"At least I pleaded so you could have a prideful death. It's better to die in battle and be eaten than just be killed without having a chance to prove yourself, hehe," the man chuckled in delight. He had a huge debt to pay to Michael, and Damon, who was a nobody, was the perfect person to cover that debt.
"Oh, look at my manners. I didn't introduce myself. I am called Weasel. Nice to meet you," Weasel smiled, as he slowly backed off from Damon's line of sight.
Damon was enraged but collected himself. Then, a shuttle-like door opened behind him, which he had thought was a wall. The next minute, he fell backward, stumbling into the grounds of the large crater.
The shrill cry and excitement of the crowd rattled Damon's eardrums, their enthusiasm not for an entertaining match, but for whatever spoils or parts were left behind.
The fight scenes were just a little spice to amuse themselves.
Damon stood up, looking around. His attention fell on Michael, who sat like a king with a smug smile on his face.
"What do you want from me?" Damon asked. Everything was becoming frustrating. The reason he hadn't decided to escape yet was because of the Curseweaver Weasel had mentioned. They could pose a threat.
"What do I want? Well, that question should have been obvious. I want great entertainment, of course," Michael replied, eagerness laced in his voice.
For some reason, Damon felt an eerie aura surrounding Michael, which was the same as always did Kenny. However, his was more intense and wild, which could explain his nature.
An aura for a Curseweaver signified their behaviors and mannerisms. It could tell one's personality, emotions, and sometimes strength. Though not mostly accurate, because one could just suppress their true power and the ability would be useless.
"Well then, let's begin, shall we? The Weasel told me you're quite a catch, the praises for you defeating multiple infected rats. I need to see for myself." Like a gentleman, Michael clapped twice and in response, Brooks dropped down into the crater.
"Show me what you got 'princess,'" Brooks slammed his fists, a gesture to intimidate Damon.
'Looks like there are a number of three Curseweavers here,' Damon pondered. The Curseweavers he located were Brooks, Michael, and an individual that stood quietly beside him, shrouded in a thick black cloak while leaving a mysterious presence.
Ding!!
❰Quest❱
〘Defeat your first Curseweaver without the use of VE〙
〘Reward: instant Level up〙
〘Reward: + 3Sp〙
'Oh, the quest requires me to fight without void energy. I guess that's understandable since a human using void energy is abnormal. I could practically be labeled as a void creature.'
"Come taste big daddy's fist, pretty boy," Brooks taunted as he threw out his fist, trying to take out Damon with just brutal force. Proving his true status as a muscle head.
The attack was fast, yet for Damon, it was quite slow. For some reason, Brooks' movement felt lazy in his eyes.
'Seems I have gotten stronger than before,' Damon thought. With light movement, the fist met nothing but air.
Brooks, seeing the first strike effortlessly avoided, sent barrels of punches like a madman. Each punch was powerful and precise, distorting the air.
Damon, with a calm and solemn expression, avoided them as they accelerated with each strike, becoming a blur.
The audience had their faces in "AH" upon their speculation, as they indulged themselves in the thrilling entertainment.
❰Status❱
〘Name: Brooks Helen〙
〘Race: Human (Curseweaver)〙
〘Ability: Body enhancement (Beginner level)〙
〘Danger level: 30%〙
〘Weakness: light on the feet〙
'I guess the system could also project humans' status too. The enhancement for an ability could explain why he's this beefy,' Damon thought, stepping back from a fist that slammed onto the earth, shattering it. 'Danger level, 30%, it seems to be quite low, which means he's weaker than me. And then there was his weakness.'
Actually, Damon was quite surprised by how detailed the system was in one's status. It even went as far as to reveal their weaknesses, which just proved how big of a cheat it was.
'I could pretty much end this match instantly. However, it's not every day one has to pummel one of the heroes of humanity. Might as well have fun doing it,' Damon smirked.
The people of the Eastern area were monsters. They fed on human flesh to have a healthy diet; showing them remorse was an understatement.
Suddenly, Damon stopped avoiding and gave a sharp kick to Brooks' side, which sent him a few steps back.
"What the—" Brooks exclaimed. "How was that kick this strong?"
When Damon had been avoiding his punches, Brooks wasn't worried, thinking Damon's stamina would run out eventually. He had been told by Michael that there was a possibility his opponent might be a Curseweaver, but in his head, he thought his opponent might just have a useless ability and be weaker than him.
Nonetheless, receiving that kick instantly made him doubt his mindset. Any harder and his ribs might have broken. The muscular fiber stood no chance in front of it.
"You!! Now you made me mad," Brooks shouted, powering up with blue energy that shrouded his body like a cloak.
"Brooks!! Brooks!! Brooks!!" The crowd chanted, knowing what was coming.
The blue energy dispatched from his skin like mist, fluctuating the atmosphere in a deep rhythm before completely halting in their tracks. Then suddenly, they all dived back into Brooks' body at an alarming rate.
Ding!!
❰Opponent undergoing a state called Fury mode. The state that brings out the true might of a Curseweaver.❱
"I see."
Brooks' body suddenly started to undergo tremendous changes. His muscles tightened and became twice their former size, veins bulged out begging to be free. His rod-like attire ripped off due to his size increasing until he reached 8ft, double his former size.
'I think this match might have become a tad difficult,' Damon thought, still unfazed.
He had trained to show no fear even in the direst situations. It was a kind of survival tactic to show his adversary that he was undaunted by their actions. Even though they posed a great threat to his life, that way they might become careless, and that would be his advantage.
〘Danger level : 50%〙
'F*ck!!'
**