Chapter 15: The First Match
When the door opened, the fighters waiting in the room turned to look at Haze.
Some snickered when they saw his appearance.
The hall was large, divided into several areas a rest zone, a training section, and multiple screens displaying the intense battle currently happening in the ring.
Hazescanned the room. The resting seats were already full, and the training equipment nearby was occupied by a few flabby-looking men.
Someone like him could only find a corner or lean quietly against the wall.
The twenty to thirty people present already formed a sort of potential food chain.
Some could become rivals so there was no need to act friendly or hypocritical.
Hazewalked over to an open spot and sat down. Fighters continued to come and go as staff called out names. Yet one rule remained constant: no matter how much the people changed, the strong and the weak always ended up in two separate zones.
Naturally, Hazewas the exception.
Every floor of the Heavens Arena had several battle rings, not just one. Otherwise, with so many newcomers arriving daily, the line would stretch endlessly.
Spectators were free to wander between arenas, searching for matches or fighters they found interesting.
The lower floors received little advertising or investment.
It was only after reaching the 50th floor that fighters who showed talent or charisma caught the attention of management and received heavy promotion.
After nearly two hours of waiting, Hazewas about to doze off when a voice echoed from the speaker system:
"Contestant No. 957, please proceed to Room 7 on the first floor to prepare."
That was him.
He stood up lazily, rubbed his eyes, and walked out with his hands in his pockets.
A staff member guided him to the entrance of Arena 7. There weren't many people inside maybe a few hundred spectators scattered across an arena built for thousands.
Clearly, not many cared to watch low-tier fighters.
"The next two contestants are both newcomers… Haze, No. 957, and Camby, No. 1398!"
The lights flared on the ring as the enthusiastic host shouted, and the two fighters walked out from opposite tunnels toward the center.
"According to our information," the announcer continued,
"Contestant No. 957, Haze, doesn't seem to be a professional martial artist! He wrote on his registration form that he's only here for the prize money! For a rookie, that's some courage!"
"As for Contestant No. 1398, Camby many veterans will recognize him! That's right, Camby once reached the 37th floor before being knocked out, and now he's forced to start again from the bottom! Camby is famous for his powerful offense and defense. His massive size gives him tremendous durability, and his weight makes his strikes devastating. What bad luck for Haze facing such a powerhouse in his very first fight!"
When Hazeclimbed into the ring, he finally saw his opponent.
A giant, at least two meters tall and weighing around 300 kilograms a moving mountain of flesh.
In contrast, Hazeseemed small and unimpressive the difference was comical.
"It's rare to see a newcomer wearing casual clothes on stage,"
said the announcer mockingly.
"It's obvious this contestant might just be an office worker... But look, he's even wearing sunglasses! Maybe he doesn't want his coworkers to see him get beaten up later?"
Hazefrowned slightly. What kind of biased announcer is this?
The massive Camby clapped his hands together, the sound like a thunderclap, then grinned menacingly.
"You should just give up, kid. Even experienced fighters admit defeat when they face me. I just came down from a higher floor, and I'm not in a good mood… If I go all out, you'll end up in the hospital for months. You won't even be able to work!"
"Oh my! Camby is threatening the rookie before the fight even begins!" shouted the host dramatically. "How will Hazerespond? Will he back down or "
Hazesighed, rubbing his ears from the noise, and looked at the referee.
"Can we just start already?"
"Oh my! The rookie stays calm under pressure, even impatiently asking to begin! Does he know what kind of danger he's in? Has he underestimated Camby's power?!"
The host's tone was so over-the-top that Hazealmost laughed.
Does this guy think he's in a drama?
"Come on, rookie! If you last ten seconds, you win!"
Despite himself, the crowd started cheering some out of excitement, others out of pity.
But Hazecould tell… most were simply waiting to see how brutally he would be crushed.
"Fight!"
The referee waved his hand and blew the whistle.
"You're dead, rookie!" Camby roared as he charged forward like a runaway truck.
The ring shook under his steps.
But before anyone could process what was happening
Hazevanished.
A split second later
BANG!
A foot slammed into Camby's stomach with explosive force. His massive belly rippled like jelly before a shockwave blasted him backward.
His eyes rolled back, and his body all 300 kilos was sent flying off the ring, smashing through the wall and collapsing into a heap of rubble.
Hazelanded gracefully, still with his hands in his pockets.
He hadn't even broken a sweat.
The crowd froze in stunned silence.
The announcer's voice cut off mid-sentence, replaced by a harsh buzzing feedback from his mic.
No one had seen what happened.
"Y-you can announce the result now," Hazesaid calmly to the dumbfounded referee.
"Uh… The winner is Haze!"
Then the arena erupted.
"W-What just happened?!"
"That fat guy was thrown out in one hit!"
"Unbelievable!"
The announcer snapped back into character, shouting excitedly:
"This is insane! The newcomer Hazejust knocked Camby out of the arena instantly! What a stunning debut!"
But Hazedidn't leave through the fighter's tunnel.
Instead, he walked straight to the commentator's desk.
The man in glasses the loud announcer froze when Hazeapproached.
"W-What do you want?"
"What's your name?"
"Dan… just call me Dan."
Hazesmiled faintly.
"You've got passion, Dan. But your commentary's a bit crooked. Work on that."
He patted Dan's shoulder and turned to leave.
Dan stood there speechless for a few seconds then suddenly thought Hazehad complimented him.
His energy surged again as he shouted into the mic:
"Contestant 957, Haze! Remember that name, everyone! A dark horse has appeared in the Heavens Arena a rising star who could take the upper floors by storm!"
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
"He's terrifyingly strong!"
"Even Camby couldn't take one hit!"
"He might reach the 50th floor or even higher!"
Some audience members began scribbling notes scouts from underground casinos, analyzing odds and preparing to open betting lines before the public caught on.
(End of Chapter 15)