2 Proving Myself

When the light faded I could see myself in a coliseum the stand filled with what looked like fake images of people cheering. Must not have the budget for better graphics I guess,

Then I looked at the opponent in front of me. It was a goblin, small around 3.5 ft tall armed with a rusty knife. Well, this was going to suck, I did not want to get stabbed by that knife. I might get tetanus from that.

[Hello Player, note the monster in front of you is simulated so you don't have to worry about killing it. Beware however as just because it isn't real doesn't mean it isn't smart.]

[The trial will begin in 3, 2, 1.]

I was already in my stance when the little bugger rushed at me with his knife. He had a much smaller reach than me even with the knife so he had to close the distance to hit me.

So I lashed out quickly left leg aiming to kick him in the face, he stopped for a moment bringing up his knife to block. It was a feint however as I quickly dropped my leg and maneuvered to get him a full roundhouse kick into his unprotected side.

It connected and I think I could feel some of his bones breaking. I mean I guess he was a goblin and much weaker than a human, but still, that was easier than expected.

The little green shit was launched so the side dropped the knife and lay on the floor. Not giving him the chance to recover I rushed in and pummeled him until he died.

[Well done, you have killed the goblin and now advance to the second level. All your injuries will be healed and you will have a minute to regain your breath. 60, 59, 58 …]

So now I know I will be healed if I get injured, that is good. I can now use more insane strategies if the situation calls for it. Hopefully, it doesn't.

[... 3, 2, 1]

Then a wolf appeared on the opposite side of the coliseum. I tried to do something that I forgot to try on the goblin, inspecting it. I tried to see if I could identify the world even by saying it out loud but it didn't work. Guess I probably need a skill from the system.

The wolf was now in striking distance so I lashed out with a front kick. I managed to hit it but then it latch on my leg. Probably not the best idea. I screamed out in pain but since the wolf's teeth were occupied its danger decreased a lot.

I pulled the wolf close and wretched my foot away from the jaw, leaving some of it behind. I yelled and excruciating pain ripped through me. I need to improve my willpower if this is a regular situation I would be going through.

I got behind the wolf and started choking it out. In my position, the wolf's most dangerous weapon its teeth were left gnashing at the air as I slowly killed it.

After a while it went limp then a few moments later I heard from the system again.

[Well done on passing the second stage. You will now be healed and be given the same amount of time as last time to regain your breath. 60, 59, 58…]

The wound in my leg suddenly disappeared and so did my pain. I sighed in relief and lay on the floor. But I knew I couldn't rest long or else I would be caught unprepared for the next fight. So as the timer counted down I stood up and got into position.

[...3, 2, 1]

A massive orc appeared on the other side wielding a wooden club. He was massive 7 ft tall made of pure muscle. I knew that I couldn't beat him in a straight-up fight so I ran.

He began chasing me but fortunately for me, he seemed to be slightly slower than me. This increased size must be good for his Strength and Vitality but not so much for his Agility.

I ran around the ring for 5 minutes observing him. He was tiring but so was I. Running at a fast pace was more advantageous for me as he seemed to be tiring out faster.

Until I remembered that I had to fight other monsters after I beat this one. And as far as I can tell while MEDS healed injuries it did not recover my stamina. So I had to take him out quickly if I wanted to continue further in the run.

So I grab a handful of sand from the ground and suddenly I pivoted and from running away from him I was running directly towards him. He was surprised for a moment but that was all I needed.

I tossed the sand into his eyes and delivered and brutal low kick to his unprepared legs. His leg collapse and he tripped and fell to the ground. As he wiped his eyes trying to get the sand out of it kicked his hand causing it to release the club.

After that, I kicked the club away and assumed the dominant position hammering away at his face. He didn't seem to know martial arts because all he did was try and block my punches and futilely punch at me.

It didn't matter because, after a few minutes of hammering away, punching his throat, gouging his eyes, and all that good stuff, he died. I got a notification from my system.

[Congratuations you have passed the 3 stages. All your injuries will heal and you will be given 60 seconds to rest. 60, 59, 58 …]

I sat down on the ground heaving for breath. That had taken a lot out of me and I don't know if I could kill the next one. This one was already close, one bash from that club and I was dead.

[...3, 2, 1]

I was in position when a knight in shining armor appeared. I was on foot clad in full armor from head to toe carrying a 2-handed long sword. Damn no way are my kick gonna hit him.

The only way to kill this fucker is through submission. But he had the reach advantage and had and much more dangerous weapon than that carried by the orc.

I tried the same strategy as last time running away from him when he chased. He was slower than me due to his armor but he seemed to realize it and stopped chasing me.

He was sitting in the center of the arena content to wait for me to come and strike him. Damn it he was smarter than the orc, hopefully, he wasn't stronger as well.

I grabbed a handful of sand same as last time and rushed him. When I got into his range I threw the sand direct at the slit in his visor. He seemed to expect this however as he wasn't panicked and continued his swing at me.

He hit me scoring a wound across the right side of my body. The pain blustered me fueling the rage I had as I rushed at him and managed to get him onto the ground.

We wrestled on the ground as I managed to first get the sword away from him before getting him into a rear-naked choke.

He thrashed around for a while before managing to get a knife he had hidden from his boot and stab me with it.

I held on however as I know in just a moment he would pass out. He stabbed me multiple times in the arms, the side, and the legs but I held on. I was lucky the knife he carried was so small or I would be fucked.

I finally passed out but so did I from the exhaustion, pain, and blood loss. As I faded into darkness I knew I had failed because while I had knocked him out I didn't kill him.

I would die from the blood loss soon enough so the win when to the knight. Well, what could I expect? He was a fully armed and armored knight while I was an unarmed 17-year-old kid whose only experience fight was during spars.

But I was happy I had probably shown the system enough skill for it to offer me good skills. I smiled as the darkness overtook me.