“Are you sure about this?” The woman across the counter gave Alex a puzzled look. “You’re only level 4, you’ll be at a huge disadvantage.”

Alex nodded. “That’s fine.”

“Okay, then.” The woman said, as she interacted with the terminal that stood in between the two of them. “That’ll be fifty coins.”

Alex withdrew the coins from his inventory ring and placed them into the slot on his end of the terminal. A small display to the side showed a digital number counter climbing up with each coin. When the number finally hit fifty, the terminal played a short jingle before producing a small piece of paper which read Confirmation Letter across the top.

The woman peaked over the counter and gestured behind Alex. “Head down the hall and turn left at the first junction. You’ll find the Level 10 Battle Arena there. It’ll begin in five minutes so you better hurry.”

Alex thanked her and turned around towards the direction that she’d gestured to. Standing in the way of him and his destination were countless people which filled the giant hall that made up the registration center. This place was as lively as ever, just as it had been in the previous timeline.

The excitement in the air had been palpable the second he’d stepped foot inside the Grand Arena, but the registration center is where that buzz peaked. And it was no wonder; everyone here was officially going to take part in the Dominion Games.

Even though he had experienced it all so many times before, Alex couldn’t help but feel a little giddy with anticipation. After all, the Dominion Games were pretty much the Olympics with magic. There were over fifty events to spectate and participate in, and each event required some use of the powers that were obtained within the tower. These events were a great way to let loose and enjoy those powers in a situation that wasn’t strictly life or death.

And much like everything else in the tower, Alex could never shake the feeling of how surreal it all was. No one knew how all this worked, but most people stopped caring a long time ago; they were just happy to be a part of something new and interesting that no one had seen before.

Once a year, the Grand Arena, the largest building in the first haven, would open on its own. Inside the walls of this behemoth construction were a series of facilities where everything related to the Dominion Games took place. Upon their first entry, the early explorers had been shocked to find a set of pre-established competitive events sprawled throughout the complex. Each facility came equipped with its own set of terminals where the events could be organized and ran from. All they needed were some humans to man those terminals and keep things running. These people were essentially employees who kept the games running, and high tier guilds donated wages to them to make sure the games didn’t end.

Thanks to their efforts, the Dominion Games had always ran smoothly. Everyone would flock to the arena to witness or take part in the events. Even royalty and VIPs from the real world could sometimes be found enjoying the games from the stands. Most of these VIPs were too important to spend their time climbing the tower themselves, so they would hire guides to escort them up the first few floors, and those guides made a pretty penny doing it.

Out of all the events, Alex had grown to love Magic Ball the most in the previous timeline. Magic Ball was pretty much soccer with a set of additional rules which involved magical abilities and combat. The combination of sport with the various magical powers that could be found throughout the tower made for some of the most hype-inducing moments he’d ever seen or taken part in. But in this timeline, the game was still at its infancy, and the high-level play that he’d fallen in love with wouldn’t emerge for another few years.

I’ll save Magic Ball for later, he thought. Dominating the entire competition alone right now won’t be any fun.

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The noise from the chatter of the crowd lessened after he entered the hallway where his competition would take place, and he took a moment to look down at the letter that the terminal had spit out.

Competition: Battle Arena (Level 10)

Participant: Alex Harrian

Level: 4

Class: Nature Spirit Fighter

Designated Pod: #89

This should keep me busy until Luke completes the first three floors. Alex thought. And if everything goes well, I might be able to get the attention of the first group I need to destroy: the Mafia. If I leave an impression here, they might come to me, and that would save me a lot of time. Not to mention the reward I could win…

He shook the thought of the reward from his mind. This wasn’t about what could gain. It was more about keeping himself sharp and getting some more experience with his abilities. Besides, winning the competition wasn’t very likely with his handicap.

Each event in the Dominion Games was broken off into tiers, and these tiers were usually separated by level requirement for individual events, and guild rank for team events. The individual events were split up in ten-level increments, where only contestants who were level 10 or lower could participate in the Level 10 event. Contestants higher than level 10 but lower than level 20 could only participate in the Level 20 event, and so on. Being at level 4, Alex would be at a significant disadvantage, but he enjoyed the prospect of a challenge.

Up ahead, Alex saw the sign for the Level 10 Battle Arena pointing to the left. He followed it and stepped into a massive hall with countless human-sized pods sprawled out against every wall. Giant displays hung from the ceiling, each one showing a different event from the Dominion Games like a live TV broadcast.

Just as in the previous timeline, each pod had a number displayed on top of it, and people scurried around the hall trying to locate the pod associated with their number. Alex joined them, and after a quick search, he found pod #89, unlocked it by sliding his confirmation letter into a slot, and hopped inside. Shaped like a fighter jet, the pod was a tight and uncomfortable fit, just as he remembered it. Alex ignored his body’s call for more space and quickly hooked up the various probes around his body as instructed by the screen in front of him. Finally, he placed the helmet on his head and the visor on top showed a countdown timer on it: 2:07.

In just over two minutes, the first round of the Battle Arena would begin. Alex closed his eyes and steadied his breath as he waited.

The Battle Arena event was comprised of three rounds, each unique in their own way. The first round would be a simple battle challenge against monsters; slay as many monsters as you can to rack up enough points to go on to the next round. Round two would be some kind of team challenge against monsters. Those with the highest scores from the first two rounds would go on to the third round, which was a standard PvP tournament.

When the timer hit zero, Alex’s mind blacked out and he found himself transported in the middle of an arena roughly the size of a football field. Concrete walls surrounded him like a rectangular stadium, and a pitch-black sky covered him far above. This was his arena, and each contestant would have their own arena for the first round.

A small, impenetrable barrier surrounded him like a cocoon, holding him in place until the event officially got under way. A few seconds later, a message appeared directly in front of him.

Welcome to Round 1 of the Level 10 Battle Arena.

This round will assess your individual battle capabilities.

Here are the rules:

- Monsters will appear in your arena, and each will have a point score associated with it.

- Defeat a monster to receive its points.

- The first 64 people to reach 100 points will qualify for Round 2.

- You will be eliminated from the competition if your HP drops to 0 or you fail to secure 100 points

This Round will begin in 10 seconds.

Alex watched with excitement as the timer counted down. People on the outside would be watching; some as competition enthusiasts, others as scouts looking for members to recruit for their guild. Even though the third round was considered the main event of the Battle Arena, many watched the first two rounds as well, especially the scouts.

Alex eyed the HP bar which had appeared in the corner of his vision: 100/100. I almost forgot, there’s no permadeath here. Still, I need to crush this competition. I need to get the mafia’s interest.

The timer hit zero, and the barrier that kept Alex in place disappeared, leaving him free to move around the arena. Immediately after, the first monster appeared.

Alex smirked as he entered a fighting stance. Time to show them what I can do.