This was the greatest humiliation of his life, a permanent stain on his impeccable record.
And because of it, his hatred for Serena burned even hotter. Gritting his teeth, he violently hurled his beer bottle at the floor. It shattered, sending foam and glass flying across the room.
The explosive sound instantly silenced his friends' teasing.
"I was caught off guard! That psycho tricked me," Graves snarled, his eyes dark with malice. "She knows a few dirty tricks and used leverage to pin me before I could react."
The men could see that Graves was genuinely furious.
They also refused to believe that a female college student—especially a contestant in a nerd competition—could actually beat the former combat champion of The Tactical District in a fair fight. To them, these contestants were nothing but fragile, over-educated weaklings.
"A student actually had the nerve to lay a hand on the Chief Arbiter? If we don't teach her a lesson, no one will respect The Board of Arbiters anymore."
The men slapped their chests in solidarity. "Don't worry, Howard. We'll handle this. We'll show this little brat exactly where she is and who runs this island!"
"Letting some college girl piss all over The Board of Arbiters? Does she think we're a joke?"
"If we can't handle one arrogant student, we might as well hand in our badges. Leave it to us, Howard. What's her name? We'll go right now and—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a deafening crash shook the room.
*BANG!*
The sound was so explosive it rattled their eardrums, immediately followed by the heavy thud of something massive hitting the floor.
The men jolted out of their seats, whipping their heads toward the entryway.
The solid wood front door of The Spire had been kicked completely off its hinges. It lay flat on the floor, the lock shattered and splinters scattered across the marble.
Standing in the doorway was a group of contestants.
Their captain had literally just kicked the Chief Arbiter's door off its hinges with a single strike. That was a solid wood security door!
One kick!
As they had marched toward The Spire, they had a sneaking suspicion about what she was planning. When she actually kicked the door down, their suspicions were confirmed.
Now, hearing her order them to toss the Chief's belongings out onto the lawn, they knew this was absolute madness. But looking at their captain's impossibly confident posture, every ounce of their prior frustration vanished.
"Yes, Captain!"
The team surged into the house.
They scattered, grabbing clothes, bedding, toiletries, and anything else they could find, aggressively hurling it all out the front door and onto the dirt.

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