His bare upper body displayed muscles so solid they were almost frightening.
Chen Ce recognized him.
He had only just mentioned him to the innkeeper yesterday.
This... might be what they called fate...
"Everyone, look alive! A new champion is about to be born!"
The half-Vastaya fighter nobody believed in stood ramrod straight, sweeping his gaze over the stands with a hint of disdain.
"Remember my name—I'm Sett!"
Chapter 43: Had Enough Yet?
"Avase! Avase!"
"Avase! Avase!"
"Avase! Avase!"
Cheers of wild enthusiasm echoed through the enormous fighting arena, as though the fighter had already claimed the championship.
When Avase entered the arena, it wasn't just the crowd that made a grand show of it. His "bodyguards" did too—more than a dozen people cleared a path for him, handed him water, and carried his clothes. He looked every inch the spoiled young master of some noble family.
By comparison, the other fighter nobody believed in—Sett—couldn't even get anyone to wait on him. Instead, he had to put up with insults and abuse from the stands every so often, all because of his arrogant remarks earlier.
He had said he would defeat Avase and become the new champion.
And yet he was only a newcomer with three bouts to his name.
Even if he had won all three.
"Heh. I'll show you who the natural-born fighter is..."
Sett fitted his mouthguard and stared fiercely at his opponent: the veteran champion known as "Skull Crusher," a brutal fighter who had claimed the title six times.
He stood over two meters tall, his enormous frame covered in massive muscles. Yet he moved with surprising agility, his footwork and dodges even more impressive than those of some lightweight fighters.
His style was utterly vicious. Anyone who faced his fists either died or was crippled. The best they could hope for was to spend over half a year recovering in a hospital bed—and to lose their right to compete for good.
And those he beat to death in the ring... without exception, their skulls were crushed. That was where his nickname came from.
[Skull Crusher]
"You use your fists too? Heh, now I'm getting excited."
Sett watched his opponent slowly pull on his gloves, then swung his arms with an excited grin, doing a little warm-up.
Avase heard the young fighter's challenge, but merely gave him a contemptuous glance and ignored him. A man of his stature didn't have to humor just anybody.
Sett wasn't offended. He simply wrapped old cloth around his fists in silence.
"Get ready to cheer for your new champion..."
In the stands, Chen Ce could understand why Avase ignored Sett.
Avase had won the championship six times, while Sett was a newcomer in every sense of the word. It was only natural not to bother with him.
It was already generous of Avase not to sneer, "I'm a six-time champion. What have you won?"
Still... he'd probably pay for his arrogance soon.
"Boss, I think I see an Imero Stone..." Ahri gently tugged at Chen Ce's sleeve, then gestured toward the bunny girl just below the ring.
That figure was... No, wait. The pair of gemstones in her hands looked beautiful.
They were enclosed in a glass case, and the lights cast dazzling colors across their surfaces.
"Are they like your Twin Gemstone?" Chen Ce glanced at the gemstones Ahri held in her arms.
"They look a little similar... but I can't be sure," Ahri whispered. "I'll have to take them out to confirm..."
"Mm."
"Then sorry for the trouble..."
"No need to be so polite. Just put in a little extra effort when you're working from now on."
"Mm-hmm! I like generous bosses best~!"
"Enough with the flattery..."
After settling down the impatient Ahri, Chen Ce turned his attention back to the ring.
The bell had rung. The match had officially begun.
Sett, clearly short on experience in the ring, attacked first. He opened with several heavy but relatively slow punches, and it was obvious his technique was a mess—he had never received proper boxing training.
Avase, by contrast, seemed far more seasoned.
He didn't rush to attack. Instead, he relied on agile footwork to keep dodging, occasionally throwing out a few jabs to test his opponent.
After half a minute of testing, he had a pretty good read on the other man's fighting style and patterns.
Now it was his turn.
Thud—!
A heavy punch landed squarely on Sett's face. The tremendous force sent him staggering several steps back, and he nearly fell.
In a life-or-death ring like this, falling down came at a terrible price.
Sett quickly regained his footing, then backed away several paces to a safe distance. He was reckless, but not stupid. He wasn't about to keep charging in to get beaten when he was clearly at a disadvantage.
"Not bad..." He spat out a mouthful of blood, then forced an excited grin onto his swollen face.
Meanwhile, betting had begun in the stands.
"Avase wins: one to one point two! Sett wins: one to ten!" The casino staff moved through the stands, their loud calls tempting the crowd to pull out their money.
The odds on Sett were tempting, but nobody was willing to bet on him.
The odds on Avase were a pathetic one to one point three, but he was a safe bet. You were practically guaranteed to make money.
Who'd say no to free money?
In just one round, the staff had collected over a thousand gold coins in bets—and that was only from the regular seating section.
Seeing this, Chen Ce called over a staff member too.
"I'll bet fifty gold coins on Sett to win by knockout in the first round."
"Sure thing, here's your ticket—wait, who did you say you were betting on?" The staff member's hand froze as he held out the ticket. He wondered if he'd heard wrong.
"I said I'm betting on Sett," Chen Ce repeated loudly. "Fifty gold coins on Sett to win by knockout in the first round."
As soon as he finished speaking, laughter erupted around him.
"Someone's here to give away his money. Hahaha..."
"Does he actually think there'll be an upset? Good grief, what a ridiculous gambling addict."
"No, no, I bet he thinks Avase is going to throw the match. Clearly, he doesn't know the rules here. Hahaha..."
The laughter continued, but Chen Ce calmly handed over all the money he had with him. "Here are fifty gold coins. Please give me the ticket as soon as you can."
"Uh... sure..." As the staff member took the money and handed over the ticket, he gave Chen Ce another look like he was an idiot.
Fifty gold coins was no small amount. Most Ionians only made a few gold coins a month... This guy really had come to give his money away.
A stupid foreign pig, with more money than sense.
The staff member left with the money and a scornful smile. The laughter around them continued.
Chen Ce, meanwhile, calmly kept watching the match.
Ahri didn't understand much about this kind of fighting, but even she could clearly see who was on the back foot. With the people around them laughing and talking, she began to worry. "Boss... the money..."
She didn't usually ask for money, but she knew how wonderful it was to have some. She could buy so many things at the market—food, daily necessities, clothes, anything she wanted!
Besides... if Chen Ce lost all his money, she wouldn't have a comfortable inn to stay at anymore!
"Um... should I use a little magic to make that man give the money back?"
"No need. It'll be fine." Chen Ce didn't explain.
He believed in Sett.
Or rather... he believed in his own memory.
As he remembered it, Sett had never lost a single match from the time he entered underground fighting to the time he became Ionia's "Underground King."
Even if he struggled at the start, he would still be the one left standing in the end.
And now was the moment to witness a miracle.
In the ring, Sett, clearly lacking in fighting experience, had already been cornered. Avase's fast, powerful fists rained down on him in a relentless barrage.
But he still stood tall.
He kept both fists raised in front of him, protecting his head while building up some kind of...
unique power.
"Had enough yet, Avase...?"
Chapter 44: Ma'am, You Wouldn't Want Sett To...
His vision was starting to blur.
Blood ran down from his forehead, veiling his eyes in a red haze.
Sett squeezed his left eye shut, then blinked his right. Mm, that was better.
Left straight, right straight, left hook, right hook... left, down, right, left...
Thud, thud, thud...
A series of muffled blows rang out. Sett could feel his brain rattling.
But it didn't matter. He was gradually getting used to it.
Ten years ago, he would have thought nothing of pain like this.
"Ah... those are some good punches, Avase..."
Sett began swaying from side to side. His footwork grew quicker and more deliberate—he was copying him.
At last, the moment his opponent's heavy punch missed, he spotted an opening.
"Hah!" Sett threw a right hook and landed a perfect hit on his opponent's jaw.
He had never received proper boxing training, yet that punch delivered one hundred percent of his strength—a feat even seasoned fighters would struggle to achieve.
He was born for this.
Crack—! The sound of bone breaking rang out, and Avase's massive body immediately toppled backward.
"Whoa—!" The crowd in the stands roared in response.
Sett didn't let the brief victory go to his head. He rushed forward at once, planning to land a few more punches while Avase was down.
Unfortunately, Avase had too much experience.
He knew exactly how to handle a situation like this.
The instant his back touched the ground, he kicked forward, forcing Sett back. At the same time, he pushed himself up with both hands and sprang into a graceful backflip, landing back in a fighting stance.
"I admit I underestimated you, kid..." His jaw was already dislocated, perhaps even shattered, making his voice sound even lower and raspier. "You were born to fight... You're no pushover..."
"Because my name is Sett!" Sett laughed wildly. "One day, I'll be the champion here! The king of this place! No one will dare look down on me again!"
"Big dreams, kid..." A cruel glint appeared in Avase's eyes.
Then he began turning his wrist. Something sprang out of his glove... a row of hard objects.
Yes, he was a boxer, but he had never said he only used his fists.
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