Hype and Hustle

"Amen." Grey got up with a strange smile, walking over to the man, "Are you ready to get wrecked, puppet?"

Payton swallowed nervously but kept a cool front while the crown jeered and laughed mockingly. "Let's just get it over with. I'm only doing this as a demonstration for others, so stop acting like this is personal."

"Whatever," the teen shrugged, getting within punching range of Payton, "Who here can see magic and wants to referee?"

"I'll do it." Gram grinned, "I can see the flow of mana and your entity status, you unprimed idiot."

"Good for you," Grey smirked sarcastically, "I'd pat you on the back, but I might break your fragile spine. As entertaining as that would be, we'd lose our ref, and this guy wants to get this over with."

The black-haired man glowered, itching to give the teen a beating after the match. "As you wish. Remember to say that to me when you're eating blended food through a straw—if not a feeding tube."

"I'll be sure to buy some boba after my victory. God knows I'll have the money for it." Grey smirked, turning to Payton. "Now come on, big guy—I'll let you have the first hit."

"If that's what you want," Payton replied, assuming his stance. "I won't hold back."

-

═─┈─═─┈─═

Battle Event with NPC Payton Reece [Level 22 (Primed)] (1st Lieutenant) has begun.

Combo Trainer has been activated. Experience points have been disabled.

The match will start in five… four… three… two… one… begin!

═─┈─═─┈─═

-

Payton drew his arm back as far as possible. He sensed something was off, so he intended to end it with one blow, even if it killed Grey. If he didn't, the teen might kill him in one hit!

Grey took a deep breath with a tense expression, stressed by the anticipation of the hit. However, he grinned fearlessly as the man swung his fist.

CRaaaACK!

Payton's fist crashed into the Grey's jaw, sending him flying backward. However, things didn't go as either of them had expected.

"Damn!" Payton cursed, shaking his injured hand with a pained expression. He glanced down to see Grey coughing up blood and groaning in agony on the ground as soldiers cheered and high-fived.

"Jesus Christ, you hit like a bitch!" Grey laughed, spitting blood into his hand and wiping his jaw to hide his bruise. "I got more blood in my mouth eating your mom on her period! You might die if you're as strong as her self-restraint around teenagers!"

"Ooooooh!" The soldiers and players roared with laughter, amused by Grey's audacity and daring.

Payton's face flushed with humiliation and rage. Now that he realized Grey wasn't some godly entity, he was ready to unleash his wrath. So he stood stoically, awaiting his turn.

Grey approached with an uneven gait to the sound of laughter. He pulled back and swung sloppily.

Crack!

The teen stumbled when he hit the man's jaw, pretending he couldn't swing.

-

"Look, he can't even swing!"

"He's got balls, though; I'll give him that."

"This is going to be internet royalty! I'm going to make a killing!"

"Too late, I've already uploaded it!"

-

Players and soldiers erupted in laughter and cheers, exhilarated and entertained beyond measure. However, Lieutenant Payton was far from amused. Though the punch was weak and barely grazed him, it felt like a comrade had thrown a jab at his face.

Once again, he knew the teen played the crowd like fools while hiding his power!

"Stand up straight and face me," Payton growled at Grey, sneering as he circled him.

"What, you still want to fight?" Grey grinned through bloodied teeth. "Didn't my warning knock some sense into you?"

The area exploded in cheering and applause once more. But Payton wasn't laughing; he knew Grey wasn't just joking around.

Payton needed to end things fast. Luckily, Grey had blood on his face, so he wasn't invincible, so he got into position. "Just beating you won't be enough—I'm going to give you what you deserve."

After his declaration, he backed up, charged at Grey, and launched a powerful Cobra Punch downward, maximizing the force of gravity.

CRaaCkK!

The audience fell silent when the lieutenant punched the teen in the face, making a cringe-inducing impact noise.

"Oui! Payton, what the fuck was that!? He's unprimed—you just killed him."

"Who cares? He had it coming!"

"Be quiet, transmigrator—this doesn't concern you. It concerns this petty-ass soldier who can't handle some shit-talking."

"Yo, calm your tits! You're treating the kid like he's dead when he's still alive and shit-talking!"

"Wait, what!?"

Everyone turned to where Grey's body should have been, only to find him rocking on the ground, spitting up blood, and laughing manically. No one could believe their eyes—an unprimed person should have been dead after that sound!

The stark contrast between expectation and reality rendered Grey's laughter chilling, stealing the crowd's breath and raising goosebumps.

-

"No way he survived that…."

"He's unprimed, right Gram? You're not fucking with us?"

"Yeah, he's unprimed… ask Martha."

"I can confirm…."

"Then what the hell was that sound we heard?"

"Dude, look over there?"

"What…."

-

Murmurs of confusion rippled through the crowd as they saw Payton nursing his swollen, broken knuckles, wincing in pain.

"God damn…" Grey laughed, staggering to his feet. "I don't even need to beat you. A few more hits, and you'll take care of yourself!"

After a stunned silence, half the soldiers and players burst into cheering.

-

"Bro! He's still shit-talking! What a fucking legend!"

"Right? What a champ! This game's already the best!"

"What's going on here?"

"Bro, a player's been taking on one of the teachers—and he's… I wouldn't say he's winning, but…."

"Is he winning or not? Stop talking like an idiot."

"He's kinda winning?"

"What the hell does that mean!?"

"Hah. Right? Perfect description."

-

A massive crowd of transmigrators had gathered during the fight, creating a frenzied mosh pit of excitement and disbelief.

Whether Grey was cheating or not didn't matter to them, as no one had placed bets! The same couldn't be said for the soldiers arguing heatedly.

-

"What the fuck!? He must be cheating!"

"Who cares? Sure, it's a hundred zecta, but the balls on this kid would be without equal. I'm not even mad, bro."

"Good for you, but I'm also pissed. It's about the principle! I'll never let people cheat me!"

"Hah. How would he cheat?"

"Magic, obviously!"

"Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now? He's unprimed—he doesn't have the mana to summon mid-tier fortification magic, let alone cast it!"

"There are kids that can!"

"You guys are so salty; if he can cast mid-tier fortification magic—he wins. That's real talent, so clean up your act and shut up."

"Forget this. GRAM! Why haven't you punished this kid for using magic? Are you rigging this match?"

-

The area fell still after the confident cheating accusation.

"Do you hear that?" Grey smiled mockingly, glancing around at the people awaiting Gram's response. "You're so pathetic that people are spreading rumors I'm cheating. Don't worry—I'll wait."

A dozen soldiers wanted to kill him, and a hundred players eyed him like predators, planning to corner him after the match and force him to reveal his trick.

Proof against him cheating or not, it was a make-or-break moment that would decide the course of his day. He'd spend hours evading capture if he didn't play his cards right.

However, Grey had anticipated this outcome, so his smile didn't waver. It was all just part of the show.