Chapter 15

Suddenly… BAM!!!

It was as if Komanji had ran into an invisible wall. Before he could touch Black Cloak, he jolted to a stop. His huge muscles convulsed as he teetered for a few seconds.

“...wh… wha...” His face curved in disbelief.

Boom! A second later, his gigantic head tilted down and smashed against the ground. Black Cloak looked down at his body and then rested his foot on top of it.

“...”

The entire crowd froze in shock. It was like as if they were witnessing a murder.

“What?!”

“What happened?!”

“It happened again?!”

There was another outcry as people couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

They maybe could’ve understood Crane Toppler’s unlucky loss, but Komanji too? Even after he had gotten so much faster? And not even a few seconds had passed. It was already over?!

It had seemed as if it had been a certain win for Komanji. He was like a huge barreling wall of flesh! Yet somehow… it was Komanji that was crushed! Komanji, the same fearsome fighter who had previously beaten five fighters in a row!

“W-Winner… Black Cloak…” The referee stammered. Staring at Black Cloak with wide eyes, he couldn’t help but feel complete disbelief.

How was this possible?

Gulping, the referee found that this situation was surreal. The opponent was Komanji! Huge burley Komanji, four times his size!

And again, the victory had occurred seemingly without Black Cloak moving at all, just standing there! The opponent would approach him, and then they would just fall!

“Yes!!! Black Cloak, you’re so strong!!!” The young green haired fisherman who had bet on Black Cloak couldn’t help but scream out. This was it! This was the big moment!

He had bet all his money, 80 copper coins, on Black Cloak. On the side for Black Cloak, there had only been a few other bets. On the other side, in favor of Komanji, however, they had bet… an uncountable sum more! His payout from this would be enormous! He had won big time!

Before he knew it, there were tears streaming down his cheeks. He didn’t like to tell anyone, but his finances had been catastrophic in the recent months. Bad debts combined with a poor fish harvest had left him almost penniless, almost unable to provide for his family. He had spent sleepless nights stressfully calculating his finances, and worrying about his wife and kids, who he had told everything would be alright. He couldn’t afford to fail them!

Today, he had been strolling through the Bindan Square, desperately looking for some urgently needed cheap goods with the small amount of money that finally came through from a catch, when he had spotted a commotion in the arena. After arriving and observing for a bit and seeing Black Cloak’s first victory, in a crazy moment, he had decided to bet everything he had left on Black Cloak!

On impulse, he invested this money into Black Cloak, this tiny underdog figure, this figure who nobody believed in and who appeared to be the useless, weaker one. With how he had felt recently, he almost felt this Black Cloak represented him!

He invested money because it was almost like he was investing his money into himself and his own potential! It was not just a financial investment, it was an emotional investment. If Black Cloak could win, then it meant that he could make it out of this rut he was currently in in his life too!

And now, against all odds, it had paid off. Pools of water gleaming from the bottom of his eyes, he suddenly felt that everything was alright. He could do it! He was powerful, too! He was a capable fisherman and a good family man!

“Haha! Yes! I’m rich!

“I knew it, he was the real deal!”

Several other overjoyed voices also shouted out in chorus, clearly others that had also bet on Black Cloak.

Their tones were nearly tear-felt. They had won so much money… how could they not be happy?

However, everyone else in the crowd was uncomfortably silent. How couldn’t they be? They had just further lost all their money! Most were not rich, and were betting big portions of their income! This was a major loss!

Furthermore, they had joined Komanji in disparaging Black Cloak, yet the tables were turned on them. Somehow, Black Cloak had won again. This made them feel pretty awkward.

Black Cloak.

Everyone slowly stared at that tiny black cloaked figure on the stage like he was a monster. This time, it couldn't be a fluke, right?!

Somehow, nobody could even see Black Cloak’s moves. If was as if he hadn't even moved… Yet, he had successively knocked down two powerful opponents!

It seemed that this Black Cloak person was actually… unfathomable! Who knew what kind of skills he knew!

The audience realized: you really couldn't judge a book by its cover…

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The day dragged on, and Black Cloak continued to beat opponent after opponent.

“Next up is Rock Crusher! He once went undefeated five times in a row!”

Bam! Thump.

“Next up is Bone Grinder! H-He once defeated Rock Crusher in only a few blows...!”

Bam! Thump.

“N-Next… Next up is Earth Demolisher! He… he is the current reigning champion, and won seven matches in a row!”

Bam! Thump.

Time passed like that. It slowly formed a pattern. Increasingly large and powerful men would step onto the stage, cry out a taunt, and then promptly get smacked down.

“BLACK CLOAK! BLACK CLOAK!” The crowd was now chanting his name fanatically. Seeing Black Cloak’s massive tyrannical strength, they had all turned their opinion.

Strength spoke much louder than words!

Having beaten opponent after opponent, Black Cloak still stood there on stage, not having moved more than a few steps in any of his matches. He had now beaten fourteen opponents, breaking the all time record by seven and making a fortune of gold.

Yet… It didn't even seem like he was tired! He hadn't even exerted himself at all so far.

As opposed to when he had first stepped on the stage, there was now a kind of ominous aura around him… Unapproachable and dangerous, yet calm and serene.

There was now no mistake: this guy was strong. Incredibly strong.

At this moment, the referee stumbled onto the stage, his eyes bloodshot and with bags underneath his eyes. He walked up humbly to Black Cloak and then knelt onto the ground.

“Please… Sir… You’re much too strong for this arena. You’ve already taken all of our money… We don't have any money left! Please… Stop continuing to fight!”

Although the arena had initially gained a large amount of money from Black Cloak’s first few rounds, after that, no one was dumb enough to bet against him. This resulted in zero monetary gains for the arena through commissions. After that, they had to pay Black Cloak himself an increasing reward for consecutive wins. It had reached the point where the arena was running at a big loss!

With slight surprise, Black Cloak glanced at the despondent kneeling referee. He thought for a few seconds. He then looked around at the jubilant square, and stared at the shuddering opponent in the back of the stage.

Finally, he shrugged his shoulders and gestured to the referee that he would stop fighting.

“Thank you… Thank you sir.” The referee was practically crying.

The black cloaked man collected his winnings: an enormous sack of gold. He then walked off the stage, and off into the bustle of the square. No one tried to stop him.

No one noticed, but amidst the rabidly cheering crowd stood a small yet chubby boy with blue hair. He was staring awestruck at Black Cloak’s fading back.