A real fight

Perhaps I'll become Mr. Fool's "believer" someday, so I might as well help spread his name now. What a devoted "believer" I am.

"Bernice." The woman said nothing more. She simply shook hands with Kronos and gave him her name.

She had more or less finished introducing the place, so she fell silent.

Since Bernice had nothing more to say, Kronos shifted his attention from her to the ring.

Clearly, neither of the two men in the ring was much of a fighter. They had still remembered a few fighting techniques when they first stepped up, but by now, they were just two thugs brawling without any rhyme or reason.

Kronos frowned slightly. Even watching from the sidelines was a waste of time at this level.

So he turned to Bernice and asked, "How many skilled fighters compete here? How often are there fights between Beyonders?"

Bernice answered frankly, "Our boss is a Sequence 8 Pugilist. We barely manage one boxing match a day that he considers high-quality. Last year, we had a total of one hundred and twelve fights between Beyonders."

Kronos's slight frown eased. If they were that frequent, this was still acceptable.

Sure enough, two or three matches later, two skilled fighters entered the ring. Neither had made a move yet, but one look at their posture and eyes told him they weren't there to fool around.

Although they weren't Beyonders, watching skilled fighters battle could still benefit Kronos. He stretched, ready to watch more closely.

Suddenly, a sound rang out in the southeastern corner of the bar. Several people who had been drinking and boasting stood up and headed there together.

Before Kronos could ask, Bernice spoke. "The bar takes bets on every high-quality boxing match. If you're interested, Klein, you can place a bet over there too. Betting closes as soon as the match begins."

Kronos wasn't particularly interested in such things, but he still stood up to take a look.

The betting setup was crude, and the odds were even more carelessly set. Both sides paid out at 0.9 to 1. With odds like these, the house could easily lose money.

Bernice had followed him over, so when she noticed his puzzled expression, she explained straight away.

"Our boss isn't exactly short of money. Running a bar is a hobby, and watching boxing matches is even more of one. Besides, very few people bet here, and the amounts are small, so it won't cause any major problems."

Kronos had no interest in betting, so he returned to his seat and focused on the match.

Under Kronos's careful scrutiny, both men's fighting styles were indeed plain to see.

Both had unmistakably military styles and were likely Army veterans. The Navy and Army emphasized different things in their basic training, making the distinction apparent. He owed all of this knowledge to Gner's instruction.

That wasn't all Kronos noticed. One of these two veterans had most likely served on the defensive line facing the Feysac Empire, in either Winter County or East Chester County. Those regions had more mountains and forests, so soldiers' training focused more on agility.

The other had probably served in Sivellas County, on the defensive line facing the Intis Republic. There were more plains there, with fighting mostly involving charges and close-quarters combat, so greater emphasis was placed on physical strength.

In unarmed combat, especially inside a ring, the fighter who specialized in agility would most likely lose unless there was a vast difference in their abilities.

These were really just deductions Kronos had made instinctively, but the outcome proved them correct. The two men were close in skill, so after ten or so minutes of stalemate, the stronger man secured victory with a punch.

To Kronos's pleasant surprise, once the match was over, he actually felt his potion digesting. It was slow, but it was definitely happening.

A Melee Scholar. If all I do is learn, that makes me a student. A scholar doesn't merely learn from others, but uses his own knowledge to explore further answers.

Kronos immediately made a prediction about the next "street brawl." Although he guessed correctly, there was no reaction.

Well, fair enough. Can a street brawl even count as proper combat?

The next several matches were all at the same level, leaving Kronos increasingly disappointed.

Just then, Bernice spoke again. "The daily boxing matches end at midnight. It's almost time, so the last match should be coming up soon. This is roughly the quality you can expect each day."

At that moment, a middle-aged man waved to Bernice from a distance. Looking a little surprised, she said, "I didn't expect you to get to see a good show on your very first visit."

Bernice then stood up, walked over to the middle-aged man, and began talking to him.

Kronos watched them with interest. The man was probably a Beyonder too. It seemed he would have a chance to watch a Beyonder fight today.

He then saw Bernice approach someone else. After exchanging a few words, she moved on to another person. After speaking to three people in succession, she returned to Kronos with a helpless expression.

"Mr. Klein, I'm sorry to bother you. That gentleman would like a boxing match. Normally, we shouldn't ask a first-time guest, but none of the other Beyonders want to fight."

Kronos asked curiously, "Is that gentleman very strong? Why won't anyone fight him?"

"That gentleman is a Sequence 9 Sailor. His defenses are quite strong, and he has a somewhat aggressive temperament." Bernice's carefully chosen words hinted at a great deal.

Kronos smiled. "Then go ask him. I'm Sequence 8. If he's willing, we can have a match."

A Beyonder's pathway and Sequence should actually be kept secret. But for someone who regularly fought here, a few inquiries in the bar would reveal them anyway. That was why Bernice had told Kronos directly.

Bernice looked slightly hesitant. After all, it wasn't appropriate to speak ill of a guest, so her assessment of this "Sailor" had been extremely restrained.

As believers of the Lord of Storms, they were already known for their fiery tempers, and this "Sailor" stood out even among them.

He had once been a Mandated Punisher. Not in Backlund, of course; in Backlund, a Sequence 9 wasn't qualified to become a Mandated Punisher. Later, after suffering serious injuries during a Beyonder incident, he had been made to "leave" the Mandated Punishers.

Although those injuries hadn't corrupted him, his subsequent dismissal had made his personality extremely volatile.

Nobody in the bar wanted to box with him because he wasn't quite right in the head. During every match, he would say, "As long as I'm not dead, I haven't lost."

Even restraining him was useless. He would curse viciously, heap insults on his opponent, and mock them for not daring to kill him. The moment they let go, he would launch a sneak attack.

He was an utterly foul, stubborn bastard. Even the bar's owner, Violent Bear, could do nothing about him. Surely he couldn't drive a customer away? Or actually find someone to kill him?

Seeing Bernice's hesitation, Kronos had his suspicions. This opponent was probably troublesome, but he truly hadn't imagined things could be this bad.

Bernice hesitated for a while, but went over anyway.

Before long, the "Sailor" leaped into the ring, laughing loudly, then shouted, "Get up here, you pretty-faced son of a bitch! Watch me tear you to pieces!"

The people below the ring grew excited as soon as they saw him step up. This would be entertaining. Whether he beat someone up or someone beat him up, there would be a show to watch.

Someone like him never held back. Every punch struck flesh, making for a thrilling spectacle. And when he was the one getting beaten, he was like a mad dog, yapping as he fought. That was great fun too.

Seeing this, Kronos began to understand. Bernice had given him two pieces of information: strong defenses and an aggressive temperament.

Kronos had initially assumed Bernice was hesitant because the opponent was difficult to handle, his powerful defenses making him hard to beat. Now, though, it seemed more likely to be because of his temper.

But there was no way he would back down. Kronos stood, brushed off his clothes, and walked unhurriedly into the ring.

Although this wasn't quite the appropriate setting, ingrained habit made Kronos incline his head and bow slightly to his opponent.

The man opposite him didn't care about that. He immediately threw a punch straight at Kronos's face. If it landed cleanly, it would break his nose.

Kronos had little actual combat experience, but Gner had drilled him through many exchanges, so he could already react instinctively to many common situations.

Kronos swiftly stepped forward and to the right, moving his face out of the path of the attack. His left elbow struck upward toward his opponent's elbow joint, while his right hand drove a palm strike into the man's chin.

These were among the most basic moves Gner had taught him. Unfortunately for his opponent, the man failed to react at all. Both blows landed squarely, and he fell to the ground, clutching his elbow.

Kronos stood frozen in the ring. After being taught so many painful lessons by Gner, he instinctively considered himself a novice. But he had forgotten that even without Beyonder abilities, Gner could be considered one of the strongest fighters around.

Moreover, the Melee Scholar potion specifically enhanced combat instincts and physical capabilities. Unless his opponent used "Phantom Scales," their physical capabilities were roughly equal.

As far as Kronos was concerned, the fight was over. So he said nothing more and turned to leave the ring.

But the spectators below were all regulars. How could this "mad dog" possibly let things end like that? Every one of them watched intently.

The "Sailor" climbed up from the ground, his face flushed crimson with rage. Faint shapes resembling fish scales appeared on his skin, and he kicked straight at Kronos's lower back.

"Watch out!" The spectators were merely enjoying the show, but Bernice couldn't bear it and blurted out a warning.