Chapter 52: Spanking the Lion

Chapter 52: Spanking the Lion

Jack stared at his opponent. He was a large guy wielding an equally large metal pipe. His upper body was bare and scarred, his eyes were hard, and he looked quite badass overall.

Jacks physique was equally intimidating, except he wore a tank top and casually held a flip-flop.

Dao of Spanking? the large guy said, eyes twitching. I will show you a world of pain, kid.

Oh, yeah? Jack replied. Its clear your parents didnt spank you enough. Let me help.

The audience cheered at their trash talking. Jack inspected his opponent.

Human, Level 28

Faction: -

There wasnt much to write home about. This guy was pretty average for the tournament.

Jack, however, wasnt. The large guys eyes widened as he, too, fired off a scan. He quickly adopted a battle stance, not daring to take Jack lightly.

So, you have some skill he muttered, eyes watching Jacks every movement. But Im not weak either. Come!

Listen man, how about you just surrender and

Shut up!

Jacks eyes narrowed. Fine. Have it your way.

The large man charged like a rhino, pipe held high. When it swung, the sand flew around him, and the sound was loud and sharp enough to make the nearby spectators frown.

Jack, of course, was no longer there. He had appeared behind the large guy, shaking his head in mock disappointment. What disrespect he muttered. Hearing the voice coming from behind him, his opponent panicked and tried to jump away, but it was too late.

The flip-flop landed on his buttocks with a crisp slap. Everyone recoiled from the sound, while the large guy flew and landed face-first into the sand, dragging through it for a few feet. When he stood up again, his face was red, and not just from blood.

I will fucking kill you! he roared, then dashed in. Jack sidestepped the pipe twice. He was already faster than his opponent. With such a large, unwieldy weapon, the large guy had no chance of catching him.

Suddenly, Jack disappeared again. The giant of a man whipped around, only to find nothing. He turned back the other way in shockand Jack still wasnt there!

Where are you!? he roared.

Always behind you. You turn slower than a ship.

Another slap hit his buttocks and sent him into the sand again.

The audience erupted in laughter. Though there were three more fights going on, Jack had already become the star of the show. All eyes were on hima fact that only increased his opponents humiliation.

Jack actually felt a bit bad. He was lucky enough that the System didnt even consider the flip-flop a weapon in his hand, letting him use the Fistfighting skill. However, though he was easily faster than his opponent, he couldnt finish the fight quickly. If he attacked any harder, the flip-flop would break, and he might be exposed!

Even with the Integration Citys materials, it could barely handle this level of stress.

Jack took in his opponents form, and his eyes softened. Come on, man, he said. Surrender already.

The large man glared daggers at him and clenched his teeth. He looked like he wanted to tear Jack limb from limb. However, at the end of the day, he was someone with enough mental faculties to comprehend a Dao Root and join the Integration Tournament.

I resign, he muttered through gritted teeth, and the audience erupted yet again.

Jack extended a hand, but his opponent ignored it and jumped into the spectator stands, then departed the arena. Jack shook his head.

Im sorry, friend, but you can only blame yourself for being weakand your luck for pitting you against me. At least, you have another shot at the tournament.

It took two losses for disqualification.

Meanwhile, the audience was still buzzing with cheers for Jack. He had already developed into a crowd favorite. When he climbed back to his spot, Karvahul welcomed him with open arms.

I can already see it, my boy, he declared. Well make a fortune!

Sure thing, Karvahul.

That was great, Jack! Edgar showered him with excitement. You beat that guy easily!

He wasnt too strong. Jack shrugged. He reached down to pet Brock, who was already extending an open palm and expecting a salami. Well see how long I can keep it up.

Excellent victory, a woman from the nearby crowd came to congratulate Jack. Now that hed shown his strength, people would clamor to meet him.

Not that he minded. These people were all elites, and he needed as many connections as he could get.

Thank you, he replied with a smile, shaking the womans hand. Would you like some cheese?

Excuse me?

I know you had it in you, my boy! Karvahul patted his other shoulder.

Edgars thoughts moved so fast he couldnt form words. He almost spiraled into a panic attack before feeling a soft, warm feeling from his lap. Looking down, it was Brock, who was sitting on his lap and giving him a manly thumbs-up.

Edgar smiled.

Thank you, he said.

Are you okay? Jack asked.

Nobut Ill be fine.

Perfect. Want some salami?

God yes.

The nearby people erupted into laughter. Thanks to the performance of Jack and Edgar, as well as Jacks free snacks that served as easy invitations, a lively group had already formed around them, laughing and chatting. They couldnt see it, but many people were staring at them throughout the arena.

They stayed for a while longer, but not much was happening. Though some strong people appeared, their enemies were nothing special. No more interesting fights occurred. At some point, Jack was running out of snacks, and Edgar was feeling more and more stuffy thanks to all the people.

Wanna go for a walk? Jack said. We cant stay here all day. There will be fights for a long time, and theyll only get more interesting as time goes by.

It wasnt just him. Half the arena was empty now as people were trickling out. Edgar nodded quickly, and a beat later, so did Karvahul.

See you, guys, Jack waved their new friends goodbye, and the four of themincluding Brockwalked to the stairs. They didnt invite anyone else along; though Jack had some social skills, he wasnt a particularly social man himself, and his networking efforts had a limit. A couple friendsand Karvahulwere enough.

However, as they were about to exit the spectator stands, the announcers voice caught Jacks ear.

Rufus Emberheart and the Dao of Supremacy versus Maylin Rubenstein and the Dao of the Fist.

Dao of the Fist?

It was the first time he heard his own Dao being called out; it really was rare, as Karvahul had said. He turned to stare at the arena, where two people faced off.

One was a barbaric-looking woman with clenched fists and teeth.

The other was a lion-man. A Leonine, the same race as the C-Grade Overseer. One of the five scions. A blond mane framed his head, and his golden eyes seemed to see through everything.

Thats the tournament favorite. Hes almost certainly the winner, actually, Karvahul said somberly. Rufus Emberheart. The strongest of the scions.

Is he really that strong? Jack asked. He hadnt caught sight of Gan Salin or any of the other five scions in the arenawherever they were hiding, they clearly didnt want to meddle with the common riffraff of this planet.

Youll see.

Jack scanned both fighters.

Human, Level 31

Faction: -

Leonine, Level 49

Faction: -

Title: Planetary Frontrunner (1)

49? Jack was shocked before realizing what his title said. His eyes widened. 1!?

The leonine stood in the arena and looked at his opponent like she was a fly. Jack felt intimately insulted. This girl had the same Dao as himthe Dao of the Fistso there was kinship between them.

She charged, fists held at the ready. Rufus Emberheart raised his handa lion pawand simply swiped it forward.

Jack didnt understand what happened. One moment, the woman was charging at him. The next, she was plastered on the far energy wall, the sound of her breaking bones echoing throughout the arena. She fell to the ground and didnt stand again.

The audience didnt cheer. They were busy considering what had just happened. A djinn healer approached the woman with glowing blue hands, then kneeled beside her and frowned deeply. A moment later, the blue glow faded. She looked at the head judge and shook her head.

The head judge frowned. She gave Rufus Emberheart a long stare. For his part, he simply stayed there for a moment, then jumped all the way to a small, curtained-off section at the highest end of the spectator standsprobably where the scions rested. He parted the curtain and made to walk through it.

He had murdered that woman of the Dao of the Fist. He had clearly been significantly stronger but hadnt held back. It was clearly on purpose, and the rules indicated he should be punished.

However, the head judge remained silent. Clearly, she was about to let this pass. Was it favoritism? Was it because Rufus was the tournament favorite, one of the five scions, and a descendant of the Animal Kingdomthough nobody said that out loud?

Jacks gut said fuck yes.

Meanwhile, the other three fights had ended as well. The head judge announced, Next fights, Mary

Hey! A voice interrupted her from somewhere on the stands, too loud to ignore. Everyone looked for its source and found Jack standing tall and proud. He killed her on purpose. That is against the rules. He must be punished.