I fell to my knees, the air leaving my lungs as Snap's fist kept its pressure on my gut.
"Go to sleep, you turd. This is no place for a kid like you," Snap whispered to me, then struck me again.
What little air I had left vanished, and I collapsed sideways.
For a moment, my vision blurred as I took large gasps to recover my breath.
"Now then..." Snap brushed his hair to the side and turned around. "Why don't we start a real fight?"
One of the old men I had talked with carried me outside the ring and brought me to a more secluded spot.
"That didn't go as planned, right, kid?" the old man asked as he sat me on the ground and laughed.
"No... it didn't," I managed to breathe out, my fists gripping my stomach.
"Now, kid. Why did you come here? Especially when you aren't at a level to compete with other fighters?"
"I've bee—"
"You've been ordered to fight here. You told me before embarrassing yourself. But who sent you here?"
I didn't know how much secrecy Zagressa expected me to maintain, but I figured I should keep my mouth shut about the specifics.
"Messed up, and I came here as punishment. Can't say who I messed up with, though."
I looked at the old, fat man with a smirk. If he was in this shady place, that meant he understood that some people had their secrets.
"Don't tell me you stuck your nose in dangerous people's affairs, kid," the old man said with a worried look as he sat next to me, his beer mug never leaving his hand.
"Nothing that dangerous, but certainly as secretive as those guys."
We spent a few seconds there, just staring at the underground fighting arena.
The spectators cheered on the fights happening all around—the fighters defending their zones like predators, ensuring their hunting area remained theirs.
"For a beginner, you lasted a lot longer than most against Snap," the old man said, taking a long sip of his drink.
Despite all the fighting I'd done in the past, to them, I was nothing more than a beginner.
I couldn't blame them for thinking that. I had only ever fought using daggers and magic—always with weapons, never my own body.
Come to think of it, Cecil was the same as me. He relied on his sword and magical technique so much that being forced to fight hand-to-hand was probably as difficult for him as it was for me.
Cecil struggling? What am I thinking? He's not like me! He'll adapt quickly and gain a territory in no time.
I could only sigh in defeat, once again the weakest person in the place.
"Say, old man. Was I really that bad at fighting him?" I asked the one who had watched my fight and helped me recover after my loss.
"You have potential, kid, I'll give you that. But Snap is just better than you."
So, not telling me anything useful?
"Then, do you have someone else I could fight?" Looks like I'd have to climb my way up.
"Do you wanna just beat Snap, or make a name for yourself in the arena?" the old man asked with a grin as he scanned the surroundings.
Just beat Snap. But if I told him that, I'd lose my chance to grow—Zagressa didn't seem like the type to help me otherwise.
"I want to win against everyone who stands in my way." I wasn't lying. I wanted to become stronger so I could not only survive, but thrive against the challenges to come.
The old man slapped his thigh and laughed, spilling a bit of his drink due to the rough movement. "That's what I wanted to hear!" he said, still laughing.
He stood up and took a long sip from his mug. Once he stopped drinking, his beard stained with beer, he extended his hand to me.
"Pesculo," he said, giving me his name. "I'll make sure to train you up and turn you into a true champion."
I looked at his sweaty hand for a moment. I shook my head and smiled before grabbing it.
"Alen," I replied as he helped me stand up. "Glad I could find someone who wants to teach me here."
"Now then," Pesculo said, crossing his arms. Although he was thinking, his expression stayed locked in a big grin.
"I couldn't catch much of your fighting style since Snap defeated you so quickly. But from your stance and footwork, I can tell—you two are similar. Both rely on speed to fight," he said, inspecting me from head to toe.
"I generally do like to fight like that, but it's a disadvantage when my opponent fights the same way and is also stronger."
In mirror matches, skill and luck decide the outcome. But calling myself and Snap a mirror match is unfair… to Snap, I mean—unfair to him for being compared to me.
"You're basically a discount Snap," Pesculo said casually, in a way that somehow felt more hurtful than I expected.
"Yep… I knew that."
"Why don't we start with someone a bit easier? Follow me, kid."
He gestured for me to follow.
We reached a spot not far from Snap's territory—just a couple of zones away.
In this particular area, a small group of no more than six people stood gathered around a shirtless guy.
The guy was clearly expecting someone to enter his ring and challenge him, but no one was stepping up.
"That guy's Little Bear," Pesculo said, introducing what I assumed would be my next opponent. "He hits hard, but he's neither fast nor durable. That's all you need from me. Now go—fight and win, kid."
I sighed and entered the squiggly drawn ring.
"Little Bear, right? I'm here to challenge you," I said in a determined tone.
"Oh, finally! Thank you so much!" Little Bear looked genuinely happy that someone had finally challenged him.
"I hope we both enjoy this fight and can learn from our duel to grow as individuals," he said, bowing before adopting a fighting stance.
I returned his bow with one of my own. Above all, I would always respect those who respected me.
"Good luck in this fight, Little Bear," I said as I took my stance.
Little Bear approached slowly, one step at a time.
The only thing I knew about him was that I was probably faster. I used that knowledge to my advantage and closed the distance.
Once we were close, I launched the first attack.
A swing with my right arm hit his raised guard. His guard flew aside with the force of my swing.
I followed up immediately and struck his right side with ease.
He tried to recover his stance, but I struck again before he could react.
But what Little Bear lacked—maybe because of his weaknesses—he had learned to expect. He was used to people exploiting his soft spots.
A punch to the ribs? That was nothing new to him.
He grabbed my arm, locking it down and pulling me into close range.
"You're predictable, kid," Little Bear muttered before headbutting me square in the forehead.
My whole world spun. If it weren't for him holding my arm, I would've collapsed the moment our heads connected.
"Come back once you've learned more. Then, I'll wait for you to challenge me again. Let's see how we both grow after this encounter."
"I... I haven't lost just yet..." I managed to say.
While my movement was compromised, thanks to him grabbing my arm, I could still fight in a close-range endurance battle.
I remembered the calf kicks Snap used on me—and I used them here.
They weren't as powerful, but I could tell Little Bear felt them.
Not giving him time to recover, I swung my free arm into his face.
I landed a solid hit. Little Bear stumbled backward, releasing my arm.
"Sorry, Little Bear, but I don't plan on giving up tonight," I said, my senses realigning as the world stopped spinning.
"Then I shall return your enthusiasm with my own will to win—and make a name for myself."
Little Bear got ready. He took a big step toward me, perfectly closing the distance.
I readied myself too. I wanted to backstep the moment I saw him winding up a punch—but nothing will change if I keep doing that, right?
Backstepping would just create a stalemate. He starts, I react. He starts again, I react again. A cycle that would only tire us both out.
While that might seem like a good idea—and under different circumstances, I'd definitely go for it—right now, I need to start an offensive of my own.
I'm assuming I'm working under a time limit here. So wasting energy by stalling matches isn't the approach I can afford to take.
Instead of backing away, I closed the distance.
Now, with our bodies so close, that punch Little Bear was winding up will come from an awkward angle. It'll either lose most of its power if he commits to it, or be completely negated if he switches tactics.