1 Prelude to the Tournament
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
A raucous laugh echoed throughout the ship, causing the adamantine structures in the cavernous chamber to rattle. All eyes turned away from their luminescent screens to stare at the almost 400 cm tall man causing the ruckus.
He was a dark-skinned man with a beefy physique. His dark skin was contrasted by the many light pink scars plastered over it.
The man was currently towering over a much smaller figure. It was a woman who stood a bit under 173 cm and glared up at the giant in an imposing manner.
The woman had curly blonde hair and a face shaped like a man's. One would struggle to tell the difference if it weren't for her soft lips and delicately shaped brows.
"I told you, Jok, this is my choice!" She spoke defiantly to the large man.
Jok looked down at the woman and laughed again. His jovial chortle would have knocked any ordinary woman from her feet.
"Amelia, dear, when I plucked you from the sky all those years ago, I believed you to be a Champion!" The man bellowed happily, "And I was right!"
He pointed to the folder that the woman was clutching tightly, "But I can say with certainty that I don't believe that this man will do! First, it was Hudson, then that Toopack fellow, and now this man? When are you going to choose a soldier!?"
Amelia scowled and thrust the folder into the giant's hand. She turned and stalked off, flipping the man off over her shoulder.
"Just take the damn folder, Jok!" She said as she left the room.
"Hohohoho!" Jok laughed again at the mad woman's departure. He loved a woman who would stand up to her superiors, and Amelia had a fire that he couldn't restrain.
"What a woman!" The man said, not bothering to hide his voice from the others in the control room.
He turned his attention to the folder, opening it up with a long sigh. Jok scanned through the documents before handing the folder off to one of his subordinates.
"Lucian Lane, is it?"
Jok waited a few minutes for his subordinate to insert the Identification Disc before making his way to the chrome chair at the head of the station. He placed his thumb on a scanner built into the armrest.
[Welcome, Captain Jok]
A holographic screen projected out in front of him. Using thoughts only, he navigated to the most recent addition of the chosen Champions of the Enneadic Spiral Galaxy.
Jok pulled out a four-dimensional image of the man. Standing up from his chair, the Captain walked around the man, inspecting his features.
Lucian had long orange hair, a squared jaw, and bright green eyes. He had broad, muscular shoulders, but a thin layer of fat kept them hidden.
He was neither attractive nor unattractive but would likely be a looker if he hit the gym for a while. The orange stubble growing along his chin didn't help.
Jok felt the man's muscle structure and frowned at the small gut that hung above his waist. He shook his head and continued walking.
"A few too many nights at the bar," Jok tsked.
He waved away the outer layer, examining the man's organs and looking at the bits of fat that clung to them. Jok sighed before reading through the man's profile.
[Restricted Data]
Lucian Lane, Human
Age: 32
Height: 186 cm
Weight: 107 kg
Occupation: Architectural Engineer, mostly pertaining to designs that bring joy or provide entertainment
Hobbies: Camping, Kayaking, Reading
Skills: Above average intellect, Survivalist training
Review:
Positive- Lucian Lane is a hardworking man with above-average intelligence. He does what it takes to get the job done and has a rudimentary grasp of basic survival skills. His time as an architectural engineer has led him to many outstanding achievements in building scale models and enormous masterpieces.
Negative- Lucian Lane is unfit and lacks healthy habits. His upper body is firm, but he has no idea how to utilize his muscles. This man has faced very few hardships over recent years and has never been in a physical altercation.
He is soft. His building skills are advanced but lack efficiency. His intelligence is above average, but he is no genius.
Survival Rating: 17/100
[End Inspection]
Jok was at a loss for words. What kind of choice was this? Did Amelia even care at this point?
'At least the Toopack man had been in a few battles,' Jok grimaced. 'How does she expect this man to survive? He's so... average!'
The Captain flicked away the information and returned to his seat, a deep frown tainting his otherwise handsome face. He pulled up the list of candidates he had asked her to choose from, all of which were ignored.
"That woman will be the death of me," The Captain sighed. Amelia was standing on thin ice, and there was only so much he could do to keep her on board.
"I suppose I could use that..." Jok muttered.
It wouldn't help much.
In fact, Jok thought it was a waste of resources, but he wanted to give the girl a chance. She would likely be evicted if this Lucian fellow didn't perform well.
He grabbed a small, hexagonal chip and pressed it into the panel of his chair. Once the chip was accepted, it disintegrated.
Jok's stomach clenched as he watched the chip disappear. Their ship had only been afforded five, and he'd wasted one on a candidate that likely wouldn't survive the first wave!
Out of the million candidates they were sending, he'd wasted one of his best assets on this one!
"I hope you're right about him, Amelia..." Jok whispered.
He glanced at the man's profile and clicked accept.
[Initiating Cleansing Process]
He flinched as he saw that only the primitive block had been unlocked. Over ninety-five percent of the candidates already had that block, and the chip would have given them some type of Skill or Boost.
He could only sigh, as the deed was already done.
Jok initiated a small switch on the armrest, and the floor began to shimmer. The white tile floor faded away, turning the entire bridge into a transparent window that exhibited the vastness of space.
He turned his head and gazed at the colossal rectangular planet of which their station was drifting overhead.
The world was swathed in shadow, yet if the sun caught the planet just right, one could catch a glimpse of the tens of billions of hexagonal panels that made up the planet.
Looking from afar, it appeared to be a gargantuan game board.
One of the men looked toward Jok, waiting for his Captain's orders.
Jok waved his hand, and the man entered a long series of symbols into the holographic screen that hovered before him.
[Sequence Initiated: Survival exhibition shall begin in thirty seconds]
The men on deck became rowdy, and thousands of screens appeared around the bridge. Each screen focused on the planet, showing a group of ten to twenty of the hexagonal tiles that mirrored the skies above.
Jok glanced at the still open profile of Lucian Lane.
"I've done what I can for you, Amelia," The Captain sighed. "The rest is up to him."
The screens rippled, and a single tile on each of the million screens was illuminated. After a few moments, a figure appeared on each of these tiles.
[Candidates Integrated. The Tournament of Nowhere Shall Now Begin.]
