Unexpected encounter (1)

"WHATTTTT! Did I see that correctly?" Aurelia was too stunned to speak; her mouth dropped further than the time she lost her favourite pillow on the floor.

"HE KNOCKED HIM OUT WITH HIS FIST??" Inside the VIP box, Aurelia leaned towards the railing, her eyes fixed on the Archer who had conquered the giant.

"That was quite impressive," Fredrick said. "The Archer used those small punches to deceive his opponent and finished him off with a powerful blow," he added, surprising Aurelia.

"Not only that... But that was a month's worth of salary." Aurelia began to sulk as she had lost her money to gambling once again.

"DAMN IT, I KNEW THE ARCHER WAS GONNA BEAT HIM. WHY DID I HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT HIM!" Aurelia's feet stomped the ground as her tantrum was causing earthquakes in the arena; people thought that monsters were invading Central Australia...

"HAHAHAHAHA, I knew he had it in him!" Navi, who was watching the match carefully, observed it with genuine interest. "An archer who uses his fist to humiliate a swordsman is one of the most interesting matches I have watched in this arena!"

RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE

Looking from afar, my box suite was shaken by an angry little girl standing up from the box across from me.

Oh? Is Aurelia angry again? The arena is shaking so suddenly; maybe she placed her bets on that Jasper guy. Pffft. Kekekeke, that kid sure has promise. "Assistant," Navi called her as she appeared swiftly.

"Yes, Sir Navi?" The assistant replied promptly, her tone respectful.

Navi, intrigued, inquired, "How much did I win from that bet?"

"You've won $480,135,000 from that," the assistant responded, delivering the news with a composed demeanour.

Navi got up and put on his beige blazer with a smirk on his face "It's time to leave I've seen enough and I'm not interested in seeing any other match here for a while now." He said, "However, if possible, I would appreciate it if you could keep an eye on that kid's activities, but don't pry too much into his life. I just want to know what he's up to."

***

Fwang!

[Quest: Win the tournament. Status: Completed]

[Rewards are now being transferred... Transfer Complete!]

[Rewards: 10+ Strength, 2.5+ Stamina, Standard Ability Upgrade (1+),100 Battle Points]

__________________

Strength: 21.50 -> 31.50 (10.00+^)

Stamina: 34.5 -> 37 (2.50+^)

__________________

Ding! Ding! Ding!

[Standard Ability Upgrade Selection:]

[Piercing Shot: Grade 9] -> [Grade 8]

[Quick Shot: Grade 9] -> [Grade 8]

[Projectile Disarm: Grade 4] -> [Grade 3]

[Vulnerability Reader: Grade 8] -> [Grade 7]

The system notifications kept appearing one after the other, and I felt that winning this battle was worth all the energy I had expended. After evaluating my options, I am convinced that Vulnerability Reader played a significant role in carrying me through the latter half of the tournament. However, I believe that if I upgrade my Projectile Disarm skill, I can parry almost any reflective projectile, even the ones that seem almost impossible to parry.

Although I learned Projectile Disarm before the quarter-finals, I was able to earn all of my PPP during the earlier rounds. I managed to earn about 345 PPP from the hecklers who were angry about my victories being "scripted." or "Rigged." They even threw food and drinks at me.

Exhausted and unable to decide what was best for me, I stood still in the arena as the crowd, was upset about my win. They were throwing all sorts of things at me, and it wasn't even food at this point.

Was I getting stoned?

As rocks pelted against my head, I politely asked my system a question, "Can I save the upgrade for later?"

[Sure! Just make sure to make a decision as soon as possible :D]

[-0.1 HP]

[-0.1 HP]

[-0.1 HP]

[-0.1 HP]

Aw come on I have feelings too...

As staff members rushed in to protect me, they shielded me from the outburst of the crowd. They screamed, saying, "Give me my money back!" A man shouted, and some others called it a 'fixed match,' but I was too exhausted to care.

"Mr. Shadow Writer, you can collect your winnings and rewards at the top floor called Victory Hall. There's a special reception where people will greet you and safely hand the award. If you need help guarding your rewards, we will grant you safe protection." I nodded in response as I was escorted out of the arena and into the Hyperstasis chamber to heal. The worker in black spoke to me ear to ear and handed me a specific black card before I entered.

When I wrote this part of the novel, I didn't expect to describe such a luxurious black card, but as I stood there being healed by the chamber magic, my plans moving forward would probably be to get around the top 20 in the class for the assignment rankings so I don't get singled out and kicked out because of how weak I was.

After being healed by the Hyperstasis chamber, I quickly navigated my way through the arena, but I couldn't help but feel like I was being followed. The presence felt slightly eerie yet undiscoverable, but each time I turned around to check, there was no one behind me.

Was I tripping? I couldn't tell if there was anyone near me, but I finally arrived at the special reception of Dawnblades Arena. I only had to take an elevator towards the top floor, but there were two guards on standby in black tuxedos and black shades, both holding a sword on their back. I approached them, and one stepped forward.

"Do you have some sort of identification with you, sir?" The man with a bald head approached me. I showed him the black card, and he took it, inspecting it closely and running it through a scanner in his pocket.

"You're good to go through. Proceed carefully and try not to break anything."

The two of them opened the large doors leading to a place so familiar, as if I've played this from somewhere in my childhood.

This place looked like none other than the Pokémon Centre but more extravagant. There was a lady dressed in white behind the counter, and the sign above her said, Receptionist.

As I looked at my surroundings, there were two staircases to the side of the receptionist station and a bunch of photos, trophies, and name engravings on both sides of the room. This was Victory Hall, as I had originally described it.

I assumed behind the black curtains behind the receptionist room was the vault that connects to all the treasures from every main arena across the world.

Then there was a sudden commotion coming from outside the doors...

"Who are you? This reception is for those with special access only. No freeloaders allowed."

"Oh, I have special access, alright."

"Where's your proof of access?"

The man behind the doors chuckled. "Right here." I felt the surge of power and a burst of energy coming from the door.

I heard the guard say something like, "What's with those horns? Are you some kind of monster?"

"Monster? No, my friend, I'm just getting started."

"This is your last warning. Leave or we will kill you on sight."

"Kill on sight, huh? I think you're the ones who should prepare to be killed."

BANG, BANG, BANG,

"What in the name of the gods is happening?!"

"Just a little boost, courtesy of a friend," he began laughing loudly.

AHHHHHH

I couldn't tell who was behind those doors, but the voice sounded way too familiar not to know.

Opening the doors I saw Jasper now in a different type of transformation.

His once ordinary human features contorted into a visage that seemed to blur the lines between devil and human.