The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 394: Competition: Warrior Mode (1)

Chapter 394: Competition: Warrior Mode (1)

The cheers and boos filled the air. The buildings dangling around the main branch seemed to sway to the shouts coming out of them.

"It’s quite lively," Hex said, feeling the hype building up inside him. "It seems everyone is already battling it out. Where are we going?"

The emphasis was on the warrior’s mode. Everyone was free to battle according to their own timetable, provided opponents were available. One couldn’t fight on without an opponent. As such, Sterling and Ella decided to plan around the other modes, which did have a fixed schedule.

"To the city below," Sterling replied. Gronke and Quid were also part of their team. The other people had gone to their respective assignments.

"Why not here?" Hex didn’t have a preference. It was genuine curiosity. The place on the main branch seemed to be livier and from what he gathered, most people had chosen the arenas here to demonstrate their might.

"To create a hype," Sterling replied with a knowing smile on his lips. He ushered them into a descending ladder they had to hold tight onto.

"Why are you guys so eager to create a hype?" Hex shouted above the howling wind. The merchants’ strange obsession with having a hype, confused him. "And how does that relate to the city below? Can’t we hype things above?"

Sterling didn’t reply immediately. Only when they reached the ground and entered the city, did he explain.

"Don’t underestimate the hype factor. Have you heard the representative’s speech? They wish to earn as much from this event. Guess what the main source of income is for such events?"

"Spectators," Hex said at once. There was no doubt about it.

"Exactly," Sterling nodded. "And will they pay to see someone with no name? No, of course not. So, the first round is actually to get your name out there. To build a certain brand around you. In all the possible modes. If you participate with different identities, each of them should be hyped too."

Hex agreed. It made sense. The more money he earned for the matches, the better the points, and the better the rewards. Sterling even proposed finding sponsors, willing to contribute to his growth.

As he put it, at the higher levels, the stakes would be immense. The sponsors could earn their earnings back and then some more. But all that would be based on the performance during the first round.

"I hear you, but why here...and why here?" Hex still didn’t understand why they had to arrange their matches in the city below and not up on the main branch. There were far more people up there. And even less than that, he couldn’t understand why they had chosen a rundown arena to start their battles. Although, it sounded less empty than he had believed after seeing it.

"There are more people on the upper side, indeed," Sterling nodded. "But there are more warriors too. And not everyone can go up to spectate. After all, the city here needs to keep functioning. So, we will divide here and conquer each of these local arenas. Plus, have you not paid attention? You could easily cover the Dryad and Druid mode down here. There is no need to lose a lot of time traveling."

...

Hex stood in the middle of a rundown arena, listening to the cheers of the thousand or so spectators. The place wasn’t even a third of the size of the arenas above in the branches, but almost all the seats were filled. It was midday when his match was announced.

His first opponent was a local fighter. His build was huge and appeared to be in his middle ages.

"...with an in-house streak of thirty-four wins, Harold Hovelsmith!"

The crowd loved Harold a lot, it seemed. They chanted his name. This was the last match before they would break for lunch. How Sterling managed to book the local champion as his opponent, Hex didn’t know.

His opponent was strong. For a Refined Knight. The completed circle on the back of his hand flickered with light. Hex could also sense the dense amount of energy filled in his opponent.

"I hope you don’t mind if we end this quickly," Harold said with a smile when they stood opposite each other. "I have one of those high-profile fighters for this evening. The people here deserve a good match."

Hex shrugged. Seeing his nonchalance, a few people in the crowd booed. His attitude seemed unprofessional in their eyes, which in turn painted Hex as an amateur in their eyes.

Once everything was prepared, and the judges were present, the referee took center stage to announce the start of the match.

"Start!"

As soon as the referee signaled to start, Harold set off, amidst the even-louder cheering crowd. A thick layer of Earth element wrapped around him, forming a thick armor by the time he reached Hex.

In Harold’s praise, his application and control over the Earth element was beyond what an average warrior could accomplish. Like a towering behemoth, he appeared before Hex, ready to smash into the stage. Simple but hard to survive.

In contrast to Harold, Hex hadn’t done anything. He had remained in one spot. And without applying anything. The crowd, those interested in analyzing his abilities, shook their heads in disappointment. This would be over before they could learn anything about the young man.

Hex didn’t feel anything as he watched the punch descent. He simply clenched his fist and lunged forward. Nothing fancy. A simple punch. With all his physical strength concentrated in it.

The onlookers smiled at the foolishness.

Bam!

Hex sensed his punch hit the stomach of his opponent as his opponent’s fish touched his hair. The element fragmented like glass under the impact of a hammer. A fraction of a millimeter more, and the opponent’s fist would slam into his head. Only, the punch never connected.

Harold didn’t register the hit. Not immediately. He felt the air being pressed out of his body before everything turned into a blur. The next thing he knew, he slammed into the wall.

"Argh." Blood splattered out his mouth. He didn’t know what happened. He couldn’t think straight. The pain finally caught up. He felt like he had been hit by a flying mountain. His innards squirmed and screamed.

The cheers subsided. No one, not even Harold’s haters could process what had happened. The old arena stood silent, with only the old wooden window doors creaking in the wind.

"Thanks for the high-profile opponent in the afternoon."

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