Underworld (Part 2)

What one usually lacked in speed, they would make up in technique and alertness. Incorporating both principles, the man was able to over power and win against his opponents. Cheering him on, another opponent had made his way into the arena. This man held a sword in his right hand. Raising it up, he took a battle stance.

As the match began, the man made a downward motion with the sword, attempting to cut the larger man, but dodging just in time, he pushed off his feet, rushing towards his opponent, slashing down his sickles. Managing to dodge as well, the two exchanged clashes until there was a clear winner, as the curved edge of the sickles were able to pierce his cheats when he found his back against the floor having only his sword to push away the dual sickles. He lost in a game of strength making him loose the match.

During both matches, Jim had come to learn that none of the fighters seemed to have any decent knowledge on fighting. From how they wasted precious energy in seeming intimidating, to how violently they attacked each other, he believed that these people had only managed to get to where they were now through sheer determination. The only person who had shown decent skill was the large man wielding the sickles.

Jim had no intention of talking to anyone here, simply because he didn't know anyone. Once the whole thing was over, everyone was asked to go about their business as usual. Transported back to his bed room, Jim took into account that the gathering at least served as a means for him to see how strong he was as compared to the others. Although he didn't participate, he compared their fights with the fights he had with the sabertooth demon.

In the midst of his thoughts, a few system notifications had popped up.

[A gladiator match will take place 10 days from now in the Underworld. Be prepared]

[10 days till match]

'What is this?' Jim asked the system.

[This is a mandatory event which all undead are expected to partake in. You see, it is also an opportunity for upcoming undead to grow stronger and also further their influence in the Underworld and beyond. If one is lucky, he could end up being picked by one of the Deadly Brothers who will train them personally, turning them into the perfect agents of death]

Weighing the pros and cons, Jim couldn't see how such an opportunity would be a bad thing. Becoming a perfect undead would give him boundless strength, allowing him the opportunity to protect himself and his loved ones from whatever danger the gangs or even the government might unleash in the near future. Unfamiliar DNA wasn't something people should play with, as the saying goes, curiosity kills the cat.

The next day, after school, Jim had headed to a boxing joint located not too far away from the school. First day was free, however, after that, one would have to pay in order to gain entrance, and an additional sum to partake in the matches.

There, he had met a blonde-haired guy wearing dark sunglasses. Recognizing him, he thanked the guy for helping him back at the club. His reason for coming here was his need to grow stronger. Already, he required to display his strength as an undead in the midst of influencial figures. Although he could already guessed how much his strength had evolved after levelling up a couple times, he still wanted to test his strength against some hardcore boxers.

The Beating Cave was an average rated joint. However, it housed some monsters who could take on an average gang on their own. Meeting up with the blonde-haired man, he learnt the latter's name was Mike. Mike was a usual customer of this joint. Of course, being a chronic gambler, he had to.learn how to defend himself in case things were to get ugly, and also to give himself the confidence he needed to face those around him who seemed threatening.

Seeing as Mike knew virtually everyone at the joint, Jim thought it would be best to stay close to him for a meantime. As a friendly gesture, Mike had offered to spar with him. But, not knowing how to control his own strength, Jim was afraid he might end up killing him and getting arrested for murder, so he politely declined. Until he had reached the part in his martial arts class where he would learn Qi control, he would have to manage with watching matches only for now, while only trading fists with the sabertooth demon in the dungeon.

From observing those sparring in the arena, he could see that these people had far more technique when compared to the undead. Lazer focused, ever kick and blow was designed with the purpose of being perfect and highly effective in bringing down their opponent. A vicious uppercut to the chin, and a man with dreadlocks was sent crashing to the floor. After counting to three, the match was declared over, and winning it was a bald man with a body built like a Greek god.

"So when am I gonna see you in action?" Mike asked, seeing as Jim had declined his offer.

"Maybe in a few weeks? I'm not ready to fight yet. Got some things I need to do first," Mike didn't bother pressing him for more answers. The two chatted more about themselves, through which Jim learnt that the latter was just fresh out of college and was simply having some fun before he would have to head by home and inherit his family business. The two seemed to have gotten closer during this short time.

At this point, Jim wasn't truly sure how much his status as an undead was affecting him. Allowing him to make more friends, and even getting a girlfriend, he was started to feel glad that that mysterious man had killed him that night. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't see revenge once he had found him.

Once he saw that it was getting late, he bid Mike farewell before heading back to campus. In his room, he was consumed with playing video games until someone had called him. Hearing her voice on the other end, his mood lightened up a little bit as she said she would be visiting this weekend.

For now, since it was only six, he decided to download a new game that had just been released today, follow the game he and his friends had been playing for almost half their lives. The Arcana is a new MMORPG game that builds upon its former version. This new game provides actual virtual reality inbuilt into the gaming software, allowing one to feel like they were in the game. How this worked was somewhat strange, as one would only have to focus on a hypnosis spiral on a white screen to find themselves transported into a seemingly different reality.

At first, he thought the mechanics weren't safe, however, the system confirmed otherwise, giving him the courage to play the game. As his surroundings changed, he found himself in a white room, and the next second, a couple icons began to appear.

Although this wasn't his first time playing a virtual reality game, this was his first time playing it in three years. His skills were a bit rusty, but after a few rounds, selecting a player who focuses more on speed over strength, he had won two out of three matches, mostly because he had selected opponents who were weaker than him.

He wasn't confident in his strength to go against strong or stronger opponents for a number of reasons. One, he wasn't sure whether or not his actual strength would remain the same in this virtual reality. And two, if his strength truly was constant, he didn't want to Garner too.much attention to himself as he had been doing lately. Someone who seemed lucky in gambling suddenly become a star at playing the Arcana. Although he had used a fake account to log into the game like he always did, one could always find a way to obtain his real information and figure out that the star gambler and the star player were one and the same Jim Wesley. Till this day, he was surprised that no one had come after him, considering his seemingly unending luck. Still, he trained and kept his awareness sharp just in case someone tried something on him. Although he knew the risk involved with getting involved with gangs and other shady individuals, that didn't stop him from enjoying some of the fruits of his labor, or luck, if you will.