The morning air was crisp as Eratz stood outside the grand arena, its towering structure looming over him.
Today was the big day, the day of his first official match as a professional Beast Master.
The arena, the one he had passed during his selection process, was now where he was supposed to register for his first match.
His chest was beating faster as he stared up at the enormous building. It felt almost like a dream.
He took a deep breath and walked toward the service entrance behind the arena.
The entrance was nothing fancy, just a small door tucked away in the shadows of the massive structure, although, as he stepped inside, it was like entering a different world.
The buzz of excitement and energy surrounded him, and the sound of footsteps echoed off the polished floors.
The hallway was lined with doors leading to various rooms, and the scent of disinfectant and polished metal filled the air.
It was like a stadium's locker room, the kind athletes would pass through before stepping onto the field, except this time, the athletes were Beast Masters, and the field was a battleground where monsters clashed.
He approached the first checkpoint where a staff member stood behind a small desk. With a nod, he presented his Beast Master card, a simple, rectangular card with his name and registration number.
The staff member gave it a quick glance and motioned for him to proceed.
Inside, the interior opened up into a wide space, and Eratz's eyes widened as he took it all in.
It was a massive sport zone, bustling with activity. Beast Masters of all ages and ranks moved around, some in deep conversation while others checked their equipment or were sitting nervously.
The sound of monsters growling, roaring, and chirping echoed through the air. Large, hovering screens displayed ongoing matches in other arenas, and vendors sold snacks, drinks, and merchandise in a small corner.
To his left, he spotted another staff zone, where Beast Masters registered for their matches. He approached the counter, where a middle-aged woman in a sharp uniform looked up from her monitor.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"I'd like to register for my match," Eratz said, holding out his card.
The woman scanned the card and nodded.
"You're scheduled for a match at 10:30 AM," she confirmed. "Level 1, single match."
Eratz paused, glancing at the time on a large clock above the entrance, it was only 8:30 AM.
"Excuse me, I'm new with this system. Why 10:30 AM? Also is it possible to participate in more than one match today?"
The woman raised an eyebrow, slightly amused.
"The slots are booked until 10 am, so you can't battle before. At Level 1, you're only allowed one match every ten hours, and the arena closes at 9 PM, so at most, you could squeeze in two matches per day."
Eratz took a little time to consider this.
"Hm... Okay, then I'd like to register for a match at 6 PM too."
The woman typed quickly into the system and nodded.
"You're all set. Two matches for today, 10:30 AM and 8:30 PM. Good luck."
With that, Eratz moved away from the counter, making his way to the stands. The arena was filled with spectators, though it wasn't packed.
He found a spot with a good view of the battlefield and settled in, watching as the early matches began.
The variety of matches was incredible, some were high-intensity battles between powerful beasts, while others were more strategic, offering a prism of tactics and creativity.
As time passed, Eratz's focus shifted from the matches to the buzzing excitement in the arena.
He was lost in thought, wondering about his own upcoming battles, when a familiar voice called out.
"Eratz!"
He turned to see Ryder, Zara, and Adrian approaching. Ryder's eyes sparkled with, and Zara flashed her usual warm smile. Adrian, as usual, had a more reserved expression, though there was a glint of annoyance in his gaze.
"You already registered for your match?" Ryder asked, grinning.
Eratz nodded.
"Yeah, I'm set for 10:30 AM and another match at 8:30 PM."
Ryder blinked in surprise.
"Two matches? Is that allowed? Didn't you say it was only one per day?"
He looked at Adrian who crossed his arms, smirking.
"It is recommended for beginners to do one per day, but since your friend want to play the big guy, I guess he's going to learn the hard way. There's a difference between a selection and a real match."
Eratz shrugged off Adrian's comment.
"The last time I heard that I beat everyone once I touched them. I'm praying to learn the hard way."
Adrian groaned, but Zara chuckled to his face.
"You're wasting your time, Eratz isn't your average beginner. Victoria asked us to come here together specially for that... Speaking of which, she should be with Mercury here soon. She's got a match coming up."
"Mercury's here?" Adrian asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Yeah," Zara nodded. "Victoria wanted us all to participate today for the first day together... Well, the best of the agency. After today, you'll spread out for your own schedules."
As the matches succeeded, Zara explained the professional Beast Master system.
"Each battle gives points, depending on whether you win or lose. At Level 1, a win gives 10 points, and a loss gives 2 points. These points serve for the power ranking and are necessary to participate to some tournaments and especially for agencies. They need to meet certain quotas to keep running. Our agency's quota used to be 250 points per week, but it's been raised to 500 recently."
"That's a lot of points," Ryder mused.
"Exactly. Mercury's been carrying the agency almost by herself," Zara added, glancing at the entrance to the challengers' area. "She fights in multiple arenas every day. She registers at different locations and does about 13 battles a day, sometimes more."
Eratz's interest blew up.
"Thirteen matches a day? How is that even possible? I thought the maximum was two."
"It's allowed because each arena has its own match cap," Zara explained. "She fights in different arenas and times her matches perfectly. It's pretty incredible actually."
Adrian, a little bitter, chimed in.
"I'm participating too, you know. I'm doing my part."
Zara smirked, nudging Eratz.
"Adrian's good, but he does maybe four matches a day… once in a while."
Adrian rolled his eyes but didn't argue. After their chat the previous day, Eratz couldn't help but feel a growing respect for Mercury.
Carrying the agency's weight alone, she was stronger than he had imagined.
The air inside the arena crackled with anticipation as Mercury's name was announced over the loudspeakers.
A wave of cheers erupted from the stands, her reputation preceding her.
Eratz and the others watched as she made her way to the battlefield, her expression cold and focused, her eyes set straight ahead, as if nothing and no one could distract her from the task at hand.
The crowd's roaring seemed distant to her, like white noise that she barely registered.
Mercury had one goal today, like every other day, and her eyes never left the battlefield.
Face to her, her opponent strutted onto the arena floor, clearly enjoying the spotlight.
He was a teenager, maybe a couple of years younger than Mercury, with a smug grin plastered on his face. He wore a flashy outfit, bright greens and yellows.
He waved to the crowd, soaking in their cheers.
"I'm honored to face the water prodigy," he called out with a mocking tone, his grin widening. "But today, I'm afraid you're going to be surprised."
Mercury's eyes remained icy, her face expressionless. She didn't even acknowledge his words.
There was no witty banter, no reaction to his taunts, only a sharp focus in her gaze.
Her opponent frowned slightly, but his confidence didn't waver. With a dramatic move, he summoned his beast, a massive, thorny creature that emerged from the ground with a rumble.
The ground beneath it cracked and split as the beast rose, its body covered in thick, twisting vines, sharp as blades. Its head resembled that of a horned lizard, with glowing red eyes peeking through the mass of brambles and leaves.
The crowd gasped at the size of the creature, it was a Verdant Drakkon, popular for its powerful resilience against water-based creatures.
"Perfect," the teenager muttered with a smirk. "Let's see you try your little water tricks against this."
The Verdant Drakkon let out a low, rumbling growl, the vines around its body tightening and snapping as it prepared for battle.
The air was thick with tension, the kind that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
Eratz, watching from the stands, could feel it, the heavy weight of expectation from everyone, this was a match at the top level.
Mercury however didn't even blink.
With a smooth motion, she summoned her own beast, a magnificent creature that shimmered like liquid silver as it materialized.
It was slender, sleek, and elegant, its body flowing with the rhythm of the waves. Its scales shimmered in shades of blue and silver, and long, ribbon-like fins extended from its back, giving it an almost ethereal appearance.
This was the Aqua Seraph, one of the most beautiful and rare beasts known in the circuit.
Its eyes, a deep, luminous blue, locked onto the Verdant Drakkon with calm.
Mercury remained still, her hand barely moving as she commanded the Aqua Seraph with a flick of her wrist.
The Aqua Seraph shifted in place, its body flowing like water itself, waiting for the first move.
There was no visible tension, no aggression.
The teenager grinned, confidence flooding his features as he pointed at the Aqua Seraph.
"Poor choice, Drakkon, now!" he ordered.
The Verdant Drakkon roared in response, its thick vines snapping out toward the Aqua Seraph like striking whips.
The vines twisted and turned, sharp enough to cut through stone, as they aimed to bind Mercury's creature, but Mercury didn't flinch.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, she saw everything, from the trajectory of the attack to the exposed body of the boy in front.
With a barely perceptible movement, the Aqua Seraph glided across the battlefield like a ripple across a calm lake, effortlessly avoiding the incoming vines.
The teenager's smug expression faltered for a moment, but he wasn't done.
"Bind it! Don't let it move!" he shouted.
The Verdant Drakkon growled, its vines doubling in speed and volume, whipping across the battlefield in a chaotic frenzy.
The ground around it cracked under the weight of the beast's attack, the air filled with the sound of snapping and crashing as the vines tore through the earth.
But once again, the Aqua Seraph danced through the chaos, its body moving with an almost unnatural fluidity. Every attack from the Verdant Drakkon missed by mere inches.
The Aqua Seraph glided, twirled, and flowed through the battlefield, its movements so graceful it looked more like a performance than a battle.
The boy was growing frustrated, and for a moment, he focused all his attention on the Aqua Seraph, and then… silence.
Mercury took a step forward, the ground rippled as if it had turned into a still lake. Eratz felt the little change, an invisible shift in the air.
The Aqua Seraph's body glowed softly, its eyes glowing a deeper blue as it responded to its master's will.
Before anyone noticed, Mercury vanished from her spot.
In the blink of an eye, she was beside her opponent, her movements so fast they were impossible to follow, so fluids that no one could tell how she moved.
The ground beneath her rippled like water, and with a single, graceful step, she passed through him as if she were gliding on air.
A moment later, a massive geyser of water erupted from the ground beneath the teenager, launching him into the air.
The Verdant Drakkon roared, trying to retaliate, but it was too late.
The Aqua Seraph's form blurred as it shot across the battlefield, its body becoming one with the water. With a powerful burst of energy, it sent a stream of water crashing with high pressure into the Verdant Drakkon, overwhelming the beast in an instant.
The force of the water sent the massive creature sprawling across the arena, its vines shredded and its body soaked.
The crowd erupted into cheers as the referee declared Mercury the winner.
Her opponent lay unconscious, drenched and defeated, while Mercury stood calmly at the center of the arena, her expression unchanged.
She didn't bask in the cheers or acknowledge the crowd. She simply turned, her eyes cold and focused, and left the battlefield as though it was just another day at the office.
Ryder and Eratz stared in awe.
"She's incredible," Ryder muttered, his voice filled with admiration.
Eratz nodded, his smile growing.
"Better than I ever imagined... And now I'm sure about what kind of monster she use."
Zara, watching Mercury's exit, smiled knowingly.
"That's Mercury for you. A complete powerhouse."
Adrian, trying to maintain his composure, smirked.
"That's what high-level looks like. Think you're ready for that?"
But Eratz didn't respond.
His eyes were locked on Mercury as she walked away, her power and precision still fresh in his mind.
He had found the challenge he had been craving, and now, more than ever, he was dying for a battle.