“I’ve been meaning to ask, what ultimately gets more cred. Should I struggle with the fights, only barely surviving each time, or should I defeat them overwhelmingly?” I asked Bernice after the first fight was over.

“Usually, I would recommend that you not try to put on a show. There is a risk you could lose a fight that way, and you never want to take that chance…” Bernice declared. “Furthermore, as people start to realize you’re holding back, some will come to resent that you acted so deceitful, especially those who lost money betting against you.”

“I see, so I should probably just end the fights swiftly…”

“On the other hand, if you act too overbearing, many will begin to eagerly want to see you put in your place. No one will be able to make money betting for you, so, you’ll unanimously be bet against. Every victory would only be a slap in the face to those who lost money. Furthermore, you’ll lead to contestants acting more desperately to defeat you, wanting to earn the cred for bringing you down. Universally, you might end up being hated…”

“What are you saying then?”

“I think if you want to get through this, you’re going to need to not act weak, but not defeat them quickly either.”

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“…”

“Look, you’re the one who asked!”

“Alright, alright!” I held up my hands.

“Oh, we have someone coming back for seconds!” The voice announcer shouted. “Deacon the Dragon is returning for another fight. I guess we’ll get to see him seriously perform this time. He’ll go against Faradex Kong!”

“What is with these names?” I muttered to myself as I returned onto the stage.

The man across from me was rather slim and small compared to me. I had the feeling he was the type who focused on speed.

“Ah, what’s my going rate?” I asked the referee.

“One to one point two.”

“Two to one! Is that a bit excessive?”

I was one to two before, but it had seemingly flipped. That meant for every two coins bet, you’d only win one. Of course, they still took away 20%, so really it was for every five coins, someone would win two.

He shrugged. “The way you handled the last guy, plus this one is smaller and unarmed.”

I let out a sigh as I stepped over the ropes. I had truly lost out on my chance to make a profit. I still had her bid though. Hopefully, if I acted less overbearing in the future, I might have a few more opportunities to make a better profit.

When the man saw me, he gave a polite bow. “Good evening. I apologize, but I will destroy you now.”

“Eh?”

“Go!”

The man threw down something that erupted, creating a cloud of smoke. I saw a glimmer above me to realize he had jumped up and was coming down with a kick. I just barely managed to catch his leg, and since he was still falling through, I carried it, slamming him into the floor with a boom. I immediately let go.

“Oops, sorry!”

He didn’t get back up. In a single attack, the match was decided. The crowd was silent.