A black-sailed ship docked under the shadow of a tall mountain and a black castle.
As they departed from the ship, Mars and the rest saw the enormous mountain and felt like heavy pressure fell over them.
Before they could leave the harbor, a figure dressed in a proper suit and tie walked over to them.
“Mars Godfriend, correct?” He asked in a monotone tone.
“That’s me.” Mars said with a gruff voice.
“The Sea King is waiting for you. Follow me.” He then turned around, and with hands behind his back, he started to head towards the tall mountain.
“You’ll stay here.” Mars said to others as he walked away.
Apollo and others shared glances and sighed before sitting down on the pier.
“You’ll think Ambrose is here?” Damian asked as his gaze lingered in the direction of Haventown.
“Perhaps.” Leon said while taking a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it up. “By the way, I don’t like the looks those guys are giving us.”
He glanced sideways at the group of pirates gathered near one of the large vessels. They were cleaning their weapons, throwing them dirty glances.
“Provoking.” Apollo looked away from them and said, “Ignore them.”
At that moment, a figure walked down the stone steps and arrived at the pier. He was looking around the harbor until he saw the people he was looking for.
With a smile on his face, he approached them.
“That guy is coming to us.” Damian whispered and extended his black nails from his right hand while still keeping the hand hidden.
“Welcome, Black Heart Pirates.” He said with his arms crossed behind his back. “I suppose your captain has already left to meet the Sea King?”
“Yes, and you are…?” Apollo took the lead as the First Mate of the Black Heart Pirates.
“My name is Arkham.”
Arkham was a golden-haired man with fair skin and blue eyes like the sky itself. His ears were surprisingly sharp, and circular silver earrings adorned them.
He had a strong jawline and a confident smile, like he had everything under control and that nothing could wipe off that smile on his face.
His eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief, as if he knew a secret that no one else did.
“I am Apollo.” Apollo introduced himself, but inwardly thought. ‘An elf, and not just any elf. Arkham, the Second Commander of the Sea King fleet. He is incredibly dangerous!’
“It pains me to see that Mars left you all in here.” Arkham put his hand against his chest and looked like he was truly in pain. “However, the Sea King doesn’t wish you to stay here. Come with me to the castle; your rooms have been prepared.”
“Apollo…” Leon narrowed his eyes and shook his head. This was incredibly suspicious.
‘What other options are there? None.’ Apollo thought and nodded. “All right, it would be an honor.”
“Great.” Arkham laughed. “Then, follow me.”
…
At the underground fighting tournament.
“It’s time for the Round of 16 to start!” The announcer, standing in the middle of the cage, shouted loud enough for everyone in the basement to hear. “The first match will be between Dylan and Sarahh with two h’s!”
The crowd cheered as the two fighters stepped into the cage.
After the bell rang, the lean-bodied Dylan and the slender-bodied Sarahh began trading blows. However, it was clear that, as a man, Dylan had an advantage over Sarahh in terms of strength and power.
However, Sarahh effortlessly managed to dance around Dylan and deliver punches that continued landing on the liver and kidneys.
Yet a single punch from Dylan sent her sprawling across the ground. Sarahh’s body lay motionless, her eyes closed, and her breathing slowed.
The first fight ended with that blow, and the second one started right afterward.
Ambrose sat near the bar while watching the fight.
The betting board was near him, allowing him to see who had the greatest chance at victory and who did not.
Ever since Adam was announced to be fighting, he had been at the top of the board with the highest odds of winning.
Ambrose was at the bottom with a few other unknown fighters who barely won their first match but were left very injured.
The tournament didn’t have long breaks. Therefore, getting injured was a significant disadvantage.
As the second fight neared its end, Ambrose looked down at his fists and clenched them.
‘If I were a brawler, I might have a chance at victory, but as a swordsman? The brawler can learn different martial arts quicker, and their attacks have a greater chance of striking critical hits.
‘As a swordsman, I can still fight like a brawler, but without any skills and only my own skills to help me, while Brawler has advantage of the game’s system…
‘However, because of intelligence, I have managed to learn Heaven Drop and boxing. So, I am not an ordinary swordsman. I am somewhat Half-Brawler as well.
‘Is that enough to win a single fight, though? I have to see.’
“Ambrose?” A voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Yes?” Ambrose turned to see a pleasant-looking woman looking at him with a flirtatious smile.
“Your fight will start shortly. Follow me; I’ll take you to the changing room.”
“All right.” Ambrose stood up and followed after her.
After arriving at the changing room, she excused herself and left, leaving Ambrose alone with the rest of the fighters gathered in the changing room.
They all looked battle-hardened, with scars adorning their bodies. They all wore shorts, their upper bodies were naked, and they all sat silently as they were mentally preparing themselves for the upcoming fight.
Ambrose walked over to one of the closets and opened it. His shorts were inside. The shorts were black in color, with red spots splattered around as if they were depicting the sight of blood.
He pulled them out and put them on.
After putting the rest of his seafaring clothes inside his inventory, he looked at himself in the mirror.
He only wore the shorts with his upper body naked. He felt rather drafty, but his muscles looked extremely defined, like they were carved from diamonds and steel.
In terms of body alone, Ambrose was at the top echelon when compared to other fighters. The other fighters still looked like they had some fat around their midsections, but Ambrose’s body was lean and chiseled.
However, in terms of the size of the muscles, he was slightly further back in the line.
His chiseled body impressed the other fighters as they first saw him, but when they noticed the silky smooth skin free of any scars, they scoffed in silence.
It was clear that this young man hadn’t been in a proper fight before.
Also, he clearly replaced someone, as they didn’t see him fight in the first round. That made him look even worse in their eyes, as they believed that he had purchased his way in.
And since he skipped the first round, he could fight the second round completely uninjured.
In their heads, it was very unfair, but they were born in a world that instantly seemed very unfair and unjust. Therefore, they simply disrespected him in their minds.
However, at the corner of the changing room, a scar-faced man with raven-black hair cracked his knuckles as he looked at Ambrose.
He was called Ravenhood, Ambrose’s opponent in the Round of 16.
‘Pathetic.’ Ravenhood scoffed. ‘I’ll crush him like swatting a fly.’