Matches Options

As Asher went up to the several electronic tablets placed on the counter, the Vendor woman tossed her gaze between Asher and Elsa.

Even though they didn't show any overt intimate action, it was clear enough to her they are close in some way. Just from the way they stick so close to each other, as if they both basked in each other's presences, gave it all way.

A thought surged in the Vendor's mind, and she asked the duo then, "Pardon me. Before you sign up for a match, may I ask, are you two a team?"

Asher merely quirked his eyebrows from behind his mask but didn't hesitate to answer. "Yes, we are. Is something the matter?"

"No, not at all. I will just inform you that if you two reach the same realm, you can participate in our rare double battles. The rewards will be split between you two, but the rewards will also be double from what you can receive from regular matches." The Vendor woman explained.

"I see….what do you think?" Asher had briefly turned his gaze over to Elsa and asked.

Elsa didn't really think too hard about it, almost answering on instinct, "I suppose it would be good for us even after that event. For now, let's just focus on this."

Asher readily nodded and had then turned his attention back on the electronic tablets. Getting a better view of them now, Asher notices another vital piece of information besides the enemies to fight.

On the three tablets, they all had titles depicting what realm these System cultivators would be in.

Asher, of course, expected Spirit Tier and Origin Tier List. But when his gaze landed on the third tablet, his interest was greatly piqued.

This tablet actually had a list containing Earth Tier cultivators!

Powerhouses that could freely roam around the City also participate in death matches here? Asher nearly felt disbelief from that tablet.

After all, compared to Spirit Tier and Origin Tier cultivators an Earth Tier powerhouses shouldn't be lacking funds or resources. Even if an ordinary person with absolutely no background got god-given luck and managed to reach the Earth Tier realm, they could easily gain riches.

The amount of Special Academies, Sects, or even offers from the Mayor Forces would be abundant.

In all honesty, Earth Tier powerhouses wouldn't even need to put their life on their lines or struggle for resources ever again.

So why of all places was there a seemingly sizable list of Earth Tier cultivators here?

At that moment, even though Asher had always regarded the Burning Night Pit Organization as highly mysterious, that Earth Tier list made them all the shadier.

Still, the Earth Tier realm was far away from Asher's current prowess. He slightly shook his head and refocused his attention back on the Spirit Tier list.

Peering down the list, Asher admits it was quite detail.

By each person's name, they not only tell which stage of the Spirit Tier realm they're in, but they also describe how far advanced they are in each stage. There was the average Early Stage all the way up to Peak Early Stage Spirit Tier cultivators.

Furthermore, each person has a detailed record of their match history, telling how many wins, losses, and kills they achieved.

For a moment, Asher started to contemplate on what level of a foe he should choose. His mind immediately flashed back to Jayline as that was the only recent real battle he fought for a while.

The main thing Asher recalled from that fight was the fact that Jayline was just so….weak. At least, he was so weak compared to his prowess.

Truthfully, Asher could still remember that he could've won that duel even if he didn't go in his Spirit Aura state. Moreover, he was barely using the full power of his Spirit Aura state.

Now, flash forward several days, Asher had reached the border of Intermediate level of control with his Spirit Mana energy. Meaning he got even significantly stronger compared to the time he fought Jayline.

Considering all these factors, Asher began to wonder, can a Peak Early Stage Spirit Tier cultivator even bring a challenge to him?

No matter how arrogant Jayline's attitude was, he wasn't known as unbeatable within the Early Stage for nothing.

And even if the cultivators here were far more experienced, they wouldn't be able to get that much stronger without just reaching the Mid Stage Spirit Tier realm.

This is why Asher was nearly considering testing his might against the Mid Stage level. Fighting a higher opponent could improve his rewards and serve as good training before that deadly mission.

However, before Asher could reach a conclusion, Yuki suddenly spoke to him,

'A good line of thinking, Asher. Really it is. But! Absolutely do not show off that kind of prowess here. I have a generally good feel for your prowess, and you can surely fight any Mid Stage brat. But doing that will create such a huge target on us that we can forget even completing the mission.'

'Huh? I mean….I suppose I can understand that this Organization most undoubtedly has the means to uncover who I am even as I hide my identity. But you're making it seem like I should never show off that prowess.' Asher inquired while seemingly peering down the tablet's list.

'Uh-uh. I only said, don't show it here. I can sense there's too much shady stuff going around here. But on the outside….I'll say to wait until you finish the mission to show off that prowess if the situation calls for it. I'm not sure how hard the mortals will react on this planet, but skipping stages is a considerable shock to nearly if not everyone.' Yuki explained.

Asher didn't respond, stewing over Yuki's words.

Initially, he didn't put much thought into being able to skip small stages within a realm, just thinking it would be natural for a genius like him.

But the more Asher thought about it, he gradually realized that he really hasn't heard of anyone being able to skip small stages. At least in Balreth Academy, Asher never heard of the news of a genius being able to skip small stages.

Then again, there are a plethora of Sects and Special Academies making up the whole of Pearlcrest City. Asher thought perhaps those kinds of extreme geniuses are just cooped up inside those places.

Either way, Asher still followed through on Yuki's advice and decided only to face Peak Early Stage Spirit Tier cultivators.

Shuffling through the list, Asher had eventually landed on one specific cultivator. This man's title was named Dragon Grass, and his Magical Power was predictably Grass. His fighting record was quite clean, barely having any losses, and all of his wins were strictly kills.

'This….thinking about it, why do they just put your Magical Power on display so all can see?' Asher mused in his mind.

Having the unknown element of surprise with Magical Power can lead to gaining an advantage in a deathmatch. But if one knows about it beforehand, strategies could be developed to counteract it.

At the same time, there are also a variety of other factors that would influence the course of a battle, so Asher eventually concluded that it wasn't hugely strange.

With his final decision made up, Asher clicked on Dragon Grass's name and selected him to match.

The process was immediate as Dragon Grass was available to fight. Immediately a white glow sparked from the tablet, and a stream of energy flowed right into Asher's Night Badge.

Asher peered his eyes down and spotted there was now a unique symbol that appeared on his Night Badge.

At the same time, the Vendor had suddenly tossed her eyes down at her own tablet, causing a mild expression of shock to cross her face.

"Oh? It's your first time, huh? Alright then."

The Vendor had suddenly taken out yet another electronic tablet, drawing both Asher and Elsa's attention immediately. They both sensed a greater surge of energy coming from this tablet.

"For all first-timers, you must place your Night Badge on the top of this tablet and input your code name along with your Magical Power." The Vender woman continued to explain.

Asher seriously wanted to ask just how all of this fancy technology works. Genuinely, this Organization's electronics looked so distinctly different from anything he ever used before.

And the energy he detected was similarly strange for him to identify. It was like regular Mana energy but also completely different at the same time.

Keeping his questions to himself, Asher thought about his code name for only a moment. And the idea came to him almost instantly.

This name essentially fits who he will truly become in the near future.

Doing as the Vendor instructed, Asher put his badge on the tablet and inputted his code name and Magical Power.

Another white flash sparked from the tablet, causing more streams of energy to flow right into Asher's Night Badge. After only a few moments, the white glow died down, and Asher took his Night Badge back into his hand.

With everything finally done, the Vendor nodded towards Asher, glanced over to Elsa, and told them,

"If it's her first time, she will need to do the same. But for now, continue down this corridor and simply follow the symbol displayed on your Night Badge. Since she is your partner, she can come along with you."

Asher and Elsa didn't speak further, inclining their heads towards her, and started to trail down the corridor beside the Vendor counter.

While they stroll down the eerily quiet corridor, there was also a palpable silence between Asher and Elsa.

In just a few moments, Asher would face his first life or death battle with another human being. And Asher only felt calm. In fact, he was more curious about fighting someone who controls Grass as their Magical Power.

Elsa, though, couldn't help but have a little bit of worry over Asher. While he may have shown outstanding prowess with Jayline, his upcoming opponent isn't some prideful youth.

This would be a true veteran in combat who has years of experience on Asher.

Although Asher isn't a slack when it comes to long combat experiences, Elsa couldn't rule out the possibility of something unexpected happening.

Sensing the concerning shifts of emotions swelling around from Elsa's aura, Asher was about to speak up to lighten her mood.

But in a surprising twist, Elsa was the one to speak; first, her tone even being a little light-hearted. "I know with how assured you're handling this, it wouldn't be useful to worry myself over such small matters. So let me ask you this, Asher, just what did you put in for your code name? I hope it's something appropriate."

"Oh? Curious are we? Well then….you'll just have to wait until the match starts." Asher teased in a mysterious tone that reminded him a lot of what Yuki uses on him.

"Hmph. It's just a silly name…."

Elsa lightly snorted, though she couldn't stop from feeling her curiosity piqued.

Just from that short and brief moment, the atmosphere between Asher and Elsa loosened up as they made their way to their specific underground arena.