As Jack’s fight went on, both he and the middle-aged man realized something.
He’s not simple.
This guy can’t be underestimated.
From there, the two slowly began to increase the strength behind their swings. What started as the swing of a normal person escalated to that of someone who had trained slightly, and then to someone who had access to mana.
After minutes of the fight raging on, and to the relief of the audience, the two narrowed their eyes and brought forth their respective Forces.
At that point, what was a show turned into a true fight between warriors.
The middle-aged man had comprehended a mid first stage Sword Force, finally making Jack understand why he had been sent here to fight.
On the other hand, Jack was showcasing his own mid first stage Saber Force.
Unknowingly, or perhaps knowingly, their fight turned into a contest to determine which blade was superior: the saber or the sword.
Such a rivalry was not limited to Earth as it spanned the vast Universe. It was not rare to see warriors from the two different schools clash in order to prove that their path was the superior one.
Witnessing this, the previously quiet spectators slowly began to warm up to the fight, and cheers, curses, and shouts reverberated throughout the stadium.
Jack’s battle with the middle-aged man lasted for more than half an hour before Jack, with a saber swing that tore the air apart and sent shivers down the back of the spectators, sent the man’s sword flying from his grasp, bringing the fight to an end.
The audience couldn’t help but gasp and release a breath they hadn’t realized they’d been holding.
A fight this intense and prolonged was a rare sight in the arena, as most bouts, due to the high speed of the ones fighting, were decided in mere moments. However, one had to take into account that the two had spent much of that time exchanging weaker moves, a fact the spectators quickly forgot by the end.
“Amazing. These two are amazing. I haven’t seen a fight this close in years, and I come to the arena every day.”
“I agree. At first, I was regretting coming here today, but now I’m going to boast about this to my friends who didn’t want to come.”
“I feel like the beginning was a bit suspicious. Do either of you have any idea what was happening?”
“I can’t say for sure, but it was probably a strategy the two used to make the other lower their guard. As expected from two experts, neither fell for it.”
The spectators sighed as they watched Jack and the middle-aged man exchange pleasantries before being teleported away from the arena. Afterward, the venue slowly cleared out until the next fight was set to take place.
/////
“What were you thinking? You looked like an idiot swinging that saber at the start. If that guy hadn’t done the same and had taken you seriously from the beginning, you would’ve lost before you even realized it.” Nova berated Jack as soon as they met in town.
This is what I get for trying to act cool once… Jack replied, embarrassed, “But he looked lost out there, and I thought his civilization might have forced him to fight.”
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Forced? Who?” Nova continued. “Do you think we’re the only ones doing our best to gather Gold coins? Obviously not. Although I don’t know how many coins they have, what I do know is that the bet on that fight was ten billion. Who in their right mind would force someone to fight with that much money on the table?”
“None would take that risk. They’d rather send someone weaker than send their strongest, especially someone who wouldn’t take the fight seriously.” He eyed his friend deeply, as if to say, I’m talking about you.
“I’ve won. Let’s just forget about it.” Jack smiled helplessly and quickly changed the topic. “More importantly, we’ve gone through our first cycle of fights. Do you think Slade will fight again tomorrow?”
Nova knew what his friend was doing but decided not to point it out. He thought about the question for a few seconds before shrugging.
“I can’t guess what that guy is thinking. What I do know is that if he doesn’t fight tomorrow, then I will, and he won’t get a share of the money for skipping his fight. It’s a win-win for us either way.”
He wasn’t worried in the slightest, even if Jack and Erevan decided to stop fighting, as he could challenge the other civilizations on his own. In fact, he preferred it that way, though he would need to be careful about whom he challenged. Fighting for a month straight against the top 5,000 civilizations would take a toll on his body no matter what, and a single defeat might cost him all his earlier efforts.
It just wasn’t worth it.
But that wasn’t something he needed to consider.
Knowing Jack, Nova was certain his friend wouldn’t stop fighting or give up the opportunity to buy quality items to increase his strength. And if he had to guess, Erevan wasn’t going to stop either.
“Mhm. You’re right. No matter his decision, it doesn’t affect us.” Jack nodded, and after exchanging a few more words, the two parted ways, each heading back to their own home.
/////
A few hours later, while Nova was immersed in reading and comprehending the various insights from the Spear Lords’ and Spear Kings’ booklets and letters, his communication device buzzed.
Setting aside the booklet he was holding, he picked up the device and, after seeing the caller, answered, “What is it?”
“It’s Slade’s turn to fight tomorrow, and I’ve already chosen his opponent. You should start looking for yours.” Erevan’s relaxed voice rang out from the device.
‘Seems like whatever he had going on is over,’ Nova thought before asking, “What’s his opponent’s ranking?”
On the other side of the device, Erevan smirked. “It’s in the top 3,000. Why? Do you plan on challenging one of them too?”
Nova paused. ‘Top 3,000? Slade’s earlier fight was against a top 10,000, but Erevan already picked a top 3,000 opponent for him? Is he that confident, or does he feel the pressure?’
Moments passed as his thoughts churned but he couldn’t come up with an answer.
Although Slade had won his previous fight in mere seconds, that didn’t mean he was ready to jump thousands of positions. This made the current situation all the more puzzling.
‘Why bother thinking about this when I don’t know the full picture? I should just ask,’ he thought, and calmly said, “Why did you challenge a civilization so much higher ranked than the last one for him? Don’t tell me your confidence in him is blinding your judgment.”
“Hahaha.” Erevan laughed heartily. For several seconds, the only sound Nova could hear through the device was his laughter.
It slowly subsided, and after clearing his throat, Erevan said, “When have I ever been overconfident? The reason I chose such a high ranked civilization for him is because I know he can handle it. If you’re this worried, you can go watch tomorrow, but in my opinion, it’s best if you focus on training and picking your next opponents, there will be little to see otherwise.”
‘Saying that is the same as saying nothing. If he didn’t want to explain, there was no need to go on a monologue about it,’ Nova thought. Not wanting to waste his time with chit-chat, he ended the call.
Instead of picking up a booklet, he stood quietly, lost in thought.
‘Based on what I’ve seen today, Jack won’t be able to get past the 4,000s, and even if he challenges one of them, there’s no telling whether he’ll win. On the other hand, Slade now seems capable of taking on the top 3,000s. The gap between him and Jack keeps widening.’
His mind raced as he sifted through all the recent fights.
‘As for Erevan…’
He replayed the fight from just a day ago, and a sigh escaped his lips.
‘I have no idea how much of his strength he’s hiding, and, unless he challenges a powerhouse, there’s no way to find out either.’
Pushing those thoughts away, he called up the system and checked the civilizations’ rankings.
‘My next fight…’
Scrolling through, he stopped at the 3,500s mark. With his finger hovering in the air, he closed his eyes and continued.
‘…will be against you.’
Opening them, he confirmed which civilization his finger had landed on.
[Orgon (3517th)]
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