The tall, husky man stood, his face devoid of any wrinkles, as still as a deserted landscape with no signs of life.
A wave of shame washed over him—the shame of how cheesy the words that had flown out of his mouth were—but still, he remained nonchalant to keep up appearances.
Well, the protagonist couldn't care less about how the strange man felt; he simply walked right past the door that had been opened for him.
Although it wasn't wise to enter without caution—what if the man was a kidnapper?
A strange cabin in an isolated place that actually led underground—wasn't that a clear sign in any situation to back away?
One could tell that if a guard was stationed at the entrance, they probably wanted it to be a secret from the higher-ups.
And secrecy rarely meant something harmless; more often, it meant danger that someone had gone to great lengths to bury.
What greeted him on the other side of the door was a staircase leading to who knows where. Still, he didn't waver and continued forward.
It didn't take long before a metal barrier came into view—multiple strips lined up together to form a makeshift blockade, preventing anyone from fully seeing what was inside.
It was not even what came as a surprise to Victor; instead, it was the noise of people at the top of their lungs throwing curses, while others screamed in excitement like they were about to win a lottery.
The bloodthirsty ones who had bet their whole savings on this match looked ready to kill anyone who so much as grazed their skin.
They were losing composure; order had been thrown into the gutters. Money was being lost, which was practically life itself.
"Did I hear money?!"
The next moment, he stepped inside without hesitation.
---
A heavy punch was thrown through the air at extraordinary speed. The momentum alone was enough to ripple through the atmosphere, subtle yet violent enough that most people didn't even notice.
All of a sudden, the fist crashed deep into a person's face, so hard it knocked out several teeth. Blood erupted from the mouth as the person staggered sideways, trying to regain his balance.
However, no matter how he tried, the effort proved useless as he hit the ground.
The crowd erupted with cheers, and thousands of spectators surrounded the arena. Their eyes were locked onto the match—some with crazed excitement on their faces like they had just won a lottery, while others wore angered expressions strong enough to make them want to kill.
The arena itself trembled faintly under their collective roar, as if even the structure was reacting to the violence unfolding beneath it.
The match seemed to be over—or so everyone thought—when suddenly, the man who had been punched rose in a flash.
His facial expression became unreadable.
His left eye was swollen and purple, blood flowing from it, but still he didn't care as rage engulfed him.
"Mekrukaratis..."
It was the word he murmured before his pupils flashed an eerie green. Looking into his eyes felt like staring at the sun—it burned.
"Come on, unleash the beast," an observer shouted.
WAM!
Before he could react, another man in black struck him.
"Shut it"
..
"Hmm… looks like you got a little juiced up, lad," his opponent said, raising his fists into a fighting stance.
"Power yourself up all you want. You can't change the stench of weakness clinging to you."
The green-eyed man's pupils contracted, fury flashing across his face. Without a second thought, he lunged forward.
His opponent, dressed in raven-black clothing that matched his jet-black hair, stood unfazed. His light complexion and sharp facial features suggested he was in his early thirties. Despite the incoming assault, he remained perfectly calm.
In the blink of an eye, the green-eyed man closed the distance, appearing barely a meter in front of Kel. Wisps of green mist trailed behind him like afterimages, moving so quickly that it was impossible to tell whether they were real or merely illusions.
His leg shot upward in a vicious axe kick.
Kel reacted just in time, raising his forearm to intercept the strike.
BOOM!
The kick crashed into his guard with bone-shaking force.
"Urgh!"
Although Kel managed to block it, the impact felt as though he had struck solid steel. A wave of numbness spread through his forearm until he could no longer feel it.
'Shit... I can't feel my arm.'
His arm dropped to his side, temporarily paralyzed.
Before he could recover, the green-eyed man spun on his heel.
A devastating spinning back kick slammed into Kel's face.
BAM!
Kel's head snapped violently to the side as the impact shattered his balance. A sharp ringing filled his ears, drowning out every other sound.
His vision blurred.
His legs turned to jelly as he staggered backward, swaying from side to side in a desperate attempt to stay on his feet.
The green-eyed man watched with a mischievous grin.
"Oh? Look who's suddenly not so confident," he mocked. "You can't even stand properly."
'No... I can't lose.'
Kel gritted his teeth, forcing his trembling body to obey.
'If I lose here... what will happen to my kids and my wi—'
BANG!
Green energy erupted around the attacker like a blazing aura, wrapping his entire body in shimmering light.
In an instant, he vanished.
Then he reappeared right in front of Kel.
A crushing hook snapped Kel's head sideways.
A brutal knee buried itself into his ribs, forcing the air from his lungs.
Before his body could even react, a devastating spinning back kick exploded against his face.
The final strike detonated with overwhelming force, launching Kel across the arena.
He crashed onto the ground and slid several meters before finally coming to a stop.
Motionless.
Unconscious.
On the left side of the arena, a tinted glass wall separated the main floor from the VIP section, which was located one level above the scandalous crowd and the arena below.
Inside the dim, gloomy space, four groups of people sat comfortably on king-sized chairs custom-built for the highest-paying guests of the event.
While the others discussed how the match had gone, one of them suddenly shifted his gaze, staring at a particular individual within the crowd below.
That same person had been locked onto him since he arrived.
"Well, well, well… isn't that Victor Nellis…"
---