Leaning over a guardrail, Jin was spectating a match. It was a heated battle since both contenders were first-ranked challengers of the tower as well. Their physical prowess was devastating, something that mundane humans couldn't contend against even remotely. But their technique was poor and mostly instinctive.
It wasn't surprising to him, since he knew that these people weren't trained at all. Violence had been a part of their lives, so it was the only skill they had. In the end, their priority was making money, not growing stronger.
Every time one of them landed a blow on the other, the crowd cheered loudly. Even if he was used to such a sight, just the environment of the underground arena was enough to get his blood heated up.
The rules down here were simple—no weapons and no deaths. That was all a combatant needed to remember as long as they were fighting. If someone were found using underhanded means to win a match, Jin was unsure what would happen to them.
As the match continued, he glanced at John, who was pacing back and forth with a worried expression.
'How long is he going to take?'
Despite his eccentric nature, John was a rather useful connection in Lian's life. Even after separating, he used to check up on Lian.
But that didn't matter to Jin, because he wasn't here to continue Lian's old relationships.
The only reason he wanted to meet him was that John was much more than just a frivolous young man. Over the years, he had gotten himself deeply involved with the businesses of the entertainment district. A pauper who once wiped the tables in the bar above them now dealt with the most dangerous men down here.
He was a master at steering the conversation, exploiting the other person without them even noticing it.
'If I can use him for my own gain, I don't mind making his acquaintance. But I can't let him take the lead.'
He clicked his tongue as the match came to an end.
"Are you going to get me in or not?"
John looked back at him.
"It's not as easy as that, you moron. Do you think this is actually just a fight club where people come to blow some steam?"
He pointed at the VIP chambers. The translucent glass shielding the chamber made it such that no one could see who was inside.
Yet, Jin could faintly see a few people sitting inside. It was only for a moment, but he felt someone's gaze falling on him.
John continued.
"See that? Think they simply came here to watch some inexperienced losers beat each other up? The sheer amount of money being bet on in this arena right now would blow your mind. Today's guests aren't our usual clients either. As far as I know, some real hotshots are sitting in there."
He gestured toward the ring.
"You can see for yourself how dangerous it is inside."
Jin turned back to the arena. The match had ended when one of the challengers gave a lethal kick to the other, utterly breaking his neck. Ever since then, the combatant had not shown any sort of response. It was unclear whether he was even alive anymore.
The crowd cheered again as the host declared the winner.
He watched the injured individual get taken away in a chair, his gaze vacant.
Lightly grabbing his shoulder, John spoke in a somber tone.
"Listen. I understand that now that you're a challenger, you feel more confident. But that doesn't mean you can just risk your life without consequences. You should give up."
Jin simply raised a brow. Finally, he spoke in a contemptuous tone.
"You disappoint me, John. It seems I came to the wrong person."
He wasn't expecting John to care about Lian, let alone steer him away from putting his life in danger. But that was not what he had wanted. His goal was clear, and he had come to the person who cared more about making money than his life.
John turning him down wasn't what he had expected, though.
He turned to the side.
"I should've gone directly to the club owner instead."
As he was about to walk away, John stopped him.
"Fine! Just don't talk about going to the owner. Just thinking about her gives me the creeps. I'll see what I can do, so just follow me quietly."
With a subtle grin, Jin followed him.
Ten minutes later, they were standing in front of a tall, burly man. The bodyguard stared at them intensely, making sure they didn't make any extra movements.
As he stared back at the bodyguard, the door behind him opened halfway. The bodyguard moved to the side, giving them way.
Entering the room, the door locked behind them.
The room was opulent, filled with numerous artifacts and decorations. Despite the elegance, the room had more of a resemblance to an arsenal than the chambers of a lady. On the walls, he could see different kinds of weapons hung on the wall—some of them being melee weapons, while some were heavy artillery.
In the front was a wide pane of glass. One could clearly see the matches from this place.
Between the spectating window and them, there was a wide sofa. Only one person was seated on the sofa, her eyes focused on the match happening inside.
John unconsciously gulped, the back of his neck already sweating profusely.
Finally, the club owner spoke.
"Speak."
John scratched the back of his head, his voice wavering.
"Oh, boss! Um… It's nothing much. I was just hoping if my friend could… You know… participate in a match."
His stuttering was making Jin tense instead.
'What kind of leash does this woman have on him to be so afraid of her?'
There was a long silence, making John even more worried.
She turned her head, throwing a glance at Jin. The moment her scarlet eyes fell on him, he knew that she wasn't an opponent he could face right now.
He didn't divert his gaze and stared straight at her. His strength was certainly lacking, but his spirit was still as sharp as it had been.
Sizing him up, she gave a lopsided grin.
'Interesting.'
Despite his frail physique, his posture was unwavering and authoritative. She knew that Jin must have realized where he stood compared to her, yet his stance didn't change in any way. Instead, it looked as if he was analyzing her even further, finding a crack in her defenses.
'Should I test him?'
She turned back to the glass. Opening the door, the bodyguard entered the room.
Spectating the current fight, she spoke.
"Get this kid in the ring with Allen."
John looked like he was about to object, but the bodyguard stared him down.
Noticing the tense situation, she looked back at them.
"I hope you can understand my intentions. This is not a charity, you know."
With that, she signaled them to leave.
Once out of the room, they followed the bodyguard to the waiting room. It was where one waited until their match was announced.
There weren't many people in there, but the ones that were present were just as daunting as people would expect them to be. The energy in the room was palpable. It was only natural, after all, no one liked fighting with their life on the line. Even if killing someone was strictly prohibited inside the ring, getting crippled was no different than a death sentence in the lower districts.
As he sat down on one of the benches, the other contestants measured him.
Lian was not a fighter, nor was he a warrior. As far as he could remember, Lian had avoided any sort of physical altercation. It wasn't until he entered the trial that he was provided with a weapon for the first time in his life.
Similarly, he looked rather fragile when compared to the rest of the people in the room. It was only natural that they thought of him as someone beneath them instead of as their competition.
He looked at John, who was even more nervous than before. It was as if he were the one fighting and not Jin.
"Who's this Allen fellow that he's got you on your toes? Did he beat you up?"
John shook his head.
"Allen… he's a second-ranked challenger. I don't even remember when his last match was."
Jin raised a brow.
"And? That can't be all there is to him."
John replied.
"What else do you want there to be? The gap between your ranks is enough for him to finish you in a matter of seconds."
Calming himself down, he continued.
"There's certainly more to him. He doesn't have the best track record, you see. If I had to describe him, he's like a lion in a circus. Just that, his job here is beating his opponents half to death. Almost every fight he has done down here has ended with his loss, because his opponent would usually end up dead."
Jin stroked his chin.
"Then why do they still allow him in the fight club? Isn't the first rule that you can't kill your opponent?"
Pursing his lips, John answered.
"The people down here come to the fight club for various reasons. Among them, some sick people just enjoy seeing others getting beaten to a pulp. Call it whatever you want, the club owner is just using him to heat things up now and then. And I doubt Allen is the type to deny her money."
Jin straightened his back.
Even as he was playing with the idea of participating in the fight club, he knew that the club owner wouldn't simply grant him a place in the ring. Lian didn't look the sort to enter illegal arenas either, which set him even further back.
But now he understood why the club owner had agreed so easily.
'So, you want me to dance in front of the lion?'
Remembering the special guests John had mentioned previously, things made even more sense to him. It wasn't that she was expecting him to win against Allen.
It was precisely because she knew that Lian wasn't anywhere in his league. She was just waiting for the right sheep to fall into her hands.
But she had miscalculated something.
The one fighting today wasn't Lian—it was Jin.
Suddenly, the lights inside the arena became even more intense. It was as if today's main match was about to start. The crowd went wild. He could faintly hear a drum roll between the shouts of the people.
The host announced something, but it was barely audible to him.
John stood up.
"Lian…"
Jin knew what he was going to say. Instead, he removed his shirt and threw it over at John.
"Keep it clean. It's the only good shirt I have."
John was perplexed as he saw Jin entering the ring.