The tight slowly moving crowd was steadily leaving the Arena, creating a constant source of noise. Overwhelmed with emotions about the finished tournament, people were in dire need to exchange their opinions. And they did, speaking out loudly in an attempt to be heard by others. Obviously, it only led to a different outcome, as the surroundings became only more chaotic. Considering the different types of expressions on their faces, the crowd looked like a boiling soup of emotions. The hype of the victory or disappointed grimace from the loss of their champion, the boredom from forcefully invited persons or uncontrollable agitation from the fans, the despair of bettors who lost their money – everything was mixed in this overenergized cocktail.
“Crap, I will never forget that strike! Too damn awesome… And the final phrase – “Stand down, worm!” Just wow!”
“Who would have thought that a dark horse would win the tournament, where there were so many well-renowned fighters this time? That masked guy must have trained quite a lot.”
“Hey, don’t be depressed – our idol still made it into the top three. She is the strongest woman fighter and definitely the most beautiful one! Our fan club has to get all videos available in the network to show the power of our Goddess!”
“Dad, I still can’t understand how they manage to shout those long lines in between their attacks, while they are moving so fast. Why don’t they save their breath to fight better? Is it a desire to show off?”
“So, if the coefficient was 1 to 2,4 in the last match… and adding the bet’s numbers about that the newcomer will enter the top… My win is going to be…”
“Honey, let’s get something to eat – I am quite hungry. The final battle took too long, so I am refusing to go anywhere else before I put something into my mouth… Hey, I didn’t mean THAT. Okay-okay, I can spare a minute for your little friend... Wait! Dear, it was just a dumb joke! Wait for me!”
Robert heard this constant stream of the crowd’s mind, trying his best to understand how to be like that. Once again, repeating the same thing from his first life, he failed. The topics of walking people were too far from him. Of course, it had been only barely twenty days inside this realm, but he was still feeling like an outsider who couldn’t fit in despite all his efforts.
Following the advice from Abraham, Rob stopped saving and went on a spending spree just to try what Fantasy City could offer. Maybe a “spending spree” was an exaggeration as his low budget was too limited to afford most of the things in this place. He still managed to visit the very same Arena he was guarding only to see akin wrestling fights inside – highly choreographic, overly dramatic, and skill-demanding shows but not real fights where each party tried to kill another. That suddenly made him realize how he was viewing the whole world around him. Flashy outside, but hollow inside. Without any meaningful essence.
Robert knew it was only his point of view, broken as it was, but he still couldn’t get rid of this idea. Everything seemed to lack a meaning, a purpose, a thrill of life. Most of the tourists spent a few years of savings on average to visit Fantasy City, marking this event for the rest of their lives. However, for Rob, it looked dumb. He tried to go to the cinema, which in 360-degree style had put him right inside the story as if he was a part of it. That almost led to a devastating effect when he barely stopped from turning his conjured gun into a blast of energy, when an awfully screaming ghost jumped in front of him.
Both other attempts were not better, especially considering the crowd around that was the biggest annoyance. The brothel made his body relax a little but not his mind. Even when Rob managed to find a calm spot in the form of a small cafe for locals and got a hand on a wonderful cup of coffee, his moment of pleasure was broken by uncomfortably tiny chair and loud comments about his Terranoid origin from the neighboring table. That created a situation when despite his sincere attempts to understand how to live a normal life, the latter was constantly rejecting him, while Rob was failing to grasp anything. Therefore, he returned to a previous schedule, saving all the money he got for future education.
“So, how was the movie?”
After the crowd finally left the Arena, both Abraham and Robert were closing additional gates as there was no need to keep so many exists open during ordinary days. The question was asked by his partner when they almost finished the task.
“Stupid and unrealistic,” Rob answered after a moment of thought, before adding, “The hero is unkillable to the point of breaking any belief. Some of his feats were physically impossible for a human. I think even I would die from some of them.”
“But that’s the whole point! In a constant drive, while surprising the viewer with the next action sequence! I enjoyed it a lot… Moreover, it seems they have enough cash to produce a sequel. I am sure in a few months top we will get one. Hate the waiting though,” Abraham sighed, once again showing his overjoyed character.
“Don’t care. I will focus on studying and getting certs for now,” Rob shook his head, confirming the blockage of the last gate on the terminal.
“Back to an old grumpy self? You need to enjoy the life! To get everything from it!”
“Everything? We are working all the time. I bet you don’t go elsewhere to enjoy life after the shift but head home to take a rest,” Robert retorted while getting control over his constant irritation. Abraham was partly right, but Rob simply couldn’t do it. He couldn’t relax at all, feeling like an alien among others. Their hatred and fear toward him didn’t help in the slightest. He lacked a clear goal - not just to earn more for the sake of more opportunities to earn more. For the past few realms, survival was the main driving thing, but with no danger around, the whole world seemed to pale. Dull and tiresome, it turned his life into a boring torturous existence.
“I hope you will get it one day. Then let me ask you about your studies. How is going? I was quite surprised when you told me you wanted to be a shielder. Thought you would aim for boarding team,” Abraham spoke after a small pause, accidentally rubbing another Rob’s wound.
“Not that good, but I’ll make it.”
However, deep inside Rob wasn’t that sure. Trying to set a high but achievable goal for himself, while understanding that he just couldn’t live without a potential threat around, he decided to be a shielder on merc’s spaceship. On paper, the profession was a perfect pick for him, contrary to everyone’s else expectations about members of the boarding team. The latter were always equipped with sealed armor, acting mostly in space or inside the other ships, thus making the ability to conjure steel completely useless. The same went with Robert’s increased physical strength and unlimited endurance, as it wasn’t needed in the era of technology and highly penetrative ranged weapons.
The shielder, on the other hand, appeared to be quite similar to his base military specialization during his service in the army. All spacecraft in this realm had an energy shield to cover them from the damage. Generated on some distance from the surface of a special alloy under the effect of electricity and heat, it could protect the ship from the outer force. However, the limited power of the energy core together with the segmented nature of the surface created a need to manually control the energy spending. There was no need to increase the toughness of the front when the attack was coming from behind. Moreover, the engines, the weapons, the life-support system – everything wanted its portion of an energy stream. The job of the captain was to set the limits, while the corresponding specialist focused on his own system.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
In such circumstances, Robert’s ability to focus on multiple tasks, despite the drop in efficiency after his “power up”, still gave him an advantage over most ordinary humans. His reaction speed, his ability to perceive more information, even his hand movement – everything was superior. The problem was that to get the job, he had to pass the certification. To do that, he needed to study a lot. And by a lot, Rob indeed meant a lot. The biggest obstacle wasn’t in the volume of the knowledge he had to shove inside his mind but in its complexity. It was just too hard. He never thought about himself as a genius, but each piece of information took enormous effort to learn.
I think I am dumb… How the fuck I’ve learned so much before? Is it because all the place in my head is already taken? Or was it easy because I was a child back then? Rob, just admit that you are stupid and are only good at beating the shit out of the people, creatures, or any other fuckery that the realm might throw onto you. Big and dumb. Yep.
“I can do it,” Robert repeated after a noticeable pause.
“I hope you know what are doing, Rob. It isn’t easy to become a shielder for an average Joe, not speaking about the terranoid. You need to be hired by the captain himself as the whole life of the ship will depend on your actions,” Abraham spoke, not even hiding his worry.
“I know. But I also know that I don’t fit in here. Or anywhere peaceful. I was made for the battle, and no matter how I try, it’s impossible to take this integral part from me – this desire to be in the place, where most of your incorrect actions would lead to sure death. Where everything gets more colors because of the lingering threat in the background. Where you live, and not just exist. Where the things matter. Where you fight the enemies, but not boredom. Where everything is more straightforward, more real, more meaningful...,” Catching the glance from his partner, Robert explained, “Don’t look like that at me. I know what you think. But, hey, man, have you seen the price of a psychotherapist’s session?”
Abraham just laughed at that, nodding with the all-understanding look, and explaining how his wife wanted to fix their relationship through such help after another big quarrel. However, after speaking for almost two hours straight, all they got were a few rhetorical questions and remarks from the so-called specialist. That, and an already written plan of their visits with an insanely huge bill on top. They both were so angry that it made them unite their efforts against lazy fraud who tried to suck their money. Only after a few days, they understood how laughable their grudge was between themselves, easily solved by just speaking it aloud. After calling and thanking the psychotherapist for the help, they both often used this episode to solve any issues in their relationships.
“I bet you will find your way. You are still too young to think that you know what you are from the life. Believe me, in another ten cycles everything might be different for you. What was an unbreakable rule, a part of the natural order may turn into a stupid foolishness of younghood. Okay, back to work. Five minutes before the next series of matches. Four more hours till the end of the shift.”
The crowd was already there, waiting in anticipation. However, it didn’t look like an ordinary reaction to the upcoming match. No, it seemed like at least half of the standing people were waiting for someone or something, constantly looking around in search. It was too eye-catching to miss, no matter how small Robert’s experience was in the role of Arena’s guard. Therefore, checking the time once again, he turned to his partner.
“Hey, Abraham, what is going on? They are too agitated,” Rob asked while pointing forward.
“Let me check… Oh, wow. Just got a message from the central post. It appears one of the regional-level celebrities wanted to visit the Arena incognito, but the info was leaked, thus the crowd. She asked for the safe corridor to enter, deciding not to cancel her visit. Neither I know who she is, nor what she looks like, but most likely she will be guarded by a few armed men in these circumstances. Be ready for it, but do not overdo it – they are here as bodyguards and not in search of troubles.”
“Got it,” Robert nodded, focusing on the back of the crowd. Standing more than a head taller than everyone else, it was easy for him to spot the target a few minutes later. It wasn’t hard to do as three figures in pitch-black battle armor were pushing everyone else, trying to ensure a safe passage for the hooded figure, covered in a dark grey fabric from top to toe. Moreover, the crowd itself showed a burst of emotions, upon seeing such actions. However, just in a few seconds, Rob noticed an oddity.
“Abraham, was it just one group? Because currently, I am seeing another one, heading directly to us,” Rob muttered, while observing the five strange fighters in a bulkier type of armor with no visible visor on their closed helmets. Having different colorful paintings on top of silver surfaces, they were openly carrying massive rifles, not even caring to hide like the previous group. Their tight formation obstructed the sight, not giving Robert the ability to see if they were protecting anyone. Still, the more aggressive approach was hard to miss.
“Either it’s just a distraction, or something isn’t right,” he whispered, checking his surroundings once again. His instant and obvious thought about the attackers, who would try to kill their target in plain sight, died just from the few seconds of observation. It just didn’t fit as the crowd was too dense to guarantee a kill. The more he looked, the more Robert found it really weird. Even contradictive.
The emotions of the crowd indeed looked like anticipation, and while both groups of armed fighters caused the rise of the noise, nobody paid attention to the hooded figure. As they didn’t care about the person, and just waited for a specific event. Or for the specific action to act themselves. The other noticeable fact was the absolutely calm, even indifferent, behavior of his colleagues with whom he barely spoke. As if nothing was going on that demanded anything more than an ordinary effort. Talking among themselves without any worry, they were readying to open the gate on time. Not a single glance seemed to search the incoming celebrity.
“Hey, Abraham, are you sure about your information?” Robert asked again, quickly checking his options. His uniform barely could help against even a slight drop in temperature, not speaking about to protect against any weapons. The electric baton wasn’t any better, useless against the thick metal of the full battle armor. Fortunately, his steel and ability to use an energy blast were always with him.
“Yes, why? The central post was absolutely clear about it,” his partner answered with confusion, finally showing the first signs of concern, “Rob, what is going on?”
“I am not sure, but seems we have at least nine potential attackers, including your “celebrity” … Are there any valuable items inside the Arena that they might want to steal? Or someone with a high position to be targeted? We need to know what they want… No, better warn the central post through the open channel and fast!”
“Where are they?” Abraham asked, hastily moving to Robert while gripping his bracelet. Almost bumping into Rob, the man tried to look through the crowd, but the latter couldn’t magically turn into a transparent one, completely hiding the incoming threat from his eyes.
“One is fifteen meters on the right. The other is five meters to the left,” Robert answered without a pause, stepping forward and getting ready to intercept the danger. Instead, he was met with a sudden rush of the crowd, when all barriers opened at once, “What…?”
In the next instant, Rob had to swallow his words, being paralyzed by an unexpected strike of electricity from behind. The contraction of his muscles stopped all his motions, effectively turning him into a statue. The gravity tried to pull him down, but an instinctive usage of the steel kept him straight. The surroundings slowly started to fade, leaving everything behind, except the final phrase from Abraham.
“No offense, friend, but you were right – our life is just a dull existence, so I finally decided to change it… HELP! TERRANOID IS HERE! HE HAS A BOMB!”
Finally some action! I thought I would die from the boredom.
The thought seemed to reignite Robert's mind, putting it in on emotional flames that demanded to move, to fight, to live. The darkness immediately reacted, scaring away like a terrified puppy in front of the real beast. Grinning from ear to ear, Rob pushed Abraham’s baton from his back with a single mental command. The obedient steel was already moving, gripping the hand of the traitorous partner, while its master was smiling like a madman.
This is what I call life! Now let’s see what the locals can offer, and how strong their technology really is.