“Finish him!” The crowd’s cheer reverberated throughout the arena, drowning the ring with their unadulterated hunger for violence. Yet, despite all the noise, my gaze remained focused on the opponent in front of me.

In this part of the town, what was displayed here was just another normal day in the underground arena, the only known place where illegal fights were hosted. Paralyzing injuries were a common occurrence here, and those who thrived were considered the strongest.

Our previous engagement had marred his body with bruises and tons of superficial cuts. His legs limped as he struggled to ready his stance, barely able to put his arms back up to protect his head.

He’s feeling it. I don’t have to worry about attacks from his legs now.

Sensing that he no longer had much of an option, he threw a desperate punch aimed directly at my face. I waited until it was just a few centimeters away before bobbing my head sideways, avoiding the punch by a hair’s breadth of distance. The air from the punch brushed against my left ear as I twisted my hips, countering with a controlled punch to his left abdomen. His body curved sideways, feeling the impact of my blow.

Don’t you dare lose your consciousness. That was a weak punch.

My opponent gasped for air, his arms clutching his abdomen, his eyes losing focus of his opponent.

He’s too weak. I could end it right now.

I pulled my feet off the gas and stepped back, analyzing the half-beaten man desperately catching his breath. In his condition, delivering another powerful punch would spell the end of this match.

Good. This is enough. They should bite at my victory at this point.

I swallowed my pride. It’s time to throw the match.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————

“They rigged this!”, I shrugged off the boos from the crowd behind me as I left the stage; Hell, I even went as far as faking a limp to sell my act and only stopping when I was no longer visible from the outside.

I winced at the sight of my reflection in the mirror beside me; Long gone was the agreeable face that I always appreciated, It was now a canvas painted with numerous bruises and swellings.

Of course, it is fixed. It couldn’t be more obvious.

I sat down on a bench and released a long deserved groan, grimacing from the radiating pain from the bruising on my face. I spat at the floor, not surprised at all when I saw my red-tinted saliva filled with blood, then rested my head on the wall behind me.

That hurts… How long can I keep this up?

The lights on the dimly lit backstage flickered as if it was mocking my pitiful state. My cough interrupted my thoughts about what had just happened; Realizing that the weak punches that guy delivered actually hurt me, a reminder of the fragility of the human body.

My head turned towards the doorknob as it twisted.

The door slammed open, revealing a tall, bulky figure as he walked into this room. “Zane? I heard you accepted his deal. Out of everyone, you are the last one I expected to do shit like this.”

Ugh… Not this guy again.

“You don’t know anything about me.”, I groaned, dearly wishing that he’d just leave me alone.

Dave was another one of the popular fighters in this arena; Despite his looks, He carried with him a strange morality complex, which I always found to be peculiar considering his illegal line of work.

“I don’t know, and I don’t care. Look, the boss wants to see you.”, Dave said. “Just make it quick.”

I sighed, groaning as I tried to stand up straight. Walking past Dave, I received a harsh nudge from his shoulder right as I was inches away from him. He has never been too keen on me for reasons beyond my understanding.

My eyes watched the walls of the darkly lit hall on my way to the office. The walls felt nostalgic from the years that had passed since I first worked here, blurring the memories I’ve made into an incoherent mess, the same years that I sorely wished I could get back.

A roar from the arena vibrated through the walls, marking the start of another match. I shrugged, relieved that my obvious thrown match was all but forgotten, at least for now.

I kept walking until I reached the red door leading to the office. Raising my arm, I knocked on the door a few times before entering.

“You’re here. Look at this.” George smirked with his eyes concentrated fully on the massive pile of cash sitting on the desk below him. “I never imagined I could get this much from just a single fight.”

“None of this would be possible without you, Zane.” His gaze then shifted towards mine. “I never expected the best of my underground fighter to agree with my devious plan.” His belly jiggled as he chuckled.

“Just give me my share.”, I said coldly, wiping the bruise under my left eye.

“Fine.”, He separated a few stacks of hundred-dollar bills aside. “I am eagerly awaiting your return next week.”, A bitter grin appeared on his face. “How are your bruises? Should I get someone to help?”

“No.”, I took my share and left.

Just a few more weeks. Then.. I’ll leave this life for good.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————

The chilly wind breezed past me as I pedaled through the seaside, calmly savoring the sight before my eyes. A tiny prickle of pain radiated constantly as the bruising on my face remained sore, but it was just another thing that I had to endure for today.

How did it come to this?

The absence of anything interesting caused my thoughts to wander. Under the cool air from the night sky, I replayed the good years I’ve lived before I started fighting in the arena.

A smile crept on my bruised lips when I thought about how tranquil life was before. The happy, simple childhood and the awkward phases everyone went through during their teenage years felt like a distant memory now.

My relatively normal life changed when I heard the news of my parent’s accident. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I was forced to fend for myself and my sister, whose doctor diagnosed her with cancer a few months after their passing. Luckily, my parents had saved up a bunch for our college and future, but those barely covered the initial expense of her medication.

Stuck with a metric ton of responsibilities with zero talent, I had no choice but to look for jobs people typically shy away from. The circumstances of my life forced me to go from a scrawny, nerdy kid in high school who loved games and movies to who I am today in record time.

Growing up, I’ve always considered myself average. I did reasonably in my studies, never failed any subjects, but aced none of them either. My parents urged me to try out a few hobbies and interests, but none of them ever stuck with me.

That all changed the night when I got into a life-or-death situation.

It was during my first dirty job; I was tasked with delivering a package to the worst part of the town in Detroit. I was supposed to receive a certain amount of compensation in return, but those bastards refused to pay once they realized that hey, they could just beat the shit out of me instead of paying.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

6 strong, hideous men circled my scrawny ass with their eyes curling into a murderous gaze. A sobering realization dawned on me as I lamented my situation then; my life was about to be over.

Sensing my demise, the gang rushed and proceeded to beat the living shit out of me. A barrage of blows and kicks rained on all parts of my torso, and the pain was the only sensory input I could perceive. I wailed in anguish from the pain, yet, I never once backed down. I never showed them that I’d given up. By some miracle, my shaking legs supported my crumbling torso as the blows just kept coming.

The once blurry hits from the gang gradually became coherent as my eyes had familiarized themselves with their beatings; Then, bit by bit, as the pain builds up, my arms and legs responded to either block or dodge their attacks. The looks on their faces turned sour when I smiled with blood on my lips.

Well, As much as I would like to tell you I won that fight, there was just no realistic chance of me beating 6 people at once, as much as the movies might give you that impression.

Numbers were heavily favored in actual fights. No strong black belt fighter could beat a gang of tough individuals, no matter how skilled he is.

A police siren blared from the commotion and the gang turned tail, leaving the bloody mess of my body on the ground, cowering from the pain.

I reminisced long enough during the bike ride and reached my destination. The cold air of the night whizzed past me while my sight was locked onto the hospital’s lights that filled the scene with their dim, amber glow.

The local hospital my sister was in looked as old as it has always been. The murky green roofs and fractured walls gave it the impression of a broken-down building, yet the employees made it look decent despite its age.

Parking my bike, my eyes gravitated towards the moon partially covered by the rooftop of the hospital. A moon that was significantly bigger than it was yesterday.

Has it always been that big?

Putting the strangeness of the moon aside, I parked my bicycle and headed toward the lobby.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————

“Zane. You’re here?” A soft voice spoke when I entered Jeanne’s room.

“Yeah…” I meekly replied, dragging a chair beside her. “How are you?”

“I’m… better. What happened to you?” She said, reaching out to my swollen eye.

“I lost in a fight. It’s a long story.” I nudged her hand away from my face; The event of the thrown fight just wasn’t something I’d love to talk about at this moment. “What matters is, I got the money for this month’s payment.” I continued, feigning a smile.

“The money?” Her eyes glistened as her lips trembled. Every time I visited her, this seemed to always happen...

“I’m sorry… I caused you so much trouble.” Her eyes stiffened as she held back her tears. “If only our parents are still here..”

“Don’t mention it. We’re family.” I said, putting an end to the topic before it goes further.

“If only I didn’t-“

“Stop!” I pleaded, my voice almost leaking outside of her bedroom. “There’s no use regretting things you can’t control.”, I held her hands tighter.

I get how she feels. To be trapped inside this prison that calls itself a hospital room, to be useless and completely reliant on others, to be a burden to her only other family member. I get it.

Cancer sucks.

Her mouth opened slightly, a clear sign she was about to argue, but she stopped right after, we both knew this conversation would go nowhere. “You’re right… I’m sorry…”

Silence filled the room as we appreciated each other’s quiet presence. Despite her rather despondent attitude, I always found comfort in her company and I’d do anything to make sure it lasted.

After all, if she was gone… What other purpose do I have left in this world?

She turned her gaze sideways, watching the moon standing proudly in the middle of the dark sky. How long has it been since we admitted her to this hospital? It felt like ages ago…

“The moon is a lot bigger today. Isn’t that strange?” She made a small comment about it.

She’s right... It is strange.

“Oh, well... I want to sleep.”, She yawned, closing her eyes. “Thank you for coming today. I’m so glad you came...”

“Don’t mention it. Goodnight, Jeanne.”, I replied, getting ready to head out, expecting a reply. “Sis?”

My eyes strained open as they witnessed the lifeless body of my sister drawing her last breath to the tune of the heart monitor.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————

I always wondered if my family carried a curse that always cut our lives short.

It all started with my parents having their unfortunate accident, and then, my sister with her cancer. From the trajectory of this curse, I must be the next one in line. So, what am I going to die from next, a truck?

What the hell did we do to deserve this?

“I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Zane.” The doctor’s voice broke me out of my solemn contemplation. “At her stage, before she unfortunately passed away, we couldn’t do much else but help her with the pain.”

I slumped as I listened to the doctor’s diagnosis. No words of his could ease this weight inside my heart, and no amount of encouragement would change what had happened.

Then, like clockwork, tears flowed. The last conversation we’ve had was about the freaking oversized moon and she died without having lived a life outside of the hospital.

No more was her dream of leaving the country and going on a vacation somewhere else. No more was her dream of pursuing her career and building a family in the future…

I wanted to scream out how unfair life has been to me, to us. I wanted to cry out how much I’ve tried to make things right, but…

What’s my purpose in living now?

———————————————————————————————————————————————————

The crowd’s cheer drowned the arena as they watched the fighter’s bloody bout in the ring, screaming with excitement as the sound of punches and kicks echoed in the air. One fighter knelt, eliciting another roar as the fight was about to reach its climax.

The bodies of the ones in the arena were submerged in sweat, and yet, only one of them was gravely wounded. The one who was spotless stared at the bloodied fighter coldly with his empty gaze. There were no emotions reflected in his eyes, no sympathy or feelings were displayed.

“S-Stop.. I-I surrender.” The kneeling guy surrendered, raising his arms in the air.

The other fighter continued staring before he lunged at his opponent, brutalizing him until the referees were forced to pull him away.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————

“What the hell are you doing, Zane?”, George’s irate screaming barely reached my ears as I stared blankly into the air. “Ever since the fixed match last month, every single fighter you fought ended up in the hospital! I told you to take it easy on them!” He continued.

My lips remained sealed. There were barely any interest reflected from my eyes in responding to his irate ramblings.

“Ugh… The silent treatment again? One of these days, I might have to kick you out, Zane. This... Stretch of lunacy is not sustainable for my business.”, His belly jiggled as he paced around his desk. “Do you know how close you were to killing him? This close!” He held up both his thumb and index finger, slightly apart from each other.

I watched all of his antics without wasting another word.

“Listen to me!” George slammed both of his palms on the desk with a crash, his scarlet face nearly fuming in fury. “I get it. You lost your sister, and- “

I jumped from my seat and grabbed him by the hem of his shirt, staring straight at his shocked eyes. “Don’t you dare..”, I urged him, choking on tears as I lifted him off the floor with the hem of his shirt.

“Fuck! Zane.. Get off me!” He yelped. “H-Help!”

The door to his office burst open, and a set of tough-looking bouncers entered the office. My eyes never left George as I paid them no mind.

One bouncer carried a bat and he wasn’t hesitant to swing it at my skull. Protecting his boss was his job, after all. I was about to let go of George, but if I dodged the swing, the bat would hit him instead. So-

THUNK!

The strike took me out instantly.

When I came to, I was lying on top of the street near the arena with the back of my head swelling profusely. I had to force myself up, gritting my teeth from the radiating pain on my joints, then limping over to where my bike was.

Yeah… He was right. Losing Jeanne steered my life into a dark, destructive course. Her treatment was the only reason for me to keep throwing matches and continuing this life, so that deal with George was toast when she passed away.

The wise thing for me to do now was to move away and live a different life, but…

I recognized the vile mass of ugliness that was piled up inside of me. I didn’t know what exactly it was - or even if there was a word for it in the first place - but I knew that if I didn’t let some of it out, I’d end up killing myself, or even worse, somebody else from the lack of an outlet for my emotions.

Looking up, I observed the still-growing moon in the middle of the night sky.

The government had gone crazy about the obviously unnatural events surrounding the moon, as the news had done nothing but talk about it since the previous month. There were no official reports being published as of now, however.

It’s none of my concern. The world could end tomorrow for all I care.

[Initializing…]

“Huh? What…”

[Player name registered.]

“What..”, My eyes widened at the bizarre sight floating in front of me.

[Zane Black. The integration is about to begin. Due to the dangers of the integration process, we will have to transport you into the tutorial as we initiate your world into our system. Once the tutorial finishes, you will return.]

[Teleporting player…]

A flash of bright light filled my vision, and the world I knew of faded.