"Welcome back, Mr. Flame Emperor. I wasn't sure if I'd be seeing you again. However, I'm even more surprised to see you here with Monk. What are the odds?"

Mr. Wright smiles wide as he gets a tablet ready and I reply.

"I wasn't sure if I'd be back either, but I had a change of heart. The show must go on, right?"

He taps on the silver tablet a few more times before giving me a nod and looking up.

"Indeed, I like the way you're talking. You're registered for the last spot in the nighttime event, just like before. There's a lot more people watching tonight, even in the midday events there has been over double the usual betting volume."

I raise an eyebrow as he continues.

"We accepted a few more fighters into every event as well. There won't be any break time between the midday and the evening event. So make yourself comfortable."

He points to the stairway behind the registration desk, then looks up at both of us.

"You can mingle with the competitors downstairs, or enjoy the show out in the open air. You two are the exception to the rules, just make sure you make it downstairs in time for your match to begin. What you do before then is none of my business."

He gives us another smile as Monk gives him a slight bow. I nod and turn away, looking for some seats in the crowd.

Monk whispers in my ear.

"I'll be heading down to scope out the new fighters."

"Sounds good, I'll be watching from the stands. I'll be down before my match."

We split off in opposite directions.

The familiar sound of the announcer's voice echoes in my ears as he commentates on a sword wielder fighting a monster in the 4th Stage.

The crowd is pretty rowdy, and there aren't many free seats available even though the main event hasn't even started yet. I whisper under my breath as I find a spot about 10 rows away from the ring.

"This will do just fine."

I sit down and let out a sigh. After a great workout, a solid meal, and a complete recharge in Qi, everything feels amazing.

There's a few hours before my fight starts, so for now I'll let my meal digest and enjoy the show.

That's exactly what I do.

The crowds around get more and more packed, and after watching 6 matches the betting odds become more and more volatile in the 4th and 5th stages. There are huge sways in the payouts at the start of every betting sequence, it's clear to see there are some high rollers in the crowd betting hundreds of gold for fun. Even on these midday matches.

One of the midday fighters manages to defeat the 5th Stage monster, but other than that there wasn't anyone skilled in the ring just yet. Still, it's fun to watch the talent here and study some of the lower-level monsters' fight patterns.

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Eventually the announcer's voice rings out into the crowd.

"That brings our midday fights to a close! We will have a short 10-minute intermission if you'd like to take a breather, buy some food, restock or cash out some credits. Afterward, our opener for the Late Night Event will begin."

The energy in the arena shifts to a serious tone then a burst of excitement. All the tension from watching the lower level fights all day has been building up and the anticipation for the real events to start is finally getting close.

Many people leave their seats and small scuffles start up when even more people walk in from outside and either steal taken places or can't even find room for more.

The arena is overpacked, and even I'm getting hyped up to see what's in store.

A few minutes pass, then a display of rainbow lights coming from charged mana crystals beheath multi-colored glass sends radiant beams around the stadium as the night sky becomes dark overhead. The crowds are overflowing as the announcer speaks in an excited voice again.

"Would you all give a warm welcome to our first competitor, the opening act. A legacy fighter we all know well, the Stone Maiden!"

After her fight record is shared with the crowd, and more words of encouragement to give more hype; A flash of transport magic brings the familiar legacy fighter to the stage.

The ear-shattering roar that follows shakes the arena. I decide to place a 100 gold bet on Sia, the Stone Maiden.

A few minutes later as the announcer's voice sounds again, an eruption of stone blowing a small horned rabbit to pieces is followed by a notification alerting me I won 2 gold on a 1.02x bet.

The next few matches go almost exactly the same. I bet 100 gold on stage 2, 3, 4, and 5; winning another 56 gold in total. The odds raise more toward her losing as the rounds get higher. I decide not to bet at all on the 6th round, it's not a guaranteed win in my mind.

She loses to a Red Ogre, and my suspicions are confirmed.

I smirk, crossing my arms and wait for the next event to come about.

Two newbies follow and I decide not to bet, just watching both of them make it to the 5th round. One taps out after barely winning, and the other gets defeated in seconds in the 6th.

Next up, Max, the shield takes the stage. Just like Sia, I bet 100 gold on him winning every event from stage 1-5. I make another 74 gold in profit and decide not to bet on the 6th round. He wins, but I don't feel bad about not taking the gamble. He doesn't move onto the 7th round by choice.

More newbies follow, and they're better than the last ones. Both make it to the 6th stage but neither of them defeat it. I don't bother betting on them.

Ace takes the stage next and I watch closely as he slices through every one of his opponents. I bet 100 gold on each fight, and even take the chance to bet on the 6th stage with another 100 gold bet at 2.16x odds. People are voting against him, but I've seen this swordsman's buff in action and trust he'll get it done.

As he defeats the massive beast in the ring with a series of slashes, covered in a blue aura, the notification dings on my wristband and the crowd goes wild. My credits have risen up to 15.1077 Platinum. Almost 300 gold profit and it's not even time for the main event.

I sit back and watch the 7th Stage Ghoul take Ace down with ease, and many drunken betters cheer or get angry at the results.

The announcer hypes the crowd even more, hinting that there may be more stage 7 fights coming up again in the future.

More people pile in from the streets, and the stadium becomes even more overpacked.

The announcer introduces another newbie, and I decide to stand up and squeeze through the crowds back down to the registration table to make my way underground to the training room. My fight is up soon, and it's best I get there earlier rather than late.

While I do, the next unknown fighter's match begins and a flash of bright blue and white light fills the ring.

I turn my head to see pillars of ice form all over the stage 1 goblin, showing an unnecessary display of strength.

One of the display screens zooms in on the fighter that placed this attack as the announcer starts hyping up the 2nd stage.

A womanly figure stands tall holding a silver sword covered in ice. She glows blue and wears silver lightweight armor too. Through a white mask covering her face, I see familiar bright blue eyes and long flowing blonde hair.