*** Three days after arriving in Luminosa ***

I found myself reflecting on my situation. Surprisingly, those first few days hadn't been as terrible as the princess's "welcome" might have suggested. While fear of death remained my strongest emotion, a part of me was actually excited to finally have magical powers. I'd spent most of my time in a luxurious room, attended by servants and occasionally engaged in long conversations with Hiran, the kingdom's Archmage who had summoned me. Apparently, I'd lost consciousness during the summoning ritual and only awakened when brought before the king.

But now my leisure time was over. It was time to start training.

I stood in the arena behind the castle, a training ground typically reserved for noble initiates seeking knighthood. An armored instructor surveyed me with critical eyes.

"Let's start by assessing your current capabilities," he said, gesturing to a line of teenagers. To my surprise, none wore traditional medieval armor. "We'll begin with our weakest disciple."

"Hiran explained how to focus and absorb Mana," the instructor continued. "I can sense you've gathered a basic amount. Now try using it to enhance your body." He pointed to one of the younger disciples. "Little Lia here will be your opponent."

"Leah?" I raised an eyebrow, the name reminding me of my sister. The girl looked about thirteen or fourteen, around my sister's age too. Did I really have to fight someone so young?

"It's Lia," she corrected with an eye roll. "And you'd better take this seriously, Mr. Chosen Hero." She assumed a battle stance, her demeanor making it clear she'd heard enough of my confused muttering.

We were each given wooden practice swords and lightweight armor, supposedly enhanced with basic defensive capabilities. I hadn't actually trained at all these past few days—the most I could manage was creating a barely noticeable breeze with my Mana. But how tough could a little girl be?

While I was still deciding whether to use my full strength, she literally vanished before my eyes. The next thing I felt was her fist connecting with my face. There was a sickening crack as my teeth broke.

I fainted. That was day one of my training.

*** Current time ***

I couldn't help but feel annoyed as I looked at the vampire couple. When I tell you to bet on me, you should just do as I say, idiots. Could they have been thinking that a mere dino could beat me, of all people? I shook my head with a wry smile. At the very least, only one of them had lost their Revival point, which meant the other either hadn’t bet their life, had bet on me, or, most likely, used System points or something else instead.

I wondered if the last fight would bring any surprises. I hoped they’d be smart enough to bet on me this time; otherwise, I'd have to sacrifice my victory for their sake. After all, saving their asses was more important than getting the map to find the other geese. Now that I had some idea about who my charges could be, finding the rest without a map seemed possible. But if one of them died forever, it would be over—both for them and for me. As the vampire met my eyes, he looked away, while the wife gave me a thumbs up. So, she bet on me after all? I sent a quick Gravity Wave to disrupt the magic shields of the arena, and then used the gap to send a direct message to their ears using Mana:

"Bet on me; nothing here could pose a threat to me. If you two don't do as I say, I'll whip your asses. Hard. Understood?"

Sending a private message like this was one of the basic cultivator skills anyone learned at Tier 1, Mana Disciple. You just had to direct some of your Mana so that the sound traveled through it like a pipe. The couple vigorously nodded, probably impressed by my previous display of power.

"And now we have a new champion with the title of the Most Curious Creature of this Exhibition!" The announcer tried to hide his dismay, but the way he touched his monocle more than once and shifted uncomfortably on his flying disc showed he didn't know how to proceed. The gears revolved in his head as he tried to think of the next step.

This alone told me everything I needed to know—they either didn’t have a more powerful creature, or there was a reason they couldn’t use one. Judging by the announcer's increasingly theatrical gestures and nervous monocle adjustments, it was the former. Unfortunately for him, I still hadn't even approached my full potential without Condensed Mana.

"Some of you have lost your bets," the announcer declared, his thin frame swaying dramatically on his floating disc, "and the chosen few managed to guess that our nameless human hides great power! But of course, that's not the end." His voice carried a hint of desperation beneath its affected grandeur. "From now on, he will be the main event in each of our exhibitions, and in the next battle, we will show you that perhaps he is not as invincible as he looks. Earth humans are different from our usual exhibitions, but hardly the only curiosity worth watching!"

The announcer drew himself up to his full height, his crimson tailcoat catching the arena lights. "So next, my dear ladies and gentlemen, witness as my brother, the legendary Grigo the Grand Tamer, enters this scene to show you an exciting battle! And he won't be alone—he'll bring our special guests and those beasts he's bent to his will!"

"As you may know, my brother is a masterful tamer, responsible for making most of the beasts in our exhibition show behave. Although..." He adjusted his monocle with a smirk. "He hasn't had time to take control of this particular specimen. After all, it appeared in its cage less than an hour ago."

As the gates opened, I could see the fat gremlin, whose expression wasn't exactly bright or excited. In fact, he looked like someone who'd just swallowed a bunch of cockroaches. Then again, would gremlins even mind eating cockroaches?

"Brother Grimweld," Grigo addressed the announcer, his voice trembling with barely contained anguish, "do you really want me to face this savage?" It was obvious he had seen the previous battles and knew exactly how slim his chances were.

"Don't worry, little brother," Grimweld called out, his voice dripping with false cheer. "You can bring as many creatures as you can control, as well as the three of our precious arrivals, who, just like him, are humans from that planet called Earth!" He turned to address the crowd. "Yes, you didn't hear wrong, ladies and gentlemen! If just one Earthling can showcase such power, what could three of them achieve? It makes you wonder!"

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Then he added in a quieter tone, sending a private message that only his brother should hear—though, of course, it couldn't escape my Mana Sense. "Even if you die, I'll revive you fresh. Your sacrifice will be worth it. We have to exhaust this troublesome creature, or else it will wreak havoc, and I don't know how we can deal with him. Besides, we can't disappoint our audience."

"Revival, you say?" Grigo's expression shifted slightly. "Fine, I'm in. I've wanted to punish this arrogant bastard from the beginning. If he doesn't use Mana like last time, I'll probably show him his place. And I won't be alone, after all."

As their exchange ended, the tamer moved deeper into the room to activate the railway mechanism. This time, not one or even two cages entered the scene, but five. One of them had been in the corner of the beast hall—one I hadn't paid much attention to before, which now seemed like a big mistake. Just as the announcer had said, it held three more "secret weapons."

Congratulations, you've found three more of your geese, Mama Goose. Make sure to take care of them. (5/9)

System installation: 53%

Now, this was quite a predicament. For them. As for me, I had to think of a clever way to complete the last challenge or just go all out before anything unexpected happened. The key thing was to spare my little geese-turned-opponents from dying in what was to come.

Inside the cage were the same gangsters who had greeted me when I

first arrived on Earth. Except now their condition was so pathetic that I could barely recognize them. The black man was completely naked and shaved—his head now resembled a perfectly smooth disco ball, reflecting the arena lights in an almost mesmerizing way. His once-proud posture was gone, replaced by a cowering slouch. The Latino had dark, swollen bruises around both eyes, making him look like a terrified panda. He kept glancing around frantically, flinching at every sound like a scared animal. Most disturbing was the Asian man, who was walking on all fours and acting more like a dog than a human. He even had a collar around his neck connected to a leash.

As their cage rattled along the rails, they stirred from what seemed like a drugged stupor. The sudden movement sent them stumbling against the bars, their movements uncoordinated and weak. The "disco ball" man tried to cover himself, while the "panda" pressed into the corner, whimpering. The "dog" just barked—actually barked—at the sudden disturbance.

I felt a twinge of pity for them—well, as much as one could sympathize with would-be robbers.

They must have been sent here before me. I doubted the vampire pair had started in this area from the beginning either. Some time had clearly passed between their arrival and mine. I could only hope Leah and Jimmy weren't in some similar trouble. That would be very unfortunate. But given how this Tutorial was going, I couldn't count on anything being fair or reasonable.

Then again, my Tutorial's difficulty was labeled "Impossible," so maybe fairness wasn't even a consideration. The System seemed to operate on its own twisted logic—it would assign you an impossible task and then provide just enough of a chance to complete it, forcing you to dance to its tune. Like now, conveniently placing three more of my "geese" right where I needed to find them, but in a situation where I'd have to fight them. It was almost as if it were playing some sort of cosmic joke.

As for their power level—well, perhaps a little unexpected, but they were comparable to very weak Initiates, which meant barely stronger than ordinary people from Earth. Still, their bodies were enhanced by Mana. Obviously, they couldn't have learned Mana mastery easily in such a short period. It was evident this was the result of the System's interference. It had used some of its abilities to grant people power similar to cultivators without requiring much effort. I didn't know if I should be amazed, scared, or just plain envious of those who had power granted to them without their own efforts.

Out of the other five cages, one contained the giant squirrel. I felt bad for the creature—it seemed ready to fight only out of fear of the tamer. The same could be said for all the other animals about to be released. And probably for the three humans as well. They appeared to be both brainwashed by his mind-control powers and cowed through more traditional methods of intimidation.

The remaining three cages held quite the menagerie: another pack of cat-faced wolves covered in feathers, a large three-headed anaconda with strange arms growing out of the middle of its body, and a creature the size of a cow that looked like a crimson horned hamster. The hamster, despite its comical appearance, was clearly the most aggressive of my opponents for this final round.

So System, what bet can I make now? I thought as I prepared to make another wager. Defeating all of them without Mana would actually be easier than dealing with the Mirrorfang. Despite their superior numbers, even their strongest member—the battle-hamster—was notably weaker than the octopus had been.

One thing I'd noticed during my last two battles was that my actual combat prowess had surpassed what it was when I'd first advanced to the 5th tier, especially in unarmed combat without Mana. I could probably defeat two of my past selves. First, my fighting experience was vastly different now. Second, while anyone at that tier could learn any martial art just by seeing it once or twice, there were subtle differences that could only be gained through extensive experience—what was called "Battle Intuition," the ability to unconsciously analyze and predict your opponent's moves. To me now, even the Mirrorfang's attacks seemed like child's play, despite its speed.

Physically, I was actually slightly weaker than when I'd first advanced to the 5th rank, for the simple reason that advancement always added some Condensed Mana. This was why there was such a significant gap between those at the peak of their rank and those who had just advanced. Of course, advancement also automatically improved your passive strength and elemental control.

"Now, dear ladies and gentlemen, place your bets!" Grimweld's voice rang out. "Can my dear brother lose to some nobody, even if that nobody defeated one of our most prized possessions? I don't think so—after all, who else but Grigo had trained the Mirrorfang?"

"Now, let's support Grigo the Master Tamer!" Grimweld announced as his brother finally entered the arena, his thin frame practically vibrating with theatrical energy. "Cheer, my dear audience!"

Grigo strode through the blood-covered arena, his heavy footsteps leaving prints in the mixture of octopus ichor and Mirrorfang's spilled blood. He tried to mask his fear with false confidence, but his movements were stiff and mechanical. His massive form waddled toward center stage until he faced me, the stark arena lights casting grotesque shadows across his features.

I glanced at the vampire couple in the stands. The wife caught my eye and, surprisingly, gave me a thumbs up with a warm smile. At least someone was learning from their mistakes.

"You are really strong for a human," Grigo said urgently, mopping his brow with a grimy handkerchief. Despite his attempt at bravado, I could see the deep anxiety behind his bulbous eyes. His hands trembled slightly as he stuffed the cloth back into his pocket. "But you can't think a single person can amount to anything in an arena where we decide the rules. Enjoy your moment of glory while it lasts."

A System message appeared before me:

[Special Betting Option Available]

You may bet your life against the System.

Win condition: Defeat all opponents with sufficient style to impress the audience

Reward: 200,000 System Points

Failure: Immediate Main Quest failure upon audience disapproval

Would you like to accept this bet?

[Yes/No]

System installation: 61%

I frowned at the message. How exactly would the System determine if the audience was "impressed enough"? That seemed like far too subjective a criterion for something my future rested on. Even with the doubled reward, I wasn't interested in playing entertainer.

Sorry to disappoint you, I thought to the System, but I don't give a damn about the crowd. If they want to be entertained, I'll do it my way. It's not up to you to decide how.

And so, my answer was a pucking big, resounding "NO".