XVI

Chapter 16: Cangue City's Arena

"Phew."

There are more people than I expected. There are many seats in this stadium. Stadia actually. The arena is split into multiple stages of different sizes and shapes for different types of matches which can be run simultaneously.

You pay 0.2 U coin for a regular seat and 0.5 for a VIP seat. Well, there are technically no 0.2 or 0.5 U coin currency but that is what is charged to your Arena Ticket. I don't know why, but I got two tickets and paid for a VIP seat.

[3 U coins → 1 U coin]

[2 Arena Tickets → 1.3 Arena Tickets]

I paid for a regular seat first but after getting uncomfortable while seating amongst others, I got a VIP one and the previous ticket is non-refundable.

The most interesting matches are the ones fought by teams that have gotten popular in the short time the game has been released. I could wipe them out alone but learning how they fight will get me knowledge to be more effective. I may not need to care right now since I will most likely do 1v1s in the arena butt you never know what may happen outside the arena in future.

"Excuse me Sir. What kind of drink would you like?"

A female voice calls my attention away from a 2V2 matchup between a mage and spearman pair and a dual mage pair. When I look up, I am greeted with pearly blue eyes and blond hair.

"Eli…" I stop there. It's not Elise. But she kind of looks like her. Their skin is similar, but this waitress is slightly taller, and her hair is packed in pigtails. Her lips and aren't as pink and soft-looking as Elise's but she's still beautiful in her own right. "Ahem. Water. Just water will be fine."

"Ok. 1 bottle of water." She hands me a bottle of water out of a cart she's pushing around. "If you need more, please push the blue button on your armrest."

"Sure."

She nods with a smile and keeps on going to the next person.

"Dude. Only water. Really?" The person seated to my left comments. "They have juice and different kinds of wine you know."

I should have gotten a VVIP ticket. But that would be kind of a waste since that would just get me a private booth for only 20 game hours. Every arena seat lasts for 20 hours.

Regular – Congested seating with many people for 20 Hours. (0.2 U coin)

VIP- Spaced out seating with slightly bigger chair for 20 Hours. (0.5 U coin)

VVIP- Private Booth for 20 Hours (0.8 U coin)

"I prefer water." I reply looking away from the departing blond waitress.

"Tch. Boring dude." He looks away from me and back at his screen.

I exhale and turn my attention back at the screen. The match had already ended, and the double mage team won three out of three rounds.

Next to come on stage was a pair of a dual swordsman and a fortress (shield specialist) against a pair of familiar players: a female orc and a green-haired mage. That should be Juliet and Marcus if I'm remembering their names correctly. They struggled against a level 15 cobra back then when they were in a group of four. I wonder how far they have come since then.

On the screen for Team A, we can see their avatar names and average level of the team displayed. The lean-looking dual swordsman with long brunette hair and a stubble is called Francis Girth and the bulky looking…is that a troll? The troll is quite round and huge but he's only slightly shorter than the dual swordsman. He is dressed in bronze armor and holding a big bronze square-shaped shield. He is called H. Wyatt and their average team level is 16.

If the B team hasn't improved since last time, they are goners.

Next, the B team's information is displayed.

The green-haired mage is shown first as Marcus Bane, and he is dressed in a red cloak while the female orc who is identified as Juliet Bane is dressed as she was last time that I saw her, but she got a silver breastplate and a silver helmet. Their team's average level is then displayed on the screen: 16.

"They seem to have improved." I mumble to myself.

2V2 Tag Team. Target: Surrender.

"So, it is a tag team match, and no one dies. The first team to surrender loses. No death? How does that work? What if they refuse to give up?"

"Brother, this must be your first time here." A voice replies to my rhetorical question. Well…it's not entirely rhetorical since I needed an answer, but I didn't direct it at anyone.

"Yes, it is." It's the same guy that commented on me drinking water earlier.

"Very well. If you don't surrender and the game stops you from dying, you begin to loose experience points and levels."

"…I see." Well, I guess that evens things out. It's better to just surrender if things have reached a dead end. If you keep fighting after loosing all your health points (HP), you start to burn your other stats.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

There are three sounds of a bell followed by a loud male voice on the arena saying: "Start."

I hope they don't disappoint me.