Mico stood behind Colin, watching him rage, furiously punching the bag. For the first time, he saw the usually cheerful guy get really mad.
Colin's expression showed burning anger and revenge. It seemed he was upset about Robinson's decision to save Vernon in the match earlier.
"How long are you gonna stand there, huh?" Colin mocked without turning around.
Mico walked up to Colin. "Looks like you're really pissed that you didn't manage to kill Vernon."
"How's he doing?" Colin interrupted sarcastically, changing the subject. "Is he in a coma or dead already?"
"Are you worried about him?"
Colin spat with disgust. "Disgusting! Why would I care about that loser?! I don't care if he's in a coma or dead," he chuckled darkly.
"Why?"
"Because I made sure Vernon won't compete in the Vagon tournament in two days. He won't be waking up from that coma for months after I beat him," Colin grinned, satisfied.
"Too bad. That's not gonna happen."
"What do you mean?" Colin protested at Mico, who dared to ruin his happiness.
"Vernon's fine, he's already walking around freely."
Colin's eyes widened in shock. "No way!"
"I even think he pretended to lose so no one would die between you two. From the start, he never wanted to kill anyone in the ring."
BAM!
"You bastard!" Colin cursed. The hanging bag dropped as he punched it hard. "How dare you say I'm so weak that Vernon had to fake losing to avoid killing me!"
Mico's expression stayed calm even as Colin's anger exploded.
"But that's the truth," Mico said. "Vernon sacrificed himself so you wouldn't die, because he knew that if he raised his fists and fought you, you wouldn't get back up. He didn't want to destroy your dream of becoming a boxer."
Colin grabbed Mico's collar and glared at him. "Stop talking crap before I shut you up!"
"Why are you two fighting?"
Colin turned to the voice and immediately let go of Mico's collar roughly. "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to make sure you're okay," Oliver smiled wide. "By the way, why are you two fighting?"
"None of your business! Get out! I don't want to be disturbed!"
"But I've got important news for you, since you didn't show up when the Vagon BootCamp officials made the big announcement."
'Because I'm sick of seeing that bastard,' Colin cursed in his head.
"What's the big announcement?" Mico asked, curious. He didn't show up because he had run into Vernon earlier.
"Robinson canceled the Vagon Tournament that was supposed to be in two days. He pushed it back to six days."
Mico was a bit surprised. "Why so sudden?"
"I think he wants to give Vernon time to recover."
'He's such a bastard!' Colin clenched his fists tightly.
"Do you guys feel like something's off?" Oliver asked, looking seriously at Mico and Colin. His usual playful smile vanished.
"What do you mean?" Colin pretended not to know.
"It's rare for Robinson to care about his boxers. He only cares about winning, even if his fighters die trying. But with Vernon, it's different. He actually cares about him."
Mico stayed silent, not daring to give his opinion. But he didn't deny the fact.
"Who is Vernon, really? I'm getting more curious about him," Oliver smiled mysteriously. "What's his connection to Robinson?"
"Stop worrying about useless stuff. You two should focus on training for the Vagon tournament," Mico advised firmly. "If not, you'll be left behind."
"What do you think, Colin?" Oliver ignored Mico. "Aren't you curious about them too?" he grinned slyly.
"I don't care about him at all," Colin said as he walked toward the exit. "I only care about winning the Vagon tournament and becoming world champion."
Oliver secretly chuckled as he watched Colin walk away. 'You're such a hypocrite.'
***
Vernon entered his room and found his three roommates staring at him in shock.
"How are you already healed?!" Tian gasped, shocked.
"Impossible! You should be in a coma or dead!" Tony added.
"Could he be a ghost?!" Antonio exaggerated dramatically.
Vernon ignored them and lay down on his bed. He sighed in relief, feeling the softness of the mattress after a day of fighting.
"I thought you'd beat Colin, that arrogant and disgusting boxer, but you're so weak," Tian mocked.
Vernon didn't respond. He needed rest and time to clear his mind.
"Do you know what happened after you got taken to the hospital?" Antonio asked, trying to get a reaction from Vernon.
Vernon didn't answer, staying focused on sleeping.
"Robinson postponed the Vagon tournament to six days," Antonio added.
Vernon was surprised to hear that, but didn't turn toward them.
'That's good. I'll have more time to gather the System cards and win the match, so I can finally get out of this hell.' Vernon smirked.
"You don't seem interested in the Vagon tournament at all. So why are you here?" Antonio interrogated. "What do you want? Money? Recognition? Fame? Or to become world champion?"
Tian laughed mockingly. "Even if he becomes an Annihilator, he won't be able to beat the current world champion. Even Amos lost to him multiple times."
'A Boxing World champion? Who are they talking about?' Vernon mumbled. That statement stirred his curiosity.
"You're right. Even though Amos is strong, he's failed to take the world champion title from him."
"Recently, I've seen Amos training really hard. Maybe he wants to make up for his loss in the Black Death tournament two years ago."
"Who are you talking about?" Vernon sat up, looking at them curiously.
"You don't know the current boxing world champion? Are you even a boxer?" Tony scoffed.
"It's impossible that you don't know the boxing world champion," Tian pointed.
"You mean... Xander?" Vernon guessed, unsure.
"That's right."
Vernon's eyes widened. "What does becoming the boxing world champion and Annihilator have to do with Xander?"
"Didn't Mico explain anything to you?" Antonio scoffed.
Vernon shook his head.
"The Vagon tournament is held to find the strongest boxer who will earn the title of Annihilator, then the Annihilator will move on to the Black Death tournament to represent their BootCamp.
"If they make it to the final round, they will fight Xander. If they're lucky and beat him, Robinson will promote them to a professional boxer until they eventually become boxing world champion, replacing his son."
"But if they fail, they will remain the Annihilator at BootCamp until a new boxer defeats them. If no one can beat them, they will return to the Black Death Tournament two years later."
Vernon smirked without realizing it. His spirit suddenly ignited after learning that. He had been obsessed with fighting Xander, but the system forbade him back then.
But now, there was no reason for the system to stop him if he fought in the Black Death ring.
'I have to win the Vagon tournament!'