Yet the clerk could only sigh and register him as such. He then explained the rules and things to note about the Colosseum of Blood to Gunner, who listened attentively.
Once he got a good grasp of what to do, Gunner headed into the Battle Lobby. Here, there were various counters where one could register for a fight, and they would be matchmaking done to find them a similar opponent.
Gunner also walked up to an empty counter and presented his Intermediate Badge which signified that he was a Journeyman fighter. The aide behind the counter took it and scanned it using some weird magical eye.
After that, she worked on it for a short while before gazing up at Gunner with a pretty smile. "Intermediate Fighter Gunner, you will be fighting Intermediate Fighter Magnus on floor 43 in 30 minutes. Please head to the waiting arena for your match to be called."
Gunner received his badge back and walked to the waiting area. Upon entry, he noticed that it was mostly like a lounge, in which various fellows sat comfortably as they waited for their matches to be called.
Gunner looked around and chose a random empty seat. Upon relaxing, he closed his eyes and began silently meditating while leaving some attention for the world around him.
His cold exterior prevented anyone from approaching him, despite the fact that most fighters didn't have the habit of making friends here either. After all, they might soon become enemies in the arena, where they might even kill the other in a brutal fight.
What was the use of making friends then?
After waiting for 30 minutes, Gunner heard the call for his match and rose up. At another side of the lounge, another fellow rose up at the same time, walking to the same destination as Gunner.
This had happened frequently over the past 30 minutes and even happened round the clock, with very few staying in the waiting area for more than an hour, new faces coming to replace old ones repeatedly.
As such, no one paid attention.
Gunner and the Magnus fellow only gave a cursory glance at each other before entering the tunnel leading to floor 43. It was one of the 20 Journeyman level arena floors, and once the duo entered they were subjected to thunderous shouts.
The Colosseum of Blood was hopelessly huge. It had over 200 Arena floors, with different floors being designated for different stages of fighters. When one came to the entrance, they would pay a fee for a select fighter grade and be sent to the nearest empty floor.
So for example, one could pay 100 Dius for a one day pass to spectate Journeyman fights and would then have access to the Journeyman floors, which were located on floor 31-50, then depending on the time at which the person paid, they may be sent to the 41st floor if all others before were already full.
It didn't matter anyway, since the fights were plentiful. Most of the time, the floors were fully occupied, which was why there was still a crowd out there. They were waiting for someone to leave so that they could replace them.
The arena itself was as large as half a football field, and the stands were quite large. It seemed to house almost 50,000 or more people from a cursory look, making Gunner smile lightly.
There was an MC standing on the stage, a well-built man who had a bald head. He beckoned to the duo and pointed to where each should stand. Once they took their spots, he then spoke in a loud voice that was able to reach the edges of the floor with ease.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the 5th fight for today on floor 43! Let me hear you make some noiiisseee!!!"
The crowd roared in delight, their emotions easily manipulated by the bloodseeking atmosphere and the hype of the MC.
Satisfied, the MC continued. "To the left, we have Intermediate Fighter Magnus, who currently has a battle record of 1 win, no draws, and 1 loss!"
There was some applause for Magnus, making the fellow smile thinly. He himself was an above-average-looking fellow at 5 foot 10, with messy brown hair and sharp blue eyes.
He had an angular face that wasn't shaped too sharply, with a small nose and thin lips. His body wasn't exactly well-built, looking to be quite thin. He wore a long black trenchcoat with a dark brown leather armor for rouges concealed within.
His back was slightly bent and he placed his hands in his pockets lazily. He looked just like a troublesome delinquent who had no respect for the authorities.
The MC then turned to Gunner and chuckled meaningfully. "To the right though, we have Intermediate Fighter Gunner, who currently has no battle record!"
With a full-blown guffaw, the MC bent back and roared. "That's right folks, we have ourselves here a newbie! SOME FRESH MEAT!"
The crowd were first shocked then even more static than before. They began chanting with fervor, preparing the key line that the MC shouted out.
"FRESH MEAT!"
"FRESH MEAT!"
"FRESH MEAT!"
Even Magnus who stood across Gunner showed visible excitement as he licked his lips. A newbie? Had those bloody Gods finally smiled down upon him to give him an easy win to up his streak?
Whatever the case, since this fellow had dared to appear before him, he should simply die in peace!
Gunner ignored the crowd that were shouting and focused on his opponent who seemed raring to go. The MC also noticed that the fighters were ready and decided that there was no longer a need for hype.
"Alright, let the battle….BEGIN!" The MC bellowed as he waved his arm down and jumped out of the ring to observe from the side.
"Heh heh, don't blame me for being cruel, big guy. In this arena, life and death is decided by the stronger party, so for now, I call the shots!" Magnus said as he rushed over to Gunner with his hands still in his pockets.
