Lucinda (Part 1)

In Babylon, there were many ways to absorb knowledge, such as through the smart brain, which could connect to the Federation's database filled with a vast array of e-books. Physical books, like the ones Hudson had given to Asher, were now a rarity, and these three books were already wrinkled, showing signs of age.

The titles were "Biographies of Great Generals," "Strategies of the Power Brokers," and "Playboy!" Asher looked at the third book, which seemed more like a magazine than a book. Its cover featured a seductive pose from a sultry woman. Asher paused, unsure how this magazine would help him. Suddenly, Hudson snatched it back with lightning speed, coughing awkwardly, "Wrong one."

He then casually tossed another book to Asher, this time a "Biological Compendium" detailing dangerous species.

The Death Arena favored brutal competition between contestants but also introduced a number of dangerous species to increase difficulty and entertain the audience. Thus, the "Biological Compendium" was useful for Asher, allowing him to learn more about these creatures and their habits.

As for the other two books, Asher's interest was much less. After all, he wasn't yet at an age to be engrossed in cunning and strategy.

After lunch, Asher's free time began. There were two free periods each day, one at noon and one in the evening, each lasting two hours. Asher left after his meal, taking the elevator to the top floor. As the doors opened, a vast space unfolded before him.

Designed with an open concept, the view from the elevator revealed the top floor's immense 5000-square-meter area. The sheer breadth of the space was unmatched in its ability to astonish. Asher's heart took yet another hit, but after several shocks since arriving in Babylon, he quickly regained his composure.

Stepping out of the elevator, Asher faced an information wall displaying the layout of the training hall. He could see the structure of the entire area, which consisted of a central meeting space and various training zones with different functions. The central meeting space was for rest and socializing, while the other zones had additional instructors or trainers guiding the contestants in using the tools provided.

To make friends, the central meeting space was naturally the best place, but Asher wasn't in a hurry to head there. He was more interested in the training zones with different functions. After all, a quick tour wouldn't take much time, and he could still meet his competitors in the central meeting space later.

The functional zones were arranged in a ring around the central meeting space along a corridor with arrows on the floor for guidance. Asher followed the clockwise direction, first encountering a shooting area with several small zones and two youths practicing inside—one with a sniper rifle, the other with a bow and arrow.

Uninterested in shooting, Asher moved on to the fighting zone. This area allowed for sparring between two people or with simulated opponents controlled by the smart brain. Asher lingered for a moment before continuing his tour.

After covering most of the circuit, he stopped at a training zone designed to enhance reflexes. Several youths were training simultaneously, each wearing a helmet and wielding a metal rod, swinging at something in the air. Occasionally, they would dodge or perform flips as if battling invisible foes.

A woman in her early twenties, clad in a tight silver uniform that outlined her figure, approached Asher. He noticed a nameplate on her chest that read "Trainer Tessa."

"I know you, the young master from District 13, right?" Tessa leaned in slightly towards Asher and asked, "Interested in taking a look inside?"

From this angle, Asher had a clear view of the formidable assets hidden beneath her collar. Their rounded contours were lethally attractive to the young man, who couldn't help but react. He stepped back a bit awkwardly and asked, "What are they doing?"

"Those are sensors. They allow you to train reflexes in a scenario simulated by the smart brain. They can make you faster, more accurate, and calmer," Tessa said, moving behind Asher and pushing him forward, "Come on, give it a try."

As Tessa stood up straight, Asher found himself face-to-face with her bosom, soft and imposing. She whispered in his ear, "If you like, I can let you try something else. But not right now."

Another statement loaded with deadly allure.

Tessa led him to another vacant training zone, helped Asher put on the sensor helmet, and handed him a metal rod. While explaining, she said, "The sensor helmet will immerse you in the simulated scenario, and the haptic rod in your hand can be adapted to mimic any weapon you're familiar with. Your task is to knock down virtual discs. Each disc you hit scores points, and as you accumulate points, the difficulty will gradually increase."

"For your first time, Asher, let's start with the simplest difficulty."

Once geared up, Asher's vision went black, obscured by the helmet's visor. Moments later, a faint light appeared, growing brighter until Asher found himself in a vast grassland, a scene simulated by the smart brain. He also heard the smart brain's prompt, "Please select your weapon."

A menu appeared with numerous options, offering a variety of weapons. Asher chose a battle saber, and the haptic rod in his hand immediately transformed into a tactical long blade nearly a meter in length.

After adjusting the weight, length, and width, a broadsword almost identical to Rampage appeared in Asher's hands. He tested the feel, which was nearly indistinguishable from Rampage, and then said softly, "Ready to start."

The space before him displayed "LV1," and then a spinning disc suddenly appeared, hurtling toward Asher's chest. He swung his blade down, cleanly striking the disc, which burst into a puff of luminescence.

One after another, the discs flew, soared, and spun toward Asher from different angles and trajectories. He swung his saber with ease, bursting each one. After knocking down a dozen or so, the smart brain increased the difficulty. Two discs came at once, and Asher's saber cut them down.

By the time the difficulty reached LV3, Asher could no longer breeze through. He began to dodge, observe the discs' trajectories, and even anticipate their movements to successfully knock them down. When the difficulty increased again, four discs appeared at once, with their speed doubled! This left Asher with even less time to react.

At that moment, with four discs nearly covering all the space Asher could normally evade, whether he retreated or sidestepped, he was bound to collide with at least one or two. Just as the discs were about to hit, Asher suddenly leaped forward, narrowly slipping through the gap between the four discs. Landing and rebounding, he spun and struck, his calculated swing trajectory knocking down all four discs almost simultaneously!

Unbeknownst to Asher, now wearing the sensors, a crowd had gathered outside the training zone. Among them were instructors, trainers, and some members of the organizing committee, some of whom had opened their smart brains and were recording something. Besides them were other youths participating in the Death Arena, all fixated on the score display above the training zone.

When the score hit 485, a girl couldn't help but exclaim, "He broke Lucinda's record!"

"Who is this guy?"

"Don't you know? That's Asher from District 13, the fool who volunteered for the Death Arena."

The youths buzzed with conversation, and then another shout rang out as someone pointed at the score display, "He's passed 500 points now, my God, that's level 5 difficulty!"

By now, Asher was facing five discs simultaneously. Finally, this level surpassed his limits, and after successfully knocking down two waves of discs, he was hit in the left chest by the third wave, ending the training as the smart brain signaled.

After removing the helmet, Asher saw Tessa. The excited woman hugged him so tightly he was nearly suffocated between those formidable peaks. Asher struggled free to find the training zone surrounded by people. Most clapped for his score, but the competing youths looked at Asher with hostility, letting him know he could cross them off his list of potential allies.

"Well done, breaking my record!" A haughty voice rang out, and the crowd parted as a girl about Asher's age strode in.

Behind her were four or five other young men and women.

The girl had sunshine-like golden hair tied in a ponytail that bounced restlessly behind her as she moved, like a blazing flame! Her features were as delicate as a painting, her expression bold and unrestrained, and her rare emerald eyes reflected Asher's figure like exquisite green agate. She circled Asher twice, "accidentally" bumping Tessa away, then suddenly reached out and draped her arm over Asher's shoulder, "I like you. Come, be my subordinate!"

The boys behind the girl turned their faces away, their expressions clearly amused. But Asher couldn't muster a smile. Indeed, the girl was beautiful, and she had an air about her that Asher liked, one that was lofty and distant like mountains and forests.

But this girl was too ostentatious, almost to the point of arrogance. Asher pinched her hand off his shoulder with two fingers and said calmly, "I refuse."

"Why?" The girl looked surprised.

"I have no desire to be anyone's subordinate, especially not a woman's."