Chapter 31 - You’re Betting Me?!

<p>The Flame Mages spout orange flames around them as they walk, creating two walls of fire on either side of the road the carriage is riding upon, several miles back. Carriages were rare nowadays; only people who valued the classics rode them, and most of those were higher end people. Nobility and a majority of royalty had long been abolished, an order from the queen herself; yet the thin man held himself as if he was one. His brown hair hung in several braids around his face, falling just below his gaunt cheeks. His thin, long and pointed face was permanently tilted up, looking down upon everything as his long, boney legs sat crossed. The man watched off in the distance as his entourage of Mages used Firewall of Fear, which ran off all beasts into other areas. 'Other lowlifes can deal with those,' the man thinks, raising his pointy nose an inch higher. 'They are beneath my sword.'<br/><br/> He looks ahead; the grand city of Galeise was finally coming into view. He took a sip of white wine sitting in a glass next to him, his thin lips curling into an ugly smile. "This tournament should be easy. After all, I'm near the cusp, at Level 23."<br/><br/> He laughs. In his mind, it's elegant and handsome, but to the driver in the carriage driver's seat, a strange cackling could be heard behind him. He pulls a piece of curly green hair away from his face, tucking it behind his ear, and wipes the exhaustion out of his bright blue eyes. 'Once this job is done, I'll have enough money to pay the fee for the College of the Bard, and then some. Just power through, Lynsel.'<br/><br/> With a huff, the man leans forward in his seat, determined to see the job through for his aspirations.<br/><br/>- - -<br/><br/> I study my Skills intensely. "Your eyeballs are gonna pop out if you keep that up," Eniyala notes, but I ignore her. To be more accurate, I'm checking out the Evolution Requirements for several of my Skills.<br/><br/>[Critical Eye+<br/> Evolution Requirements:<br/>- 4/10 Critical Marks hit<br/>- 25 ACC]<br/>[Underdog<br/> Evolution Requirements:<br/>- 3/5 stronger enemies defeated]<br/>[Analyze+<br/> Evolution Requirements:<br/>- 28/100 times Analyze+ was activated]<br/>[Erratic Movements<br/> Evolution Requirements:<br/>- Progression 89%<br/>- Deeper understanding of style]<br/>[Slash+<br/> Evolution Requirements:<br/>- 7 MAG<br/>- 36/50 times Slash+ was activated in battle]<br/>[Sprint<br/> Evolution Requirements:<br/>- 4 MAG (Completed)<br/>- 19/20 times Sprint was activated in battle]<br/><br/> Most of the skills' requirements were pretty simple, but part of the requirements for Erratic Movements was incredibly vague. I hoped that it didn't mean anything to do with picking a name for my style, as the only nomination so far was Raeki's 'Stormy Night.' It was a fine name, but it reminded me too much of a certain artist's famous work in my past life.<br/><br/> For now, I wanted to upgrade Sprint, Analyze+, and Underdog, but we had already reached the city. Eniyala and I sat in normal clothes at a table after eating a delicious meal. She had her usual baggy attire on, and I had slightly better fitting clothes that I had just bought. Thanks to Eniyala not only giving me an Inventory cube, but sharing half of the remains with me, we had managed to store enough of the bodies of the beasts to sell and make a decent amount of Gold, warranting eating like we had.<br/><br/> A finger suddenly appears through the screen, reaching towards my face, and I swat it. "Quit it," I say, glancing at the girl across from me. She has her usual look on her face, almost blank, but her eyes look too sharply at things to call it that. Those same eyes stare at me with a hint of boredom in them. "Are you finally done?"<br/><br/> I sigh, standing up. "Yes, yes. I figured it out. And you call me a baby."<br/><br/> "You're literally 2 weeks old."<br/><br/> "Potato, pohtatoe," I reply, stretching out my stomach. "What kinda places are there to stay at?"<br/><br/> "The hell is a potato? And yeah, we have inns, you know."<br/><br/> "Surprised it ain't a hotel."<br/><br/> She gives me a dirty look, probably disliking all the new words I'm saying. I brush it off, staring at Erratic Movements as we begin walking. 'Deeper understanding… How do I get a deeper understanding—"<br/><br/> With a thump, my side runs into someone, knocking a thin man off of where he had been stomping on someone else. <br/><br/> "I'll teach you what happens when you mess wit- hey! What in Luzieni's great name!"<br/><br/> The man exclaims furiously as he spins around, deftly catching and righting himself before he can fall. I swipe away the screen, looking up. "Oh, sor—"<br/><br/> "Apologize right this instant!"<br/><br/> "Motherf-" I start, then calm myself. "That's what I was doing."<br/><br/> He glares down his long nose at me with disdain written on his face. "Clearly not. You aren't on you knees, groveling."<br/><br/> "What the hell is with everyone's obsession with groveling? I'm not getting on my hands and knees on this nasty ass road for someone I don't know. You look like a total dickhead anyway, so I retract any apology I was going to make."<br/><br/> The surprise with my small outburst clearly surprises the man, whose eyes widen with shock. "How dare you—"<br/><br/> "How dare YOU treat humans like garbage?" I say, pointing to the green haired man still curled into a ball on the ground. "You think you're better than him or something?"<br/><br/> The man huffs, a striking arrogant image of a certain delusional dead man. "Of course I am, and I'll prove it in the tournament. Are you registered?"<br/><br/> I cross my arms, staring down the man. "I will be tomorrow." <br/><br/> A disgusting cackle escapes from the man, and I grimace. "You fool! The tournament is already full, and they aren't accepting any more registrations! Although it's a shame I can't publicly deface you, take this as the grace of Luzieni. Take the fact I bought my and my companion's tickets early to heart, as a fact that I am better than you!"<br/><br/> I snort. "You want it so bad, sure. Let's spar, pencilhead. I win, me and my party leader here get your two tickets." I jab my finger at Eniyala, accentuating my point. "You win, and I'll grovel in front of you before your first tournament match in front of everyone. Naked."<br/><br/> The man sneers at first, but slowly it grows into a grin as he looks at Eniyala. "That, and I want her if I win. Tomorrow, 24 hours from now, at the stadium."<br/><br/> "Then I want every Gold to your name on the line, too."<br/><br/> He grins evilly. "You have yourself a duel."<br/><br/> "Deal," I reply evenly, shaking the slimy asshole's hand as he cackles again. With long steps, he begins to stride away, kicking the prone man one more time as he leaves. <br/><br/> Eniyala had seemed uninterested the whole time, but she smacks my shoulder furiously now. "What the fuck?! You're betting me?"<br/><br/> I hold my hands up defensively. "I wouldn't if I wasn't mostly confident. If he's in the tournament, he can't be more than Level 25, after all."<br/><br/> "You can't assume you can beat everyone under Level 35!"<br/><br/> "Why not?"<br/><br/> Eniyala looks like she might ignite when the man taps my shoulder. I turn to see the second burliest man I think I've ever met, second only to the dickhead I met at the Adventurer's Building in Estraia. "Hey, uh… thank ya."<br/><br/> I look the man up and down in amazement. His body is incredibly toned, and the clothes he wears look two sizes too small. His shirt looks like a crop top, and doesn't even reach the ends of his massive shoulders. His pants, on the other hand, can't even reach around his ankles. His shoes fit, but they're in complete tatters. Glancing at Eniyala, I sigh. 'The hell is with the two opposites?'<br/><br/> "Uh… did I do somethin'?" He asks pensively.<br/><br/> "No, no, just… if you're built like that, why'd you let that man step all over you like he did?"<br/><br/> "Oh, that's because I can't fight."<br/><br/> "Eh?"<br/><br/> Blankly, I stare at the man with half of a polite smile still sitting on my face. "Sorry, I think I mishear—"<br/><br/> "I have no idea how to throw a punch."<br/><br/> "But—"<br/><br/> "Or a kick."<br/><br/> "What—"<br/><br/> "I'm not even sure how ta properly hold a cooking knife, so any job involving cooking is off tha table. I mostly work in tha hard labors."<br/><br/> I find myself completely speechless once again. 'So… isn't this guy useless?'<br/><br/> "I'll work 24/7 if ya need something done, but if it's cooking or fighting… Yeah, I'm pretty useless."<br/><br/> Can this guy read minds or something?<br/><br/> As a test… 'Triangle.'<br/><br/> "… Sir, why do you look like you're thinking about a square?"<br/><br/> I breathe a sigh of relief. "Just checking something. Anyways, are you alright?"<br/><br/> He nods. "Thank ya kindly. I can't offer any Gold or reward, but maybe I can sing for ya?"<br/><br/> Looking at the slightly hunched man, I hold my hand up and shake my head. "That's alright. I have to prepare for tomorrow anyway." I turn to leave, and a large hand swallows my shoulder and half of my upper arm, stopping me in my tracks. I shakily glance back in fear, only to see a determined look in his bright blue eyes. "I will be there for your fight, cheering for you!"<br/><br/> I give a polite nod. "Th-thanks. C-can you let me go now?"<br/><br/> He complies, and I remember how to breathe again. For a man who can't fight, the big guy sure has a deadly presence. <br/><br/> Eniyala has already walked off, and I have no idea where, so I decide to step out of town for a bit to get ready for tomorrow. I shouldn't need her help for this, after all. <br/><br/>- - -<br/><br/>[Critical Mark has been hit. Dmg was adjusted to 350%.]<br/><br/> With a thud, the Bull falls to the ground.<br/><br/>[Obtained 1200 EXP from the Bull.]<br/>[Obtained an extra 200 EXP for defeating a stronger enemy.]<br/>[EXP: 3360/3200]<br/>[User Leveled Up!]<br/>[Requirements have been met.]<br/>[Underdog was upgraded to Underdog+.]<br/>[Sprint was upgraded to Sprint+.]<br/>[Warning! Stamina: 4/45]<br/><br/> "Nice," I pant, falling onto my back. I had accomplished a lot in my short time, and the sun was already setting. I needed to call up Eniyala and make sure she was okay, then find us a place to sleep tonight. Tossing two points into Strength and my blade into the Inventory, I waited for the new stats to activate before getting up and walking over and picking up the cube that had previously been too heavy for me to carry properly. I store the new body in the cube, wincing as it once again became incredibly heavy. But, there were no monsters between me and the gate to the city, which I could see from here, so I began the slow trek back.<br/><br/><br/> Once I made it back, I found vendors that were still open, selling all but two of the Bulls I had slain. I also sold all the auxiliary items in my Inventory, besides one Boar tusk. I gave that to a blacksmith to create a sheath with. <br/><br/> With my errands done, I proudly examine the load of coins I now held in my cube. "This should be more than enough for tonight."<br/><br/> As I get my Manaphone ready to call Eniyala, I pass a dark alleyway, where a group of men were stereotypically surrounding a woman. I was slightly alarmed until I saw the woman, and when I did I simply leaned against the wall. One of the men sees me and jeers, "What? You one of those weirdos who likes to watch?"<br/><br/> I smile faintly. "You got me. I know that girl, and she really likes to get down and dirty."<br/><br/> The other men laugh, not understanding, before she speaks up.<br/><br/> "By Meinzer, you could've at least pretended to be all heroic."<br/><br/> I snort in reply. "We both know that woulda just pissed you off."<br/><br/> "Fair."<br/><br/> "Hey, lady, is he that much more interesting than us— mmph!" The same man leans his face towards Eniyala, who with a flick of her finger — the middle one, of course — conjures a fiery blue flame in the shape of a whip that wraps around his head. I let out an "oooh," tilting my head as she begins fighting them off with her new whip spell. <br/><br/> Several manly tears, burn marks, and sharp, hot cracks of the flaming weapon later, the men lay strewn throughout the alleyway as Eniyala strolls out. "Didn't even help the lady out. You must have been a virgin in your past life."<br/><br/> "A virgin can't call people virgins," I shoot back, pushing lazily off the wall. "So, which inn do we stay at? I just made a bit of money, so I'll pay for your room as an apology."<br/><br/> "An apology for putting me on the line?" She asks sharply, glaring at me. I nod meekly, and she sighs. "Fine. Let's go."<br/><br/> Smiling a bit, I follow her to find out what inns were like in Puria.<br/><br/>* * *<br/><br/>[Klum's Reincarnation<br/> Cooldown remaining: 17 hours, 37 minutes…]</p>