Mantis, the black tiger, was a student who attended the Demonic Faction Pagna Academy. In total, there were three of these academies, one for each Faction. Just like the Dark Faction academy, they too were on a break and were paying a visit to their respective Clans.
As for Mantis, the other students weren't lying about who he was. He was the top student at the academy and he stood out like a sore thumb, particularly with his style. He had crazy black hair parted to his right side.
What was shocking was how he would wear his robes. He tended to have only one arm in one sleeve, while the other half was tied around his waist, showing half of his upper body. On his chest, there was a large scratch, and strangely rather than red like a regular scar, it was black in color. This was how Mantis had gotten the nickname the Black Tiger.
"Today, in order to demonstrate his skills, we wish to issue a challenge to you all!" The student at the front was doing all the talking; he wore a pair of spectacles which were rare to see, especially on a Pagna warrior, which made them think it was more of a fashion statement. His name was Rod.
While Mantis was sitting on a chair, the other students had cloths covering several different items around them, waiting to reveal what they were to the crowd.
"We are here to prove to you that Mantis is truly one of the best students and a star in the making!" Rod shouted.
The crowd was already drawn in; it seemed like he was quite the speaker, as his articulation and tone were perfect. The crowd was already getting bigger by the moment.
"Right here, we have a series of challenges that you can take part in against Mantis!" Rod continued to explain, and the cloth was taken off some of the items behind them.
"The first one is a measuring pillar. Test your strength against the star, and see if you can best his power!" Rod then pointed to Mantis himself.
"The second challenge, try to hit Mantis in any way possible; he won't strike back but only avoid your hits! Thirdly, see if your reaction time is even quicker than Mantis!"
The third item was a strange contraption. It was a large wooden block that looked almost like a pillar, but on top of the pillar, there were three buttons. The light would turn red, and one would have to hit them as quickly as possible.
There were two of these large wooden blocks side by side with each other.
The color would appear a total of twenty-five times, and one was to see who was able to hit the 25 blocks before the other, as another button would light up red only after one had been hit.
"Lastly, if you don't feel confident in any of these, then feel free to suggest any way you think you can prove your might against Mantis! If you do manage to beat him, the prize is one silver, as for giving it a go, it will cost a total of just 10 coppers!"
The proposition seemed entertaining for most there. They had a chance to multiply their income tenfold, and if they didn't, at least they got to try something. Even more so, they would get the accolade of saying they had beaten the Black Tiger.
The clever design by Rod also allowed people to take part who weren't Pagna warriors by providing a wide range of challenges. Because of this, many had immediately put their hands up.
The first person that was selected was a female. She looked like a worker from one of the restaurants, and as for the game she had selected, it was none other than the strange box game.
"Excellent choice!" Rod exclaimed.
Standing up from his seat, Mantis went over and stood by one of the boxes, and so did the woman. They waited, and when both were ready, the match had begun. Both of them started to hit the buttons one after the other.
The woman seemed to be doing well, and she could hear the sound of her opponent next to her. She had just gone past the twenty-mark, at twenty-three she thought she was nearly there, and that's when the buttons had stopped, and a loud buzz noise resounded.
"Ahhh, so close!" Rod said.
Mantis looked over to the woman. "You did well; maybe if you tried again, you might beat me," Mantis claimed.
The woman went back, and after her loss, there were still plenty who wanted to take part. 'Haha, this is excellent, these fools!' Rod thought. 'Do they really think she was close? Mantis had slowed down on purpose to give you the chance of feeling like you could win. Come on, more of you, more of you come up and play!'
The games continued, one after the other. A few had been selecting the box game, but after so many losses, they were beginning to lose hope. That's when a Pagna warrior had stepped up, but rather than selecting the box game, he had chosen another.
"I challenge you to the measuring pillar!" The man was large and bulky in size, around three times the size of the students.
As he made his way to the measuring pillar, Rod and Mantis glanced at each other and gave a slight nod.
It was the man's turn first. He shrugged his shoulders and relaxed his hand, and then when he was ready, he swung his fist out wide, which looked more like a slap. It crashed into the pillar and shook the ground slightly before it absorbed the energy inwards. n-1-1n
The number that was left marked on the pillar displayed 62!
A smile on his face, the Pagna warrior was proud as he flexed his muscles.
Two people in particular had been watching this whole thing from the crowd. A tall woman stood out at the front; she had dark skin pigmentation and slightly red glowing eyes. She wasn't alone; there was a man standing by her side. He had blonde hair that was swept and tied back, while wearing a mask that covered the upper half of his face. These two who stood here were members of the Crimson Crane.
"This whole thing is quite a sweet trick for them to earn a bit of money," Alba commented.
"I know what you mean; no respected Pagna warrior will go up against mere students to best them, especially to just earn a single silver coin," Cronker replied.
"You are correct, but if they're smart, that person will lose," Alba replied.
Getting ready, Mantis also rolled his shoulders slightly, then dashed in, throwing his hand out, crashing it into the pillar. The energy was absorbing in, and finally, the number 45 was marked in.
"I win!" The large man said, claiming his 1 silver coin from the others.
"Ah, well, you can't win them all," Rod stated. "It's to be expected in such a strong city that there will be those who can best our student. Is there anyone else who wishes to continue to take part?"
Cronker was a little confused by what he had just seen. "How did you know he was going to lose, and why did he lose on purpose?" Cronker asked.
"It's simple, so more people will keep playing," Alba answered. "Just as you said, they don't have to worry about anyone with half decent skill taking part. Because it would just be petty of us. However, what would happen if the student were to best every single one of them at all of the games that they displayed?"
"They would be disheartened."
"Exactly!" Alba said with a smile. "In the first place, in nearly all of the games, that kid has carefully been winning just by a small margin, and he had bested thirty people, earning them 3 silver coins.
"It was a good time for him to lose, and give hope to more of the participants, and they still make 2 coins worth of profit. With this loss, they're sure to lure more people in."
Liam was rummaging around in his pants, and eventually, he had pulled out a small bag, and emptying it, there were a few copper coins inside.
"He got 45... I can get more than 45; I can beat him and win the silver coin!" Liam said with excitement.
"Wait, you had money this whole time; I thought you said you didn't bring anything?" Simyon asked.
"I'm not made of money," Liam replied. "Look, I only have twenty copper coins in total. At best, this would be enough just to feed me.
"Did you think I would just be a jerk and eat food in front of the lady when I can't even buy it for her? Of course not, so with this, I'm going to win this event, and I'm going to buy all of us food.
"Actually, you can beg me to buy you some food. Since this is my money at the end of the day."
Simyon gritted his teeth. He wanted to yell at him but felt like it would do nothing in this situation, and besides, with a score of 45, even Simyon was quite confident that he could win.
"I want to take part next!" Liam shouted, and pushed himself forward, then placed the coins into the collecting pot. "I challenge you to the measuring pillar!"
This time Mantis and Rod looked at each other again, and there was a large smile on their faces.
"See!" Alba said. "What did I tell you, another sucker was drawn into their trick."
