Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

The amazonian-looking woman plopped down beside Jack, crossing her arms and staring at the arena. She wore hard boots and long trousers, and her back was covered by a blue jacket, under which hid a red shirt. Her eyes were brown and her nose slim, as was her body.

Jack noticed she was only slightly shorter than him; and, if they stood, her long legs would probably put them on the same height.

“Would you like to watch the fights together?” she asked.

“Sure,” he replied. “I’m John Brown, professional spanker.”

“I know.” She smiled. “I really wish I don’t face you down there.”

Jack held back a spicy reply.

“Where’s your entourage?” he asked, looking around. “The rest of Flame River surrounds you every time I see you.”

At this, she seemed to fidget a bit. “They can get…tiring,” she finally responded. “Not because of anything they do; I just have to mind myself around them. I’m the leader, after all. No matter how close and friendly we are, they need to see my strong, confident side. I cannot drop it around them.”

“But you can around me?”

“You’re a stranger; and a strong one, too. We can speak as equals.”

Jack took a better look at her. She seemed strong and vibrant like a river, but her eyes did hide that playful spark.

“Fine by me,” he said, laughing. He leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms. Sensing that they weren’t welcome, Edgar and Karvahul went to get some corn and sat back down a few seats away. Only Brock remained by Jack’s side, cupping his chin while staring at the strange woman.

“And who’s this little guy?” she said, staring back.

“That’s Brock, my monkey bro. And he can understand most of what we’re saying, so mind your words.”

“Really?” she replied with interest. “I haven’t seen intelligent pets before.”

“You still haven’t. Brock is not a pet. He’s my bro.”

She turned a hard glance at him. She almost told him off on reflex, like she would if one of her faction members spoke out of line, but held her tongue.

“You’re right,” she said. “I was quick to assume. Can I pet you, Brock?”

The monkey still stared at her. He’d walked right in front of her seat, inspecting her with interest. When she slowly stretched a hand, he leaned back a bit.

“Hmm,” she said. “Those are some great muscles, Brock. Can I touch them?”

She’d obviously read his System description. At this, Brock perked up. From one moment to the next, he was flexing like a human bodybuilder, exhibiting muscles that were lacking but still plainly visible.

Vivi touched his biceps and made a surprised face. “Oh my!” she said. “You’re so strong!”

Brock smiled so hard he got a chin cramp.

“If you think you can get close to me by befriending Brock, you’re mistaken,” Jack said while Brock rolled on the ground and held his cramped chin.

“It’s not that. We have monkeys where I come from, along with plenty of animals. I always liked them.”

“Where is that?”

“Burkina Faso. A small African gem.”

“Hmm.” Jack nodded. “I’ve never been there. They didn’t hold conferences.”

“Conferences?”

“I used to be a researcher. I’ve been to some.”

“Interesting. I was a tour guide.”

“Very nice.”

Before they could say anything further, the arena went silent. The winged djinn flew over its center and announced, “The second day of the tournament will now commence. There have been no disqualifications so far. I will now randomize today’s fights.”

Her eyes shone, as did the scroll in her hands. A moment later, Jack’s token glowed. So did Vivi’s.

“Not again.” He groaned.

Vivi laughed. “Cheer up. I had to fight at night yesterday, and I can tell you that the waiting was killing me. This is much better.”

“Hmm. I guess you have a point.”

“Do you think we’ll fight each other?”

“I hope not.”

She grinned. “I’d go easy on you.”

“That’s not the point. I’d just feel bad spanking you in public now that we know each other.”

Her lips moved, unsure what expression to form. They settled on amusement.

“You speak big, John Brown. I hope your actions can match your tongue.”

Jack glanced at her eyes, then smiled. “Let’s leave it to fate,” he said, turning his gaze back to the arena.

“First fight. Ernest Bell and the Dao of…”

The head judge announced the fights, and people began streaming to the sand below. The arena was still split by energy walls, letting four fights occur concurrently.

Jack leaned in to watch. Brock, surprisingly, climbed on Vivi’s lap and sat there, watching the fights too. After her initial surprise, she hugged and petted him.

The first few fights were nothing special. Eight people struggled against their opponents, with four eventually eking out a victory. Though the fights weren’t particularly high-level, they were pleasant to watch.

Jack did notice that many of these people held odd weapons. They weren’t the normal, bland ones he was used to. Instead, these weapons sported various colors, and when the fighters used them, Jack’s soul tugged with a hint of the Dao.

He remembered the Dao Weapons that Ar’Tazul sold. This had to be them. Everyone had clearly put their ten thousand credits from yesterday to good use.

Eventually, the fights were over, and eight new people took to the stage. They still weren’t anything to write home about, though one pair was above average.

In the next fights, however, someone caught Jack’s eye.

It was an old, Asian-looking man wearing martial arts robes. His mustache was white, long, and thin, hanging from either side of his face, and he was so small that Jack almost felt pity for him.

However, he was at Level 31—clearly above average.

Human (Earth-387), Level 31

Faction: -

According to the head judge, his name was Li Xiang, and he had the Dao of Martial Arts. Jack was very much interested in seeing how he would fight.

His opponent, a Level 27 swordsman from America, charged first. His sword wasn’t the fast type Henry White had used—a katana—but rather a medieval-looking greatsword as tall as him. It was clearly a Dao weapon, too.

The old man slowly adopted a stance; he held one open palm ahead of the other, and his legs were slightly bent.

It seemed simple. However, the moment Jack saw the stance, something tingled inside his brain. It felt like the old man had just transformed from a human into an undeniable force of nature. His stance seemed perfect and unbreakable. Standing against it was futile.

The swordsman felt it, too. His steps slowed for a moment before his Dao Root of the Sword flared, imbuing itself into the blade and slashing forth with the intent to cut the world.

The sword flashed before Li Xiang, who seemed too slow to react. It seemed undodgeable. Then, in the final moment, Li Xiang tilted to the right and used his fingers to gently push the blade to the left mid-strike, making it miss. The sand flew under his feet, but Li Xiang was fine.

Then, Li Xiang’s body uncoiled like a spring. He went on the offensive.

He held no weapon, but his palms were more than enough. Every strike was slow and perfectly aimed. He took advantage of gaps so small Jack could only see them in hindsight. When the swordsman moved, he created tiny moments of vulnerability, and Li Xiang was already there, predicting them before they even happened.

Watching that old man fight was an experience. He controlled the flow of battle perfectly.

The sword fell like rain, but Li Xiang deflected or dodged effortlessly every time. He made it seem easy, like an adult playing with a child. Not that the swordsman was unskilled; Jack could see no glaring flaws, but Li Xiang clearly could. He capitalized on every tiny imperfection, magnifying and exploiting it so that the attacks seemed widely off.

In hindsight, yes, of course that attack was flawed! But only a true master could reveal that to the audience.

The swordsman roared in impotence. He could sense he would lose—of course he would—but he still tried his best. Li Xiang was threading the needle; one mistake would be enough.

But masters make no mistakes.

The moment the swordsman brought his sword back to attack, Li Xiang was already stepping in as if chasing the blade, smashing a palm into the other man’s chest and knocking the air out of him. Then, while he was off-balance, Li Xiang stepped around him, grabbed his leg, and somehow flung him through the air without much effort.

The swordsman didn’t falter. Even mid-air, he ignored his fall and twisted, slashing his blade at Li Xiang. The old man was still recovering from the throw. It didn’t seem like he would have time to dodge. Jack’s heart reached his throat.

There was a ding and a flash. Sand flew, obscuring everyone’s vision.

When the sand fell, the swordsman was on the ground, sword angled upward, and Li Xiang had caught the blade mid-air with three fingers.

“Hohoho.” He laughed with a gentle smile. “Good move!”

The swordsman didn’t pull back his blade. “I resign,” he said, and the crowd erupted into wild cheers. The old man was stunning!

“Wow,” Jack said breathlessly. “Did you see that?”

“Yes…” Vivi replied. “Very impressive. I should speak to him. Maybe he can train my people.”

Jack nodded. Li Xiang seemed to have a perfect balance of stats and skill. He perfectly controlled every second of the entire battle. If Jack could get skills like that…

“Wait,” he said, realizing something. “He’s so strong… How come he doesn’t even have the Planetary Frontrunner (100) title?”

Vivi threw him an odd look. “What do you mean?” she asked. “Maybe he does.”

“I scanned him. He’s title-less.”

Her odd look turned into a suspicious stare. Jack suspected he’d fucked up somehow. “He could be hiding it…” she said slowly. “Aren’t you doing the same?”

Jack froze. Oh, you have got to be kidding me. I can hide my Titles!?

Displayed Title: Planetary Frontrunner (10)

Available Titles: Planetary Frontrunner (10)

Would you like to change the displayed title?

Now it appears!? Jack cursed ten generations of the System. Why the hell did nobody tell me that!?

“I don’t have a title,” he finally said. “I got my Dao a bit late. Spanking is tough to comprehend; who could have guessed?”

“Hmm.” She looked at him, torn between believing him or not. He returned her gaze as innocently as he could. Finally, she said, “Too bad, I guess. That 5% efficacy is a wonder to have… At least, you don’t seem to need it for now.”

“I can manage. Maybe I’ll get another title later.”

“Good luck with that.” She laughed, regaining her previous mood.

Jack turned back to the arena. At least, something had come out of this: he’d learned that the Planetary Frontrunner (100) title gave a 5% efficacy increase, as opposed to his own 10%.

The head judge continued announcing fighting pairs. Jack paid her little mind until she reached the final names. “John Brown and the Dao of Spanking versus Chen Zexi and the Dao of Beauty.”