Alex and his two ‘idols’ approach the counter again and immediately schedule their fights. The attendant glances at Kell, Nibul, and Alex, showing a hint of confusion but decides not to mention anything other than the fights.
Just a few minutes later, Kell and Nibul chuckle. “Well, thank you so much for the free wins… hahaha. We’ll see you in a few weeks!”
Alex laughs and waves, feigning excitement. As his future opponents leave, Menchi reappears with a smile, saying, “Decided to use the opportunity?”
Alex responds, “Yes, I have a plan. I, of course, accepted their ridiculous challenges. The people who are so weak, desperate, and talentless that they can only win by challenging and actively hunting for rookies are bound to be extremely weak. Perfect enemies for me to gain some experience and essentially get free wins from.”
He continues, “Anyway, this was quite unexpected. Let’s meet back up with Sua. Change of plans, I guess!”
Just a few minutes later, after calling the old hustler, she immediately scolds them: “I TOLD YOU TO WAIT. WHY DID YOU ACCEPT THESE FIGHTS?” she screams angrily.
“Well, I saw an opportunity and took it. They must be weak if they act like a bunch of arrogant show-offs. I can’t believe they didn’t question my act, he replies, thinking, Guess Basic Eloquence lvl 3, my high CHA, and [Commander Shepard’s Dog Tag] are as effective as ever.
“Sua… I have a request,” Alex says. “You know a lot of fighters and rookie hunters, right? Can you spread some rumors about me being a total idiot and gullible as hell? If these rookies are as arrogant as those two buffoons before, and they won't even bother to check out my old fights, I need to exploit this NOW.”
“How do you plan to exploit that?” Sua asks.
“Simple. I want to throw out as much bait as possible. I want every single rookie hunter to target me! I want to schedule as many fights as I can. Also, please talk to the attendant so she doesn’t mention that I’m accepting matches left and right. I want ten matches scheduled—right now! Before I even fight once, I want all of them within 50 days! I just need a week or so to rest, which gives me a bit more than 40 days to fight ten opponents,” Alex demands.
Menchi grins at Alex, clearly impressed with his scheme. He is deep in thought but remains silent about it.
Sua acts as if Alex wants to engage, and while Alex openly shows his face around the tower, visiting restaurants and attending events—he is approached by numerous fighters, all resembling creepy hunters, who desperately want to challenge him.
However, Alex does not immediately accept their challenges. He plays along at first so they don’t become suspicious.
A few days later, Alex's efforts pay off. Sua’s connections, schemes, and reputation, combined with Alex’s seemingly naive and weak demeanor, easily attract the exact type of fighters he expects: desperate, crude individuals without a hint of earnestness. It takes him a few more days, but to his own surprise, his plan works flawlessly. Less than a week later, Alex has a total of ten fights scheduled, just as he had hoped.
It is now the sixth day after his last fight.
He lies on the bed, his upper body naked, while Menchi sits atop him. “Please tell me it won’t hurt,” he pleads.
“Don’t be such a pathetic wimp!” Menchi replies, almost giggling in anticipation, as she quickly pulls off Alex’s bandage in one swift motion.
“FUCK, SHIT! THIS HURTS!” Alex screams while Menchi laughs.
Alex throws her off him and stands up. He does a few quick training exercises and notes: “I’m back to around 90%,” Secretly thinking, and more importantly, my HP Is back at 100%. I am ready for my next fight.
“So when is your first fight scheduled, huh? Want to do some sparring to get you back into shape?” Menchi asks, a cheeky grin on her face.
“Two more days. I did my best to spread them out as evenly as possible. I made up so many ridiculous excuses that I can’t wait for them to realize their error. I can’t believe they actually did exactly what I wanted—what fine hunters they are. No wonder these bottom feeders can only dream about becoming floor masters. A few out of a hundred of those pathetic weaklings may actually succeed in farming ten wins like that, but how will they ever win against a true floor master without any real experience? After my first few fights, they’ll all know what’s in store for them, and they’ll be angry, confused, and utterly humiliated. I wonder if they will even try to fight against me,” Alex responds, excited that his scheme has seemingly worked well enough to trick ten of them at the same time.
“Heh, you are a real piece of work, I gotta admit. Now show me if you’ve forgotten how to fight during your week of recovery!” Menchi says, taking on a fighting stance.
“Here we go again…” Alex says dejectedly, but he still aims to fight as hard as he can.