DOOM DOOM DOOM
Oliver was lying on the floor. His training with Nico had drained every drop of energy from his body. But he could feel that he was making progress; moreover, his own Boon was able to notify him of how quickly he was learning.
| Left Eye of Learning
| New Earth Army Style - Learning...
| [3.00%]
DOOM DOOM DOOM
Meanwhile, around him, other pairs had arrived in the training room; several were practicing different combat styles. But the main attraction was the pair from House Selene. The twins seemed eager to use their full potential; from time to time, shockwaves were emitted.
DOOM DOOM DOOM
Oliver's eardrums couldn't stand staying in this room any longer. Luckily, his training was over. Beside him was Nico, but unlike the boy, he didn't seem bothered by the noise—instead, he was interested in what was happening on the other platforms.
"Hmm... you're going to have some interesting opponents," Nico commented while observing the fighters.
"What do you mean by 'interesting'?" Oliver asked.
"Usually, on the lower floors, you only encounter amateur fighters; it's rare to find someone from a great family or with good training," Nico replied.
"And are there many well-trained fighters today?" Oliver stood up, trying to see the quality of the fighters in the other arenas.
"Much more than on a normal day. In recent weeks, the quality of the fights has increased significantly," Nico commented, his face turning more serious this time. "This isn't a good sign."
"Don't tell me—it'll be harder to reach the tenth floor," Oliver remarked.
"That too. But think about it: why would the families send more people to the Tower? I can only imagine that, like you, they need real combat experience," Nico explained. "I can only suspect that a Wave is approaching. Maybe they know something that hasn't been reported in the news yet?"
Oliver didn't yet know what it was like to go through a Wave, but Nico's reasoning seemed to make sense.
"Well! Either way, we're not going to find out anything here. You need to rest and prepare for your next fight. We should have a few more hours before you head to the arena on the second floor," Nico commented.
"What?! I'm going to fight today?" Oliver asked.
"Of course! You only have one week; your training can't stop you from advancing in the Tower," Nico replied.
With his body completely sore, Oliver began to question whether he should have taken it easier during training.
'Damn! How am I going to fight like this?' the boy thought as he massaged one of his legs.
"How much should I bet today?" Nico said to himself.
After Oliver rested and they watched some of the fights, it was time for the boy to get ready for his match.
Accessing the second floor was quite simple. In the same elevator that took them to the training area, a display allowed them to select their next floor. Since Oliver had only won one match, he had limited access beyond the second floor.
The boy had a slight expectation that the hall would be completely different from the first floor; however, he was disappointed. The only difference was that there were even fewer people than on the first floor.
"There's almost no one on this floor," Oliver commented.
"That's normal. The lower floors aren't famous; there's not as much 'excitement' as on the higher ones," Nico commented. "The first floor is an exception since many are looking to find new talents."
"But then, how am I going to find new sponsors?" Oliver asked.
"Don't worry; if you made a good impression in the first fight, you should have gained some followers. On the betting panel, we can mark interesting fighters and know when they will start a new match—even search for matches that have more people watching," Nico explained.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
They both headed to one of the preparation rooms, where Oliver would wait until his match started.
"Focus on having a good fight, and you'll get your sponsors," Nico assured.
Oliver nodded, entering the preparation room. Unlike the previous day, he was alone in the room. No other fighters were waiting to compete.
The boy walked around the room, taking a bit more time to explore. Besides the bathroom for those who wished to change clothes, there were some benches and displays to watch other fights. Oliver sat on one of the benches to observe what was happening but didn't have much time to rest.
Buzz
| Next fight in 5 minutes.
| Go to the end of the corridor; prepare for your match.
'Already?!' Oliver thought.
He wasn't nervous but hadn't expected it to be so soon.
'At least I won't have to wait long.' Oliver shrugged as he walked down the corridor leading to the arena.
Upon reaching the end of the corridor, he waited until the countdown timer hit zero and his entrance was authorized. The arena's light was blinding, but he gradually got used to it and was finally able to see again. The arena was similar to the one on the lower floor, just a bit larger.
The judge's hologram was already at the center of the arena; on the other side, his opponent was approaching.
Oliver squinted to get a better look at whom he would be fighting—it seemed to be a girl. His opponent was a bit taller than him but more slender. However, he wasn't sure since she wore a white mask. The second thing that caught his attention was the girl's attire.
While Oliver was wearing the Academy uniform and protective hand wraps, the girl, besides the white mask, was wearing a vest with the logo of IWT, one of the largest defense CORPs.
"What the hell is this?" Oliver said to himself.
Ding
| Betting Channel
| [NicoY] Bet 2,000 credits
| - End of bets
Ding
| [NicoY] Bet 10 Credits - Message: It's uncommon, but some CORPs send their employees to train in the Trial Towers.
"Can he hear me?" Oliver asked.
But there was no response.
'Damn! How does he read my mind?' Oliver thought.
Again, no response.
The boy shook his head in frustration for wasting time on this.
"I will judge this fight—basic rules: no protection, armor, or weapons. If you lose consciousness, it's an automatic defeat. Immobilizing your opponent is an automatic defeat, and deathmatches are not allowed. Understood?" the floating head asked.
Both fighters nodded in agreement.
"Sponsorships can begin at my signal!" the floating head announced to the audience. "3! ... 2! ... 1! Start!"
'Let's finish this quickly,' Oliver thought.
Without waiting to see what his opponent would do, he rushed toward her as soon as the signal sounded; she only had time to raise her guard.
[Observation] Oliver activated the boon to see his opponent's possible attacks.
But with his decision to advance quickly, he could see that she was focused entirely on her defense, allowing him to attack without hesitation.
As the opponent raised her hands to protect her face, the boy had already leaped, aiming to strike her face with his knee.
Oliver felt the impact of his knee against the opponent's mask as her head snapped back from the force. It was all in a matter of seconds; when the boy landed back on the ground, his opponent was already lying on the arena floor.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Just as the boy was about to advance toward her again, the judge's hologram reappeared in the arena.
"Match over! Bets are finished!" The judge announced.
Oliver's body was once again paralyzed, unable to move an inch. The Tower's team quickly removed his opponent before he regained control of his own body.
'Damn! I hate this,' Oliver thought. The sensation of being trapped inside his own body was suffocating, even if only for a few seconds.
Back in the preparation room, the boy waited for Nico to arrive. In the meantime, he checked the betting channel.
| Betting Channel
| [NicoY] Bet 10 Credits - Message: It's uncommon, but some CORPs send their employees to train in the Trial Towers.
| [Bibliokiller] Bet 200 Credits - Message: That was too short.
| [FryerTuck] Bet 300 Credits - Message: I wish it had lasted longer.
| [BlueLagoon] Bet 191 Credits - Message: Could he be one of those Speed Runners?
'The same ones as last time,' Oliver thought. 'Maybe I've captured their attention?'
As he was thinking, the preparation room door opened, and Nico entered.
"Congratulations, kid! You can tell that today's training has already made an impact. You made a quick decision to rush and attack and managed to finish the match in record time," Nico said.
"It was a bit of luck. I think the girl was surprised, and that's why I managed to land a heavy attack," Oliver explained.
"Yes, but luck is also essential in a fight," Nico replied. "Now, now. Move. We still have things to do tonight."
"What do you mean?" Oliver asked.
"Are you injured?" Nico inquired.
"No," Oliver responded.
"Then you can keep climbing. Let's go to the next floor!"