Three Straight Wins

Because Odys was a newcomer, Gels arranged for him to fight the first match. His opponent was a man around six foot three, who was looking at Odys with an easy expression.

"Tim, you got yourself a great bargain."

Tim was the name of Odys's opponent.

"There's nothing worth watching in the first match."

Amid the clamor, the referee outside the ring announced the rules: "If either side faints, admits defeat, or leaves the fighting area in any manner, the other side wins.

"Ready, begin!"

The gamblers shouted for Tim to quickly deal with the newcomer before him.

Tim took the initiative, throwing a fierce punch forward.

Odys lightly sidestepped it, then seized the chance to step forward and strike Tim's Adam's apple and chin with his palm, putting all his strength into the blow and sending him flying.

Thud~

Tim hit the ground hard and passed out.

The surroundings fell silent in an instant.

Simon, watching from above, took a hard drag on his cigarette and asked the stunned manager beside him, Gels, "You said he came from the Backlund Fighting Club?"

Gels came back to his senses. "Y-yes."

"Go ask around again tomorrow."

"Yes, yes, yes."

In the ring, Odys looked at the referee. "Is there a count?"

Only then did the referee come back to his senses. He symbolically counted for a few seconds before declaring Odys the winner.

"I can fight another match right away," Odys said with a smile.

Only then did the crowd react. A buzzing wave of discussion erupted as they speculated about the newcomer's origins.

The referee did not respond immediately. He went to consult Simon before returning and saying, "Sure. The contestant for the second match, step up! Toby! You'll be this newcomer's opponent!"

The crowd almost collectively let out an "Ooh~," and knowing smiles appeared on many faces.

A man about the same height as Odys took off his hat, trench coat, and shirt, then began warming up outside the ring.

Odys carefully observed his opponent. Toby did not look particularly large, but his muscles were taut and his punches fast. Judging by the expressions of those around them, Toby had to be one of the best fighters in this underground arena.

As Toby warmed up, betting for the second match began.

Odys sat leisurely on the wooden railing and roughly heard that more than half the people were still betting on Toby to win.

After all, Odys had won too quickly just now. Few of them were experts in fighting, so they had no idea what had been clever about Odys's strike. They did not understand that his victory had not been a fluke or mere good luck, and they continued placing bets according to what they already believed.

Soon, the second match began.

Toby stared at Odys with complete focus. He naturally knew that Odys would be difficult to deal with.

Odys was more serious than in the previous match as well, taking up a standard fighting stance.

The crowd began shouting chaotically again. "Toby, punch his nose into his stomach!"

"Toby, make him kneel and beg for mercy!"

"Toby, I bet my entire fortune on you!"

"Get started already, you two bastards!"

The two men in the ring had been staring each other down for more than ten seconds. In the end, Toby could not hold back any longer and finally threw a probing punch.

Odys moved at the right moment, deflecting Toby's attack before suddenly stepping in and driving forward, intending to shove Toby down.

Fortunately, Toby's attack had only been a probe, leaving him enough room to leap away, though he did so somewhat awkwardly.

Seeing things turning bad, the spectators shouted, "Get him, Toby! Don't fight like a woman!"

"Toby, what are you doing? Punch him! Punch him!"

Toby felt that he had roughly figured out his opponent's style and began attacking with his legs.

In his view, his opponent's style was to close in quickly before launching attacks. As long as he did not let Odys get close, he could continue observing him and wait for an opening.

After dodging several rounds of attacks, Odys seized an opportunity and suddenly rushed forward. He quickly crouched, dodging another kick from Toby, then sprang up and rammed his right shoulder into Toby, hoisting him up and sending him flying.

Crash~

Toby landed on a table behind a ring of gamblers. He cried out in pain, then passed out as well.

Silence once again fell around the ring.

This time, though, the referee reacted quickly. "The newcomer wins! The newcomer wins again!"

The gamblers around them began buzzing with discussion again. They truly could not understand how this newcomer, who looked rather slight and did not seem particularly muscular, had defeated two people in a row.

Odys held up three fingers. "I want to fight ten... No, I want to fight a third match."

The referee went to consult Simon again and soon returned. "The third match will be three against one. Are you sure you want to fight?"

Odys saw Simon in the distance, wearing a fierce expression and a sly smile. He replied indifferently, "I'm sure."

The surroundings fell quiet again.

"He's a lunatic!"

One gambler's exclamation made the surrounding discussion even louder.

Some thought the newcomer was far too arrogant, while others believed he must have confidence in his chances.

As the three contestants warmed up, betting for the third match began. This time, the odds were basically even. Half the people bet that Odys would win, while the other half bet that he would lose.

The third match began!

Odys was surrounded in the middle as his three opponents immediately launched their offensive.

They did not rush him all at once. Instead, two attacked strategically while one directed them and covered any gaps.

Relying on his agility, Odys repeatedly escaped their encirclement without coming to harm.

After making some basic observations of his three opponents, Odys prepared to counterattack.

At that moment, he spotted a familiar face among the gamblers.

It was a thin middle-aged man with a striking scar at the corner of his left eye.

Odys suddenly recalled that on Monday, Enoch had reported that this man was an informant for the Mandated Punishers, and someone was paying to find his whereabouts.

In the brief moment Odys was distracted, one of his opponents seized the chance and threw a full-force punch into Odys's cheek.

Amid the excited shouts around him, Odys's ears rang from the blow. However, a Beyonder's physique was far stronger than an ordinary person's. He took a step back and shook his head, and the discomfort quickly faded.

But his opponents seized the opportunity. The strongest-built of the three attacked from behind, locking both arms tightly around Odys's shoulders.

The opponent who had just punched Odys raised his leg and viciously kicked toward Odys's chest and abdomen.

Odys struggled twice, and when he saw that he could not break free, he used the large man behind him as a point of leverage. He jumped up fiercely, locking his legs around the opponent rushing at him.

Then he twisted hard, sending the man spinning through the air before he crashed against the wooden railing and collapsed.

The instant Odys's feet touched the ground, he exerted force again. He actually jumped while carrying the large man on his back, then flipped over and slammed his back down onto the ground.

The impact was heavy. The two arms locking Odys immediately came loose, and the large man was jolted so badly that he could not get up for the moment.

Odys sprang to his feet, about to attack the third opponent.

But the man panicked and jumped outside the railing, choosing to surrender.

The surroundings fell silent once more.

Odys looked at the referee. "Are we continuing?"

The referee hurriedly said, "T-the newcomer wins."

Odys jumped over the wooden railing and went to Simon to collect his reward and gambling winnings.

Yesterday, my editor talked to me, and this book might be going premium soon. Its results have been much better than my previous book's, but this author probably still will not get recommendations like Sanjiang, so it would be better to go premium earlier and start updating more often. Maybe that will attract more readers. Well, I'll let everyone know once the exact release date is confirmed. ╰(￣▽￣)╭