Reborn with a Necromancer System-Chapter 163: Scoping out the Competition

The training grounds within the colleseum buzzed with motion, magic, and muscle. Mixes of mana drifted on the air. Spells cracked and shimmered with raw force, each fighter causing the ambient mana to shift around with every swing, block, and burst of energy.

Kai leaned against a cold stone pillar, arms folded, watching the chaos with practiced calm.

Redford was impossible to miss.

He danced between strikes like a man born for the blade, his twin swords in constant motion. Their steel flashed in the morning sun, blurring as they whirled through air like silver fireflies. Every blow from Redford came in rapid succession, too quick for the eye to track. His opponent, a mountain of a man called Durg, braced behind a tower shield half his size, met the assault like a wall of iron and grit.

Each time Redford’s blades connected, sparks flared, but the shield held. His strength held.

Speed versus strength.

’Durg is probably easy to deal with.’

Clang. Clang. Clang.

Then, with a sharp exhale and a twist of his ankle, Redford kicked up dust and vanished behind Durg’s field of vision. A heartbeat later, his blade touched the larger man’s neck.

"I give." Durg said, deeply. Bluntly.

Kai nodded. ’Efficient. Fast. Annoying to deal with up close. If I fight him, I can’t let him get within range more than once.’

A sharp gust of wind kicked up to his left.

Gina soared overhead, her lean frame twisting in a flip before landing in a crouch. She was practicing momentary flight, short bursts of aerial mobility powered by wind magic erupting from her boots. She launched again, controlling her trajectory with miniature cyclones around her shoulders and feet. With every movement, she got faster. More agile. More precise.

Kai narrowed his eyes. ’If she gets above me, she could rain hell from midair. That sort of maneuverability is dangerous. I’ll need a contingency.’

Other familiar faces occupied the far side of the arena. He recognized them from the night he’d met Rael’s old warband.

Selise Vantarra, spear in hand, moved with the grace of a dancer. Every jab, spin, and feint was calculated. Her aura was tight, contained. Not a drop of wasted motion.

’Last time, she used her knives, but it seems she’s versatile.’

Beside her, Yaron Hallowmane was a thunderstorm in motion. Every step cracked the stone beneath him, the runes etched into his arms flaring with the elements. He seemed more brawler than mage, but Kai could sense the mana density building beneath the surface.

Tarnil the Red trained with reckless glee, throwing explosive bursts of his flaming fists at a series of animated training dummies. Each impact turned the targets to molten debris. He laughed as he conjured another barrage, seemingly unbothered by the scorched lines across his coat and the soot covering his body.

’If he touches me, I don’t think my barriers would even hold up for long.’

And then there was him.

The boy who hadn’t moved in last year’s tournament, who had crushed his opponent without lifting a finger.

Kai examined him closely.

He sat alone on a stone bench, just out of the sun’s reach, arms folded in his lap, watching the others. He didn’t blink often. He didn’t flinch when explosions erupted nearby. Just... stared.

The lightest amount of mana trickled from his body, and what little did, was dense.

Kai considered that. ’That’s seven fighters. There’ll be more in the brackets, but these are the ones I should focus on.’

After a moment’s hesitation, he walked over and sat down beside the boy.

For a moment, there was only silence between them. It was oddly still here, away from the clatter of steel and the roar of flame.

Kai cleared his throat. "You’re entering the tournament?"

The boy didn’t turn his head. "Yes."

Kai nodded, watching the field again. "I heard about your fight last year. Impressive."

Still, the boy didn’t look at him. "Wasn’t a fight."

"Right. You just... looked at him?"

Silence again. Then a quiet: "He wasn’t worth moving for."

Kai blinked. There was no arrogance in the boy’s tone. Just a flat, almost bored truth.

"How old are you?" Kai asked, trying for casual.

"Fifteen."

Kai glanced at him, surprised. "Oh. I’m... well, fifteen as well, but technically older."

"Technically?"

Kai saw a spark of interest in the boy for the first time.

"It’s complicated."

The boy didn’t press, and the interest died off. He simply watched Redford clash with Durg again.

Kai let the silence settle, then tried again. "So... what’s your name?"

The boy was quiet for a moment. "You don’t need it."

"Alright," Kai said, trying not to let his frustration show. "Well, mine’s Alex."

"I know. I know all of the fighters in the tournament."

"But I only signed up today?"

"I know." The boy said, unblinking.

Kai snorted. "You’re kind of intense, you know that?"

A pause. "So are you. Just in a different way."

Kai considered that. "You sizing me up?"

The boy shrugged. "Everyone is. It’s a tournament."

They sat together for another few minutes in silence, watching the others train. Eventually, Kai stood.

"Well... good talk."

The boy nodded. "See you in the brackets."

Kai left without pressing further. As he walked away, he realized his heart was beating faster than it had during the spar with Rael.

That boy wasn’t hiding power, he was suffocating under it.

And he didn’t even know his name.

’If I go up against him, it’ll be a hard fight. I can feel it.’

Kai returned to Rael and sat down in his chambers.

"Did you see some of the fighters you’ll be up against?"

"I did."

"Think you’ll win against any of them?"

"Durg and a few others should be easy to deal with."

"I wouldn’t be so sure. They don’t show even half of what they’re capable while training. No good fighter does. It’s more to size each other up and get a feel for their base strengths."

"I understand."

"Well, get out of here, spend the next three days getting ready, and I’ll see you when you’re back. There are rooms here for the sponsored fighters, but I’m guessing you’ll go elsewhere?"

"Yeah, I have an room at an inn paid for. Which I’ll have to extend now that I’ll be here over a week."

"Don’t forget that the first fight will start at noon in three days. The line-up will be given out half an hour before that. Even if you’re not fighting, it’s best to watch the fights, because the participants will get a little more serious."

"Noted. I’ll see you there."

Kai left the chambers and walked past the arena’s threshold.

The sun had dipped slightly lower in the sky by the time Kai slipped out of the coliseum’s eastern exit.

He tugged his hood up and tucked his hands in his pockets as he strolled through the busy streets outside the colleseum. Vendors barked out offers for roasted nuts, enchanted bracelets, and "pre-blessed" arena charms to bring luck. Kai ignored them, navigating the cobbled roads until the familiar wooden sign of the inn creaked above him.

He pushed the door open. A soft chime rang.

The main room was quiet. A few early drinkers milled about at the corner tables, hunched over mugs. The scent of baked bread and old wood was strangely comforting.

He climbed the stairs and made his way down the hall to the room he’d rented.

A soft thud echoed inside just before he reached the door, followed by a giggle.

He smiled and knocked once.

"It’s me."

The door creaked open, and Vepice peeked out. Her illusion still held, her blonde hair tied in a low braid, brown eyes warm and suspicious, and a softness to her face that his her variant features.

Behind her, Shade had shifted into a massive, overly fluffy rabbit, lounging atop the bed like a noble beast. It raised one ear lazily at the sound of Kai’s voice.

"You’re back," Vepice said, stepping aside to let him in.

Kai entered and pulled the door shut behind him. "Signed up. It’s official. ’Alex Trunsdale’ is a sponsored fighter."

She raised an eyebrow. "Didn’t know you needed sponsors."

"I didn’t either. Rael made it happen. Without asking."

"Your teacher? Why?"

Kai shrugged and sat on the edge of the bed, stretching his legs out. "You can come watch, if you want. The matches start in a few days."

Her expression shifted slightly, and she looked down. "I don’t want to see you get hurt."

He blinked, then softened. "I’ll try to forfeit if things look bad."

"Promise?" she asked quietly, meeting his eyes.

"I promise." He smiled, just a little. "And I’ll try to keep it clean."

She folded her arms but nodded, accepting it. "Good. Because if you die in a tournament for sport, I’ll die just so I can punch your ghost."

Kai chuckled. "Noted."

Shade let out a soundless yawn, and Vepice reached over to pat its enormous head. "He’s been good company," she added, smiling faintly. "Better than you, probably."

"I’m wounded. My heart can’t take the damage!"

"Good. Consider it training for the arena."

They both fell into a quiet rhythm after that. Kai leaned back against the wall, letting the tension drain from his shoulders. Vepice adjusted the braid behind her shoulder, forgetting that it was fake, and looked out the small, round window at the street below.

"This city is so big..." She said.

"And it’s dangerous, especially for pretty girls, so please don’t go out there without me."

"Pretty?" Vepice asked.

"Yeah. You’re pretty."

She fell silent after that, and went to sleep shortly after.

Kai combined shade with his shadow again and prepared to spend the night working on a new sigil he’d come up with watching the fighters earlier.

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