Clearing the table (2)

Ed and the rest felt the eyes of the fighters pierce through them, as though trying to find who the rankless one was.

"Observator? What kind of card is this?" the curator raised a brow at Nti Anem.

"Slot it in and find out," Nti Anem answered and the curator did as said.

"Who do you wish to fight?" he asked.

"Let the tower decide," Nti Anem answered.

When he did, Nti Anem's name remained blank on the board, not paired with any other.

"Have you fought before? I have never seen this kind of situation," the curator frowned.

"There are no fights for me to fight means just that. Move on," Nti Anem said and the curator paused. But he was right. The tower had decided.

"Observator. Does this mean you are only going to just watch the games till the top level?" Ku Jian asked and Nti Anem nodded.

"Impossible! Don't makeup stuff!"Before the curator could rebuke Nti Anem, one of the fighters had opened his mouth.

"And if I do?" Nti Anem asked.

"I will crawl backwards!" he answered.

"Hoho… You are really full of energy. Hot blood flowing to your head! But, think about it; this tower has a mind of its own. How can you know what it thinks? Besides, do you know why it is so for me?" Nti Anem asked and the fighter paused. He was right. Who could say they understood the tower? Every once in a while something odd happens and an oddball steps in. Won't it be him just dropping a stone on his own foot if he is wrong? Would he have to crawl backwards? The man paled.

The curator slot in Ed's card next and saw ten names immediately arrange under his. At this, the curator paused. He was not the only one who frowned at this development.

"Is this what rankless means?" someone asked.

"Ya! Seven of those names are in the top ten," someone exclaimed.

"So what? Don't you understand what this means in the tower? It does not particularly represent his strength. It just means the tower wants to torture him," another said.

"Still, everyone the tower has put in top places was always able to hold their own. The ranking is not just a torture plate,"

"Boy, you should wait and train some weeks. These names are no joke," the curator suddenly pitied Ed greatly. What did this boy do wrong to the tower to put him in this kind of position?

"It does not matter," Ed said.

"I know this is a time one would feel heroic boy, but you should think logically. Two people on that list, always kill their opponents," the curator said and the others agreed.

"That's true! Ephiom and Hammerhead. They insist on killing those who fight them!" someone said.

"This boy has such bad luck!" another said.

"Boy, do you still want to fight?" the curator asked Ed.

"Why do you keep calling Brother Ed a boy? He is clearly the same age as you!" Ku Jian said.

"Little girl, at his cultivation level he is still a child. You on the other hand. You look young making one confused when you are clearly already an old woman!" the curator said.

"You dare call me an….!" Ku Jian started to scold.

"I will fight," Ed said and they all paused.

"The new ones never listen," someone said.

"How would they? They leave their homes where they are best cultivators and think they are the best outside too," another snorted.

"I would love to see his fight. I bet he would lose," Ed's disregard for their advice ticked off a lot of them.

"Fine. Take a seat and wait," the curator said.

"Put in mine!" Ku Jian said excitedly, "I want to play too!" Ku Jian said to the curator and he frowned. The fighters were already very annoyed by Ed's crew. Ku Jian taking this as a game caused even more anger.

"Who brought all these people here? Hurry up and scram from this place! Do you think this is a joke?"