Their destination was an abandoned building. At least, that's what it looked like from the outside.
As soon as they set foot past a certain threshold, the building seemed to have gone back to its younger days. There was no garbage strewn around the front yard. The supporting pillars were relieved of their cracks. The walls were freshly painted, with no wrinkles of age. The only thing that remained unchanged was that it was deserted. Jered confirmed through his phone that they were indeed at the right place, "So... do we just go in, or do we have to wait for someone?"
Evelyn tapped her chin in thought, "I don't think you have enough reputation to have them prepare a grandiose welcoming ceremony for you..." she shrugged, "So, yeah, let's go in."
He laughed at that.
What did they have to lose anyway?
The front entrance was spell-locked. The mechanism was similar to the Lord's mansion, "You just need to feed it some mana," Evelyn reminded him, "It's just to make sure you're in fact a Magician."
He did so, and the door creaked open. Beyond it, a wooden staircase stretched down into some moldy darkness. A flickering light was above them, barely paving their way down. So far, he concluded that the outside looked way better than the inside.
"Oh, spooky. Looks like another expedition," Jered chuckled, his nose wrinkling as he caught a faint whiff of mana.
Evelyn smiled weakly, "Oh dear, I hope not."
Vozremeth didn't leave a good impression on them.
"I wouldn't mind it," he admitted.
With 'Soul Eater', he could take more baby steps towards the next tier.
"Of course you wouldn't," she rolled her eyes. The more she spent time with him, the more she realized how crazy he was, "And... I can't fight..."
It wasn't because she was scared.
Jered stared at her for a few seconds, "I wasn't expecting you to fight anyway. Certainly not after you expressed your abhorrence for this event. Don't worry. It will be quick."
She huffed out a sigh, "Thank you..."
He continued staring at her from the corner of his eyes. She was being weird again.
Eventually, they reached the base of the staircase. A bunch of 'Mana Orbs' floated around the arena. The place was not embellished to make it seem like a grand, once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. And nor were there any spectators eagerly waiting for the fight to start. There were not even seats for Evelyn. Two older men, who were casually talking to each other, finally noticed them. One of them frowned, while the second gave the newcomers a critical eye.
It was especially so when his gaze landed on Jered.
"Is this a joke?"
There was no intended disdain or mockery in his voice, only pure incredulity.
The first man leaned over and whispered something into the second man's ear.
"We're here for the match," Jered said calmly, "Isn't this the location for our fight?"
"Yes... but..." the second man drew his phone out and went over Jered's information, "You're Jered von Jacobs, right?"
"That would be correct, sir."
"And this is your first match?"
Jered nodded, growing rather impatient, "I didn't know I had to do a job interview before the match started. The website didn't mention something like this."
The man cleared his throat, "I apologize," he straightened his collar, "I'm Del, a supervisor for new entries' matches. I... I just wasn't expecting you to be an Elder Magician..."
"Shit..." the first man paled, taking a few tentative steps back, "What's the meaning of this, Del? You're not really expecting me to fight this monster, are you?"
Del was caught in a conundrum.
There was no rule stating that an Elder Magician couldn't be a 7th kyu fighter. After all, it was through fighting that they advanced to the next kyu.
"Well... I'm afraid you have to..."
Jered sympathized with the man. The poor soul was a Neophyte-Tier Magician, way too old for a fight. He either was a madman, or he urgently needed money, and thus was foolishly attempting his luck.
"Oh, hell no! I'm out of here! I surrender!"
The man gave Del the middle-finger, muttered something about rigged matches, and then stormed out.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Jered faced Del, "So... did I win?"
A resigned nod was his answer.
"How much did I win?"
"A hundred dollars," Del said robotically, handing him a thin stack of cash, "Congratulations."
"Just one hundred?" Jered frowned, "I'm going to be brutally honest. This is not nearly enough to wipe my ass with. I need more. Can you arrange my next match right away?"
"According to the rules—"
Jered grabbed him by the neck and flared his large mana pool. Del, who was an Adept-Tier Magician, was submerged under a thick layer of mana density. He almost choked, "It appears to me that my next few matches will turn out like this. They will run away. And what will I get for it? A hundred fucking dollars?"
"I-It's what 7th kyu Combat Magicians u-usually make at this stage," Del rasped out, begging Jered with his eyes, "P-Please. I have nothing to do with this."
Fortunately, Evely intervened and tugged Jered's sleeve pleadingly.
The hand on his neck unclenched, and Del flopped on the floor, coughing.
"I'm sorry..." Jered said, and if Del hadn't almost seen death, he would have believed him.
His words sounded so genuine.
"N-No harm done."
"Can't you do something about this situation, Del? I just need you to provide me with more opponents. It would be preferable if all the matches are shoehorned in a 24-hour schedule. I have places to be, but no money."
Del sighed, retreating towards the exit. He wasn't going to escape. He just needed to feel safe, "I'll see what I can do. I'm sure that if I ask the higher-ups, and considering your situation, they won't mind having you fighting multiple matches in one day. It would be unfair for you to be matched up with other new entries."
Jered didn't mind blitzing through his matches, but only if he'd get paid handsomely for it. A hundred dollars was barely enough for them to find a place to stay, plus food. Of course, Del didn't know of what they had gone through, or how urgently Jered wanted to go back home. With a sigh, he typed something on his phone. As if on cue, a chirp alerted Jered of an incoming notification.
"What is this... experience points?"
Del nodded reverently, "It's a fun game-based system to evaluate someone's rank. After you've accumulated a certain amount of experience points, you rank up. The higher you go, the harder it will get. Not that it will be a problem for you, for the time being. Don't be disappointed by the meager number you got. It was a given considering who your opponent was. An old man who didn't even reach the Adept Tier. Tch, it should have been a perfect match-up for a 'beginner' like you. Well, turns out you're an expert actually. Who would have thought?"
"Yeah... I'm special."
"I still can't believe you're an Elder Magician."
As much as Del struggled to come to terms with it, Jered's mana eclipsed his own. It spread around the arena, ready to crack or burn the ground.
Evelyn sympathized with him. She had seen the ridiculous things he did, after all. The Arcane Underground Combat was definitely going to get swept by the storm that was Jered. Her lips curled up into an amused smile. It would certainly be hilarious to see those arrogant fools get plummeted by someone centuries younger than them.
"So, what do we do now? We wait?" Jered asked with an impatient sigh.
"I'm afraid so," Del replied in a small voice, "But don't worry. We always have an excess of participants, so it won't take long before they assign an opponent to you."
He wasn't wrong, for not even ten minutes later, Jered's phone chirped with another notification. His next opponent had been chosen. And thanks to Del's lavish praise, the higher-ups were intrigued, and thus shortened the time of wait between one match and another. According to the information delivered to him, a certain 'Silas'—a quite well-known Magician in the lower ranks—had been selected as his opponent.
The man was stronger than what a new entry like Jered should face so soon, but it was understandable. Jered wanted to bend the rules, and they were curious to know if he was worth it.
"This is as far as I can go for you, Jered," Del said, relieved to have smoothed out the situation, "Silas should be here soon. He's actually quite good, but I doubt he'll give you any trouble."
"How much will I get after I win?
It seemed like that was all this monstrously talented young man thought about.
Del chuckled weakly, "Silas is a 6th kyu fighter, so I'd say around 400? Oh, also... I've been asked to record the fight. It will go live on the website. Since you've agreed to the terms and conditions, you have no choice but to accept."
"Hah, that's fine. I don't mind," Jered rolled his eyes, not really caring about becoming an internet sensation for killing people, "I just need the money."
"..."
Evelyn giggled at Del's expression. The supervisor was probably in that circle not for the money, but because he was a fan.
There were many people like that in Ashy Petals, so she wasn't surprised.
Their conversation ended there. Del spent the rest of his time typing away at someone, and if the goofy chuckles were anything to go by, it must have been a woman. Evelyn was lost in her thoughts, yet again. Jered would occasionally see her twisting her face into a concerned frown, a silly smile, and an emotionless mask. Just as he was about to get bored, the creaking of the main door opening rang out like the trumpets from heaven. A thumping of steps followed before the shadow of a man enlarged within their vision.
"Oh, there he is," Del commented, standing up.
Silas took the last step down and waltzed into the arena, his gait confident. He was quite tall, broad-shouldered, with an athlete's physique. Not something you'd expect from a Magician. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with dark hair, hazel eyes, a straight nose, and an overall good-looking appearance, "Hello everyone..."
"..."
"..."
Evelyn puffed up her cheeks as she strangled back a laugh, while Del struggled to keep his face as professional as he could. And for good reason too, Jered thought.
Silas' voice was too unbefitting of his looks. It was too... childish. It reminded Jered of Jasmine's whiny, pouty voice when she was ten years old. Of course, the man didn't seem surprised by the reactions. He was either used to it, or he didn't notice. Whichever it was, it didn't matter.
"Ahem," Del cleared his throat, and with a practiced smile, walked over to Silas, "I'm Del, the match's supervisor. As you're already well-aware, this match will be recorded and streamed live. Your opponent is young Jered, a newcomer. Don't underestimate him though. Despite being so young, he's already an accomplished Elder Magician."
A spark of surprise scrunched Silas' face, "Are you sure there wasn't an error during the match-making?"
"Not at all. Jered is a7th kyu fighter. Technically, you'd be too strong for him. I know what you're thinking, this is indeed a loophole in the system. But no one expected a teenager to reach the Elder Tier."
As if to confirm his doubts, Silas probed Jered's mana with his own. Even though it was a harmless, snooping ripple of mana, the man almost stopped breathing under the vast, thick, and vile river that was Jered's. He was a brave, smart man, but he would never bet on himself against someone of a higher tier. It would be pure suicide, therefore he voiced it out, "I can't do this, Del. I can't win this, and you know it."
Del felt bad for Silas, but it was his job, "You can't back down now. You're not a newbie, you have a contract with them. They want to watch this, and you have to fight."
"..."
Silas sighed and slipped out of his jacket. As a Magician, it didn't matter what he wore. It was more to mentally prepare himself.
"Alright!" Del would usually use a tripod for live streams, but since he didn't have it at hand, he'd film everything himself. He stepped back, as far from the arena as he could, so he could capture every single detail, "Are you guys ready?"
'No!' Silas thought, but he forced a nod. Jered nodded too.
"Awesome! 3...2...1..." Del clicked the live streaming button on the website, "Fight!"