First up was the hot tub. As he neared it, his body started to relax, in a manner that suggested more than just normal heat. Peeling off his clothes, he lowered himself into it, and sighed in relief. It was not a normal hot tub. His skin began to regenerate at a visible rate, and his mind was calmed. With the last presence of mind that he had left, he scanned the hot tub.
Caluron Peon Level Hot Tub
G-Rank Magical Item
The cheapest item sold by the sector renowned Caluron Spa company, this hot tub is enchanted to provide relief from minor aches and pains. Even a mere Peon level product from this company is equivalent to a higher quality one from a lesser company. (This product is copyrighted by the Caluron Company. Any attempts to copy this product for personal gain will result in censure.)
He briefly read it, but he could not bring himself to fully study it. Instead, he sank back into blissful nothingness.
The water cooled after a few hours and he drifted back to awareness. His entire body was refreshed and he felt as if he had slept for an entire day. The description of the item came back to him as he got out and dried off. He had never seen a company name in an item description before and it made him curious about the larger Multiverse. In addition, the description of the hot tub as a “Peon Level” one was strange. He had thought that the only description of an item's quality was its power rank. Apparently there was a whole system of corporate quality guidelines as well. If he ever got the chance to look into it, he would. The more important part of the hot tub was that it had healed him of his wounds. Now he was fresh and ready for the first round of the tournament.
Sam had to wait another few hours for the tournament to start, time that he spent working out with the weights. It was deeply satisfying to use inhumanly heavy weights and he never tired of seeing the massive balls of metal rise up into the air as he curled the dumbbells. He was in the middle of resting, his hair slicked back with sweat, when a voice rang out through the room.
“FIGHTERS! THE FIRST ROUND WILL BEGIN IN 15 MINUTES. PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE ARENA STAGING AREA.” Sam had no idea where the arena staging area was, but his token lit up and he felt the same tugging sensation that had led him to his room. Following it, he traipsed through the halls, finding himself in front of a crowd of people. Next to them, a large door stood, revealing the inside of the arena. He could hear faint cheers from outside and as he looked in, he gulped. Every person on Earth was sitting there. Normally, he was not that shy but at the sight of over 4 million people, he quailed. A few others were having panic attacks in the corner and Sam watched as they were carted away by an alien attendant. Berrigious stood in front of the door, his pink skin flushed with excitement.
“Greetings! The tournament proper is about to start and all I need to tell you are a few rules. Firstly, killing is not banned, however if your opponent surrenders, then killing them will result in disqualification. Secondly, surrendering does not count unless the words are spoken fully, in a way that the other fighter can hear it. Finally, the use of anything except for a single weapon, or set of weapons, and your own skills are not allowed. Any outside assistance or illegal goods will result in disqualification. Now, for the format of the fights. All the fighters will be seeded depending on their strength prior to the tournament. This way, someone who is near the bottom of the rankings will not be facing off against one of the top ten, at least initially. If you lose a match, then you are placed in the losers bracket. Three wins there means that you will be placed back into the tournament. Now, it's time for the first fight! Will Reka Harold and Tobias Lurch please step forwards?”
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Two of the people in the crowd stepped forwards, a small woman with dull red hair and a skinny man who had a permanent scowl on his face. They walked up to Berrigious who whispered in their ears. Both of them nodded and they walked up the ramp and into the arena. Chairs rose out of the ground beneath the remaining fighters and they sat down. Two large screens appeared at the front of the room, showing a panoramic view of the arena. One screen focused on Reka and the other one focused on Tobias. They both stood still, and then Berrigious vanished from in front of Sam. The alien appeared in the middle of the arena, rising up on a pillar of rock that erupted from the ground. He pulled out a microphone, an unnecessary implement given his level, but it made the whole display somehow seem more natural.
“IT IS TIME! THE FIGHTS THAT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR WILL NOW BEGIN! BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE FINEST SPECIMENS OF YOUR PLANET, THESE WILL BE THE MOST ENGAGING DISPLAYS OF RAW POWER AND HONED SKILL THAT YOU WILL EVER SEE. MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON’T MISS IT, OR ELSE YOU’RE GOING TO REGRET IT! NOW, LET'S HAVE A BIG HAND FOR OUR FIRST FIGHTERS, REKA HAROLD AND TOBIAS LURCH!” The crowd erupted into applause and the two fighters shifted uncomfortably. Berrigious leaped off the pillar and vanished again, a colorful explosion going off in the air where he had been. Both fighters ran forwards and the battle began.
Sam could immediately tell that they were nowhere near his level. The two seemed to both have focused on Dexterity, at least partially, as their movements were crisp and collected. Tobias started off the fight, with a beam of blue light from between his fingers. It sped through the air, but Reka drew a rapier from her belt, slicing the beam down the middle. Tobias’ scowl deepened as the crowd cheered for her. She leapt forward and Tobias quickly summoned an energy shield in front of him. The woman raised her rapier up and brought the tip down with all of her strength. The blade sunk into the shield, sending a spiderweb of cracks through it. Then Tobias smiled.
A bolt of lightning leapt from his fingers and into the tip of her rapier, causing her to spasm in shock. He sent off a bolt of kinetic force and propelled her off the shield. With a snap of his fingers, the shield dissipated. The man used some sort of rapid fire mage build, with focus on speed rather than power. This was shown by how his opponent got to her feet after taking his attack. She grimaced and raised her sword, slashing it down through the air. A thin strip of white light came out, reminiscent of the attack used by the Angel of Death. This one was far weaker however. It still managed to connect with Tobias, cutting into his arm. The mage snarled at Reka and charged her, his fists glowing with arcane light. This quickly proved to be a mistake. The man was not a melee fighter and he was obviously outclassed by Reka. His fist came down, but she was already gone, with her rapier slashing down on his foot. Tobias tried to get out of the way, but it cut straight through his achilles tendon, hobbling him.
By then, the fight was over. The woman held her blade to his throat until the man yielded. With a flash of light, he was teleported away and Reka was left there to enjoy the adulation of the crowd. A door opened on the other side of the arena and she walked over, glad to be out of the spotlight.