The Place Where Everything Begins

After a few seconds had passed...

Currently, the Dokkaen, who was now lying on the yellow ground some meters away from the explosion site, stared at the cloudless bright sky with a blank face...

As the explosion had occurred too close to its body, causing it to have a heavy concussion, ears deaf, eyes blurred, and body numb...

Soon...

*Cough*

*Cough*

The Dokkaen suddenly coughed up green blood from the mouth as it appeared that some of its internal organs were damaged from the impact earlier.

After coughing for a few seconds, the Dokkaen finally gained back some senses. Then it struggled up from the ground with difficulty...

*Huff* *Huff*

*Huff* *Huff*

The muscular green skin outlander huffed in and out from its nose and mouth like it had just undergone and finished an arduous session of exercise...

Eventually, it shook its head from left to right to reduce the numbness in the head before suddenly realizing a round object with protruding needles was stabbing firmly on its bare chest...

The protruding needles stabbing on its chest right now were none other than the morningstar's flanged head.

It appeared that the explosion earlier had propelled the flanged head back towards the Dokkaen's bare chest, causing the sharp needles to penetrate deep inside its green flesh.

The muscular green creature gritted its teeth very strongly upon seeing the sight and took a deep breath before finally pulling the flanged head out of its chest.

*Plush*

Followed the plushing sound from the needles being pulled out, fresh green blood started oozing out from the small wounds continually.

'I underestimate him... The human mage had cast three spells within five seconds... How did he do it?' The wounded Dokkaaen thought to himself in dismay, puzzlement, and pain.

It shouldn't have underestimated the human, after all...

In fact, if Jeremy were a class-1 True Mage, the battle would have ended even before the Dokkaen could take the first step in his direction.

After thinking about the human, the injured Dokkaen had finally realized something,

'Where is he!?' The Dokkaen thought in a hurried manner.

It realized that the battle hadn't ended yet, so it turned left and right to find the damnable human mage, Jeremy...

Even after turning its head left and right for some seconds, the Dokkaen still couldn't find Jeremy anywhere within the oval amphitheater.

How was that even possible?

Well, it was possible because Jeremy was using the [Stealth] skill and was standing still under a shadowing shade within the arena.

As the wounded Dokkaen was sweeping its eyes around hurriedly, in compliment with its two blurred eyes from the explosion earlier had made it unable to spot the stealthy Jeremy under the shade.

'Mana Bolt'

Jeremy thought inwardly while seeing the Dokkaen was now looking in another direction.

At this moment...

Upon turning its head around the arena for two full rounds, the Dokkaen finally saw something, but...

Unfortunately, the thing it had spotted was not Jeremy, but another deadly mana bolt came bolting towards it.

*Whoosh*

A mana bolt bigger than a tennis ball's size came flying towards the Dokkaen at breakneck speed, leaving the unprepared green creature to look in hopelessness and despair...

Due to its unpreparedness, it could only raise the two arms to defend against the incoming deathly ball of mana...

With one-hundred-percent sheer instinct, the muscular creature drove every ounce of wind elemental energy from within its dantians towards the two thick arms in front of its body.

The wounded Dokkaen intended to brace itself for a direct deadly impact...

A split second later, the mana bolt finally arrived before the creature's arms...

*BOOOMMMM!!!*

Another big explosion rang out once again for the fourth time within mere ten seconds after the battle had started.

It was such a sight to behold...

Every time after an explosion had occurred, even before the dust and dirt could fall back down to the ground, another explosion and wave of yellow dust came creating new havoc once again.

As for the wounded Dokkaen...

Unfortunately, the wind-elemental energy did not excel in defending against any types of attacks in the least, so even if its body was solid and strong like metal, it had to bend and break after this explosion...

*Whoosh*

The Dokkaen's heavy body was blown away towards the wall behind...

If one looked closely at the creature's two arms, they would see them clearly bend in the awkward manners...

Any onlooker would know instinctively that,

At best, the two arms couldn't be used anymore...

At worst, the two arms would be permanently damaged...

And no matter what the case was, one thing was sure. That sure thing was the Dokkaen warrior had just lost in a battle against the human mage, Jeremy, so badly at that.

In fact, the green skin hobgoblin couldn't even reach Jeremy's vicinity, so it shouldn't be called 'battle', but 'one-sided beating' instead.

*Thump*

Not long after, the creature's large body finally hit against the stone wall, creating a thumping noise before its body slid down to the dirt ground.

Meanwhile...

*Scroooooch....*

Jeremy was strolling with the big morningstar in hand while letting the flanged head scraping against the dirt ground along the way towards the motionless Dokkaen...

Shortly after, the 'unscratched' Jeremy finally arrived approximately four meters away from the lying-still creature, as he thought it was the optimum distance to attack and defend against the current Dokkaen if it somehow flared up with the thought of making the final struggle.

However, was that even possible in the first place from the creature's conditions?

But better be safe than sorry; that was always our sage's mindset...

"Impressive... Your fighting power should easily be on par with our humans' class-1 Warrior. Well, even after receiving one mana bolt directly with your body, you are still alive and breathing..."

Jeremy said towards the Dokkaen in the universal language to probe if it would respond to him or not.

"..."

However, the result was clear; the Dokkaen laid utterly still with no response...

"Emm... You hear me?"

"..."

Jeremy decided to try again, but also received the same result, so he said for the last time,

"Nevermind me then..."

Having said so, Jeremy walked two steps ahead before using his two hands to hold the morningstar's handle.

'Ah, shit. It's so heavy...' Jeremy thought while gritting his teeth slightly.

Then...

*Whoosh*

The protruding flanged head was swung accurately towards the unconscious Dokkaen's head with the whooshing sound...

*Pleh!*

With no theatrical or climactic event occurring whatsoever, the Dokkaen's head was smashed heavily by the big metal flanged head, causing it to be dented and distorted inwardly.

As a result, the disgusting mix of white brain and green blood spraying everywhere; Jeremy's black cloak even got some of the awful stains on it.

"YAYYYY!!!"

"We got a winner!!"

"Cheers!!!"

"I see blood!!!"

"The challenger won again!!!"

After the Dokkaen warrior's head was crushed indentedly by the flanged head, the half-sentient people on the stone seats simultaneously shouted at the end of their lungs, creating the sonorous excitement within the rip-off Zodia Arena.

Meanwhile...

A certain someone seemed to be unsatisfied...

'If only I can wield mana at will. If only I were a true mage... Every battle will be just a piece of cake...'

Jeremy thought with a slight frown while looking at the Dokkaen's shapeless head.

Soon, a window of notifications containing the hard-earned rewards showed up ahead of Jeremy....