-Chapter 6-

-November 7, 2006-

-Underground Arena Bloodborn-

“Today, ladies and gentlemen, we welcome the reigning champion BJORN THE FURIOUS BEAR,” yelled the commentator of the underground cage fight, pointing at a beast over 2 meters tall entering the cage.

“Facing him, Dave will be fighting, betting $10,000 on his victory at 10 to 1 odds. Hahaha, now that’s someone who isn’t afraid of looking ridiculous.”

Everyone gathered around the cage and in the stands burst into laughter while I kept my focus on my goal, unimpressed by the gigantic colossus ready to tear me in half.

I nodded at my patron and then advanced, extending my fists towards the giant, who immediately delivered a punch that knocked me out for a second before I regained my senses and quickly stepped back to avoid a second punch.

‘Son of a bitch,’ I thought, bouncing lightly and approaching him.

He smiled with his mouth wide open, and I could read on his dentures, "You’re dead, son of a bitch." A real comedian, that one. I stood in front of him without saying anything, and he charged at me, not giving me time to breathe.

He hit me again and again, but I either dodged his blows or took them with a high guard.

I continued like this until the bell for the first round rang. I collapsed onto my chair alone while my opponent drank and even got massaged by a bombshell.

I smiled at the sight and glanced at my patron’s spot, who looked worried but nodded upon seeing my still-confident face despite the hits I’d taken.

As soon as the second round began, I switched to warrior mode and absorbed and dodged all the blows I could.

Seconds felt like minutes, but I kept going, knowing that the key to this fight was the key to my financial freedom.

---

-POV Michael Trevor-

“It’s a real slaughter, it’s already been 5 rounds and he’s still holding on,” said the commentator, watching my protégé fight as if his life depended on it, which wasn’t entirely false because if I lost $200,000 because of him, his body would be floating in the city’s sewers before sunrise.

I still remember this guy’s confidence when he came to meet me last night.

-Flashback-

“Michael Trevor?” said a man, calling out to me in the street as I left a casino where I was a regular.

I turned in the direction of the voice, as did my bodyguards who had their hands on their weapons, and I said, “Who’s asking?”

“David Copperfield the third.”

“That’s your real name?”

The young man nodded and then said, “I have a proposal that could make you even richer than you are in a single evening, and the total investment doesn’t even represent $200,000.”

“How much richer?”

“At least 10 million dollars.”

I sneered and then said, “Get this clown out of here.”

He smiled, then raised his arms in the air and said, “I’m not looking for trouble. If you’re not interested, that’s your problem, but I’m fighting tomorrow and I need a sponsor to rake in as much money as possible. If you’re interested, come to the Bloodborn Arena of the Alvarez Cartel. Otherwise, pretend I never said anything. I’ll manage on my own.”

I frowned because I knew perfectly well that the Alvarez Cartel guys had a gold mine in southern Vegas because they had hired a Norwegian giant who fought in their arena, merciless with his opponents and even killing some.

I shook my head disdainfully, thinking, ‘Even though he looks tough with his height exceeding 190 cm, he can’t beat that monster.’

-End of Flashback-

“What are the odds at the betting office?” I asked my right-hand man, Armando.

“40 to 1,” he said after a few moments.

“Put it all on him,” I said, taking the risk of betting everything on him.

“Are you sure you want to do that, Boss?”

“I don’t think I stuttered,” I said without looking at him.

After a few moments, I heard his voice say, “It’s done.”

“Perfect,” I said.

Just then, the fight resumed, and I said, “If he wins, he’ll pocket $4.4 million.”

“You want to offer him a percentage?”

“If what you told me is true, then it’s very possible that I’ll never get this kind of opportunity again in my life.”

“He’s just a rich kid,” said Armando.

“Whose father is a one-star general,” I said.

As a big shot in Las Vegas, I had one foot in the clean side of Vegas’s business and the other foot in the less clean side of Vegas.

One of the main reasons for my meteoric success was my way of managing the relationships I had and my extremely extensive network.

I wasn’t going to miss a chance to get in touch with a general just for a measly million dollars.

That didn’t even represent what I earned in a week without doing anything, so why not take the chance? At worst, he’d owe me a favor, and at best, he’d make me win 40 million dollars.

‘Well, 36 million.’

---

-POV MC-

Seeing my sponsor’s right-hand man heading to the betting office with two large bags, I thanked all the gods watching over me and clenched my fists with renewed combativeness.

I entered the cage with a new look, a new flame, and said, “You’re dead, clown.”

He sneered, and as soon as the bell rang, I jumped to perform a Tornado Kick.

Since he was rushing straight at me, trying to knock me out once and for all, he took the kick perfectly to the chin.

So perfectly that he fell all at once, stiff as a board.

I raised my arms to the sky, roaring to release the frustration I felt from the pain of the blows I’d received during the last 5 rounds, then exited the cage, heading straight to the betting office to collect my winnings, ignoring the delirious spectators and commentators.

All I wanted now that I had finished this fight was to go home and rest because I thought I had a broken rib.

[Congratulations on completing the hidden mission ‘Win a Fight’]

[Reward: 1 skill point]