Episode 7 — "The Gauntlet"
[Current Level: 75]
[Current Rank: 75]
[Skill Loadout: Instinct Combat, Blink Step, Force Ripple, Mana Surge, Ripple Step]
[Trait: Unlimited Cooldown]
The arena sand hadn't even settled from the Rank 120 fight when the next gate opened.
Kujo was still catching his breath, his knuckles split and raw, sweat dripping into his eyes. Draven had once told him that the higher ranks rarely fought back-to-back. But this wasn't "rare." This was planned.
The announcer's voice cut through the heat and noise:
"Next match — Rank 90!"
A man in crimson robes strolled out, his skin marked with glowing geometric tattoos that pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat. His hands rested behind his back as if this were a casual walk, not a battle.
Kujo clenched his fists. He didn't want to burn Ripple Step this early.
Match 1: Rank 90
The gong sounded. The robed man moved instantly, raising both hands. The tattoos blazed, and a series of fire orbs materialized, orbiting him like miniature suns.
He flicked his fingers — the orbs shot forward.
Kujo Blink Stepped between the first wave, closing the distance. But as he drew close, the orbs curved in midair, chasing him like living things.
Tracking magic… great.
Kujo rolled under a sweeping kick, planting a Force Ripple into the man's side. The impact staggered him, but the orbs still closed in.
Unlimited Cooldown meant Kujo could keep teleporting — so he did. Blink Step into a shadow, then behind the robed man, then above him, striking with a downward heel kick that smashed into his shoulder.
The orbs were still chasing, but they couldn't hit what wasn't there.
Kujo ended it with Ripple Step straight to the chest. The robed man collapsed, his fire sputtering out.
[Victory Achieved]
[Level Increased: 75 → 90]
[Rank Increased: 75 → 90]
Match 2: Rank 110
No time to rest. The crowd howled for more.
The next opponent was a towering, bare-chested brute with skin like stone and arms the size of tree trunks. No magic shimmered around him — just raw muscle.
The brute's first step cracked the arena floor.
He swung a fist the size of Kujo's head. Instinct Combat flared — Kujo slipped inside the punch, driving his elbow into the man's ribs.
It felt like hitting a wall.
The brute grinned. "That all?"
He swung again. This time Kujo Blink Stepped onto his shoulder, twisting midair to land a kick against the side of his head. The giant stumbled but didn't fall.
He's built like a fortress… fine. I'll bring it down.
Kujo chained Ripple Steps, each strike slamming into the same spot at the giant's temple. After the fourth, the brute finally dropped, the impact shaking the arena.
[Victory Achieved]
[Level Increased: 90 → 110]
[Rank Increased: 90 → 110]
Match 3: Rank 130
By now, Kujo's chest burned from exertion. His magic reserves weren't drained — Unlimited Cooldown kept his skills flowing — but his body felt the strain.
The Rank 130 fighter appeared in a flicker of blue light, already mid-spin. Her foot whistled past Kujo's jaw — pure martial arts speed without teleportation.
Kujo barely Blink Stepped back before she was on him again, fists and feet a blur. She was faster than him without magic, her movements crisp, controlled, and relentless.
So this is what it's like when they don't rely on magic…
He switched styles. Instead of spamming Blink Step, he planted his feet and let Instinct Combat guide him. Parry, slip, counter. His fists found openings — short jabs to the ribs, a knee to the thigh, a hook across the jaw.
For the first time in the gauntlet, the fight was almost pure kung fu.
When she spun for a high kick, Kujo caught her leg, pivoted, and used her own momentum to slam her into the ground. One Ripple Step to the chest kept her there.
[Victory Achieved]
[Level Increased: 110 → 130]
[Rank Increased: 110 → 130]
Match 4: Rank 150
The crowd's energy shifted. This was the one they'd been waiting for.
The Rank 150 fighter stepped out — a man with short silver hair, no armor, no magic aura. His stance was low, his gaze sharp.
Draven's voice echoed in Kujo's head: Rank 150 is pure martial arts mastery. No magic. No teleportation. But he'll read you before you move.
The gong rang.
⸻
The Fight Without Magic
Kujo wanted to Blink Step immediately — but stopped himself. If the man was expecting teleportation, denying it would throw him off.
They circled.
The first exchange was a blur — fists clashing, forearms meeting, knees checking kicks. Kujo's Instinct Combat kept him alive, but the man's control was absolute. Every counter was perfectly timed, every strike aimed for balance breaks and pressure points.
Kujo took a palm strike to the sternum that knocked the wind out of him.
If I can't out-technique him… I'll outlast him.
They traded blow for blow, Kujo absorbing hits on his arms and shoulders while sneaking in quick counters to the ribs and jaw. Slowly, subtly, he shifted the pace — forcing the man to move faster, react sooner.
When the first bead of sweat rolled down the man's temple, Kujo knew it was time.
⸻
The Feint
Kujo lunged with a straight punch — the man moved to counter — and Kujo Blink Stepped at the last possible moment. Not to his back, not to the side, but straight down, reappearing low and driving an uppercut into his chin.
The man stumbled. Kujo chained Ripple Steps into his chest, each impact hammering deeper until the martial artist finally collapsed.
[Victory Achieved]
[Level Increased: 130 → 150]
[Rank Increased: 130 → 150]
Kujo stood over him, breathing hard but unbroken.
The crowd's chant was deafening: "STREET DOG! STREET DOG!"
Draven met him at the tunnel, eyes glinting. "Level one-fifty in a single day. You just painted a target the size of a planet on your back."
Kujo smirked, wiping blood from his lip. "Good. Let them come."