments later, he looked back at Alex, and answered his question.

"I suggest you go and check with her yourself. You should hear it from her, rather than from me." The general spoke, but quickly moved on.

"You have potential, Alex," General Marks continued. "With the right training and mindset, you can achieve great things. Don't let this loss discourage you."

Alex nodded, feeling a renewed sense of determination. "I won't. I'll train harder, push myself further."

General Marks stood up, a satisfied look on his face. "That's the spirit."

As General Marks turned to leave, Alex called out, "Thank you, General Marks. For everything."

The general paused at the door, looking back with a serious expression. "Words mean nothing, Alex. Don't thank me yet. Show me your gratitude through your actions, not your words."

With that, General Marks left, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts. He lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind racing.