novelraw Chapter 27 : First Battle in the Underground Arena
Chapter 27 : First Battle in the Underground Arena
27: First Battle in the Underground Arena
When she left after choosing a weapon, Yuyin had to endure the beast-like gazes and vulgar remarks of those gruff fighters once more, but she paid them no mind, leaving without a backward glance.
On the way home, Yuyin received a WeChat message from the manager, saying the match had been scheduled for ten o'clock tomorrow night. This was followed by a series of templated notices about the Underground Fighting Arena, repeatedly reminding Yuyin to be careful. However, the manager added that once a match was scheduled, it could not be canceled; if she did back out, she would have to compensate them by doing other things as they required.
"Back out?" Yuyin had never considered it.
That night, Yuyin took thirty yuan from her remaining money and bought a mask on a certain online shopping platform, arranging for delivery from a seller in a neighboring province before seven o'clock tomorrow evening.
After that, it was her routine practice and cultivation, preparing for tomorrow night's match.
On Sunday afternoon, the mask was delivered as promised. Opening it, she saw the quality was quite good; it was an antique-style golden mask of the King of Lanling.
In this world, participating in an underground fighting match was not illegal, but considering she was the Student Council President and also Xia Youxue's daughter, it was best not to reveal her identity.
In the evening, after her shower, Yuyin stood before her wardrobe in a set of black lace lingerie, starting to worry about what to wear.
What clothes should she wear for the match?
Most of the underground fighters were bare-chested, wearing studded leather and belts. As a girl, she couldn't possibly wear something like that, not that she had any anyway.
But clothes that were too ladylike would be bad for fighting.
After much deliberation, Yuyin finally chose a white skirt suit. She fastened a black belt around her waist, put on black stockings, and tied a white ribbon in her hair. A look in the mirror revealed a style that was both dignified and sharp.
Yuyin put on sunglasses, picked up a black handbag, and headed out.
She went directly to the second floor, where a young punk with a red mohawk was waiting for her in the hallway.
"Miss Xia? You're even more beautiful than the manager said," the punk said, smarmily eyeing Yuyin.
"Where's Xiao Liu?"
"Her? She quit. Third Brother... ah no, the Manager told me to replace her. Come with me."
"..."
So be it, Yuyin thought. That kind of simple, honest girl wasn't suited for this place anyway.
The young punk led Yuyin to a pre-match lounge in the basement, which also served as a changing room.
"You're getting special treatment, Miss Xia. A changing room all to yourself, and all because you're a girl, heh heh heh. You can rest and prepare in here. I'll come get you when the match is about to start. If you need anything, just give me a shout."
As he spoke, the punk let his eyes linger on Yuyin for a moment before swaggering out, shaking his head.
There was still more than an hour until the match. Yuyin sat down, closed her eyes, and entered a state of quiet cultivation. It was her first match, and she was naturally a little nervous, which would be detrimental to her performance. She had to adjust her state of mind, starting with the rhythm of her breathing...
An hour passed...
"Miss Xia, it's time for you to go on," the punk yelled, pushing the door open.
Yuyin almost shot up immediately, but she suppressed her agitated breathing, calmly waited a moment, and then opened her eyes.
In that instant, the glint in her eyes startled even the young punk, who was accustomed to the ways of the underworld.
Yuyin put on her mask, stood up, and followed the punk through the dim underground corridor. Pushing open the door to the fighters' entrance, she stepped into the fighting arena.
Roar!
A shout shook the entire arena. Lights flashed, and a sea of heads craned to see, countless mobile phones nearby and far away filming her.
Yuyin felt her mind go blank; all she could see was the path leading to the fighting stage.
Guided by a few enforcers, she stepped onto the fighting stage.
On the other side of the not-so-large stage, her opponent also appeared amidst the roar of the crowd: a massive Black man over two meters tall.
Yuyin began to feel that the surrounding shouts and gazes were somewhat strange. It was clear that in this fight, the focus of the crowd's attention wasn't on whether the combat would be exciting.
Mostly, they were just there for the novelty and spectacle.
Although Yuyin's face couldn't be seen, the mask itself was aesthetically pleasing. For such a tall, sexy woman who made the bikini-clad ring girls seem superfluous, to actually engage in a real, weapon-based fight with that giant Black man? Most people found it unbelievable.
"Next up is the match you've all been waiting for: an ordinary person challenges a professional fighter," the announcer shouted into the microphone. "The mysterious woman from Lingdu, versus: Lewis, the Black fighter standing two meters oh-seven and weighing one hundred and nine kilograms!"
A frenzy of excited cheers rose from the stands.
Lewis, meanwhile, was leaning against the edge of the stage, looking quite relaxed. He glanced at Yuyin in the opposite corner with disdain mixed with a hint of provocation, from time to time striking various poses to show off for the crowd.
"I say, do I really have to fight this lady?" Lewis asked with a strange expression. "Honestly, I don't have the heart for it."
"Well... our fighter Lewis says he doesn't have the heart for it. What about you folks?" the announcer said.
A wave of laughter and whistles came from the stands.
"Fighter Lewis, since our opponent is just a female fan who admires the fighting world, a professional like you should of course know how to win the match gracefully, while also not hurting our mysterious lady, right?" the announcer said.
"Heh, of course," Lewis said, his eyes fixed on Yuyin's chest as he spread his thick, powerful arms.
At this moment, two assistants brought Yuyin's and Lewis's weapons onto the stage.
Yuyin's was, of course, that black, fine steel longsword, gleaming with a cold light.
Lewis's, on the other hand, was a giant battle-axe over two meters long. Its head was broad and heavy; one could tell at a glance that no ordinary person could wield it.
When Lewis picked up the giant axe, the entire stage seemed to shrink a little.
"Alright everyone, place your bets now!" the announcer shouted. "Take out your apps and bet immediately. Today's odds are still displayed on the big screen!"
The screens on the ceiling and on all four sides of the arena displayed the betting situation for both fighters.
Of course, when an ordinary person challenged a professional, the bet was rarely on victory or defeat, but on how long the ordinary person could last.
Today's bet was whether Yuyin could last one minute against Lewis.
And when Yuyin saw the current odds, they were completely one-sided.
"Alright, we have eight hundred thousand Spirit Marbles betting that she can't, and only a paltry over forty thousand betting that she can," the announcer said, looking at Yuyin with an exaggerated expression of pity.
A wave of boos swept through the entire arena.
This underground fighting wasn't just about venting and stimulation; betting with Spirit Marbles was its fundamental reason for existence. It was just that Yuyin didn't yet know what use Spirit Marbles had.
The announcer urged everyone on again and again, inciting them to place their bets.
"The match is about to start, betting closes soon, closing soon! The odds might be low, but this is a safe investment! We're giving away Spirit Marbles! Place your bets, bet now..."
"3, 2, 1, the match begins, bets are closed!"
Amidst the cacophony, a metal net slowly rose, enclosing Yuyin and Lewis in a space of several square meters.
The match timer started.
No one cared about victory or defeat. Those who had bet only cared how many seconds Lewis would take to finish Yuyin. Those who hadn't just wanted to see if Lewis would take the chance to rip her clothes and humiliate her. Of course, many were also worried that Yuyin would get hurt. How could such a beautiful, slender girl possibly withstand that giant's great axe?
Second by second, the time passed, but Lewis was in no rush at all. It seemed he was deliberately toying with the nerves of the bettors as he held the long-handled axe in one hand, casually strolling around his side of the stage, occasionally shaking his head or making a gesture of helplessness.
"Ah, beautiful Eastern girl, your big Black brother here wanted to play with you a little longer, but if I drag this out any more, they're going to accuse me of throwing the match." Lewis approached Yuyin like a walking mountain, spreading his hands and sticking out his tongue at her in a show of great remorse.
The look in his eyes was simply unbelievable.
Yuyin, from the very beginning, had only taken two steps forward from her corner of the stage. She stood motionless on her side, coldly watching her opponent, still as a maiden, her black longsword held diagonally at her side.
Soon, a minute was almost up.
Lewis, once again, made a gesture that resembled a tribal prayer from his part of the world, but the posture was filled with disrespect and vulgarity.
"Alright, girl, I'm sorry."
Suddenly, a fierce glint appeared in Lewis's eyes. His massive frame, with the unique agility of a Black man, shifted his stance in a shuffle as primitive as a dance. The powerful muscles all over his body instantly tensed, becoming incredibly hard. His thick, long arms raised the giant battle-axe in a smooth, coordinated motion. The explosive power innate to Black people was unleashed; so fast that most spectators couldn't even react before the heavy axe had already fallen.
Whoosh!
Clang!
Yuyin's longsword swung in a black arc, sparks flying. Lewis's great axe was knocked back, and his entire massive body stumbled backward uncontrollably, his vital parts left completely exposed.
Shing!
Yuyin stepped forward and thrust her sword straight, the long, heavy iron blade piercing Lewis in the heart. Lewis's feet left the ground, his heavy body curling as he fell backward.
Thump...
He slammed against the wire mesh, bounced back, and collapsed to the ground, motionless.
At this moment, the match timer froze at fifty-nine seconds.
The entire arena fell into a dead silence.