The Bael family estate. The main gate.

Cenn was greatly surprised when he saw the crowd of people gathered here.

"Why are there so many people here?" He asked, addressing Velin and Hog at once.

"This is our escort for today and hopefully tomorrow." Velin replied.

"Escort? But we only have ten minutes to walk." Perplexed Cenn.

"Dad and Grandpa are afraid we might be attacked on the way. That's why they organized this farce. As if anyone would dare attack us under the bishop's nose. Especially since there are no warriors in town willing to challenge Uncle Hog and the Pope," Aydor decided to intervene in the conversation.

"You are too careless, son." Velin shook his head and walked toward the crowd awaiting his orders.

"Come on, the wagons are already waiting." Hog nudged the boys forward.

"Wagons?" Cenn was surprised again. In his sixteen years, he had never once traveled to the city by wagon. Even aside from the distance, it would never have occurred to him to use the wagons of trade caravans as transportation. Sure people used transportation to get between distant farms, but it was usually small carts pulled by donkeys.

"Yeah, decided to give you a wagon ride so you wouldn't get overworked before the fight. Hehehe." Hog was making his usual silly jokes.

As Cenn walked out of the gate, he saw not one, but three wagons pulled by huge oxen. Velin was already standing by one of them and waved his hand, beckoning them over.

"The first wagon will carry Mizra and Rant. In the second will be Me and Aydor. In the third will be you and Hog. Stay inside and stay out of sight until we get to the arena." Velin turned to Cenn.

"I understand." Replied Cenn.

Cenn climbed inside the cloth-covered wagon and settled himself so that he couldn't be seen from the outside, which wasn't hard to do. And began to put on his armor. While he had the chance.

Hog climbed in next to him, sat down next to him and closed his eyes.

"Uncle Hog, what's going on? Is someone really going to attack us?"

Without opening his eyes, Hog covered Cenn's mouth with his palm, signaling for him to shut up.

Not wanting to anger the fat man, Cenn continued to adjust his armor in silence.

After a couple minutes, the wagons started one after another and headed towards the city rather quickly.

...

Finally the wagon came to a stop.

Cenn looked at Hog, who was sitting with his eyes closed as before.

[Maybe it's already safe to speak...?]

But just as he wanted to address the fat man, a voice from outside rang out.

"Come out, it's alright." It was Velin's voice.

Hog silently got out of the wagon. Cenn had no choice but to follow him, which he did.

Once outside, he saw that the wagons had pulled right up to the arena. And now he was standing at the entrance to the arena, which was designated for the competitors. There was still some time left before the fights started, so the other participants wouldn't have time to arrive.

"Head to the entrance of the arena, you'll be safe there." Addressed Velin to Cenn and Aydor.

"Hey guys, I believe you can do it!" Saying this Velin walked over and hugged both of them.

"Aydor wait!" Old man Orist ran up to Aydor and put a hand on his shoulder and took him aside, as if afraid that someone would hear his conversation.

"Don't mind him. The old man's been in trouble with his head for a long time. Remember, I believe in you, kid. I'm sure you can win." Hog nonchalantly rubbed Cenn's head, with his huge hand.

"Thank you Uncle Hog, Uncle Velin." Cenn bowed to his mentors and went to the entrance of the arena. Where several temple servants stood guarding the entrance.

Soon a procession of several dozen people approached the arena. Unlike Cenn they came on foot. At the head of the procession he immediately recognized Ravina Tesal, his opponent in today's fight. After quickly saying goodbye to her parents, she came to the entrance of the arena and greeted Cenn silently.

Cenn watched the girl carefully, but nothing in her actions betrayed hostility. She seemed unaware that today they would be fighting for a once in a lifetime chance.

When she felt Cenn's gaze on her, Ravina looked at him questioningly, as if asking what he wanted.

[Fuck, now she'll think I was staring at her.]

Cenn immediately turned away in the other direction, blushing in embarrassment. It was as if he had been caught doing something shameful.

Cenn didn't dare look in the direction where Ravina was standing until he heard the sound of a crowd approaching.

Turning he saw a group of men accompanying Krinnel Faro. To his surprise he saw that he was surrounded by people from the honored family Kinov.

[Got over his pride after all.]

Cenn smiled. Even a savage like Krinnel couldn't do without help under these circumstances.

Finally, when all the participants were standing at the entrance to the arena the doors opened. As before, Cenn was taken to a small room to await the fight.

But not even a couple minutes after he was led into the room, the door opened. His fight was about to begin.

[Damn it, why do I always fight before Aydor.]

Obeying the temple attendant's instructions, he left the room and headed towards the arena exit.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

This was his third fight in the arena. But contrary to his expectations, the fear and nervousness hadn't gone away. On the contrary, he was much more nervous now than before the first fight. Clutching his spear in his hands he looked at the floor, waiting for the fight to begin.

The sounds of the crowd came from the tribune above him. The arena was crowded this time.

"The fight between Ravina Tesal and Cenn Bael begins." Pronounced the indifferent voice of the old referee.

The doors in front of Cenn opened and he saw the arena and tribunes packed with people.

Stopping for a few moments he looked around the arena. He heard someone shouting his opponent's name, trying to cheer her on in this way.

On the opposite end, Ravina was in no hurry to enter the arena.

Only now he remembered that he had never thought of a tactic for this fight. He mentally cursed himself for that.

[I'm afraid I'll have to follow Uncle Velin's advice and rely on dodging.]

"Sigil Grasshopper."

Grasshopper Sigil Amplification.

Strengthens the wearer's body, giving him the ability to move quickly in any direction and jump high.

The range and speed of dashes and jumps depends on the owner's rank.

He said in a calm voice and stepped into the arena while spiritual energy flowed through his body.

At this moment, Ravina finally entered the arena and saw him use the sigil. As if unnoticed by him she calmly walked towards the center of the arena.

[What is she up to?]

Cenn wasn't sure what was going on, he expected Ravina to attack him with fireballs from the start. But that didn't happen.

Since she won't attack first, I'll take the initiative.

Dash

Dash

Cenn quickly shortened the distance with his opponent with a couple dashes.

Strike

A stabbing blow to the stomach, from as far away as possible. Hoping to probe her defenses.

But that attack was blocked lightning fast by the battle staff.

Ravina took a step forward, fending off the attack. Her staff was slightly shorter than the spear, so she had to shorten the distance to attack.

Cenn's spear was losing its advantage at this distance, but he didn't mind. Because at this distance, Ravina wouldn't be able to use fireballs. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted.

Strike

Strike

Push

Thrust.

A series of swift blows caught up with Cenn. Ravina's staff swung at him from right to left. Never giving him a chance to respond. Each time he blocked a blow with his spear, a wave of pain coursed through his arms.

Under the barrage of blows, Cenn realized he had lost his initiative and needed to do something about it. He was preparing for a completely different fight, but his opponent caught him off guard.

Taking a step forward, he struck downward with his spear. Ravina had no trouble blocking the blow with her staff in front of her, but that was exactly what he had been waiting for. Without releasing the pressure on the staff he Cenn grabbed her staff with his left hand preventing her from breaking out of the clinch.

"Hey, aren't spells supposed to be your strong point?"

Cenn turned to Ravina, hoping to distract her. He was hoping to buy some time and come up with a plan to win this fight.

"What makes you think I only have one strong point?" replied Ravina looking him straight in the eye.

Kick

Before Cenn could answer anything. His rival's leg flew into his stomach. Which caused him to release her staff and take two steps back.

*Punch*

Instantly, a heavy blow from the staff hit him in the shoulder.

*Dash*

Cenn jumped back a few meters, preventing Ravina from continuing her attack.

[Damn! This thing is much heavier than it looks. How can Ravina handle it so quickly].

Cenn had a high opinion of his spear skill, but now he felt that he had little chance of winning a melee fight. The speed with which Ravina was striking was astonishing. But what amazed him even more was that up until today's fight, she had successfully hidden her talent.

"Fireball!"

Sigil of Fire spell.

Fireball - releases a fireball in the chosen direction, which travels at high speed and explodes when it hits a target/obstacle.

Fireball parameters depend on the wielder's strength.

While Cenn was admiring his opponent's talent and catching his breath after the blows he received while maintaining a safe distance, Ravina decided to change tactics and let her sigils fly.

A one foot wide fireball flew towards him at high speed. He had only a moment to dodge it.

Dash

Explosion

Having managed to jump 4 feet to the side before the explosion Cenn thought he was already safe. But the force of the explosion was so great that the blast wave knocked him to the ground.

Turning to Ravina, he saw that she was already running towards him with all her speed. But he had time to get up and meet her attack, which he did.

[She could finish me off with a second fireball. And ended the fight. Why would she do that, except she didn't have any qi left in reserve.]

"You almost got me."

Strike

"Sneakily used the Bull Sigil when the fight started?"

Bull's Sigil Amplification.

Strengthens the wearer's body, increasing Strength by 2 points and Speed by 10%.

The wielder's attacks additionally receive an onslaught effect, allowing him to deal minor damage to the enemy even if the attack is blocked.

Punch

Block.

"I thought you were some kind of monster, but we'll see how long the Sigil lasts."

"Shut up already!" Shouting this, Ravina attacked with renewed vigor.

Knowing that she could no longer use the sigil, Cenn no longer gave her a chance to strike, keeping her at a safe distance. All that was left was to wait for her to open up and end the fight.

Deciding to change tactics the girl took a step forward and swung Cenn's spear aside with a blow of her staff. With her left arm outstretched, she lunged forward, hoping to grab Cenn by the robe.

Cenn immediately recognized his rival's intent. And he immediately came up with the perfect response.

"Orb" He shouted and lunged backward.

Lightning Sigil Spell.

Lightning Orb - Creates a lightning ball charge that remains immobile where the caster left it. It is attracted to the first target it meets within 2 feet. When the ball touches the victim, it strikes it with lightning.

Barely dodging Ravina's grip, he jumped back, leaving only a small sparking ball where he stood.

As if sensing the proximity of the enemy, the orb drew itself to Ravina's hand and struck her with a powerful bolt of lightning.

"Aaargh!"

Letting out a cry of pain, Raveena fell to her knees and grabbed her stricken hand.

At this time, Cenn wasted no time in dashing forward, and lunging put the tip of his spear to the girl's throat.

"The fight is over. Cenn Bael has won." The judge's voice rang out.

Hearing that the fight was over Cenn exhaled with relief. The senses that his brain had blocked during the fight came back again. The noise of the crowd came from the tribunes. Looking around, he saw hundreds of people looking at him. Some were happy to see a beautiful fight, others were congratulating him on his victory. Others were cursing him.

After a few seconds, members of the Tesal and Hog families entered the arena.

"Great fight, Cenn! Nice job roasting that chick." Hog winked at the boy.

"Thanks, Uncle Hog!" Cenn awkwardly replied.

Hog stepped closer and put his hand on Cenn's shoulder.

"How about joining Velin in the tribune to watch Aydor fight?" Hog asked.