[GRAND ARENA - DAY 2 OF COMBAT - 8:47 AM]
Alex had slept terribly.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Vance staring at him with that triumphant expression. Security cameras. Evidence. Reports.
But he hadn't received any disqualification notification overnight, which meant one of two things: either Vance was still compiling evidence, or the security footage had been... handled.
Alex suspected Viktor and the Circle had intervened. But he had no confirmation.
"You look terrible," Maya commented as Alex entered the waiting room. Her fox—Akari—was in house-cat-sized form, all nine tails now visible as it rested.
"Didn't sleep much."
"I can tell." Maya offered him a water bottle. "Drink. Hydrate. Your fight's in thirty minutes."
Alex took the water gratefully. "Who are you fighting?"
"Already finished." Maya smiled. "Second fight of the morning. Against Rebecca Wright, Bronze classification, ice hawk companion. Lasted six minutes."
"Who won?"
Maya looked at him as if he'd asked if water was wet. "Me, obviously. Akari barely needed to use four tails. Poor Rebecca was completely outclassed."
"Four tails?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "Thought you were hiding power."
"I am. Five tails still hidden." Maya leaned back. "But each round, I need to show a little more or people will start suspecting I'm fixing fights. It's a delicate balance."
Alex understood that intimately.
"Any advice for Jennifer Park?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah. The plant girl." Maya considered. "Her companion is a Poison Garden—basically a living network of poisonous vines she can control. C-Rank, level 26. Strong against most physical companions because the vines are hard to cut completely."
"And against undead?"
"Should be an advantage for you, theoretically. Undead are immune to poison. But..." Maya frowned. "Jennifer is smart. She'll use the vines to restrain instead of poison. And your skeleton, while fast, isn't exactly the strongest physical fighter. If it gets trapped..."
"Understood. Avoid getting trapped."
"Exactly." Maya stood. "I'm going to watch your fight from the box. Try not to die. I'm still looking forward to our eventual semifinal match."
She walked away, Akari following in reduced form.
Alex checked his equipment one last time:
[Inventory]
· Rank Concealment Ring (equipped)
· Soul Dominion Necklace (equipped, hidden)
· 2 health potions (used one yesterday)
· 2 mana potions
· [Aura Suppression] active (appears as level 18)
[Current Status]
· Level: 23 (actual)
· HP: 760/760
· MP: 410/410
· Souls: 251.3/1000
· Vitality: 44/50 (necklace slowly draining)
Grim stood a meter beside him, currently at his "medium" height. The red lights in his sockets glowed steadily.
Ready. When. You.
"Soon," Alex murmured.
The announcer called: "FIGHT FOURTEEN! ALEX CARTER VERSUS JENNIFER PARK! COMPETITORS, TO THE ARENA!"
---
[MAIN ARENA - ROUND 2 - 9:17 AM]
The crowd roared as Alex emerged from the tunnel. Louder than yesterday—apparently his "lucky" victory against Daniel Cross had won him some fans.
"And here comes Alex Carter! The Iron-ranked competitor who surprised everyone yesterday with that improbable victory! Can he repeat the trick today against a C-Rank opponent?"
From the opposite tunnel, Jennifer Park emerged.
Twenty-two years old, maybe. Green hair with floral strands woven through it—not dyed, but actually growing. She wore light leather armor with vine patterns carved into it. And her companion...
Her companion was the garden.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Green vines with purple thorns burst from the ground around her, twisting and intertwining, forming a semi-solid mass of vegetation that moved with its own will. At the center, a massive flower—maybe a meter and a half in diameter—with petals that glowed with toxins.
[Poison Garden]
Level: 26
HP: 1,800/1,800
Known skills: [Toxic Entangle], [Spore Shower], [Root Regeneration], [Lash Strangulation]
"Interesting matchup," the commentator said. "Undead versus plant. Carter's poison immunity should give him an advantage, but plants are notoriously difficult for physical attacks to kill!"
The referee—the same one from yesterday—stood between them.
"Competitors, ready?"
"Ready," Jennifer said confidently.
"Ready," Alex said.
"BEGIN!"
---
[ROUND 2: ALEX VS JENNIFER - ACT 1]
Jennifer wasted no time.
"Ivy, [Toxic Entangle]!"
The ground around Alex exploded with vines. Dozens of them, each as thick as his wrist, shooting upward like striking snakes.
"Grim, dodge!"
Alex used [Shadow Step], teleporting three meters to the left.
[MP: 390/410]
Grim leaped to the right, the vines missing him by inches.
But the vines didn't stop. They twisted in the air, pursuing, adapting. Three wrapped around Grim's left leg, squeezing.
[Grim HP: 380/400] (the thorns pierced but didn't poison—undead immunity working)
"Cut free!"
Grim spun his scythe, slicing the vines. But for every one he cut, two more grew to replace it.
"Trouble!" the commentator shouted. "The plants are regenerating faster than Carter can cut them!"
Jennifer smiled. "See the problem? You can't kill what constantly regenerates. Ivy, [Spore Shower]!"
The massive flower at the garden's center pulsed, then expelled a cloud of purple spores.
The cloud drifted toward Alex and Grim like fog, covering half the arena.
"Don't breathe!" Alex shouted, activating [Aura Suppression] more strongly to filter the air around him.
[MP: 370/410]
Grim didn't need to breathe—advantage of being a skeleton—but Alex did. He held his breath, backing away from the cloud's edge.
But the spores weren't just for poison. Where they landed on the ground, new vines grew. Small at first, but expanding rapidly.
In thirty seconds, half the arena was covered in vegetation.
The crowd began murmuring:
"Can Carter even win this?"
"His skeleton has no way to deal with that regeneration..."
Alex watched, analyzing.
The garden is expanding. But all that mass needs energy. It needs a core. The central flower—that's what's channeling Jennifer's MP.
"Grim, target the flower!"
Grim lunged forward, dodging vines, cutting through those he couldn't avoid, pushing toward the center.
"Oh no!" Jennifer laughed. "Ivy, [Lash Strangulation]!"
Three massive vines—each as thick as Alex's torso—rose like whips and crashed toward Grim from different angles.
Grim blocked one, ducked under the second—
The third hit him directly in the chest, sending him flying.
[Grim HP: 320/400]
"And Carter is in trouble!" the commentator shouted. "His skeleton is being overwhelmed by Jennifer's garden!"
Alex gritted his teeth. Time for creativity.
"Grim, Intermediate form!"
[Transformation: Latent → Intermediate]
[MP: 310/410]
Grim grew from one meter to a meter and a half. His armor solidified, his scythe expanded, the red lights in his sockets grew brighter.
[Grim - Intermediate Form]
Level: 50 (apparent, suppressed from actual 60)
HP: 320/650
The crowd reacted:
"Wait, he can transform!"
"That's not E-rank!"
But before the surprise could fully settle, Grim attacked.
Faster now. Stronger. He cut through the lash vines with three clean strikes, each slicing completely through the wrist-thick vegetation.
"I don't care about your form!" Jennifer shouted. "You still can't stop the regeneration! Ivy, maximum growth!"
The garden exploded outward. Vines filled every available inch of the arena, creating a three-dimensional maze of poisonous vegetation.
And at the center, the flower glowed intensely, channeling massive MP.
Alex made his decision.
"Change strategy! Don't target the garden—target her!"
Grim changed direction immediately, cutting through vines in a direct line toward Jennifer herself.
Jennifer blinked, not expecting this. "Ivy, protect me!"
Vines closed around her like a living shield.
But Alex had been setting up this play. He used [Shadow Step] again, teleporting directly behind Jennifer.
[MP: 290/410]
"Surprise!"
Jennifer spun, eyes widening—
Grim was already there, having followed Alex's movement. His scythe spun in a horizontal arc, not aimed at Jennifer (killing summoners was forbidden) but at the roots connecting Jennifer to her garden.
The poison garden wasn't completely independent. It needed a constant MP connection to Jennifer. And that connection flowed through root vines beneath her feet.
Grim's scythe cut through the ground, severing the roots.
SNAP.
The connection was cut.
Immediately, the garden began to wither. Without constant MP from Jennifer, it couldn't maintain its massive size. The vines retracted. The spores dissipated. The central flower wilted.
In ten seconds, the garden had shrunk to half its previous size.
"No!" Jennifer tried to reestablish connection, touching the ground, channeling MP—
But Grim stepped forward, positioning himself between her and the ground.
"Surrender," Alex said calmly. "Your garden can't recover without direct connection. And my companion won't let you touch the ground."
Jennifer looked between her withered garden, Grim blocking her, and Alex standing with arms crossed.
"This... this is cheating," she protested weakly.
"It's not cheating," the referee said. "Just tactics. Do you surrender or do we continue?"
Jennifer hesitated, then sighed. "I surrender."
"Victory to Alex Carter!"
The crowd exploded—this time with more genuine enthusiasm than surprise.
"Incredible! Carter identified the garden's weakness and exploited it directly! That's high-level tactical thinking!"
"Absolutely! And note that his skeleton has a transformation form—clearly not the ordinary E-rank we thought—"
"Though I still say it was a lot of luck. If Jennifer had anticipated that strategy..."
Alex let the commentators debate. He walked out of the arena, Grim following, now back to Latent form at one meter.
[Victory]
[EXP gained: +450]
[Souls: N/A - cannot harvest souls in tournament without killing]
Maya was waiting for him in the tunnel. "Well done. That was much cleaner than your first fight."
"Thanks."
"But Alex..." Maya lowered her voice. "You're showing more. The transformation, the tactical thinking, the use of [Shadow Step]. People are going to start asking questions."
"I know."
"Just... be careful. Every time you show more, the target on your back grows."
Alex nodded. She was right.
But he also needed to win. And winning meant showing enough power to defeat increasingly strong opponents.
It was a thin line he was walking. And he was starting to wobble.
---
[ROUND 3: 32 → 16 - SAME DAY, 3:47 PM]
The tournament moved fast. Rounds 2 and 3 were scheduled for the same day, giving competitors only a few hours between fights.
Alex had spent those hours resting, hydrating, and watching other fights:
· Marcus had demolished his Round 2 opponent in 23 seconds. His dragon didn't even use ultimate abilities—just basic [Solar Flare].
· Emily had won in 11 minutes against a golem summoner. Her unicorn used attrition tactics again. Effective but slow.
· Maya had advanced without surprise. Her Round 3 opponent surrendered after three minutes when Akari showed five tails simultaneously.
· The Reaper (Seraph) had won in 5 seconds. Literally five seconds. Her opponent had looked at her spectral scythe, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed. Medics confirmed he was physically unharmed—just... unconscious. Pure psychological trauma.
Now it was Alex's turn.
"ROUND 3! ALEX CARTER VERSUS THOMAS RIDER!"
---
[MAIN ARENA - ROUND 3 - 4:02 PM]
Thomas Rider was different from Alex's previous opponents.
Thirty-two years old. Veteran. Former military according to his profile. He wore full plate armor—real, heavy metal, not the ornamental light stuff most competitors used.
And his companion...
[Spectral Warhorse]
Name: Nightmare
Level: 28
HP: 2,200/2,200
Type: Undead/Spectral hybrid
The horse was simultaneously solid and incorporeal—its form flickering between physical and ghostly. Blue flames burned where its eyes should be. Its hooves left scorch marks on the ground.
"Interesting matchup," the commentator said. "Undead versus semi-undead! And both competitors have tactical experience!"
Thomas mounted his horse, lance in hand. "Carter. Heard you're smart. Good. I'd hate to crush a rookie. At least you'll make this interesting."
"I'll do my best," Alex said.
The referee raised his hand. "BEGIN!"
---
[ROUND 3: ALEX VS THOMAS - ACT 1]
Thomas charged immediately.
The horse crossed the 15-meter space in less than two seconds, hooves hammering, blue flames trailing.
"[Ghost Charge]!"
The horse became partially incorporeal, passing through Grim like mist—
Then solidified, Thomas's lance thrusting toward Alex's chest.
Alex barely had time to use [Shadow Step].
[MP: 370/410]
He appeared five meters to the left, heart pounding. Fast. Too fast.
"Good reflex!" Thomas shouted, already wheeling around for another charge. "But you can't dodge forever!"
He was right. [Shadow Step] had a 10-second cooldown. If Thomas timed his charges correctly...
"Grim, intercept!"
Grim—Intermediate form, a meter and a half—stepped between Alex and the next charge.
Thomas didn't hesitate. "Nightmare, [Burning Stomp]!"
The horse leaped, both front hooves igniting with blue flames, crashing down toward Grim—
Grim blocked with his scythe horizontally.
CRASH.
The impact sent Grim sliding backward three meters, leaving skid marks in the earth.
[Grim HP: 550/650]
"And the horse is incredibly strong!" the commentator shouted. "Carter needs a new plan!"
Alex thought quickly. The horse is fast and strong. Grim can block it but can't match pure speed. I need to...
His eyes swept the arena. And he noticed something.
Corpses. Well, not exactly corpses—remains. From earlier fights today, the cleanup crew had swept away most debris, but parts of defeated companions still lay scattered around the edges.
A hawk wing there. Serpent scales there. Bear armor pieces in the corner.
And the rules said...
"Use of arena remains: Permitted as long as they pose no health risk."
"Risky," Alex murmured. "But necessary."
He extended his hand toward the nearest remains—what was left of the previous opponent's earth bear.
[Reanimate - Activated x5]
[MP: 270/410]
[Cost: 20 MP per minor skeleton]
The remains glowed with pale green light. Then... they moved.
Bones crawled together. Cartilage reconnected. In ten seconds, five minor skeletons rose—fragmentary, unevenly assembled from multiple different companions, but functional.
[Minor Skeleton x5]
Level: 15 each
HP: 200 each
Duration: 30 minutes
The crowd reacted immediately:
"What... what IS that?"
"Is he RAISING THE DEAD?!"
"THAT'S NECROMANCY!"
The murmur grew, spreading through the stands like wildfire
