Alex stood eagerly behind a white barrier which kept him from entering the arena. He hopped lightly back and forth from one foot to the other, his impatience getting the better of him. The final fight of the Battle Arena was about to begin, and he could barely contain himself.

A few minutes passed at a glacial pace before the robotic voice of the announcer broke the silence.

Introducing the first contestant in the final round of the Level 10 Battle Arena…

Alex Harrian!

The barrier dissipated before his eyes, and Alex stepped through the tunnel and out into the arena. Roars rang out from the crowd around him as he took his position on the circular battleground. The atmosphere was charged with a palpable anticipation and excitement, and Alex soaked it all in, swallowing it to hype himself up.

At last, he had made it to the finals. In order to reach this stage, he’d won three 1 on 1 fights, advancing up the bracket with each victory. This bout would be much the same as the previous ones; just him and his opponent duking it out in a circular dirt arena reminiscent of the gladiator arenas of old. The spectators that comprised the crowd had come out in full force, their enthusiasm creating an atmosphere fitting for a final. This live audience gave the third round a different ambiance compared to the first two; it all felt more intimate and real.

His journey to the final had been quite straightforward. Each fighter along the way had been higher level than him, but they didn’t have the technique or experience to make use of that advantage. As a result, he was able to get the better of them easily.

Perhaps this battle would be his first real test. The fights up to this point had all taken place concurrently, so he didn’t get a chance to watch any of the other competitors fight. But he did get to see who progressed through each round, and as a result, he knew who his opponent would be: Max, the mysterious person who was doing so well at such a low level.

The presence of Max bothered Alex greatly. Not because he was jealous of Max’s performance, but because someone that skilled at such a low level would’ve surely made an impact in the previous timeline. Yet, he never heard of anyone of significant skill or accomplishment with that name. It perplexed him greatly.

Forget that. Alex thought, as he shook those annoyances out of his head. I need to put on a good show here. The Mafia will be watching and so will Luke. With a good performance, I can convince them to work with me.

The announcers robotic voice rang out once again.

Introducing the second contest in the final round of the Level 10 Battle Arena…

Max Dorlan!

The crowd cheered following the announcement. Alex studied his opponent carefully as he walked from the opposite tunnel into the arena. To his surprise, Max was like nothing Alex had pictured him to be. In contrast to the powerful, commanding figure that he’d expected, a thin and lanky young man took the position opposite to him. Sharp glasses and long, black hair gave his opponent the look of an intellectual rather than a brute.

Nope. Alex thought. I definitely haven’t seen him before.

He looked up at the screen above his opponent’s head and was shocked at what he saw.

Max HP: 100/100

Class: Nature Summoner

Level: 10

That’s a unique class. How did he get one so early?

He read it again just to be sure that his eyes hadn’t deceived him. Raphelia was the only Warden that could give nature classes, and she’d already handed out two? This was unheard of; unique classes weren’t usually given until higher levels. It made sense that Alex had received one at an early level, considering what had happened with Chrono, but why did Max get one, too?

Unique classes were rare on their own, but Summoner classes were among the rarest within that echelon. Only a few had been discovered in the previous timeline, and they had all been extremely impactful in the right hands.

But now it all made sense. This was why Max had scored so well in the first two rounds. As a level 10 summoner, he could use up to three summons at a time, giving him multiple sources of damage and a huge advantage in the first two rounds. With three summons in his corner, it would be virtually impossible to defeat him in an enclosed arena.

I have to get in close with Tiger Form. Alex thought. As a Summoner, his defenses are among the worst of all classes. The only chance I have of winning is if I stay up close and personal. My Tiger Fist is at an Adept level, and its power is increased from both of my talents; Unarmed Combat and Tiger’s Heart. That boost in damage could help me make up for the level difference.

The crowd cheered along as the announcer counted down the fight.

Ready… 5… 4… 3… 2… …1 … Begin!

As soon as the buzzer rang, Max put his hands together and a vortex of green energy started swirling around them.

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Alex immediately understood what was happening. He’s starting a summon. I can’t give him the time he needs to get his summons up and swarm me.

Alex shot out a Pulse Dash behind him and activated Tiger Form mid-stride. His opponent’s eyes sprang open when he saw how quickly the distance between the two of them had closed. Before Max could move, Alex drove a Tiger Fist straight into his gut, launching him backward. The crowd’s cheers added a sweet after taste to the blow.

Max’s health bar dropped slightly, showing that the attack had dealt 18 damage.

Before Alex could make another move, a powerful force crashed into his right side, throwing him into a skid along the ground. He quickly got back to his feet and saw that he was now facing two enemies.

Battle Bear

HP: 385

Looks like he got his first summon off.

A giant brown bear stood menacingly between the two fighters. It was covered in studded leather armor, giving it the appearance of a living tank.

Alex checked how much damage he’d sustained.

HP: 68/100

Damn, that bear packs a punch… I could try and kill it, but he might have a replacement ready. I have no idea how many beasts he has in total, so trying to kill them all won’t be a good strategy. I’ll have to work around the bear and focus on the Summoner instead.

Max put his hands together again and the green energy started swirling once more. Another summon was on the way.

Without time to waste, Alex ran in and the bear advanced to meet his charge. A meaty claw came at Alex and he darted to the right to dodge it, but he failed. The wide arc of the bear’s swipe caught his left arm, ripping it cleanly off.

The crowd roared in delight as Alex’s momentum carried him past the bear, and toward his target. A new insect-like creature appeared beside Max, but Alex ignored it and threw another Tiger Fist which connected with his opponent.

The new summon jumped at Alex in retaliation.

Sapping Leech

HP: 250

He tried to dodge it, but he wasn’t quick enough. The black torso-sized insect leech caught on to his arm then quickly crawled around to his back where it dug deeply into his skin. A bear paw swung at him a second later, but he jumped back, avoiding another blow.

HP: 23/100

The weight of the leech sat uncomfortably on his back, like an over-sized backpack. He could feel his spirit energy seeping from his body and into the parasite that had latched on to him. Despite this, he ignored it and set his sights on his opponent and the bear that guarded him. There was no way to remove the insect, so he’d have to fight as if it weren’t there.

But the leech provided a new problem. Although it did no damage, it did drain his spirit energy, accelerating the rate at which it would dry up far quicker than normal.

Without spirit energy there’s no way I can win this fight. Alex thought. The leech shortens my timer considerably. Once I’m all out, this fight is over… What a nuisance… Not to mention I only have one arm. He looked ahead at the beast the stood before him. That thing has wider reach than I suspected. Even if I try to slip past it, the arc of its swing will most likely reach me. If I can’t go around it, I’ll have to…

Alex tuned out the sound of the crowd as his opponent took a defensive position near the wall and placed his hands together once more. He swapped to Dragon Form and charged in head-on. The bear widened its stance in preparation to defend its master.

Once he got close, Alex activated Dragon Head and slammed the energy construct directly into the ground in front of the bear. A cloud of dirt splashed upward, blocking the bear’s vision. Alex jumped through the cloud and over the beast, bypassing it in the process. His target stood directly in front of him, green energy swirling around his arms. He threw the dragon head directly at Max, hitting him and slamming him into the wall a few feet back.

With his opponent pinned against the wall, Alex took the opportunity to strike. He swapped forms and slammed two Tiger Fists into his enemy. As he swung to drive a third blow, a wet appendage struck him from the side, knocking him away from his opponent.

Before he could figure out what had happened, he felt his tiger energy deplete entirely, and he returned to his base form. Even though his tiger energy was washed up, but he still had around 30% total spirit energy remaining, though it was dropping rapidly.

As he looked up at what had struck him, a giant frog leapt to Max’s side.

Defender Frog

HP: 320

The giant, green frog stared at Alex for a moment then shot its tongue out like a whip. Alex used Pulse Dash to avoid the attack and create some distance.

That’s his third summon. Now he’s got all his helpers out and I’m almost out of spirit energy... I have to end this soon.

Ignoring the sensation of his life force being sucked away by the insect on his back, Alex checked everyone’s HP.

I only have 7 HP left while Max has 10. One hit from either side will end it… But I’m the one at a disadvantage. He has two summons protecting him while the third is sapping my energy and ticking down the clock for me.

Max pulled himself away from the crater in the wall and took a defensive stance. The two creatures followed his lead; the bear stood directly in front while the giant frog stood to his right. Neither showed any intention of attacking.

He knows that all he has to do is wait for the leech to do its job and he’ll win. I have to go on the offensive.

Alex charged in once again, and the bear stepped forward to intercept the attack. Just as before, he waited until the perfect opportunity, then activated Dragon Form and launched a dragon head to the bear’s left. The dragon whizzed past the bear and crashed into the wall, and with a grip of his hand, the dragon’s jaws dug firmly into the wall. Before the bear’s paw could reach him, Alex withdrew the dragon head, causing it to pull him violently past the massive creature. He slammed into the wall with both feet, and with his body virtually parallel to the ground, he quickly turned to face Max who had darted away from the wall to gain some distance.

Without hesitation, Alex leapt off the wall and took aim at Max. While in midair, the frog’s tongue came straight for him, but he ignored it; his attack would reach its target first.

He cocked his only arm back and swung his dragon head forward, straight at Max. There was no way he could evade it in time.

Got him!

Alex’s excitement quickly turned to dread, and his heart sank.

He felt another stream of his life energy vanish, just as his attack was about to connect. He could only watch as his dragon head disintegrated into purple particles right before his eyes.