It was almost like a tornado of energy. Pulling and pushing my body simultaneously.I felt a weird threshold after a quarter of an hour of meditating. Like there was some kind of gate blocking me from growing any further. But it wasn't like the ceiling I'd felt the first time I'd ever meditated. No, this time around, I felt like I could break past it and move on to the next level. I just need to keep on pressing.A much stronger vortex began to pick up around me, as I zeroed in on my concentration and focused solely on pulling in as much Tecz as possible. The mini tornado began to pick up, wrecking the entire room. I could hear the pillows and blankets of both Goblins and my beds being thrown around.The desk began to rattle as the chair was sent flying towards a wall. The dresser doors slammed open and closed violently, and at speeds that made me worried that the hinges would break off.But my worry could not kill my drive, not now. I could almost taste it. The gates were breaking open, and the feeling of power was so close, a sense of euphoria exploded inside me.And then it happened.The vortex condensed, and grew smaller and smaller, until it was no less than a tiny breeze.
As my feet touched the ground once more, a burst of aura exploded out of me, sending shockwaves all around.
My eyes opened and I looked down at my body. There were no physical changes, but I had never felt more alive. My sense had heightened, my body felt lighter, my Heartile felt heavier and I felt powerful.I could also feel something running through my veins, a strange rush of energy coursed through me. That could only mean one thing.Not only had I passed the first minor stage, but I'd also fully awakened my typing! From the way Goblin was talking, I had already convinced myself that it'd take a few more weeks before I fully awakened it.Had I known all it took was a bit of progression, I would've made it my main priority days ago.As I began to clean up the mess made by my breakthrough, I watched as Goblin lay sleeping on the floor. Not a single part of what had just happened was enough to wake him up.Quietly, I picked him and threw him back on his bed alongside his pillows and blanket.Falling back on my bed, I had to resist the urge to wake Goblin up and tell him of my achievements. The only reason I hadn't done so just yet, was naturally because I didn't want to forcefully wake him up.But also I was deathly afraid of what he would do to me, should I interrupt his sleeve.As I laid back in bed, my screen lit up and notified me that a fight was taking place in ten minutes."Sure is useful." I murmured. While taking a break during my sparring session with Goblin earlier, he'd told me about a network only accessible to fighters that would notify them of when fights would be taking place and in between who.If the fans also had access to his network, I had no idea.I looked at the names of the two fighters, and immediately sprung out of bed."Shit!" I exclaimed.I rummaged through Goblins dresser, grabbing his robes and throwing them on his bed. I hesitated for a few moments, but ultimately decided to shake him awake. When that didn't happen, I took a step back and said a small prayer. There was now only one option."Sorry Goblin." I spoke quietly.Charging the aura up in my hands once more, I let the hardest slap I could muster, rain down on the sleeping Goblins face.Needless to say, my plan worked."You bastard!" He roared, springing up and pulling his staff out of the void.I stepped back frantically."Wait, wait! Your fight starts in ten minutes!" I cried out.He paused. Staring down at his screen, his eyebrows shot up, as he hastily grabbed his robes and ran out of the room.I let my hands fall to the side and a sigh escaped my mouth once he was gone.Fixing the room took little to no effort, especially with Goblin now out of the way. After fixing it all up, I grabbed my mask and made my way to the stadium.After navigating my way through the tunnels, I find myself once again in the stadium, this time through another different entrance. One of the perks of being a fighter was the privilege of getting to sit right next to the battleground. Granted, of course, we wear our masks.I found a relatively empty area, only a row away from the battleground. As I found my seat, the beak mask saw me and made a motion of slamming his head downwards, then laughed with the person next to him.'Tch. Bastard.'Taking my seat, I kept my eyes glued to the jumbotron above the cage. Both of the fighters were already in the cage and the fight should be beginning at any time.Goblin was just sitting on the ground quietly, and his opponent, The Reaper was jumping and stretching at the other end. His mask was a white-out mask, with hollowed out eyes and several holes where the mouth should be.Creepy.Then the horn blared and the fighters were off."Who do you think is gonna win?" A voice questioned next to me.I nearly jumped out of my seat. Spinning my neck to see the source of a voice, a small man in almost identical clothes to me sat, his mask blacked out with white eyes and… wings? They were like the flaps around the necks of those small lizards."Uh, I don't know. I've never seen them fight." I tried to keep my distance from the man. Something about him just seemed off."That's fair. You're the new guy who got ragdolled in his first fight right?" His head never faced mine at any point. His eyes glued to the fight."Yeah. That's me." I spoke so silently it was almost a mutter. Getting ragdolled was not something I wanted to be known for."Don't worry about it, a lot of us lose our first fights. Of course no ones ever gotten beat that badly, but hey. There's a first time for everything. Anyways, I think The Reapers going to win."I simply nodded.I couldn't add anything else as I truly didn't know the power of either side. Naturally, there was a bias in me towards Goblin, and of course he had shown glimpses of his power. But nothing that told me how strong he truly was.Neither side had used any supernatural abilities just yet.The Reaper stood ominously, living up to his name, with his massive scythe gripped tightly in his hands. Across from him, Goblin charged forward, his staff held high behind his head, the weight of battle in every step. As he closed the distance, Goblin suddenly killed his momentum, pivoting low with a rapid spin. His legs swept out, aiming to knock the Reaper off his feet. But the Reaper had anticipated the move. With fluid agility, he rolled over the incoming kicks and, in a swift motion, vaulted into the air. Twisting mid-turn, the Reaper slammed his scythe down with ruthless precision. Goblin, unfazed, spun on his head, his body a blur of motion. His legs shot up, deflecting the descending scythe with a powerful kick, sending sparks flying. In one fluid motion, he flipped upward and landed squarely on his feet, eyes locked onto the Reaper. The Reaper tightened his grip on his scythe, his expression grim. He dashed forward, launching a barrage of swift, lethal slices. Each swing of the scythe aimed to end the fight with a single stroke, the blade flashing dangerously close to Goblin's vital points. Goblin's movements were like a dance. He parried and dodged with skill, his staff a blur as he countered the furious onslaught. But even his speed couldn't keep up with the relentless assault. The Reaper's strikes began to land—cuts slashed across Goblin's arms, his torso, each hit forcing him back. Blood trickled from several fresh wounds as Goblin, with a grunt of frustration, lunged backward to gain distance. Then, something changed. A brilliant light green aura flared around Goblin's body, enveloping him in a glowing shield of energy. His breathing slowed, his gaze focused, and in an unexpected move, he raised his staff high above his head. With a sharp crack, Goblin brought the staff down hard against his knee, snapping it cleanly into two pieces. The jagged ends of the broken staff now formed twin batons, gripped tightly in each hand. I blinked in surprise. 'So he's an Oriv?' "Not quite what you're thinking," muttered the man next to me. His voice low and unsettling. 'Great', I thought. 'The weirdo's a mind reader.' Before I could process the moment, Goblin shot forward like a bullet. His batons twirled in his hands as he spun with blinding speed, closing the distance between him and the Reaper. The sight was almost absurd, a rapid whirlwind of green energy swirling around him, yet undeniably dangerous. The Reaper smirked, confidence radiating from him as he raised his scythe high. His eyes gleamed with the certainty of a man who believed the battle was already over. With a mighty swing, he brought his scythe down, ready to cleave through Goblin's spinning form. But just as the blade began its deadly arc, the Reaper froze. His body locked mid-swing, his face twisted in sudden shock. 'What happened?' Goblin didn't waste a second. With a resounding crash, he slammed into the Reaper, knocking him to the ground with his full weight. The scythe clattered away uselessly as Goblin pinned him down. Then, with brutal force, he brought both batons down, smashing them repeatedly into the Reaper's skull. The sound of wood cracking against bone echoed through the arena. Each hit landed with savage precision, over and over, as the Reaper lay helpless beneath him. The crowd gasped in shock, the once-confident warrior now reduced to a mere punching bag. It wasn't until the referee intervened, pulling Goblin off his opponent, that the assault finally stopped. Goblin rose slowly, breathing hard, his batons still gripped tightly in his hands. He lifted them high into the air, victorious, as the crowd roared in approval. The Reaper lay motionless on the ground, utterly defeated."What? What the hell just happened?" I shot out of my seat as the stands continued to cry out into a mix of cheers and boos."So he's an Eris. Interesting." His words contradicted his tone. As not even a shred of confusion or fascination were evident in his voice."An Eris? So The Reaper freezing was a mental attack?" I questioned, my eyes still stuck on the brutally beaten body of the scythe wielding man on the floor."That's correct. At the very last moment, The Goblin immobilized the Reaper with a mental attack, allowing him to take home the win. This was the first time he's ever revealed his typing, or his actual abilities so it was only natural that The Reaper could not respond properly." The man stood up."Well I guess you were wrong on your bet huh?" I turned towards the man, but was met with nothing.Standing where the lizard masked man was, was nothing more than a pile of air."What the hell is that guy?"I quickly left the stadium and ran back to my room. Opening the door, I saw an odd sight.Goblin was nowhere to be seen, which naturally wasn't the odd part at all as he could've been at a multitude of different places.No. There was something much stranger.His bed and mine had both been made, but not in the way I'd left them. Everything was spotless, wrinkle and crinkle free, and the overall look of the room was much cleaner.Opening my dresser, I found my armour and mask, folded and tucked away in my briefcase, but just underneath it all was a book, and on the book a letter.I separated the note from the book, grabbed both and sat on my bed.On the note was tiny inscription,Keep growing,-GoblinI dropped the book and the note, hastily making my way to the other side of the room and opening Goblins' now completely empty drawer. I searched around the entire room, combing through every nook and cranny, but not a single trace was found.It was as if I never had a roommate in the first place.I sat down on my bed, contemplating the possibilities. There were really only two reasons behind Goblin's disappearance. Either he'd left, which was a thought that I immediately shut down. Or he'd move to a room which was only possible … if he entered the top one hundred!Quickly turning on my screen, I found myself on the official leaderboard of the fighter rankings.I found myself at the very bottom of the list with a record of 0-0-1, which usually I would've taken a minute to feel sour about, but now was certainly not the time.I scrolled as fast as I could to the top of the list, and there he was.Rank ninety-six, The Goblin.My heart jumped a little, and usually there would have been a feeling of sadness or emptiness upon the realization that a person close to me was gone.But I felt nothing of the sort. Sure he had shown me more care and guidance than anyone else, but there was no one to compare him to. He had been idolized in my mind, because there was no one else to put up on that pedestal.So with not even a shred of weeping and wallowing, I went to close my screen and say goodbye to my very first friend in this life, when I noticed another strange detail.Right at the divider in between rank one hundred and one hundred and one, was a link. A link titled "IMPORTANT: NEW BRANCH".I clicked on it a bit hesitant, and was immediately brought to a video player. I pressed play and watched attentively."Greetings, all my beautiful fighters." Enzo spoke. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I didn't call for an assembly, especially since I had something so important to say, but you see, I thought it'd be funnier to let you find it on your own while beating yourselves up over your pathetic ranks." He laughed."Anyway, I'm pleased to announce that The Underground will no longer remain underground. After many years of negotiations, I've been granted the rights to start a fighting ring in the heart of the country, Irakos city. And I plan on taking the top one hundred as the first round of fighters.Now naturally this means that the rest of you will move up in ranking, but do not expect to receive the same benefits. Sponsorship matches will not be exclusively for the top twenty five, and the pay you receive will be greatly cut. If any of you have any complaints, please feel free to come see me about it.That'll be all. Keep fighting, my beautiful maniacs." He chuckled once more and the video ended.'I cannot get a read on that guy.'Enzo was truly a character.The situation made enough sense. Naturally he wouldn't want the reputation of the league that was publicly covered and televised to be the one that takes a hit, so of course he'd only bring along the best of the best. And the pay cuts as well as sponsorship matches weren't things I saw myself stressing over in the near future.It would naturally feel strange to live alone, or at least live alone until someone new came along, but my point stands. Goblin had fought his last fight in The Underground, and left. Without another word spoken.It seemed like a very him thing to do, and I supported it.Closing my screen, I grabbed the book he left behind. Flipping through the pages, my admiration for him took a quantitative leap.The contents of the book consisted of information on all the stages, typings and known abilities, with detailed explanations on minor stages and how to maintain a stable foundation while also progressing at decent speeds.I wish he hadn't labelled it 'Goblins Guides For The Talentless' but I appreciated it nonetheless.And the best part of it all, the last chunk of the book was information on every fighter ranked under one hundred. Their fighting styles, patterns, habits, moves there was everything I needed to know about them.I grabbed my armour and mask out of the dresser, tucked the book inside one of the pockets and ran outside of my room.Just because Goblin was gone for now doesn't mean he would be gone forever.All I needed to do was train harder, grow stronger and then change our positions. One day it'll be me beating him and calling him names.Amidst the excitement, a different feeling began to emerge. A feeling of forgetfulness. Something was telling me that I was about to miss something major, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.