We’re in a sort of underground colosseum, a giant metal cage to protect surrounding audience members, and everything seems enchanted to not break.

“Bets, bets, take your bets, the little variant adolescent Chocobo vs. the Giant Earth Golem, made by a LVL 70 alchemist, take your pick.”

“Ten zoulx on the Earth Golem.”

“Fifteen zoulx Earth Golem.”

“Thirty for the Earth Golem.”

“Te- ten on the Chocobo.”

“Forty zoulx on the Chocobo.”

“Hah, thanks for making it a bet kids.”

“Fifty Zoulx on the Earth Golem.”

More and more bets smaller and larger happen as well.

Definitely a betting ring, the lowest amount is more than I’ve made adventuring so far.

The golem is a standard one except it has two sets of arms, just a big dirt humanoid sculpture.

Or would it be a spider- six limbs.

Both of us are in chains, which appeared out of nowhere, it was a guys skill, I guess it’s so we don’t get a head start.

“I want a fair fight, make sure you don’t destroy him too bad little Chocobo, hehehe, ready... begin!”

The chains disappear.

(“No promises.”)

I rush toward the golem, not at top speed, but way faster than the golem could react.

It jumps backward, probably a predetermined command to counteract my speed, but I go faster and kick it before it lands.

It was a simple kick, but it did damage, I’m almost LVL 100, and it was made by a LVL 70, so that means it has to be weaker than or equal to a LVL 70, which isn’t difficult to fight with my stats.

A chunk fell off of its stomach where I kicked, showing a brown orb.

Must be a core monster, and if common sense is right I have to destroy it.

It started regenerating, but it wasn’t moving.

Must be a bug where it can only do one thing at once and regeneration counts for that.

I jumped up and hit its core, which had no durability, it just shattered.

The dirt just fell, it didn’t deform, it was still cracked in the place I kicked, and it isn’t regenerating, it was just like a shell.

Chains went around me again, I just stood in them, the guy that was coming flinched seeing that I didn’t fall, but was peer pressured into coming down to see the golems condition.

He knocked on the golem, first softly, then he activated some skill and punched it.

It didn’t budge.

He pointed his thumb down to the announcer/bet taker.

“What an upset! The little Chocobo has demolished the big golem in less than ten seconds. All bets go to the little kid with the Lion Mane hat and the short elf girl."

“That was rigged!”

“I want my money back!”

“No refunds.”

“This is BS.”

“Keep betting on the battles, you’ll get a chance to get good money.”

“But that’s how I lost my money…”

“It’s like how I always say, details, who needs them.”

I get pulled back by the chains.

“Come on, back to your master.”

I get out of the chains due to my small size and just walk to the door.

The guards panicked but quickly realized I wasn’t going to destroy anything, so they just escorted me.

They take me to the stands where the short elf, my ‘master’ is.

“We got fifty-three zoulx from that bet, and the five from your win, we’re ten percent of the way there.”

(“You can do math?”)

“Yes, I was from a higher-end family.”

Not going to ask about the was.

(“So just nine more matches?”)

“No, now people know how strong you are, so it won’t be split between two people anymore, but it will probably be within the next twenty.”

(“Is that how the betting works?”)

“Did you not learn how to gamble in your world, though this is different than most systems I have heard about your world, it should have the same principle.”

(“There was a law that you couldn’t gamble until you were 21.”)

“Okay, betting here is simple, if nobody on your side of the gamble bet high, then you split it evenly, but if someone doesn’t make a profit, it’s the higher bid that gets more of the percentage.”

(“It’s that simple.”)

“Yes, not that you’ll ever get to bet yourself.”

(“I became an adventurer, anything’s possible.”)

“Your brain is human, you naturally wanted to be with humans.”

(“Are you a memory keeper?”)

“No, do I sound like one?”

(“You know that the brain is what makes people's personalities.”)

“My teacher was a memory keeper, not a very strong one, but a smart one.”

Okay, she has some deep dark past that I don’t want a part of, I mean I’ll help if she asks, but let’s just let her drop hints.

“Heyyyy, did you win.”

It’s the blue girl with the big axe.

“Yes.”

“That’s good, can you guess who else won?”

The short elf whose name I forgot walked past blue girl.

“You.”

“Yesss, it was so hard, I had to beat up a tiny rabbit, it was so vicious, but it was so cuuuute.”

“What LVL was it?”

“You won’t believe it, it’s LVL 57, a bunny got to LVL 57.”

“Did it have a starter skill?”

“Oh Ilragorn yesss, you won’t believe it, it had Forge, it ran away and hid behind tiny dirt pillars, but it made its spot too obvious, then it jumped at me, I was sooo sad when I hit it.”

“Don’t be, if you couldn’t kill monsters you wouldn’t be on this team.”

“That’s so harsh, you guys like me here, maybe I could be your poster girl or something like that.”

“Why would a closed party need a poster girl?”

“I don’t know, but if I asked Ewsd he would totally let me.”

“Not now, you have to win your battles.”

“Ahhhh, but I would be super cute.”

“There you are Fohna, why’d you run.”

“I wanted to see how Unix was doing.”

“She obviously is doing fine, she has the best hand on money and has the best reasoning.”

“Well yeah, but I wanted to see.”

“You saw, now go back to your arena so you can get more money.”

“Yes Ma’am.” She sticks out her tongue and salutes then rushes away.

“I pity you Ghoun.”

“Real motivating Unix, real motivating.”

He left and now it’s just us again.

“Do you think I was harsh?”

(“Not really, but my humor is weird to this world, I do similar jokes.”)

“Okay.”

She starts walking towards the betting desk, leaving the conversation entirely.

“Trade your bird for our Dragon.”

We both turn around to see a couple of thugs, as well as the boy with the lion mane hat that bet for me.

“No.”

“Then how about two dragons, both above LVL 70, while your bird is… What, analyze is not available, anyway, you have the winning side of the trade.”

To Unix, (“Just stick to the plan, though it is plan B, there are some high betters in this group, I’ll make it work.”)

“Okay, but also include 10 zoulx.”

I make a display of disbelief, and am internally insulted, only ten zoulx, that little for my glorious self.

He smirks, “You have yourself a deal.”

“Hand over the ownership to the dragons first.”

“Sure, Sure no problem, let’s see, Turk, Derq, we’re using yours, hand them over.”

“Here boss,” he hands over a deed of some sort.

“Derq?”

“Sir I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I, I got…”

“Oh Ilragorn, you got attached didn’t you?”

“Yes sir.”

“Urgh, Purblo, you know what to do.”

“No, no no no no no!”

A bigger man from the back of the group stands walks forward.

Derq backs away, “Purblo, you know me, come on, we’re pals aren’t we.”

“Why should I associate with sentimental trash like you, you knew this would happen if you disobeyed Calvii, so don’t blame me, blame yourself.”

Lightning started sparking out of the guy Purblo’s arms.

“AAHHHHHHHHH.”

Derq ran past us and Purblo started running to catch him.

Then he fell, or more tripped, over my leg, I couldn’t help myself.

“Why did you fall Purblo?”

“I don-”

“Did you feel sentimental over your friend Derq, so you thought you could let him get away.”

“No sir.”

“Then get your big butt up and go get him.”

Well, he didn’t say butt.

“Yes sir.”

He rushed off.

“Since you can’t get that dragon right now, hmmm, Bwap, let’s take yours.”

“Yes sir,” he hands over a similar document from the last one to the boss guy.

“Aquen, give us ten Zoulx, you earned that much today right?”

The kid with the lion mane hat spoke up, “But you said if I earn any money it’s mine.”

“What happened to Derq Aquen?”

He gets his money and gives it to the boss guy.

“Here you go, little girl.”

“Just take him, he’s very obedient, his cage is the decent-sized one labeled Unix’s on its floor, take that too.”

“Okay, come on then, scarf.”

“You sure calling him names is a good idea boss, he did kill that golem pretty easily.”

“What, I thought my naming sense was genius, and I could have killed that golem easily as well, Aquen, what do you think?”

“You could take him?”

A guy in the back stiffened.

“Well that’s that, come on scarf.”

To Unix, (“See you tonight then.”)

You know what, I thought I would feel bad for robbing the person who tried to buy me, but I think I’ll enjoy this.