Staying in this transformation would only attract more attention, and while in this transformation, my body motion felt different. I was not even in my own body; every motion just felt strange, and with a thirty-minute limit before cooldown, it wasn't something I could use on a wimp. It would be stupid to think of it that way, with this being my only lifeline here for now. I tapped the watch symbol, and light washed over me as I transformed back into my human form.
The crowd around me fell silent. Only a few whispers echoed through the air.I looked at them and took a step forward, pointing at the same bulb-eyed alien who had shaken me earlier.
"What is this place? " I demanded.
Startled at being addressed directly, the alien hesitated before speaking."That's what I was trying to tell you earlier. You're new here, so listen carefully. Everyone on this ship has been taken from their homeworld—some captured, some sold. He," the alien's voice trembled slightly, "kidnaps beings from across the galaxy, anyone he deems worthy to fight in his arena. He doesn't care what happens to us afterward. We're all expendable—easily replaced. Here, you either die fighting or survive long enough to die another day. This ship is called the Megacruiser. It broadcasts everything—our suffering, our battles—to the universe as entertainment. Outsiders call them games."
Zack: "You said it broadcasts everything. Has there been any escape attempt? And everything happening here that can't be legal. How can something like this even remain hidden? What about the Plumbers?"
Before I could speak more—Buzzzz—Buzzzz—Buzzzzz!
Red lights started to flicker through the hallway, accompanied by a loud, blaring alarm.
"What's happening…?"
The gates burst open with a hiss of steam. The visor enforcers rushed in, assembling in a straight line as a blue hologram blinked into existence. The tall, robed figure of Slix Vigma appeared, draped in crimson with multiple glowing green eyes.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed through the hall."Now, now that was a very unpleasant way to introduce yourself to the viewer watching ."
As he finished speaking, silence filled the room. All eyes turned toward us.
Then he continued, his tone shifting from amused to cruel."But I suppose that's all I can expect from filthy vermin like you. Still, I can be a bigger person—or robot, as I am the host and all, for that matter, I give you a chance to make up for your mistake."
His voice, once smooth and pleasant, grew sharp and emotionless—before suddenly twisting back into a cheerful tone."And to make sure you do make up for it and all of you can learn together, you'll all be participating in tonight's main event!"
The color drained from everyone's faces as soon as he finished speaking those words. No one spoke. No one dared move. It was as if we all shared the same thought—they had been given a death sentence.
"So prepare yourselves," Slix declared. "No one is coming to save you, you're not even worth their time if it wasn't for me, nobody would even look twice a you. You will live and die here according to my will, as that's all your worth to begin with."
At that moment, his many eyes focused directly on me."No matter how… interesting you may appear to be, and your best course is to tread lightly moving forward."
The hologram blinked out, but the enforcers stayed at attention. Within seconds, the room erupted into chaos. Everyone around scattered like headless chickens in different directions, panic filling the air. Then, from the metallic wall ahead, a massive countdown timer flickered to life—marking a tik tok sound as every second passed by until the death game began.
With nothing else to do but just standing there, I tried to gather information, but it turned out harder than I expected, and I was too unfocused to think of something new that would be helpful in my situation. After what had just happened, no one was willing to waste a single second talking. Everyone was too busy preparing for a way to survive.
Having no other option, I started looking for the bulb-eyed alien again, as he seemed to be the most talkative one here. Honestly, I didn't expect him to be much help—but right now, he was the only one who might even bother to speak to me at all. These damned entertainers… were already making things difficult then they should have been. I was a college student for crying out loud just some hours ago.
I found him near a corner and went straight to him and spoke ."Do you know anything about the upcoming event?" I asked.
A small spark flickered in his bulb-like eye before dimming."The only thing I know," he said quietly, "is that they'll explain the rules once we're inside the arena. If what happened earlier is any sign, the chances of surviving are slim. Even if you manage to live through today, you might not survive the next. Here… death may be the only way out so why not team up with me for this event?"
I stayed silent for a few moments. I already understood well enough by now how hopeless this situation was—but knowing it and accepting it were two very different things. For now, I had to focus on surviving today; no need to overthink things. I could think about the rest later.
Realizing the conversation was going nowhere and from the look of it, even partering up with him is a gamble, I changed the subject."How do these arena battles work? Anything about how they're run—or your experience since you've been here longer?"
He glanced at me, then spoke again."The arena operates on a point-based system, funded by the cowards watching the broadcast. After every match, viewers donate points. With those points, you can buy items from the Galactic Store—anything you might need, except food. That's the only thing provided by the ship's drones at fixed times. You need to understand this, human, since you're new. You'll have to earn the crowd's favor to buy even a beginner's toolkit or other things that are necessary for your survival. That also includes weapons used in, but that's for later—if you survive long enough. And even then, the viewer's rewards are limited. Only the top fighters get real points. The rest… mostly get nothing."
He paused—and then began laughing."Ha—hahaha!"I won't tell you about my experience. If you're so desperate to know—experience it yourself."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me alone again. I sank into my thoughts, as "what the hell, the ending was totally random," the countdown continued to tick.
Time passed. The timer hit zero.
The buzzer blared once more, and a red flash of light enveloped us. When the light faded, I found myself standing on solid metal ground—before a crowd of thousands of roaring spectators.
Above us, a massive blue hologram of Slix Vigma appeared, his voice booming through the arena."Greetings to all viewers present here—and to those watching this event live across the universe! Today, at this very moment—"
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That's it for today, chapter i know not a good spot to finish the chapter but the next chapter would be more action base and i am thinking of uploading 2 or 3 chapter on a week day moving forward
so do comment
give power stone if you can