"Nathan! Nathan! Nathan!"
The chant thundered through the arena, slipping past the concrete walls of the locker room. The roar of twenty thousand people shook the entire building.
Nathan Cross sat silently on the wooden bench, his elbows resting on his knees as his coach wrapped the final strip of tape around his wrist.
"Are you ready?" the coach spoke in a trembling voice. He was even more anxious than Nathan.
Nathan twisted his fists a few times and looked at the coach. "I was born ready!"
"Good! Let's go!"
Nathan followed the coach with his head down the whole time. His eyes lacked any warmth, just like an animal about to kill its prey.
When they exited the tunnel, the whole crowd shook in excitement. "Nathan! Nathan! Kill him!"
Nathan only raised his fist high, but that gesture made the fans even more excited.
When he arrived in front of the ring, he was stopped and had his body and gloves checked.
Just as Nathan was about to head into the ring, the person in front of him slipped a note into his hand and walked away.
His gaze followed the figure, then looked at the note in his hand. When he read what was on it, his body froze for a second.
"Lose the game or lose your life!"
Nathan only looked at it for a few seconds, then threw it away without a second thought.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the main event of the evening!"
"Tonight, two of the best fighters in the world will step into the cage for the undisputed world championship!"
The announcer paused, then looked in the opposite direction of Nathan. "In the red corner, with 20 wins and 2 losses, stands the Beast!"
He then looked at Nathan and shouted loudly. "In the blue corner! The undefeated warrior! With 15 wins and zero losses! The one and only! The monster! The killer! The Red-Eyed Orc!"
Nathan jumped a few times, then entered the ring. He came face to face with his opponent.
While the Beast was staring menacingly at him, trying to intimidate him, Nathan's eyes never flinched. He was just like water, calm before the storm.
"This must be a fair fight, you got it?! One! Two! Three! Go!"
The moment the bell rang, a punch flew so fast that the Beast didn't have time to register what happened.
"Thud!"
Nathan twisted his shoulder and looked at the furious man in front of him. Blood was running down his nose, and only fury could be seen in those eyes.
"I will kill you!"
The moment the man punched, Nathan ducked down. Just as the man prepared to give him a knee, Nathan changed his target and gave him a direct uppercut.
"WOW! Just a few seconds into the match and the Orc is already dominating!"
The Beast took a few steps back. The punch made him see stars. His legs wobbled around. If MMA couldn't work out, he could become a dancer.
Just as the Beast thought that Nathan was an honorable opponent and was waiting for him to recover, a flying knee was planted directly into his face.
"Thud!"
A heavy silence remained in the audience for a second, then a wave of crazy cheers followed.
"Nathan! Nathan! Orc! Orc!"
On that day, a new champion was born, one who could shake the world of martial arts. If only life were that easy…
Just as Nathan was walking down the alley, someone suddenly pulled a gun on him. When he glanced back, he saw another one.
"Who are you?"
A strange sense of calm washed over him. After all the work and sacrifice, he had finally achieved his dream. But in the face of death, he only felt emptiness.
"You made your choice! Now you have to die!"
"Bang!"
Darkness swallowed his vision. He felt like his body was floating, and he had only one thought in his mind.
'If only I could have a second chance!'
Even at night, the city of San Francisco was beaming with life. Only some parts were less fortunate than others and more dangerous.
In a district filled with poverty and homelessness, a little shelter made out of cardboard stood still despite the pouring rain.
A star flashed in the sky as a new soul entered this world.
"Cough! Am I dead?" Nathan struggled to open his eyes and looked around.
The moment he saw his surroundings, his pupils shrank. He immediately checked his body. When he touched his stomach, he frowned in pain.
Lifting his run-down shirt, he saw a badly stitched-up wound. Then his body froze. Even his clothes were unfamiliar, along with the new wound.
"What happened to me?!"
Ding!
Just as he was about to have a meltdown, he felt his phone vibrating. When he grabbed it, he felt relieved to see that it was still his phone.
But when he saw the message on it, his expression froze.
[Mission Received.]
[Survive the night.]