Chun walked onto the sandy floor of the arena to the cheers of the crowd. He still felt vitalized by Kanta and Julia’s efforts. Though he knew he would need more than 3 extra points in his stats to win against Sariah. Speaking of the woman, his gaze fell upon her as she too entered the arena.
She donned the same armor she had against the sponsor of the Laughing Mask Gang. Her shield still had several scratches on it from taking the blows of the swordsman in her prior match.
As they closed the distance and stood just just over 10 feet from each other, Chun now noticed how tall the woman was. She was over 6 feet for sure, likely around 6’5 maybe. Her form was very athletic from the little he could see beneath her armor. The metal plates mostly only covered her breast, arms, and shins. Beneath the metal plates was a layer of thin chainmail. Beneath that however seemed to be nothing. Chun could see the faintest hue of the woman’s peach-colored skin beneath the chainmail.
A flicker of knowledge from his past life told him that people generally wore padded tunics beneath chainmail for extra protection. For a moment he wondered about the woman’s lack of such clothing, but his thoughts were knocked aside when the woman spoke.
“You’re shorter than I expected.” Sariah stated. “I’m surprised so much ferocity is stuck in such a small package.”
Chun’s eyes met the woman’s. But that's when he noticed something he hadn’t before from the spectator room. The pupils of her eyes were slitted like a cat. And her teeth were oddly sharp. She wasn’t human, but rather a Beast-Kin. Now that he noticed that, he did begin to hear the faintest hint of a growl at the back of her throat as she spoke.
“I came here to fight for money. But I may take a few extra rewards.” Her eyes scanned over the man’s form. “When I win, and manage to not kill you, would you enter my service? Such a strong man so early in their adventure is a prize to be held close. Agree now and you can surrender yourself to me without injury.”
A few seconds of silence (other than the roars of the crowd) passed amongst the two before Chun answered, his skin turning red.
Awakened Bloodwrath Activated
Effect: +5 to Strength and Speed.
“When I win, you will enter my service.” He stated. In all honesty, he’d forgotten this was a part of society- as per a modifier his past life had placed on this world. The victor could take in the loser as an indentured servant of sorts. He didn’t know the true extent of what was socially aloud, but given the world he’d made for himself, likely far more than he would first think. Though that does mean he could become a servant if he lost a fight to the wrong person. Regardless, he agreed to Sariah’s terms for one simple reason: an extra set of hands would be very helpful while he juggled work and alchemy. He would need someone to get supplies for him. While Kanta could at times, he would rather have an extra set of hands that didn’t have strings attached.
Sariah herself grinned, partially in amusement. “Fine then little warrior. If I win, you become mine. If you win, I'm yours.”
Chun would have replied, but any attempt to do so was drowned out by the announcer.
“Who’s ready for tonight’s final show?! Our final fight is between the sponsor of the Rose Treasury Pavillion, a staggeringly powerful warrior of only the First Martial Stage who has proven himself a formidable foe, and the martial artist from another land, Sariah Alkin! Place your bets and hold your seats! Let the fight commence!”
While he spoke, Chun had drawn and condensed his internal energy around himself.
Iron Body Art Used: -5 Internal Energy
Iron Body Art Effect: +10 Durability, +5 Strength
As soon as the fight commenced he pulled more of his energy into his forearm and lunged forward, using the only weaponless technique he knew.
Iron Rush Technique used: -1 Internal Energy
Despite his enhanced speed from his Bloodwrath ability, Sariah still had enough time to block the blow with her shield as Chun slammed his arm into her.
The large woman was still sent sliding backwards across the sand from the nineteen strength’s-worth of force striking her.
Chun ran forwards and slammed his fist into the woman’s shield again before quickly turning and sending a kick to her thigh. Despite his strength, she didn’t falter despite the blow.
Sariah pulled back her shield and slammed its edge towards Chun’s face. Luckily, she was just slow enough for Chun to duck below the attack and land a jab at her side.
A kick to the stomach sent Chun flying back. He rolled as he hit the ground to quickly toss himself to his feet. He looked up just in time to leap away as Sariah came crashing down where he had been standing.
'Did she just try to squash me like a bug?’ Chun thought to himself as internal energy coiled around his arm. He dashed forwards again and used Iron Rush.
Iron Rush Technique used: -1 Internal Energy
Like before, Sariah moved her shield to block the strike. Rather than strike it head-on, however, Chun pivoted his arm and swung the technique upwards, hooking his forearm against the bottom of the shield.
Sariah’s shield- and by extension- her arm- were tossed upwards by the force of the technique.
Before Sariah could recover, Chun placed his palm against the woman’s abdomen as ripples of heat around his hand. The next moment a stream of flames erupted from his hands.
Sariah growled in a mix of annoyance and pain before swinging her shield down again.
Chun stepped back to dodge the blow, however Sariah changed the direction of her attack as he stepped away from it and slammed the flat of the shield into his face with far more force than Chun was expecting.
Damage Sustained: 4
The martial artist nearly did a full flip as he was propelled backwards. He fell onto his stomach and slid along the sand for several feet.
As he got to his feet he saw Sariah stomping towards him. Her face was contorted into a snarl. Her breastplate and part of the chainmail over her stomach were steaming from the fire that had been cast upon it. Chun had hoped to heat her armor more before she retaliated, but it had clearly hurt her.
“Don't think those flames are going to put me down, boy.” She shouted before dashing forward again.
For the next several dozen seconds Chun kept his distance from the woman, spewing flames from his palms when he could. He was certainly faster then Sariah in her armor, but not by much, even with his various buffs. Then again, he was still only within the First Martial Stage, Sariah was in the sixth.
Even martial artists considered prodigious in their art would struggle at such a feat, at least to Chun’s knowledge. The gaps between the Martial Stages aren't an insurmountable obstacle to surpass, even to average martial artists, depending on the specific set of skills of the martial artists and the resources they'd used to get to their current power. Though bypassing five entire Martial Stages was no easy feat.
Chun could feel his internal energy beginning to dwindle. With how much flames he's manifested through the fight, even his vast well of internal energy had taken a hit. Though, part of it was due to his low Martial Stage and- in system terms- his Internal Energy Control. Despite the various modifiers his past life had given him, greater knowledge of how to efficiently control his Internal Energy was not among them. Then again, he was a Prodigy. And an Awakened Hybrid. And knew several advanced arts far beyond what he should.
And he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.
Chun lowered his arms and quickly backed away as the swinging shield nearly struck him in the face. At the same time, he finally tested out a personal modifier he’d been wanting to try.
Trade-Off used: -5 Durability, +5 Speed.
Cooldown: 5 minutes
It worked exactly like he’d expected it to. He could trade out some stat points for others when he needed to. Though he wasn't expecting the ability to have a cooldown. He hoped it wouldn't be an issue.
As the modifier took effect, Chun noticed his senses sharpen slightly. His body became lighter, but he could also feel it become frailer. He was still far beyond the durability of a normal human, but if he took a good blow from Sariah, he was sure it would hurt a helluva lot more than when he’d been struck in the face. But that was what the extra speed was for.
Chun called forth his stat screen in his mind’s eye and took a glance at his Internal Energy reserve.
Internal Energy: 8/25
He mumbled a curse under his breath. He’d used more of it than he’d thought. He made a mental note to try to find ways to increase his Internal Energy Control stat after the tournament. Better yet, he made another note to increase his Martial Stage.
Focusing back on the fight, Chun dashed forward with more speed than he had before.
Sariah raised her shield to block an expected attack. However, Chun simply stepped around the woman.
He channeled a small portion of his internal energy into his fingers, not even a full point-worth, and formed the energy into blades along his index and middle finger, like a small knife.
The blade of energy wouldn't be enough to harm the woman through her armor, but Chun wasn't aiming for that. His arm shot out towards the woman's side as she raised her arm to strike where she had last seen him. In a blur he swiped his energy blade across two of the leather straps that kept the breastplate on the woman.
Sariah turned and swung her shield towards Chun after seeing he had moved, but the man had already retreated from her range. The movement made the breastplate over the woman's chest fall now that a side of its bindings had been undone.
Sariah looked down, her face turning red in a mix of embarrassment and anger. With her breastplate gone, the only thing over her skin were the rings of chainmail. Though they did little to hide her peach-colored skin and pink areola that could barely be seen beneath.
“You should invest in a bra.” Chun couldn't help but comment as he dashed forward.
This time, he aimed to step around the woman and undo the straps on her leg armor. The first step of his plan succeeded, he was able to swiftly maneuver around the woman, the issue came when he reached out to cut the straps.
Sariah spun around faster than Chun expected and swept down the side of her shield at the man.
Sand was kicked up as her shield skimmed along the ground.
Chun was temporarily blinded as sand flew in his eye, only for the shield to strike him in the chest with immense force.
Damage Sustained: 10
Chun felt the Iron Body Art shudder from the force of the blow. He even could see several hairline cracks running through the barrier that hovered barely a centimeter above his skin.
He quickly jumped to his feet as his momentum ceased. As he looked to meet Sariah’s gaze, he saw something different about her body.
Her internal energy coursed through her muscles with more intensity than it had throughout the fight. Despite her having less raw energy than Chun, it was far more concentrated than his own.
Chun’s prodigal mind went to work immediately, analyzing the flow of the energy within the woman’s body in an attempt to copy whatever technique she was using. However, it was for naught. Though he did file the technique away to attempt to replicate it within the safety of his own home.
“You think exposing me like this will grant you victory? You are bold, I'll give you that. But I still have a few techniques of my own to make use of.” Sariah shouted, the growl in the back of her voice more prominent than it had previously been. “You will submit to me.”
With that, she shot forward, now fully on the offensive.
Chun didn't know exactly what the technique she was using did, but it seemed to give her an all-around physical boost. Her speed had certainly improved at least. As he began fleeing from her advance and dodging a few strikes when she got close, he could tell they were nearly equally matched in speed. She was likely much stronger than him in this state, and roughly just as durable. Then again, he hadn’t landed any truly solid attacks on her the whole fight.
Chun stepped back from one attack that saw the edge of Sariah’s shield fire towards his chest. He was out of range of the attack, but noticed that Sariah still had her arm outstretched.
Then he heard a faint click. That's when he noticed two things. The first was that the arm Sariah’s shield rested on was not her true arm. It was prosthetic. He couldn't tell the exact material, but it looked like some form of polished wood. Several intricate pieces were attached in such a way that let Sariah have full movement of the prosthetic as if it were a true arm. It seemed just as advanced as what Chun’s past life knew existed in his one world, if not possibly more so as he noticed a small port open below the wrist, leading to the unmistakable barrel of a gun.
Chun’s eyes widened for a moment before the bang echoed across the arena. He had tried to dodge to the side after seeing the barrel, but hardly moved more than an inch.
Chun had expected the projectile of the barrel to be similar to a musket ball, a ball of iron. Instead, it was several small metal shards that looked like mini arrowheads. They spread out like shotgun pellets, striking all over Chun’s torso from his collarbone to his stomach. Not to mention the half-dozen bullets that lodged themselves in his chest.
A second after the shot went off, Sariah stepped forward and slammed her shield into the side of Chun’s head, sending the martial artist toppling onto his side. She finished things off by kicking him in the stomach, sending him across the arena.
Damage Sustained: 30
Chun groaned as pain wracked his body. He was surprised he was alive. With his medical knowledge, he knew that his left lung had been punctured as well as part of his large intestine. Along with several deep lacerations and broken bones across his ribcage.
He called upon his status in his mind’s eye to see how truly close to death he was.
Vitality: 6/50
‘Shit.’ Was all he could think. Despite his 'overwhelming vitality’ modifier, that single combo had taken over half his entire vitality.
To make things worse, two notifications echoed in his mind.
Orgasm Bonus time has elapsed.
Trade-Off cooldown elapsed.
Surprisingly, Chun’s Iron Body Art was still active, though it seemed thinner. He swore the entire front half had shattered when he’d been shot. It seemed to have recovered his body and healed itself using whatever remnants of internal energy the art had left.
“I went a bit rougher than I'd wanted there, boy,” Sariah said as she walked forward. “I should have killed you just then. But your survival is even more proof of how good a mate you will be.”
Chun gritted his teeth as he stood up. His entire top half protested any movement. “Mate? That's what you wanted? Not servatude?” He asked, but he didn't really expect an answer. Nor did he care much.
Sariah, however, raised a brow. “Is that not the point of these ‘victor’s offerings’ I've been hearing about? Where the loser must serve the victor.”
Chun sighed, his body hurt too much to argue with the woman. Instead, his mind whirled with how he could actually win. With Sariah’s technique active, she was just as fast as him and far stronger. For now at least. Chun looked at his status in his mind’s eye.
Name: Chun Hyang
Age: 24
Vitality: 6/50
Internal Energy: 8/25
External Energy: 0/0
Martial Stage: 1
Martial Tier: 1
Physical Attributes:
Strength: 6 (35%) [11]
Speed: 8 (33%) [18]
Endurance: 8 (33%)
Durability: 7 (12%) [12]
Mystical Attributes:
Mental Strength: 7
Internal Energy Control: 3
External Energy Control: 1
Social Attributes:
Appearance: 4 (7)
Charisma: 2
Presence: 1
He swore under his breath and made one last adjustment to his stats using ‘Trade-Off’. Be it due to his beginner level of strategy, or his own possibly horrible idea, he decided on one last Hail Mary. He would use every last bit of his internal energy to beat Sariah into the dirt- or would it be sand? His speed was good as it was, and there were some stats he didn't need at the moment, and others he desperately needed. He also decided to ditch his durability for now; as it was, one good blow would kill him, and increasing his durability wouldn't mean anything if it would just lead to him getting hit more.
Trade-Off used: -6 Mental Strength, -6 Endurance, -6 Durability, -1 Charisma, +5 Speed, +7 Strength, +7 Internal Energy Control
Cooldown: 10 minutes
He questioned in the back of his mind why the cooldown had increased, but he had more important issues to deal with.
He held out his arm as his Internal Energy coiled around his forearm. Before, the coil of energy formed into something similar to an arm guard. Now, however, it was like the head of a great hammer had attached itself to his arm with no extra weight.
He dashed towards his opponent, using Iron Rush. He didn't do any fancy movements, simply running straight ahead and swinging with all the power he had.
Sariah’s eyes widened as the shield she held up to block the attack dented inward and her arm was tossed up from the force. She began to retaliate when the second attack came, the exact same technique he had just used, this time aimed at her stomach. The woman slid back and clutched where she'd been struck. Her chainmail shattered from the blow, leaving her muscled stomach exposed.
Then the third came, this one to her face. She stumbled backwards and raised her shield just as the fourth attack came to knock her shield aside. Then the fifth struck her chest. Once again her armor shattered, and she was forced back. The sixth met her attempt at a counterattack, but her shield was cast aside again. The seventh hit her in the stomach again, now forcing her back to the wall.
As the eighth and final attack rushed towards her face, she didn't think of her defeat. Nor the deal she'd made with what she thought was a small but incredibly talented boy. She saw something in his focused expression that made every fiber of her being shiver with excitement.
She saw the soul of a great beast who would do anything to achieve victory. She saw a warrior. She saw strength.
Chun’s arm slammed into her face, embedding the woman's head into the concrete wall of the arena. Any normal person would have gotten their head crushed from the blow, but Sariah was abnormally durable even for her Martial Stage. But she still succumbed to unconsciousness as Chun backed away from his opponent.
His breath was ragged and his body somehow felt pain and numbness at the same time. He looked up near the ceiling where he was sure Kanta was watching. He’d nearly died for that woman, and he'd make sure she compensated him handsomely for it.