The next thirty minutes passed slowly, and Alex spent most of that time just keeping busy. He finalized his interface setup and equipped the fighting gear. He moved all his possessions back into his inventory; after subtly confirming Janet couldn’t tell the difference. Most importantly, he spent sometime thinking about his friends, family, and general life on Earth. He’d been in this new world for less than a day, but it felt like weeks. Glancing over at the tutorial timer, he reminded himself that he needed to do this, and he needed to win.
***
62:16:54
***
Alex had spent some time going over the descriptions of his skills, Sixth Sense in particular eliciting some interest. If he understood the ability correctly, it could currently be his most useful one for combat. His inventory was equally, if not more useful, but it was unusable now so he let thoughts of its portals removing monsters from existence wait. He could test it when he was alone, and higher leveled. As he ran out of distractions and the panic began to return, a knock pulled him back to reality. Janet stood up, the little umbrella in her pink drink swaying as she moved to the door. As he rose to follow Alex realized he’d forgotten to ask Janet his earlier questions.
“Welp, time to go, remember you have until the announcement to pull out, good luck kid.”
Janet opened the door to a boulder of a man, and Alex flinched back at his piercing gaze. Alex knew she couldn’t go with him, but the thought of going anywhere alone with this person was almost as nerve-racking as his potential fight, especially after Janet’s talk of all the corruption. Shoving down the thought Alex took a deep breath, whatever happened, happened, he’d just have to go on until he couldn’t.
“Lead the way.”
And the man did just that, large, tattooed arms clearing the path for the pair to walk. They headed lower, taking a few turns and passing multiple guarded sections. Finally alone on what he thought was the arena’s lowest level the other man spoke, instead of a deep baritone, his voice was light with what Alex guessed to be a New Zealand accent.
“Hey mate, how are ya feeling about your first fight? I know it can be scary, but know you’ll have old Kauri rooting for you.” He turned and did a half smile, making Alex feel guilty about profiling the guy.
Smiling in turn, Alex thanked the man. They continued to speak as they walked through the barren halls, and for a moment Alex managed to forget the stress. As Kauri suggested they were getting close to their destination Alex decided to ask a few of the questions he’d forgotten to with Janet. The large man quickly answered, confirming the city’s name was Endor, and with the title of the arena being Foren, all without an odd look or outward showing that he questioned Alex’s ignorance. He almost risked asking about Ralph and the other factions, but Alex missed his chance and Kauri went silent again as they arrived at the changing room doors. The two guards permitted him access as easily as all the others had and Kauri left the moment Alex went inside.
The room resembled a locker room from any gym, though Alex had no use for it. He was already dressed, mask and all, with everything he owned, except the spatial ring in his inventory. Janet had explained to him that it could be resized to fit the user when fed mana, and Alex had gained assurances it wouldn’t come off while he fought. At least that meant he could use his inventory without suspicion if he had to. Though he supposed that was only if his hand remained attached to his body, or did it, he wasn’t really sure how it worked. The notion made him chuckle, helping to keep the other invasive thoughts away, if only a little. It was another few minutes of sitting and waiting before someone walked in from the direction of the arena floor, ushering him to follow.
As Alex walked onto the once again dirt-filled arena floor some of the fear made way for excitement, and he marveled at what he was about to do. He’d spent countless hours reading about or playing as, people like this; now he’d be one of them. And as absolutely terrifying that was, a part of him loved it.
Gravel crunching under his feet Alex continued deeper into the dim arena. Unsure when to stop, he glanced back for the person who’d led him in, though they’d already vanished. Figuring closer to the exit was better he stopped and waited.
Not knowing what he was supposed to do Alex pulled out his short sword. It was heavier than he was used to. Though he’d never trained the blade, he’d spent years practicing Arnis, and hoped some of the stick techniques would come in handy. He had originally considered two of the sticks as he’d passed them in the pamphlet but decided something with a pointy end would be undoubtedly better. His dagger remaining belted to his left hip, ready for easy use, though the difference in length would morph the fighting style entirely. Alex wished he could leave it in his inventory, then he’d be able to make the dagger appear in his hand, giving him a bit of an edge, but that was against the rules.
Alex had one more trick up his sleeve, but if the other fights were anything to go by, his Jujitsu training would do nothing against the massive beasts. Stopping himself from adding to the sigh counter, Alex looked to the dark arena ceiling, he had no clue what was happening above the barrier and didn’t want to get caught doing anything odd, when he heard the first sounds.
Muffled as it was, he couldn't be sure, but it sounded like the call of the announcer. They went on talking for a while and Alex wondered what it was about. This was his first fight, so there wasn't really much to say… Suddenly there was a semi-muted roar across the arena and, the vibrations of people running made their way to Alex.
Sheathing the blade Alex began to back up, no one had mentioned anything like this, but before he got far the person who’d led him in reappeared. She told him there had been a short delay, but the fight would be commencing soon. Alex asked a few follow-up questions hoping to get more information, but she ignored him, turning and once again sealing the door out. Cursing he thought back to what Janet had said about someone manipulating the fight, the thought of surrender crossed his mind, but it was already too late. The announcers voice rang out again, this time fully audible to him.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the recollection period is officially over, I wish you luck on your new bets.”
‘New bets,’ Alex thought, the bottom dropping out of his stomach. He couldn't remember the bookie mentioning anything about bets directly before a fight and at a time like this, new was bad.
“Then, I am happy to present, the second to last fight in the day’s F grade bracket. Hailing from the tall trees beyond our great forest. A child of the land and stalker of prey. For his premier fight at Foren. The silent! The deadly! Huntsman!!!”
The crown roared, though Alex knew it was due more to the announcer’s tone than anything having to do with him. For that matter, nothing said had even been true, let alone plausible, only reinforcing the thought. They said a joke Alex missed, though the space rumbled with the laughter, as the spotlight shone on him. It was much dimmer than he expected, and he wondered if the mask had anything to do with it. Now sure what to do, Alex drew his weapon, and while becoming acquainted with the blade’s weight, did a familiar one, four, five, combo. The normalcy of the motion helping him calm his racing heart, though the announcers next words sent the adrenaline pumping.
“As you heard earlier, there was a slight modification to this fight. Those of who were here this morning might recognize this beast. For this special edition beginner fight… In the arena to take down its second challenger of the day. The Silver! Backed! Initiate!” As the announcer dragged out the last word, to the crowd’s pleasure, Alex did nothing. There was but so much you could process before it all became pointless, and Alex was fast approaching pointless.
Another spotlight shone and the beast appeared fifty feet away from Alex, looking the same as when he’d last seen it. He glanced at its ankle, where he remembered the earlier fighter making a deep cut, but the angle blocked his view. The announcer was muffled again, and Alex guessed he wasn’t meant to hear this part, but that was fine, now he needed to focus. Readying to activate the skill, his analysis of the beast was interrupted by a prompt, particularly a quest.
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
***
Quest
Tutorial Quest - Main- Subquest 1.1: Silver-Backed Slayer
What would life be if you never had the courage to attempt anything? This courage, shown in your complete willingness to waste your life, is often necessary for those meant to succeed in this new world, though be wary; the death percentage of your kind is rather high.
Rewards: Variable
***
It didn’t supply any new information, so Alex moved on with his original objective trying to form a quick plan.
***
General
Name: Silver-Backed Initiate
Race: Evolved Simian
Age: Unknown
Level: 25+
Grade: E
Class: Unknown
Health: Much less than max
Mana: Unknown
Stamina: Unknown
Description: Hailing from the dense forest of Endor, the ascended monkey beast is a formidable creature known for their overly muscular form, sharp claws, and quick tail. Normally a social animal, those of the Silver-Backed genus fiercely defend their family and territory against any intruders, using their strength and powerful physical abilities to overpower their opponents.
***
Your Skill Advanced Analyze has advanced to Level Six.
***
The small victory made him want to smile, but he suppressed it. Alex had looked up the beast with Grave when they’d returned from the gambling booth, though he hadn’t expected to be fighting it. With the vibrations of the announcer getting progressively louder, Alex made sure Sixth Sense was on passive just as the bell rang out.
Before the sound could dissipate the beast was off, tense muscles launching it across the fifty feet in an instant, claws extended in a swipe ready to cut Alex shoulder to hip. Only his body recognizing his skill’s call of danger giving him enough time to raise his blade, the motion combined with his torso jerking back.
***
***
Your skill [Sixth Sense] has advanced to Level Two.
***
The notification appeared painlessly, but Alex ignored it as his defense broke under the strength of the E grade beast. Caught on the chipped hook of a claw, the oversized monkey dragged Alex’s sword down, but he refused to let go even as his arms jerked, and body fell. That turned out to be for the best as the ape’s other arm swiped through the air where he’d just been, landing near a leg. Alex struck out at the nearby limb; a testing shot to see the damage his blade would do. His slash was covered by the beast’s matted fur, making Alex unsure if he’d done any damage as he pulled back, attempting to cut as deep as he could.
Allowing himself to fall back, the motion half rolling, half scrambling, Alex did his best to dodge any retaliatory strike. Hands shaking and heart ready to explode, he tightened his grip around the weapon. It had been a risk, but Alex knew it paid off, the blue blood on the blade showing he’d landed a hit. Even as shallow as it likely was, the cut was proof that the challenge in front of him was possible. He could do this. As he fully reoriented himself for the next attach, Alex was surprised to find the beast standing still, arms in the position it had last attacked in. He took a hesitant step toward it; not sure what was happening. Lifting his foot to take another beast began to roar.
Alex flinched back with the noise, sharp teeth of yellowed bone spewing saliva across the field with the forced expulsion of air physically pushing him back a pace. He wasn’t sure if his comprehend skill could work on the E Grade beast, but at that moment he was sure he knew exactly what it was saying.
“You. Fucking. Dare.”
Due to the combination of fur and preexisting damage, the strike should have meant more to Alex than the simian. What was one more tiny cut, on a mountain of pain? For many reasons that annoyed Alex. He was here fighting for his fucking life and this beast, twice his size and a shit-ton more powerful, was gonna whine because it got another little gash. Anger, adrenaline, and his highest stat forced him to move. With a step Alex pushed against the beast’s roar, with another he put his head down, and with the third he brought his dagger out, both blades exposed as he charged.
Back in the green room, as he’d read over the descriptions for his skills, Alex learned while most of them were passive, meaning they were useable without expending resources, two of them were bimodular. Both his Infinite Inventory and Sixth Sense could also be used with the inclusion of mana, the additional resource changing or improving the skill’s functions. As Alex allowed the skill to drain his mana he knew he’d only have one chance. The amount of mana he needed to input into the skill was variable, but even only using the one mana per second he opted too, his reserves would be gone in a little over a minute. Deciding to bet everything on this next minute, he felt Sixth Sense flare and the world gain depth.
When he’d first read the description for the skill, having felt its effects, he thought Sixth Sense was an apt name for the ability as it helped him identify and navigate the energies of this new world. Allowing the skill to pull on his mana however, changed his view. Rather than an extrasensory skill, the skill seemed to merge with and morph his other senses, perfecting them in a way beyond anything he’d ever experienced. Every glimmer of light, echo of sound, and brief sensation all combined into a stream of conscious that made Alex perfectly aware of his environment.
***
Your skill [Sixth Sense] has advanced to Level Three.
***
The Silverback didn’t even seem to notice his charge, too preoccupied in its temper tantrum to pay him any attention. That changed in an instant, as a fist aimed to crush him came flying down. His skill came though, and at that moment Alex wasn’t sure if it was him or the ability itself dodging the blow. Even before the fist had fully formed Alex had moved, the vibrations of the air and earth having alerted him. Lucky it had, as even with the extra time he barely managed to dodge, the impact behind him making him stumble in his run.
Recovering Alex felt his ear pop at the change in pressure. The beast hadn’t moved any closer so he was still too far from his desired target, instead Alex stabbed upward using his momentum to rake the dual blades across the ape’s arm. Now that it was right in front of him Alex could see the weapon's damage to the Silverback, what he could through the large amounts of blood that leaked onto his face, though sight alone felt limited, with the skill active.
Another two paces and the arm was beyond his dagger’s reach, though the longer short sword continued to score its flesh. Raising his arm with another howl, Alex gave the blade an extra tug, it came free just before he’d have been lifted off the ground. Though did nothing to protect him against the large foot on a collision course with his torso. Counting on his pants to hold, Alex dropped to his knees, now sure he was only partly in control as he slid under the attack, shoulders almost scraping the ground.
Rising, most of his earlier momentum having diminished, Alex turned on his heel and slashed the still airborne limb. It seemed the beast had brought his target to him. This time what came out of the ape’s mouth was closer to a screech and Alex was sure he’d landed his first truly solid blow. As the prehensile limb hit the ground, blood gushing, Alex struck again extending the cut around the tendon, before retreating one again.
The simian, didn’t spend much time crying about its expanded injury, instead raising its foot as much of its weight began to rest on its tail. Alex would have expected this to make the fight easier but as he struck out again he realized how wrong he’d been. While it might have been more accustomed to some massive tree that grew in the forest outside the city, the beast seemed just as maneuverable as when it was using both feet.
It attacked Alex with a new fury, and it took all he had to dodge and weave, his low attributes making it near impossible to keep up with the information being fed to him. At the thirty-second mark Alex was breathing hard and thought he still hadn’t taken a blow; the beast hadn’t gained any more cuts either. Deciding he’d need a distraction or to switch targets, Alex darted for the tail passing under the Silver-back’s injured foot as he did so. This seemed to be too good of an opportunity to pass up, and the beast brought it down splintered bone be damned.
Diving to the side, as he didn’t think he’d make it any other way, Alex heard the beast cry out as the force from its own attack snapped the bone connecting the foot to the leg. As the simian let out another screech, Alex raised to his feet and darted for the broken limb. Not thinking it enough he stabbed repeatedly only stopping as the beast brought the limb up, losing its balance in the process. Allowing himself a small smile through the exhaustion, Alex darted for the ape’s head.
As it thrashed wildly from side to side, arms reaching to soothe the snapped bone, Alex went for its throat. Running alongside the large beast Alex jumped, Sixth Sense telling him the exact moment necessary to land on the beast’s chest while losing the least amount of speed. Taking a few steps across the E Grade monster’s chest, each one feeling like he was on solid ground, Alex sheathed his dagger, his perfect senses allowing him to do so without looking. Putting all his strength into the blow, Alex brought the short sword down dragging it to create a sapphire smile across the beast’s neck. It wasn’t enough.
As he jumped off, gallon after gallon spurting out behind him, Alex felt dread as another strike flew at him. He couldn’t see it, but the surrounding sensations made it obvious, just this one he couldn’t dodge. Doing his best to pivot in midair, Alex only got halfway when the blow made contact. As his body hit the floor, bouncing at least once against the packed dirt, Alex heard notifications ring out, though their information was swallowed by the darkness that consumed him.