A Match Is Held

The MMORPG virtual reality game allowed one to make virtual money which could be exchanged for valuable items in the real life. It was similar to Jim's transaction feature, only that there was more information on what he could exchange.

After his forth win, he had decided to call it a night. Since the next day would be the last day of classes for the week, it went by without much stress. Now, it was past the time when his martial arts classes would be over. Jim had logged into the game to continue his winning streak.

Still not considering selecting stronger opponent, he continued raking little points from weaker opponents. From each win, he would earn 10 points. However, for each loss, he would loss 15 points. This was because the system knew that he was overpowered when facing against his opponents. Jim decided to keep up the routine despite the fact that he had nearly nothing to gain from it. At the end of the day, he couldn't really think of anything he needed at this point which he couldn't afford with the money he had won from gambling, and if it came to getting stronger, he had his own means of levelling up if the need ever arises.

For now, he would continue to enjoy himself placing the game until it was Saturday. Getting up earlier than his two roommates, he was in somewhat of a good mood as this was the day Sidney had decided to come visit him. Studying Law in a university in Joren City, she boarded a 24-hour bus to BlackBones City.

The two had decided to spend the day visiting the local amusement park to pass the time together. Now, Jim was holding onto a golf ball, aiming at a stack of empty cans, trying to win a prize for her. Taking aim, he tried his best to control his strength, as he threw the ball forward, hitting all the cans away.

"Congratulations, you have won a teddy bear!" the owner of the booth said, handing the couple a brown teddy bear. Sidney looked excited as she hugged the bear tightly. Clearly, she was having fun as the two moved on to the ferris wheel to have a ride.

After a long time waiting in line, the two were about to board the ferris wheel, when a large person blocked their path.

"What the f*ck?!" Jim was angry. Who the heck did this guy think he was cutting in line just like that after they had been waiting for over thirty minutes? Not caring about creating a scene, he grabbed the man's hand, forcing him to turn around. Taking a good look at his face, he was wondering what a man in his thirties was doing in a place like this, considering that his outfit made him look like a detective of sorts. Not thinking too much about it, he shoved the man aside, pulling Sidney with him into the ferris wheel.

"You didn't have to do that... It was just one guy. We could've waited to him to enter before we did," Sidney didn't see the need for Jim being so impulsive. However, she had noticed he had always been like that. It was one of the reasons she fell in love with him. She didn't like weak guys. But that didn't mean she liked bullies either.

After the ferris wheel, they had entered another part of the amusement part. This area wouldn't normally be found in a place like this, since this was a place young children normally came to with their parents. Located at a further location, was a medium-sized building meant for people itching for a fight. It was a place where people would place their beets and have the possibility to win good cash on whoever was the winner. Although that was an added bonus, it was actually just a place where people could meet and fight to either settle disputes, or just to test their strength.

Although he had rejected Mike's offer to spar, now that he was with Sidney, he felt the need to prove himself. Purchasing a ticket, he waited until it was his turn before getting into the ring. His opponent standing in front of him was a teenager as well who was shirtless. Taking a stance, he gestured for Jim to come forward. As the fight began, it looked more like a one-way beat-down as Jim made quick work of his opponent. Using his superior strength to over power him, he pinned the guy to the floor, twisting his arms and legs in weird places until he had tapped out.

The people who had gathered to watch the match had shared collective boos as most of them thought his opponent known as Blaze Luz would win the man. However, seeing as they were wrong, they had no other choice than to handover their betted cash to the few who had bet on Jim to win.

Of course, since he hadn't contributed any cash before the fight, all the money he had won went straight to the spectators, and no one felt the need to thank him for winning since they had no idea who his was and didn't even bother to ask. Not minding their behavior, Jim looked at Sidney, wondering if she too wanted to have a go, but she politely declined.

Once they had felt like they had enjoyed themselves enough at the amusement park, they proceeded to make their way towards the exit. Their next destination for the day was the cinema, since one of their favorite movies would be aired today. As they were getting close to the exit, a loud bang was heard as the crowd of people were sent into a state of panic. The next second, a massive explosion went off near the ferris wheel, killing multiple people in the process. Those who had survived ran about screaming, begging for help. Those who weren't lucky were killed in the stampede of people, and worst of all, there wasn't only one explosion.

"Baby, I'm scared!" Sidney hugged his back tightly, her arms shaking. The scene taking place was too gruesome to watch, and if they didn't get to safety soon enough, then they might end up dead as well.

Carrying her in his arms, he kicked off his feet, running as far as he could away from the park. Fortunately, they were close enough to the exit, giving him the opportunity to create as much distance between them and whoever was responsible for those explosions. Not long after, he could see police cars and fire trucks heading towards the source of the chaos.

Since the incident didn't involve him, he chose not to get involved, not like that would do much anyway, not knowing what exactly was the cause of the explosions. The fire trucks made quick work of extinguishing the flames. The civilians had been safely navigated out if the park, while those that had been affected had been taken to the hospital by ambulances which arrived a little latter.

Sidney looked scared as she held onto his body tightly. The scene had frightened a lot of people, and perhaps left a few scarred. Seeing her frightened state, he embraced her tightly, assuring her that she had nothing to worry about, but how sure he was of that, he didn't know.

According to the news, terrorist activities shouldn't he taking place so close to GCE, but after today's event, certain things were bound to change, one of which was the possibility of the university going on lockdown until this matter was settled. The students would be sent back home for the meantime, although they would be made of partake in online classes during the meantime.

Dropping her off in front of the train station, they decided to cut their time together short. Bidding her farewell, she boarded the bus, heading back to her College. Although their time together was short, they had made the most of it. Still staring in the direction the train went, he had suddenly remembered a system notification.

[8 Days until the tournament]

But that wasn't all. Sooner or later, his sensei would organize an even during which his students would have to display their skills to the rest of the college. Although he wasn't lacking in that aspect, he was worried that the day might land on the same day as his tournament, since the man had always been saying that the date was only a week away.

For now, he decided to head back to his room to study. Later in the night, he had the system transport him back to the dungeon so he could farm more energy points. He wasn't lacking in that aspect, but it was always nice to have a little more than necessary to remain. The next day, Jim had woken up to some pressing news.