Mirik's POV-

The baton was about to hit when it was stopped by a hand. I flinched thinking it was 99's hand, but looking closely I saw it was the referee. He stopped my attack with such ease that it was hard to believe. 99 fell on his face as the referee grabbed my hand and raised it.

"Winner of match 21 is contestant 123." He exclaimed as the crowd booed. I had become the villain in their eyes. Maybe if I had some backstory for them they would have cheered for me. I snickered imagining myself telling them my story.

99 groaned as he fell straight on his face. The referee went to pick him up while I got down the stage. My left arm had gone numb, what will I do in my next fights?

"Hey 123, good fight man. " 99 said stopping me in my tracks. I turned around to look at him. He was in a worse state than me. I nodded in acknowledgment.

"I'm Alec. What about you? " He asked as the referee helped him down the stage. The referee looked at me angrily. I was confused by his reaction.

"Are you fucking blind? You can give us a hand I believe. " He said in a sarcastic tone. I ran to him and supported 99 from another side.

"I'm Mirik. " I gave my precise introduction as we walked towards the waiting area.

"You are strong Mirik. It was my bad fortune that you were the first one I had to fight. " 99 sighed in frustration.

"What will happen with you and that girl, 99? " I asked him. I didn't want to keep the conversation going but the crowd was still watching us. Crowds play a big role in the fighting, they can provide you with strength that would be impossible to churn out by yourself. 99 was the biggest example of this. He kept fighting as he wanted to be a hero in the crowd's eyes. So by putting a show that I was a caring guy I can get my good points back.

"Don't worry about it. Shit like that happens. And also, don't call me 99." He replied with a smile.

We went inside the waiting room where the medics were waiting. We were the first ones to arrive here. All the other contestants were still fighting. Two nurses ran toward us and checked Alec's condition. They immediately called two men with a stretcher and took him to the infirmary where he would get extensive care.

I waited for them to get back as I sat on the ground trying to recover my strength. They came back a few minutes later and stood at their usual place. I got up and looked at them. Why are they not coming to me? Am I not looking hurt to them?

"Umm... I think my arm is broken. " I said as I walked to them. They looked at my hand and nodded.

"Do you want to get the treatment now? " A nurse asked.

"What do you mean? " I replied confused.

"Your second fight will start as soon as the other contestant wins their fight. I don't think we will be able to give you the right treatment in such a short amount of time. I would advise you to end your next fight quickly and come to us. You will get a 3-hour break before the next round after that starts. " She told me.

I cursed in my mind. I prayed for all the contestants to fight for at least 15 minutes more.