After signing up, I was let into a back area where I could prepare. This area was regrettably not the same as those in the higher-tier fights. As Bernice had already said, I was going to need to work my way there by winning fights in rapid succession. As I left the backroom, Bernice followed me, stepping to the side. A referee was standing just outside the ropes who seemed to be doing the announcing. As I reached him, he put his hand upon my chest.

“This is your first time, so I’m going to warn you, we don’t pull punches. If you die, you lose your life deposit so we can resurrect you. Also, you won’t be able to compete again for a month. Do you understand?”

“There are no weapons, right?” I asked, wondering how often people died with punches.

“Just because you can’t use anything sharp doesn’t mean you can’t enhance your attacks with skills.” He gave me a look like I was a newbie. “Look at your opponent.”

I looked over at him and then had to look twice. Unlike the other fights I had paid attention to, this guy was wearing a full set of armor. The thing I noticed most was that he had gauntlets over his hands.

“Gauntlet! Wait… are things like gloves and brass knuckles allowed?” I asked.

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He rolled his eyes. “Of course. As long as it’s not sharp and it doesn’t propel from your body, it’s allowed. You don’t know what you’re walking in. I guess that’s why the bet is against you one to two.

“One to two?” I asked as an idea struck me. “Any chance you can bet on yourself?”

“Hehe… we believe in encouraging the underdogs to try their hardest. You can bet for yourself, but I must warn you that 20% of the bet is taken immediately. The winner splits it with the house 50/50. So, even if you bet on yourself, your earnings won’t be that great. As for betting against yourself, that is strictly prohibited for obvious reasons.”

I think I understood what he meant. A 5-gold bet would immediately have 20% taken, so it’d be a 4-gold bet. If I won, I’d get back 12 gold for every 5 gold I bet. However, that was only if I was an underdog with good odds. Once it got to the point where I was likely to win, I would no longer be making money. For the moment, I was still effectively the underdog, so I might be able to fix some of Alerith’s money problems right there just by making some bets. I took out a bag of coins and tossed it to Bernice.

“Ah!” She made a noise as she suddenly grabbed at it.

“Put it on me.” I declared.

“Heh… that’s a lad.” He chuckled. “Get on in.”

I stepped up over the rope and onto the stage. The man in full arm stood across from me. I held up my hands. I wasn’t a pugilist like Shao, but who knew, maybe I’d become one by the end of this as if I needed more jobs.

“Begin!” The referee cried out as the man charged toward me.