Six more days of intense training passed, during which Shed gained a deeper understanding of his power. Or rather, his understanding seemed to grow naturally the more he used it. His soul's mirror was closely tied not only to mental clarity, becoming more efficient as his mind sharpened, but also to his willpower, and not merely his will in the present…
One day, while training with Ri, a thought intuitively surfaced in Shed's mind. His power activated autonomously in moments of danger because his future self, the version of him that had already suffered a dangerous blow, felt regret for not avoiding it and thus willed to evade it in the past. For now, Shed could only influence his power with his future self's will, not his present self's. Perhaps it was precisely because this automatic activation was so complex that it mentally drained him. When he first grasped this insight into his predictive gaze, it felt like a step backward in understanding his power, given how confusing it seemed at the start. However, the more he used his ability, the more this strange interpretation started to feel logical and natural to him.
His power was changing him.
Aside from his power, Shed also became significantly better at using some of the combat techniques the Sleters had drilled into his mind without his consent while he slept. At first, using these techniques from various martial arts felt odd, as if his mind knew them, but his body wasn't yet accustomed. However, the more he practiced, the less foreign it felt.
After each training session with Ri, Shed would take a few moments in the evening to watch videos of the Colosseum games. Thanks to the Tele-Tio function, it was possible to watch both live streams and replays of all Colosseum games, though it required a monthly subscription of 100 credits, a fee Shed, despite having 150 credits, was reluctant to pay. Fortunately, there were also free highlight reels of certain games. Shed watched enough of these to get a sense of the different types of games in the Colosseum.
Besides simple duels, matches where neither weapons nor armor could be used, there were complex duels with no restrictions on weapons or armor, divided into three subgroups: 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3. In duels, players could gain around 50 ranking points for a win, with an equal number lost in defeat. After three consecutive wins, the point gain in case of a win would increase by ten, up to a maximum gain of 90 points per win. The opposite applied during losing streaks.
There were also more complex games, like Tower Game and Battle Royale, in which players could earn more ranking points.
In the Tower Game, two teams of five players each competed on a large rectangular field with variable settings, divided into two nearly square sections, one for each team. A central lane split the field lengthwise, with six towers arranged along it, three per team. The objective was to use demolition charges, known as DCs, to destroy the opponent's three towers.
The Battle Royale, on the other hand, was a lengthy game involving 80 participants on a large circular map with a variety of environments. Each gladiator began alone, spawning in areas farthest from the center of the map. During the game, players could also form alliances with other gladiators. These alliances could sometimes be dissolved during the game, or they could be maintained for its entire duration, as long as the allies agreed to share the spoils of victory equally. Every hour, parts of the map would gradually crumble in a circular pattern, starting from the outer edge and moving toward the center.
This last type of game particularly intrigued Shed.
These were the main games, but there were also invite-only events with variable formats.
.
.
.
Shed arrived at Ri's office at the usual time, and as always, she was waiting for him, seated at her desk. This time, however, her expression was a bit more serious than usual. Noticing this, Shed felt a twinge of worry, wondering if he had done something wrong.
"Good morning, Ri…"
"Hello, Shed. They've finally decided who you'll face in your first match…" she said in a neutral tone.
Shed swallowed nervously.
"Is it good news?"
"Let's say that... you could have had a worse opponent…"
The way she had said it did not reassure Shed at all.
"...The gladiator you'll be up against is named Zier, a human with 360 ranking points." She then added
Seeing that Shed didn't look particularly worried, Ri continued.
"Don't be deceived by his 360 points. This will be his tenth match, and after starting with four consecutive losses, he's now on a five-win streak."
Hearing this, Shed started to feel a bit nervous.
"That said, it's also true that he has a few weaknesses, and we'll need to develop a strategy to exploit them," she added.
With that, Ri clapped her hands three times, bringing the two of them into her secondary space.
Once inside, Ri made a floating virtual screen appear next to her, displaying Zier's profile. Zier was a very lean man, nearly skeletal in build, standing 1.82 meters tall, with a gaunt face and wide, dark eyes that hinted at a touch of madness. His long brown hair was tied back in a ponytail. In the "Fan Comments" section, there were very few comments, all quite recent, focusing on his reckless and aggressive fighting style and his arrogant demeanor. There were no remarks on his abilities, but in the general comments section, one phrase made Shed shiver with fear: "When he fights, he seems like a crazed killer."
"Have you read his profile?" Ri asked after a moment.
Shed nodded.
"It seems we'll need to use his recklessness and arrogance to our advantage," he replied, trying to shake off the unsettling comment he had just read.
Ri only partially agreed with him.
"It's time to watch one of his replays," she then said.
The screen changed to show a replay of Zier's latest match.
"This was his most recent fight, which took place a few days ago," she explained.
Watching closely, Shed had to admit that some of the fan comments were valid. Zier's fighting style did indeed look reckless. He was constantly on the attack, with little regard for defense. However, this attack-focused approach, which at first glance seemed completely reckless, actually appeared to align with his power. The video showed that Zier seemed capable of making a short blade emerge from any part of his body, retracting it and making it appear elsewhere at will. A deadly ability, far more offensive than defensive. So Zier's fighting style wasn't entirely unreasonable, which was not good news for Shed.
"Could I also see a replay of one of his losses?" he asked, now a bit more worried.
Ri switched the video to a replay of Zier's second match.
In this video, Zier's fighting style was noticeably different, much more conservative than in the previous fight. At one point, his ability failed to activate, allowing his opponent to claim a relatively easy victory.
"This…isn't good…" he admitted. What he'd seen only confirmed some of his theories.
"Exactly. That's why I warned you not to underestimate his modest score… since changing his fighting style, he's become a completely different gladiator than he was during his first four losses."
Shed's face fell. How was he supposed to win against someone like that?
"Still, it's true that the more he's won with his new fighting style, the more reckless it's become, almost excessively so. So what you said earlier is somewhat correct; we can use his combat style against him…"
Shed nodded, feeling somewhat reassured by her words.
"From what I've observed, Zier's power also seems to have some weaknesses. First, it appears to have a time limit, as you saw in the replay of his second match… and second, each time he changes the exit point of his blade, it seems to get shorter and less sharp," she added.
"So I guess I should try to hold out as long as possible…" Shed speculated.
"I'd suggest that…if it weren't for the fact that your power also has a relatively low usage limit before it exhausts you. So…"
"…it's going to be tough," Shed completed her thought, then nervously chuckled.