chapter 8: gene vs non gene activator

In the massive stadium, the crowd's deafening cheers echoed through the air. All eyes were fixed on the metal cage at the center, where two fighters stood ready. One was a behemoth of a man, reminiscent of Hercules, while the other was a young boy clutching a black sword.

"Who's that? Why am I seeing a little boy here? Someone please call his parents; I think they've lost him," a voice in the audience jestingly remarked.

"Puff, puff, hahaha! Yes, yes, call his parents! Today's fight is a real joke. I'm going to bet my entire fortune on this match," another voice chimed in.

"Me too."

Suddenly, the lights went out, and in the midst of the darkness, two screens materialized in the air.

"Everyone, the left screen is for betting on the buster, and the right screen is for betting on the young man, John. You can place your bets by pointing your digital card at the screen," the restaurant owner instructed the spectators.

*Ding* - "1 king coin" appeared on the left screen.

"Wow, this new betting method is amazing. It's making me want to bet more."

"2 king coins."

"50,000 sl coins."

"3,000 sl coins."

"9 king coins."

"4 king coins."

"40 king coins"...

Numbers kept popping up on the left screen, while the right screen remained conspicuously empty.

After an hour, the numbers on the left screen read "50,000 king coins," and on the right screen, it displayed "1 sl coin."

Zen paid no attention to the absurd bets being placed; his focus was entirely on the formidable opponent standing before him. He meticulously analyzed every detail of the surroundings.

"The metal around here is not ordinary; it seems to be made of prohibiting bars, a special metal that can absorb all kinds of force, used in jails and for creating restraints to capture criminals. Most importantly, the ground is rocky, so I'll need to be careful with my momentum," zen calculated.

As the countdown reached its final moments, the spectators braced for the impending fight.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, five, four, three, two, one – let the battle commence.

Zen, with the black sword in hand, leaped directly toward the buster. In a single breath, he unleashed a strike.

In the realm of hunting, the rule was simple: either you capture your prey in one swift move, or you'd be the one consumed by another. The same held true for combat - either finish your opponent in one fell swoop, or wait until they perished from exhaustion.

The heavy, razor-sharp attack sliced through the air and landed on the giant of a man. Buster, born with a naturally gifted physique that granted him thirty times more physical strength than an average person, had skin as tough as a rhino and bones as resilient as steel. With this innate advantage, he had ascended to become the strongest fighter in Warlight City. However, every advantage came with its own flaw, and in Buster's case, it was his lack of speed. But so far, that deficiency hadn't mattered because most opponents were either intimidated into submission or paralyzed by fear.

Yet when zen displayed his incredible speed, Buster was caught off guard. He knew that he could use his formidable physique to withstand the attack, but his reflexes were lacking.

"Slaaash!" The sword cleaved through Buster's chest , revealing his heart , and a spray of blood painted the black sword crimson.

Buster, writhing in agony, clutched his chest and rolled on the ground, creating a shocking turn of events that left the audience stupefied.

They had anticipated Buster's victory, expecting zen to be crushed in a single blow. But reality had taken a different course.

"Argh, you dare attack me? I'll tear you into pieces and feed your limbs to the dogs," Buster raged, his cries resounding through the stadium.

The audience was dumbfounded, watching as Buster's defeat unfolded before their eyes. Their expectations had been turned upside down.

"Ignorant fool, defeated before the match could even begin. I doubt Miss will be pleased with the outcome. Who would choose such an idiot to fight against the young master? Aren't you afraid that if Miss is dissatisfied, the Moon Star restaurant will disappear from Warlight City?" The restaurant owner's gaze turned to a lady seated in the corner, her expression one of dissatisfaction.

"It's an honor to witness the Empire's youngest three-star controller. But don't worry; I admit he's an idiot, but he's also driven by an intense desire to win. I believe the real match is about to begin," the restaurant owner remarked.

As the spectators absorbed this unexpected twist, the ground beneath the stadium began to shake. Buster, who had been rolling on the ground in agony, had fallen silent.

Cracking sounds filled the air, and the audience collectively gasped.

"There's something strange happening with him," zen said as he observed Buster, whose skin was changing color in the midst of some mysterious transformation.

All the rocks from the ground lifted into the air and converged around Buster's body, forming a pile of rocks. In the end, a giant rock resembling an egg stood at the center of the spectacle.

"Gene transformation," whispered in awe, were the only words to escape the mouths of countless spectators.

"He's about to activate his gene power. This match is going to become unfair. The strength of gene activators is on a different level compared to non-gene activators," murmured the audience in hushed tones.

"It's not unfair," the restaurant owner shouted to quell the rising concerns. "The rules does not prohibit use of gene power".

Yet, in the midst of the unfolding drama, the lady in the corner was no longer concealing her anxiety. "Sometimes, I worry about the young master, even though he's talented. Isn't mother going too far in training him? Sometimes i feel her true desire is it kill him."

The restaurant owner sighed, sharing her apprehension. "Sometimes, I have the same thoughts. A non- gene user fighting against a middle-grade gene activator means inevitable death."

"Can't we stop the fight?" she pleaded.

The restaurant owner sighed once more. "I'm sorry, but Miss has given clear instructions. If the young master can't win this match, she's okay with his death."

Zen, meanwhile, sat cross-legged on the ground, his gaze fixed on the giant rock.

"Rock transformations"

This means his gene code is for rock manipulation. According to the history books, during the time of the disaster, some ordinary people were buried underground and survived by eating soil and rocks. Later, their descendants adapted the power of rock gene , which transmitted the gene code for rock manipulation through their bloodline"

Zen " i born in royal family . But childhood poured in torturous training .

For other its torture but in truth its was the exact environment i wanted to train my self, that why i never resist hard training.

Since i am not hero in this world , its only thing is i can rely on.

Its time to check how far my physical abilities are gone with my intense training