NOVEL NEXT C27
Chapter 27: The First Battle in the Underground Arena
As Yuyin left after selecting her weapon, she couldn’t help but endure the beast-like gazes and crude remarks from those rough fighters, but she ignored them and left without looking back.
On her way home, Yuyin received a WeChat message from the manager, saying that the competition had been scheduled for tomorrow night at 10. He also sent a series of standardized precautions for the underground fighting and repeatedly reminded Yuyin to be careful. However, the manager finally added that once the competition was scheduled, there would be no turning back; if she backed out, she would have to do something else to compensate.
“Back out?” Yuyin had never considered that.
That night, Yuyin took 30 yuan from her dwindling funds and bought a mask on a certain treasure site.
It was from a shop in a nearby province, and she arranged for it to be delivered by 7 PM the next evening.
After that, it was routine practice, training, and preparing for the competition the next night.
On Sunday afternoon, the mask indeed arrived. Upon opening it, she found it was a decent quality, antique-style golden mask resembling the King of Lanling.
In this world, participating in underground fighting wasn’t illegal, but considering she was the student council president and also the daughter of Xia Yuxue, it was best to avoid exposing her identity.
In the evening, after taking a shower, Yuyin stood in front of her wardrobe, troubled about what to wear for the competition.
What kind of clothes should she wear to participate in the contest?
Most of those underground fighters were bare-chested, wearing studded belts; she, as a girl, couldn’t possibly wear something like that, and besides, she didn’t have any.
But overly ladylike clothes wouldn’t be suitable for fighting.
After much deliberation, Yuyin finally settled on a white short skirt outfit, fastening a black belt, putting on black stockings, and tying a white headband. Looking in the mirror, she found it had a dignified yet sharp demeanor.
Yuyin put on her sunglasses, grabbed a black handbag, and headed out.
She went directly to the second floor, where a small-time thug with a red mohawk was waiting for her.
“Miss Xia? You’re even more beautiful than the manager said,” the thug leered at Yuyin.
“Where’s Xiao Liu?”
“Her? She quit. Third Brother… uh, the manager sent me to replace her. Come with me.”
“…”
Well, a simple and honest girl like that wasn’t suited for this place anyway, Yuyin thought.
The thug led Yuyin to the pre-fight waiting room on the underground level, which was also a changing room.
“You’ve got special treatment, Miss Xia, enjoying a private changing room. Who told you to be a girl? Hehe. You can rest here and prepare; I’ll come to get you when the match is about to start. If you need anything, just call me.”
Saying this, the thug lingered on Yuyin for a few moments before shaking his head and leaving.
With over an hour until the match, Yuyin sat down and closed her eyes to meditate.
In the initial battle, there was still some tension, which was not conducive to performance. I had to adjust my mindset, starting with my breathing rhythm…
An hour passed…
“Miss Xia, it’s your turn to go on stage,” a small-time thug shouted as he pushed the door open.
Yuyin almost immediately stood up, but she suppressed her excited breath, calmly waiting for a moment before opening her eyes.
In that instant, the glimmer in her eyes startled the small-time thug, who was used to the street life.
Yuyin donned her mask and stood up, following the thug as they walked through the dim underground corridor, pushing open the door to the contestants’ passage and entering the fighting arena.
Wow—!
The roar that shook the entire arena erupted, lights flickered, and everywhere was a sea of heads, countless phones capturing her from all angles.
Yuyin felt her mind go blank, only able to see the path leading to the ring.
Guided by several fighters, she stepped onto the platform.
On the other side of the not-so-large platform, her opponent also made his entrance amidst the audience’s clamor—a towering black man over two meters tall.
Yuyin began to feel the strange shouts and gazes around her; clearly, the focus of this battle was not on the excitement of the fight itself.
More so, it was about the novelty and the spectacle.
Although Yuyin’s face was hidden, her mask still exuded beauty. A tall and sexy figure made the bikini-clad sign-holding women seem superfluous, yet she was about to engage in a real fight with that giant black man? Most people found it hard to believe.
“Next up, we have what everyone has been waiting for: an ordinary person challenging a professional fighter,” the host shouted into the microphone. “The mysterious woman from Zero City, facing off against—standing at 2.07 meters tall and weighing 109 kilograms, the black fighter, Lewis!”
The stands erupted in excited cheers.
Lewis leaned against the edge of the ring, seemingly relaxed, looking at Yuyin with a mix of disdain and provocation, occasionally making gestures to showcase himself to the audience.
“I mean, am I really going to fight this lady?” Lewis said with a strange expression. “To be honest, I feel a bit sorry for her.”
“Well… our fighter Lewis says he feels sorry, how about you?” the host asked.
Laughter and whistles erupted from the stands.
“After all, Lewis, your opponent is just a fan dreaming of martial arts. As a professional fighter, you should know how to win the match gracefully while ensuring our mysterious lady doesn’t get hurt, right?” the host continued.
“Of course,” Lewis said, his eyes fixated on Yuyin’s chest, his massive arms spread wide.
At that moment, two assistants handed Yuyin and Lewis their weapons on the platform.
Yuyin had a black steel longsword that shimmered with a blue light.
Lewis wielded a long-handled giant axe, over two meters long, with a broad and heavy blade that was clearly not something an ordinary person could handle.
Seeing Lewis with the giant axe made the entire platform feel a bit smaller.
“Alright, everyone, place your bets quickly!” the host announced. “Pick up your apps and place your bets; today’s odds are still displayed on the big screen!”
Screens at the top and on all sides displayed the betting situation for both fighters.
Of course, when an ordinary person challenges a fighter, the bets are rarely about winning or losing, but rather about how long the ordinary person can last.
Today’s wager was whether Yuyin could withstand a minute against Lewis.
Yuyin saw the current odds, which were heavily stacked against her.
“Alright, there are a total of 800,000 spirit pills, and only a mere 40,000 can be bet!” The host looked at Yuyin with exaggerated pity.
The crowd erupted in boos.
This underground fighting arena was not just about the thrill of the fight; betting spirit pills was its fundamental purpose. However, Yuyin was still unclear about the function of spirit pills.
The host urged everyone to place their bets again.
“The match is about to start, we will close the betting soon! Although the odds are low, this is still a financial opportunity, giving everyone a chance to win spirit pills! Hurry and place your bets—”
“3, 2, 1—Match begins, betting closed!”
Amidst the clamor, a metal net slowly rose, enclosing Yuyin and Lewis in this small space.
The match timer started.
No one cared about winning or losing; those who bet were only concerned with how many seconds it would take Lewis to defeat Yuyin, while those who didn’t bet just wanted to see if Lewis would take the opportunity to tear Yuyin’s clothes and humiliate her. Of course, many were worried about Yuyin getting hurt; how could such a beautiful and slender girl withstand the giant’s axe?
Time ticked by, and Lewis showed no urgency, seemingly deliberately toying with the nerves of the bettors, casually strolling around the ring with the long-handled axe in one hand, shaking his head and feigning helplessness.
“Ah, beautiful Eastern girl, I was hoping to play with you a bit longer, but if I delay any further, they’ll accuse me of throwing the match,” Lewis said, approaching Yuyin like a mountain, feigning guilt as he extended his hands and stuck out his tongue.
His gaze was utterly bewildering.
Yuyin, however, remained still, taking just two steps forward from the corner of the ring, standing on her side, coldly watching her opponent, as still as a statue, her black longsword slanted beside her.
As the minute approached, Lewis made a gesture reminiscent of a tribal prayer, but it was filled with disrespect and indecency.
“Alright, my dear, I’m sorry.”
Suddenly, a fierce look flashed in Lewis’s eyes. His tall frame moved with the unique agility of a black man, adjusting his stance like a primitive dance. His powerful muscles instantly tensed, and with a coordinated motion, he raised the long-handled giant axe, unleashing the innate explosive power of a black man. Most spectators couldn’t react in time as the heavy axe came crashing down.
Whoosh!
Clang!
Yuyin’s longsword sliced through the air, creating a black arc, sparks flying as Lewis’s giant axe was deflected backward, sending his massive body tumbling back, leaving his vital area wide open.
Swish!
Yuyin stepped forward, thrusting her heavy iron sword straight into Lewis’s heart.
Lewis’s feet left the ground, his heavy body curling backward.
Bang…
He crashed into the metal net, bouncing back and collapsing to the ground, motionless.
At that moment, the match time froze at 59 seconds.
The arena fell silent.