Maple-Leaf Stepping Stone.

It was a few hours near dusk, and almost all of the main roads in Acoustic City were experiencing a traffic jam.

Most of the Book Lords used their movement spells to get where they wanted to go, although that expended their Qi.

Most of these lone Book Lords were rushing towards the biggest stadium in the whole city, trying to earn a fortune to spend on the weekend.

Just like on Earth, the weekend was respected among Book Lords in Acoustic City.

In the middle of the concrete stadium, wind blew past two individuals as the crowd erupted in rage.

"What is that fucker doing here?!"

"Didn't he learn his lesson the last time!"

"Great Timber, make sure he never comes again!"

"Great Timber, I have put a fortune on your victory!"

Almost everyone was rooting for Great Timber, who was at the west end of the arena with the sunlight shining above him, bringing out his light brown hair.

The majority of the people cheering for him were mostly women. His face was indeed pleasing to the eye, and his sleek haircut just perfected it even more.

He was a newcomer to the battlefield and had only lost once.

He was expected to be a shining star in the near future!

Mostly, Great Timber would be receiving a lot of ridicule from the males in the stadium, but his opponent happened to be him!

The world's weakest Book Lord!

This guy was far from the best! He registered himself as a Book Lord, but even mortals could fight better than him! During his last match, he was beaten black and blue - he didn't even know how to throw a punch!

His origins were unknown, and people just assumed he was the son of some rich mortal who had dreams of gold.

His name was Maple-Leaf Stepping Stone!

He originally signed in as Unrivalled Maple-Leaf Warrior, but after a disappointing first match, his name changed to Maple-Leaf Stepping Stone.

It was assumed that he wouldn't ever win a match at the battlefield by many intelligent experts.

Just like last time, he was dressed in a red dobok and had a maple leaf mask covering his face.

Although having no one supporting him, he was full of confidence as he jumped up and down, stretching his muscles.

His scarlet eyes were shining with a cold light, not hiding his intent to shred his opponent to pieces.

The sight sent a slight shiver through Great Timber's body.

'Something is not right about this kid. Although I cannot feel the Qi being released by his jindan, I am positive he is a Book Lord. He is probably in the spirit realm just like me. But what is this feeling I am getting from his eyes?'

Great Timber glanced at his fair hands and noticed they were sweating.

'Did the battlefield intelligence Book Lord predict wrongly about him?'

Doubt raised up in the man's heart. After all, it was just a prediction, not the actual thing.

However he shrugged... there was no way such a weak person could ever beat him?

Seeing the two in their positions, the announcer found that the time was ripe:

"On my right! We have the handsome, dazzling Great Timber!!!"

The crowd erupted into a loud cheer, with some women even throwing bras at the handsome man in the arena.

The announcer hated what he was about to call out, but his voice was still full of vigor.

"On my left! We have the weakest Book Lord of all time! Maple-Leaf Stepping Stone!"

The boy clad in a red dobok was met with a chorus of jeers, not cheers. The crowd's hostility was palpable, with some spectators hurling tin cans in his direction. Undaunted... the boy dogged, showing his skill.

Gu Mickey erupted into laughter, his eerie gaze landing perfectly on Great Timber.

"You should consider yourself lucky that you are facing me."

Nie Fan curled up his lips.

"Because this is going to be the easiest victory for me."

Mickey shook his head in disdain.

"Great Timber, you are really a house dog without any knowledge about the dangers of the world."

"It's because I am going to be the strongest person in the whole world! You should lose to me so that I will spare you in the future!"

Veins popped out on Nie Fan's face, and he was just one step away from exploding, "You Little!!"

The announcer saw it perfect to start the match from his seat, "Now fight!"

Nie Fan rushed towards the cheeky brat with malevolence glowing over his whole existence.

...however, Mickey felt ecstatic.

'Unlike my previous fight, I can actually see this guy's movements!'

Alas, his body was not fast enough to react to the react.

Wham...

He got kicked on the side and was sent spinning like a rag doll to the other end of the arena.

Blood sprinkled down his lips, and some of his bones cracked.

"Tsk, so much for the so-called future strongest person in the whole world."

Nie Fan didn't see Mickey's blood, thus the black-haired boy was confident to stand up while chuckling,

"Why the rush? It is just the beginning. Only idiots like you, my dear Great Timber, would be happy about one successful hit when there is a whole battle to win."

Nie Fan's face contorted in rage, his veins bulging ominously as he sprinted towards the Maple-Leaf Stepping Stone with unbridled ferocity, his twisted visage evoking the malevolent aura of a vengeful ghost.

'If I keep on talking, I will fall for this guy's words! I am going to be silent and beat the death out of him!'

Great Timber unleashed a flurry of fierce blows upon the Maple Stepping Stone, and with each successful strike, Mickey somehow managed to glean a benefit from the punishment he endured.

He was able to actually follow all of his opponent's moves.

However.... thanks to having a weak reaction time, it only took a few minutes for him to be all bruised up - although he didn't have severe injuries like his last match.

"Hahaha! I told you this was going to be the easiest victory of my life!" Nie Fan grinned.

There was no sign of exhaustion on his face, and there wasn't a single scar on him.

Whoosh—!

He threw a kick towards Mickey's face, but this time the Maple-Leaf Stepping Stone was able to react in time and dodged the attack by side-stepping.

Bam...

Mickey swiftly countered, landing a solid punch to Nie Fan's jaw that sent him stumbling backward several feet, and, as an added bonus, shattered one of his molars.

For a minute, no one moved or talked. Great Timber was staring at the ground with furious eyes as his nostrils withstood the dusty scent.

'How can I allow myself to get relaxed?! Such a weakling was able to take advantage of my overconfidence and hurt my precious face.'

Mickey was able to sense this and smiled underneath his maple leaf mask.

This was not his first time punching someone who was so much into their looks.

"Hehehe, oh, Great Timber, should I call you that? Definitely, no! After all, you got a little Timber down there." Mickey's voice was full of sarcasm as he pointed in between Nie Fan's legs.

The man was furious that he locked his murderous eyes on Mickey, who seemed to have a knack for pissing him off.

"I am not lying, all the girls you slept with have proven this fact." Mickey wasn't sure of this; he was just saying whatever to make his opponent more enraged, "If what I am saying is a lie, then I dare you to remove your pants for everyone to see your little Timber!"

For the first time, the crowd in the stands cheered for what Mickey said. To them, this was a perfect chance to notice the truth about Great Timber.

"You Little!! I will pull out your insides and offer your blood as an offering to the beast!" Nie Fan's angry voice echoed through the whole stadium.

He dashed over to give Mickey a good beating, however…

"I surrender this match."

"..."

Nie Fan and the rest of the crowd blinked a few times at Mickey's sudden announcement.

How could someone with a mouth as foul as his admit defeat so shamelessly?!

The announcer also had the same thoughts... but he had to do his job.

"After Maple-Leaf Stepping Stone announced that he is surrendering the match! The victory goes to, eh... Little Timber!"

The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers as the winner was announced. However, it was clear to everyone that the true victor was not necessarily the one declared the winner of the match.