"Choose your next opponent or suffer the fate of a loser, forsaken by mana forever!" The mysterious voice angrily echoed throughout the lecture hall, leaving Michael, Asuna, and everyone else in the room startled.

Daniel stood at the center of the ring, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders as his heart raced.

Though the other students had rallied behind him, he knew he had to make a difficult choice.

"Choose your opponent," the voice commanded again, demanding an ultimatum.

Daniel scanned the room, searching for someone he could kill without an ounce of regret.

His eyes fell on Mark, his frequent bully, sneering at him from across the room. The choice was clear.

"Mark," Daniel said, his voice unwavering.

The other students gasped, knowing that Mark was one of the toughest fighters in the class.
Daniel, however, wouldn't back down. He had to win, no matter what.

Mark stepped into the ring, cracking his knuckles as he grinned wickedly at Daniel. "You're going to regret this, Hayden," he growled.

The two fighters circled each other, fists raised, and eyes locked in a deadly gaze.

Suddenly, Mark lunged forward, throwing a punch at Daniel's face.

Daniel reacted quickly, ducking and narrowly avoiding the blow. He countered with a swift kick to Mark's stomach, causing him to stumble backwards. Mark quickly regained his footing and launched a flurry of punches at Daniel.

Despite being smaller in stature, Daniel managed to block Mark's blows, his muscles straining under the force of the bigger fighter's attack.

The two fighters exchanged blows, each landing a few hits on the other.
The sound of fists hitting flesh echoed throughout the lecture hall as the rest of the class watched in horror.

Daniel was breathing heavily, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a plan.
Though Mark was stronger and more experienced, he couldn't afford to lose.

His life was on the line!

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. He faked a punch at Mark's face, causing Mark to flinch and lower his guard.

Daniel seized the opportunity and delivered a powerful uppercut to Mark's chin.

Mark staggered backwards, his eyes glazed over.

Daniel didn't hesitate, launching a series of rapid-fire punches that landed on Mark's face, chest, and stomach.

Finally, Mark crumpled to the mat, unconscious. Daniel stomped on Mark's throat as he dealt the final blow and killed him.

As he continued to stand in the ring, the voice echoed in his head again, congratulating him on his victory and awarding him with Mana.

He felt stronger, sharper, and faster than ever before.

Something just changed within Daniel, as soon as he got the taste of the power of mana, all his life, in this world of dog-eat-dog, he was always the weaker dog. In this world, might rules all! Being stronger than the opponent made you the person that is in the right. 

Whether it was political clout or physical power over someone. He wanted to become the stronger person now!

Then he remembered the rule. He could kill up to ten people to increase the amount of initial Mana he received from the ring.

He looked around the room, his eyes resting on another student, one of his bullies.
Without hesitation, he called out the student's name and challenged him to a fight.

The other students watched in horror as the two boys entered the ring, knowing that only one of them would come out alive.

The fight was short and brutal. Daniel emerged victorious once again, his hands covered in another student's blood.

But he didn't stop there. He had thrown away his morality or sense of conscience now!
He continued to call out the names of his classmates, killing them one by one.

Male students, female students, it didn't matter.

He wanted to be the strongest, the most powerful in the new world that was unfolding before him.

Michael and Asuna watched in horror as the bloodshed continued.

They now understood why stage one was called the Boxing Ring of Hell. It wasn't just about killing for Mana. It was about unleashing the darkest parts of humanity, the parts that craved power and domination over others.

And Daniel was succumbing to it.