Empire Building With Infinite Warehouse-Chapter 62: The Match-up

"We are going to explore more of the Association’s dirty politics in the next video, so make sure to hit that subscribe button and stay tuned!" Mira yelled, winking directly at the camera lens before flashing a practised peace sign.

"Cut the feed for a second, Toby," the orange-haired girl said, her bubbly, high-pitched persona dropping the second chat vanished.

She crossed her arms, her neon jacket rustling loudly in the quiet basement, and looked Julien up and down with genuine scepticism.

"Look, the bunker bit is great for clickbait, but are you really sure you are up for this bet? My boyfriend is an A-Rank. He is not going to hold back just because you guys look like a bunch of stranded refugees."

The basement went quiet.

Chris stopped dusting his armour when Alice and Kiara slowly turned their heads back to the merchant.

"What bet?" Chris asked, his voice tight.

"Julien, what did you do?"

"I simply set up a marketing opportunity," Julien said, adjusting his collar.

"Mira here has half a million daily viewers. If we want to move product, we need a reputation. What better way to prove our potions are the real deal than by publicly defeating a well-known, highly ranked hunter from District 5?"

"A duel," Kiara summarised, her sharp eyes narrowing.

"You challenged an A-Rank hunter to a live-streamed duel."

"Correct," Julien beamed.

"And what are you paying her for this exposure?" Kiara demanded, taking a step closer.

"We have no money and zero assets. If we lose, what did you promise to give her?"

"Oh, nothing much," Julien waved his hand dismissively.

"Just an exclusive interview regarding the true identity of the Shadow Man who caused that massive wreckage over in District 9."

All three of his teammates paled.

Alice floated forward, her glowing eyes wide.

"But... that is you. Your roommate."

Kiara marched right up to Julien, grabbing the lapels of his jacket and dragging him down to her eye level.

"Are you out of your mind?!" she whispered angrily.

"The Association is actively hunting that entity! If you reveal that on a live broadcast, every Guild Master in the city will descend on us and execute you on live television. Gina’s effort will all be in vain"

"Relax," Julien said, gently prying the teenager’s hands off his jacket.

"It is a calculated risk. And besides, it does not matter, because you are not going to lose."

Kiara blinked, taking a step back.

"Me?"

"Wait," Chris said, pointing a thick finger at Julien.

"You said ’you’. As in, plural. But mostly pointing at me."

Julien sighed, looking at his heavily armoured friend as if he were stating the most obvious fact in the world.

"Well, yes. What did you guys really expect? Did you honestly think an E-Rank merchant was going to step into a combat ring with an A-Rank fighter? Hell no. My bones would shatter just from the wind pressure. You are doing the fighting, Chris."

"I haven’t even been properly trained yet!" Chris yelled, throwing his arms up in despair.

"I just got this armor. I swing my sword like a lumberjack chopping wood."

"Your technique is terrible, yes," Julien agreed, nodding sagely.

"But your defence stats are decent. Plus, I have handpicked a very specific set of utility potions from my inventory for this exact scenario. It is a foolproof plan."

"Nothing about this is foolproof," Kiara muttered, rubbing her temples again.

"Statistically, an untrained tank facing an A-Rank offensive class results in a severe casualty rate of ninety-nine point eight percent."

"I don’t like those numbers," Chris swallowed hard.

Mira clapped her hands together, breaking up the party’s internal panic.

"Alright, time is money, people. Are you guys ready? My boyfriend has been waiting in the upper training hall for twenty minutes. He was already doing his morning reps when I called him."

With no other choice, the group followed Mira and her exhausted camera guy, Toby, out of the basement. They left the dusty, unlisted floors behind and took a private staff elevator all the way up to the Association’s elite training facilities.

The upper levels of the District 5 headquarters were built for luxury and power. The floors were polished marble, the walls were lined with expensive mana-absorbing runes, and the air smelled of high-grade incense designed to speed up stamina recovery.

Chris was doing everything he could to psych himself up.

As they walked down the wide corridor, the blonde tank was bouncing on the balls of his feet, rolling his broad shoulders, and shadowboxing the air.

"It is fine," Chris muttered to himself, delivering a slow, heavy hook to an imaginary opponent.

"I am a tank. My whole class revolves around taking damage. I can take a few hits. I will just block, Julien will throw a potion at me, and I will keep blocking. How bad can it really be?"

Alice drifted alongside him, offering a gentle, sympathetic pat on his shoulder.

"If you perish, I will make sure your spirit does not get trapped in a jar."

"That is not helping, Alice," Chris groaned.

"I ran the numbers again," Kiara chimed in from behind them, staring at a borrowed datapad.

"If he uses a blunt weapon, your armor might distribute the force enough to keep your organs intact. If he uses a blade, you will be sliced in half before your brain registers the pain."

"Also not helping." Chris complained.

Julien walked at the front of the pack, casually tossing a small glass bottle filled with a swirling, neon-pink liquid in his hand.

He looked entirely too relaxed for a man whose life and freedom depended on a rookie sword swing.

Mira stopped in front of a massive set of double doors with heavy steel plating.

A glowing sign above the frame read: High-Impact Training Hall 4.

"Alright, Toby, go live in three, two, one..." Mira whispered.

The camera guy tapped a button on his rig, and the massive chat feed came back to life, text already speeding by.

Mira flipped the switch on her bubbly persona, her voice booming through the corridor.

"WE ARE BACK, CHAT!" she yelled, pointing at the heavy doors.

"And as promised, we have a special event! These rogue hunters claim they have a secret buff potion that can let a rookie survive against an elite. And who better to test that claim than my amazing boyfriend?"

She pushed the doors open and stepped inside, gesturing grandly for the team to follow.

Julien strolled in first, looking around the massive, reinforced arena with a critical merchant’s eye.

Kiara followed, analysing the blast-proof walls. Alice drifted in, unfazed by the architecture.

Chris walked in last, still rolling his shoulders and trying to look tough.

Then, Chris saw the boyfriend.

The tank stopped dead in his tracks.

All the colour drained from his face, leaving him looking almost as pale as Alice.

Standing in the centre of the vast training arena was a man who looked less like a human and more like a raid boss.

He was at least seven feet tall, with muscles stacked upon muscles that bulged beneath his tight, sweat-soaked workout tank top.

Scars crossed his thick arms, telling stories of hundreds of brutal dungeon clears.

In his right hand, resting casually against his shoulder, was a massive, greatsword that was easily the size of a small car.

The giant of a man turned toward them, wiping a thick layer of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

He looked down at Chris, his expression hardening into a terrifying scowl.

"Are these the guys?" the giant asked. His voice was a deep, rumbling baritone that vibrated against the walls and made the floorboards shake.

The chat feed went wild again.

[xX_Hunter_Xx]: RIP blonde guy.

[Mana_Addict]: Bro is going to get folded like a lawn chair.

[DihSlayer99]: F in the chat for the tank.

Mira skipped over to the giant, wrapping her arms around his massive bicep.

"Yep! The blonde guy in the armour is your opponent!"

Chris slowly turned his head to look at Julien. His voice was barely a whisper.

"Julien," Chris croaked, his eyes wide with terror.

"He is going to break me in half."

Julien patted his friend on the back, offering a bright, ambitious salesman’s smile.

"May the gods bless you."