Lying on a white cot in a room with equally white walls, Shed opened his eyes and looked around, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.
"Did I go back in time?"
He whispered to himself, his mind muddled and weary.
However, as he observed his surroundings more closely, he realized that the room he was in was actually a type of infirmary. He wasn't the only one lying on a cot there; two other cots beside him held people who seemed to be sleeping peacefully, and across from him were three more cots, only one of which was occupied by a large man with fiery red skin and a lively pearl-white beard.
"Where am I…"
"You're in a rehabilitation room."
Answered a familiar voice.
Turning toward it, he saw that it was none other than Ri, with a gentle and proud smile on her face.
"You've finally woken up…" she added.
"Finally? How long have I been asleep, and why am I here?"
He asked, his memories blurred.
"Shortly after you knocked Zier out, you collapsed and lost consciousness, sleeping for a full three days…"
Her words dusted off some of Shed's memories; he remembered much of the fight with Zier, though not fully the last moments.
"So, I won?"
"Yes."
Her sincere and proud smile made Shed smile as well.
"It seems some of your memories of the match with Zier are still foggy… How about we watch it together?"
She then suggested.
"That sounds… like a great idea,"
Shed replied, eager to see how he had managed to win.
"Good, then get dressed and let's go to my office."
.
.
.
When they arrived at Ri's office, she immediately showed Shed the match between him and Zier through a virtual screen. Shed couldn't contain his excitement when he watched the final moments of the fight. The fog in his mind cleared, and memories of how he won, along with the emotions of that moment, came flooding back.
He had used his power voluntarily.
Seeing his wide-eyed expression, Ri placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Well, good job… To be completely honest with you, I didn't really think you'd pull it off in the end… you truly surprised me," she complimented him.
"Thank you." Shed chuckled, a little embarrassed, he wasn't good at accepting compliments.
"All thanks to my mentor," he added.
"Well, that's true, too," she laughed.
"Now that's done, I think it's time I tell you about the rewards you've earned by winning your first match."
"Rewards?"
"Exactly. In addition to fifty-three ranking points, you also received special bonus rewards for winning your first game here in the Colosseum."
"Special rewards? You never mentioned those…"
"I thought I'd only tell you if you won, so that in case of a loss, you wouldn't feel too disappointed."
"I see…" Shed noted again how surprisingly thoughtful Ri was.
"So, what rewards did I win?"
"One hundred credits and the opportunity to learn an opaque skill for free."
The hundred credits were certainly a nice reward, but Shed was especially drawn to the chance to learn a new skill.
"Will I be able to choose which opaque skill to learn?" he asked.
"Of course… and actually, if you want, we can go right now to one of the shops that sell artificial skills, so you can acquire the new skill today."
Shed eagerly accepted her offer.
As they headed to one of the shops dealing in skills, Shed asked Ri to explain more about artificial skills and the skill classification system.
To learn new abilities artificially, one had to go to specific shops in the Colosseum called "fermentation rooms." In these shops, only lucid, satin, and opaque classifications of artificial skills could be purchased, as soul mirrors and brilliant skills couldn't be created artificially. After buying an artificial skill, one would need to use a fermentation pod provided by the shop to learn it.
Both artificial skills and fermentation pods were created by the Frimin Industries.
Though Ri's explanation didn't go too deep, leaving out, for example, what fermentation pods were and how they worked, or how artificial skills were created, Shed accepted it as it was.
Ri then focused on explaining the criteria for classifying skills.
Opaque abilities, which ranked at the bottom of the classification, were mostly utility skills, not very powerful but low in Ka consumption. These were often undervalued due to their lack of flashiness, yet essential for making a fighter well-rounded. Unlike other types of abilities, opaque skills weren't divided into subclasses and didn't evolve over time.
One step above opaque skills were the satin skills, powerful abilities but very draining on Ka. These were grouped into three subcategories: A, B, and C, depending on their power-to-Ka consumption ratio. Group A abilities had the best efficiency, while those in group C had the worst. Satin skills could evolve, though this was rare.
Above satin skills were the lucid skills, the last class of skills that could be purchased and artificially created. Compared to satin abilities, these used less Ka, and they had a higher chance of evolving. They, too, were divided into three subgroups.
One level up were the brilliant skills, which couldn't be bought but could be attained, though with difficulty, through training or in particular situations. Brilliant skills were so powerful that in some cases, they could even outshine soul mirrors. All brilliant abilities eventually evolved, and they were divided into three subclasses based on their evolution speed.
At the very top of the classification were, of course, the soul mirrors, the innate abilities. These couldn't be acquired and had been present in a person since birth, either in an awakened state if usable, or dormant if not yet accessible. Soul mirrors evolved with the user's growth and were the only abilities difficult for the Kehlt system to categorize.
When Ri finished her explanation, she and Shed found themselves standing before a fermentation room.
Without delay, they entered. Past the entrance, they stepped into a vast, circular hall with a high ceiling. The space was finely lit by luminous orbs hanging from above, which made the white walls and ceiling almost blindingly reflective. Around the room's perimeter were various cylindrical machines of different sizes, standing upright; the base and back of these devices were metallic, while the front was glass.
"Welcome!"
A clear voice immediately caught their attention.
A young woman, dressed in a silver jumpsuit with reflective blue trim on the cuffs, nearly as tall as Shed, approached them with a bright smile on her face. Shed immediately noticed two striking features: her fuchsia hair floating around her and her red, cross-shaped irises.
"Are you here to buy a skill? Need a hand?" she asked, somewhat overenthusiastically.
"Yes, my gladiator here wanted to purchase his first ability," Ri explained.
"Oh! Fantastic! What kind of skill are you looking to buy?"
"An opaque skill,"
Ri replied, to which the salesperson's enthusiasm visibly waned.
"You should know that my gladiator here won his very first match in the Colosseum," Ri added with a hint of pride.
The salesperson's face lit up with surprise.
"He's a First Victor?" she exclaimed.
Ri nodded.
"Oh, I see… Let me show you our best offerings right away!" she said, running off in a direction unknown, with a speed Shed found puzzling.
"First Victor?" He asked Ri.
"That's what they call those who win their very first game."
"I see… so why did she change her attitude when she heard that?" Shed pointed in the direction the salesperson had run.
"There are several fermentation rooms in the Colosseum, and although they all belong to the same company, the employees' salaries vary based on the number of clients they serve. So, when she realized you were a First Victor, she understood you had a lot of potential for the future and thought it wise to go the extra mile to encourage you to come back," Ri explained.
Shed nodded. 'Maybe I'll also get a discount voucher to make me come back here…' he then thought hopefully.
Shortly after, the young woman with fuchsia hair returned, carrying a rectangular, semi-transparent tablet of sorts.
"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself… I'm Jikae, pleased to meet you," she said, offering her hand to Shed with a radiant smile.
"Ah, I'm Shed. Nice to meet you…" He shook her hand, and she then shook Ri's hand as well.
"Gladiator Shed, I have several interesting opaque abilities to show you. Please, place your bracer hand on the tablet…"
Shed did as she asked, and immediately, a virtual page opened before him, similar to what he saw when using his Kehlt bracer. The page displayed numerous opaque skills, each with a description and a price listed.