Black Eyes

The atmosphere at Abimana's workplace suddenly changed. Many eyes looked at him with pity, and many more looked at him with cynical scorn.

"You didn't mean what you said, did you?"

Abimana, who was on his lunch break, sat down with his foreman again. He didn't know why the foreman suddenly wanted to talk to him.

"Be serious, boss." Abimana was grateful for the extra side dishes from the boss's bushel.

"But ...." The foreman's dark eyes scanned Abimana's body from head to toe.

Abimana chuckled. "At the moment there is no visible change. But I will train, boss. I can become an Airavata fighter."

The foreman wanted to laugh. However, he managed to restrain himself. Looking at Abimana's physique and all of his current abilities, the foreman was not sure that his subordinate would be able to fulfill his wish.

But there was nothing wrong with dreaming. After all, Abimana's dream did not harm anyone.

"Airavata, huh?" The foreman looked up at the highest peak of the skyscraper on the next block.

"What do you know about the tournament, Abi?"

"The world's largest martial arts competition held by the Idara Group?" Abimana replied with a counter-question.

"Besides that?"

The man took a deep breath. "Airavata is the largest martial arts tournament in history. The participants are hand-picked fighters from different countries. The tournament has five levels."

Abimana looked pensive, remembering the information he had received as a teenager.

"Level Z is for novice fighters. It's the lowest level. Level X is above it. Next, there are fighters at level M, which is at the middle level. Then ...."

Abimana looked at his foreman. "Level S, which is filled with qualified fighters. And Level A, the highest level, can only be joined by super fighters with a special invitation from the Idara Group."

The foreman nodded. He lit a cigarette. It looked like he was going to extend his lunch break this time because the man had a mission to make Abimana aware of the risks of Airavata.

"Levels Z to M are not noticed. But when you enter level S, the eyes of the whole world begin to focus. There are only three hundred people at that level. Level A is also very difficult. Airavata has only recorded twenty fighters who have entered this highest caste.

Abimana was silent as he listened to his master's explanation.

"Level A fighters must continue to maintain their skills in order not to fall from the top position. Unfortunately, every year there are new fighters who manage to knock down the A-class fighters. Except for five people who have yet to be defeated."

The foreman patted his employee's shoulder.

"Son, I know you want to make money. Airavata is indeed the fastest way to get it. It's a prestigious tournament. The whole world looks forward to it. Even many countries rely on the Airavata to recruit their special forces."

Abimana did not want to reveal his true intentions to the foreman. It was not a wise decision. A strange memory that crossed his mind last night made him hesitant to speak honestly to others.

People would think he was crazy. With his current physical condition, Abimana deserved to have doubts about his ability to enter the Airavata. He might have just enrolled and been kicked out.

"But it takes a lot of time, energy, and money to become a fighter. Many of them dedicate their whole lives to training and even have their teams at great expense.

Abimana knows this. If he's determined to become a fighter, his only capital is his hips.

He has no money and no team. On top of that, he doesn't have any physical skills. Only simple bodywork from martial arts classes at school was all the man had.

"You better concentrate on finding another job. If you can last three months here, I'll make you my regular handyman."

Abimana grimaced. He just nodded without giving a definite answer. Meanwhile, the foreman, who felt that he had succeeded in nullifying Abimana's intention to register Airavata, smiled with satisfaction.

The rest of the day was filled with Abimana's usual work as a coolie. When it was time to go home from work, the rain fell very heavily.

The water seemed to fall from the sky. Visibility was very limited. It was still five o'clock in the afternoon, but the surrounding atmosphere seemed to have entered the night.

The man walked closer to the storefronts along the street. He didn't have a raincoat, but he didn't mind getting a few splashes.

However, in front of a mini-market with an iconic sign, Abimana was forced to stop completely. He had to take shelter because the rain was getting heavier.

"Why do I always have bad luck?" Abimana leaned against the wall of the mini-market.

His thin body was in danger of becoming even thinner. He hadn't eaten since this afternoon.

Lunch was also his delayed breakfast. The combined eating schedule was an effect of the dwindling money in his wallet.

"If only I hadn't almost died yesterday, my wallet would at least have some content now." The man collapsed.

The memory of lungs that could hardly breathe in water, then suddenly seemed to get magical energy, still confused Abimana.

"What was that power yesterday?" He unconsciously raised his hand to touch his eyelids. "And why did my eyes turn black? Could I be possessed by a demon's spirit?"

Abimana shuddered in horror. He quickly distracted himself by looking at the surrounding atmosphere.

Jakarta in the year 2023. The rain that began to fall frequently inevitably caused several places to be flooded. Including Abimana's cheap rent, which was right on the riverbank.

Living alone in poor conditions in the wilds of Jakarta has its advantages and disadvantages. Abimana doesn't want to think about the disadvantages. The man was more focused on thinking about the advantages after he accidentally read a brochure taped to the outside wall of a mini-market.

"Well, at least no one will worry about my life if I dare to register for the tournament."

Abimana took down the brochure containing the registration for the Airavata International Martial Arts Tournament. He still doubted that he should enter. However, something in his heart kept nagging him to go.

[Just come.]

Abimana gasped in shock. His body froze. He stared into the courtyard of the mini-market.

"Whose voice is that?" Abimana shook his head.

He waited for a while, but there were no more sounds. Abimana shrugged and went back to reading the brochure in his hand.

"Hey, I told you, I don't want to come!"

Abimana turned his head. Three teenagers were also hiding there. Their clothes were damp. Three newcomers who disturbed Abimana's peace.

"C'mon, just a minute. You'll like it. Guaranteed." One of the two teenage boys poking his girlfriend.

"No way! I don't want to. I don't want to get pregnant."

Abimana's brow furrowed at the sentence that should not have come out of the mouth of a woman in a school uniform.

"Just a minute. You won't get pregnant either. It's not inside."

"I don't want to!" The woman snapped angrily.

"This is a girl who was given a heart, but she's not interested." One of the man's hands rose.

But before he could strike her cheek, Abimana stopped him. His voice was cold and stern.

"She said she doesn't want to. You don't have to insist."

A sardonic sneer was the answer to Abimana's words. The man Abimana was holding suddenly threw a powerful left fist into Abimana's stomach.

The tall man made a loud gurgling sound from his throat. He staggered while holding his stomach. Abimana's face turned pale.

"Wow, he wants to challenge the level of M. Airavata here."

Abimana's eyes were wide open. He stared intently at the teenager who had just hit him.

And Abimana realized that the body wrapped in the black jacket was not as small as it looked. The deliberately opened front of the jacket revealed the abdominal muscles of hard training.

Muscles that the stunted Abimana did not have. The man suddenly backed away as the black jacket lunged at him.

But Abimana was not quick enough. The black jacket managed to grab the front of his t-shirt and threw another punch at Abimana's stomach.

"Never interfere with other people's business." The teenager, who had unexpectedly entered the M Airavata plane, said loudly.

Abimana fell. Two left fists left him helpless. The man's heart was beating very fast as he remembered his defeat.

It was a humiliating defeat, for even Abimana could not defend himself against a teenager.

"Still dare to stare?" This time, the black jacket sent a kick right into the solar plexus of his opponent, who was lying on the floor of the mini-market.

Abimana was immediately pulled backward. The kick was strong, steady, and powerful. He could feel that his level was very different from that of the young man.

And Abimana didn't like it.

Hatred bubbled in his heart. Abimana's breathing was ragged. His eyes stared at the black jacket.

"Wow, he still dares to challenge me, here." The black jacket sneered at Abimana.

His step was ready to throw another punch. However, the black jacket's reflexes prevented him from continuing.

The teenager's eyes widened as he saw Abimana suddenly rise to his feet and stare at him. A pair of glittering black eyes suddenly made the teenager stiffen.

"Who are you?" The teenager shrieked in fear.