Later that day, Lila and Mark visited Arnold and they went for a workout. They praised him for his incredible performance in his debut match and urged him to keep up the good work.
Lila was having a cold mood all through, and on noticing it, Arnold understood that it was because of her loss.
It would have been a great opportunity if she had won.
"You shouldn't think too much, Lila. Trust me, there are better days ahead," Arnold tried to convince her.
"This is the third time I've lost a championship opportunity, I don't think I'm even worth being a Grindhouse wrestler," Lila spoke dubiously, a grim look appearing on her face.
"Tsk! You kept saying this sh*t!" Mark suddenly cut in.
Lila raised her brows in slight distaste. "Isn't it obvious? You were once a Tag Team Champion with KD Jakes, but I haven't even gotten a single championship match."
Mark couldn't help but remain silent after those words, however, this was when Arnold decided to speak.
"Maybe it wasn't your turn all these while. Who knows if you can just get a straight championship match someday and just win it? Anything can happen," Arnold forced a smile.
Lila blinked and stared at Arnold.
"You're not the first person saying this... I no longer hope for this same motivational speech," she shrugged.
Arnold knew that she wouldn't believe these words... If not for the Pro Wrestling System, he wouldn't have believed any word of motivation either. Hopefully, this lady had even managed to enter Grindhouse Wrestling, and it wasn't as if she was weak anyway.
To him, she was a wonderful star.
He believed that if they continued joining him in the workouts, she could actually improve her attributes like he had done. Although the system had a hand in his fast growth, he believed that they could improve even if it took a while, as long as they trained and practiced as long as he did.
As they were still in the gym, two young men walked in. Both are clad in simple gym attires and white towels on their shoulders.
Spotting them from afar, Arnold's eyes glinted.
'Ben and Karl. Well, shit!'
It wasn't as if he was afraid of them, he just didn't want to set his eyes on them anymore. However, as if like detecting wizards, Ben and Karl quickly noticed him at one of the corners and quickly approached him.
"Hey, Max. Where have you been? You couldn't even spare a second to see us," Ben complained.
"Guess what? We thought this payment agreement thing was going to be based on debut performance, but we were wrong. Hahaha!" Karl laughed.
Arnold furrowed his brows at them.
Mark and Karl were only watching speechlessly.
"Ben lost his debut match, yet he is still going to be paid $500 per week with an additional $900 if he becomes an Omega Champion!" Karl shouted delightedly.
"I, who won my debut match would paid $800 weekly, hehe. I guess this might just be determined by family backgrounds or something," Ben smiled confidently.
Hearing what his pathetic roommates were spilling out, Arnold couldn't help but chuckle.
"So, Max. How much is your weekly pay? $200? $150?" Karl asked.
"$50?" Ben cunningly teased.
"I'm paid $1600 weekly. And if you don't believe, go to Google," Arnold spoke casually.
"Whoa... Whoa. Why are you lying to such an extent? How can you earn $1600 weekly? It's not even possible!" Ben couldn't close his mouth, widening it in shock.
"You are a bloody liar, Max. Not even Axel Stone is paid up to that!" A glare suddenly appeared on Karl's face.
"I have said it before and I would say it again. I don't need you guys around me, we were just roommates at the university, and we are different characters here now. Please stay away," Arnold said angrily and left the gym.
Quickly, Lila and Mark followed suit, exchanging weird glances at Ben and Karl.
"We would always come for you, Max! We are watching and waiting for your downfall. You will never rise over us, this is a promise!" Ben shouted in anger seeing Arnold walk out on him.
His father was a billionaire with several successful companies, he never expected such disrespect from a Nobody.
"Hey, Ben. His downfall??? I have no plans to make him more miserable than he already is. Let's just forget about him and continue with our own lives," Karl said.
"No way! Max can be silently dangerous. Didn't you watch the triple threat match? He seemed to have visited a magician somewhere in Asia to give him some powers. I will make sure I destroy those powers myself anyway!" Ben frowned.
"So, what's your plan now?" Karl asked.
Ben hesitated for a moment and sighed.
"If he manages to win the Fatal Five-way Elimination Match, we will make sure we attack him from behind severally to probably send him to a injury leave before the championship match.
Or, if he manages to make it. We won't hesitate before interrupting the count when he delivers that terrifying Neckbuster slam."
Karl's face turned pale. "Huh??? Isn't that too much?"
"It's not even enough. Would you let that Nobody rise ahead of you in this show? C'mon wake up to reality, bro!"
Karl couldn't help but nod, his mind totally poisoned. Although he was the son of Arizona's Governor, he still had some fragments of sympathy in him.
Ben is the villain that plagues his mind.
******
"Why were you so mad at your roommates, Fury?" Mark asked as they walked down the field somewhere in Grindhouse Wrestling premises.
"Wasn't he supposed to be mad? They were trying to tease the sh*t outta him!" Lila shouted.
"Yeah I know, but... Do you guys have some issues back at the university?" Mark asked.
Arnold sighed and hesitated.
"We did. They were so selfish and unsupportive even though they were both from rich homes. I was poor and starving, but they never gave me a cent. I had to work on my own to feed myself and pay my fees."
Arnold explained.
It was after some moments of explanation that they came to understand what had happened between him and his former roommates. Especially Lila was angered, hearing what those sons of a bitch did.
However, they promised to be the best friends that Arnold would ever have. Arnold only tried to believe half-mindedly.
After securing some time to send $1000 to his mother, he took Mark and Karl to a bar outside the arena.
"All Bills on me."