Micah only stepped back so far that he was just out of range of Tineya's kick. That much was within Tineya's expectations. However, since Micah had dodged two of her attacks in a row, and she had a fourth lined up after her kick, she was prepared for Micah to continue evading, even after stepping back from her front kick.
However, Micah didn't just step back. He grabbed Tineya's ankle before she had time to put down her leg. His quick hands revealed an amount of strength that shocked Tineya as they locked around her ankle.
Micah quickly tugged on Tineya's leg to make her lose her balance before sweeping her other leg with his foot. Micah hit the leg and twisted her using his grip so that she fell and pinned one arm beneath her.
Then, before she could wrestle herself free or try to drag Micah down using the vice-like grip he had on her leg, Micah stepped forward and put a foot on Tineya's neck.
Micah locked gazes with Tineya. And when she stopped struggling, he removed his foot and backed away.
"Do you get it?"
"No."
Tineya groaned in frustration as she sat up and looked at Micah with a bitter expression as she rubbed her neck.
"You're obviously better than me at brute force, right?"
"Yeah."
"But I still beat you."
"But that's because you used tricks! It's not fair!"
"Know what that means?"
Tineya was still pouting and didn't answer. Not that she needed to since it was written plainly on her face that she didn't know what Micah meant.
"I'm better at tricks than you are better than me in brute strength."
That finally made Tineya show some understanding.
"So by winning regardless of the circumstances, you mean winning using any means necessary?"
Micah turned around and looked at Art after his question.
"Not quite, but close enough."
Micah looked at Tineya.
"You should think about how to beat someone like me, who's better at 'tricks' and against someone whose physically stronger than you if you want to improve."
"Okay."
Tineya had looked a little sullen after her second defeat against Micah. But she seemed to have gotten back her motivation after his instructions.
Tineya was deep in thought as she stood up to walk out of the Cube and return to her duties. Art wasn't much different. The one the least confused by Micha's words was Rego, who, after receiving Micah's nod, returned to the door to continue collecting pol.
There wasn't much left of the day, but it wasn't over yet, which meant that the underlings were still out and about to collect protection fees from the residents. Until everyone was done or the day was over, Rego, Art, and Tineya still had work to do.
When the three executives were gone, Micah clenched and unclenched his hands in order to assess and try to work away the injury that Tineya had inflicted on them. It wasn't that bad, but it was visible if looked at closely, so Micah had intentionally kept them out of view from his subordinates.
After using a bronze coin to restore his hands to their original state, Micah continued adding various details to the Cube until he had done as much as he could with his limited experience and knowledge regarding the interior design of fighting arenas. And since there was some time before it was time to get the show on the road and a little bit of pol left over, Micah decided to absorb that pol while waiting.
There was no real reason behind why Micah absorbed a little pol at a time. He just wanted to do it in case he accumulated enough to unlock his second page. However, nothing happened, even after he had absorbed the coins. Micah gradually began to think that his ability wasn't as strong as he had thought after he realized that he would gain something with each page.
Granted, much of the pol he absorbed went to the strengthening of his body, which was good. But it felt like his ability had already absorbed more pol than it had required for the first page. However, that could be because Baldas helped him awaken his ability.
Micah flipped through the red holographic book a couple of times as he thought about his ability and its future. But it was like Baldas and Rego had told him and like Micah had begun realizing after less than two days in Hell. Pol was everything.
Even if he didn't wish to unlock more pages of his Negotiation Tactic Handbook, Micah would still need pol in order to complete his job as the Hell Restoration Project Manager. And he would need a lot of it.
But before he could think about finishing his job as the Hell Restoration Project Manager, Micah first had to complete his First Task and also start accumulating a wealth of pol. Thankfully, his first step toward his goal was already nearing the completion of its initial phase.
During the time Micah spent arranging the finishing touches on the Cube, absorbing pol, and thinking about his ability, the day neared its end, and it was time for the night to begin. Or at least that's what Rego told him since he couldn't yet differentiate between day and night in Hell.
People started gathering outside the Cube before Tineya and Art could even return. And when they did, they had three people behind them with sullen faces.
"Bossman! Three guys failed to complete the daily quota. How do we decide which one's the challenger?"
Micah temporarily ignored Rego's confusion as he answered with a smile on his face.
"Looks like we have three challengers, then."
"Umm, boss…?"
Since Micah had allowed Rego to voice his curiosity before, Rego bravely spoke up, albeit with a little caution.
"Yeah?"
"How did they fail? Shouldn't they have enough coins even if they don't take any from the residents?"
"Who's left if the residents don't have anything left?"
"Oh!"
Shortly after Tiney and Art arrived, so did Bruder, Ernest, and Dennis. And then, a little while after that, Bunt showed up in the red changing room with the champion.