Ethan was honestly surprised that Kaela had helped him get his friends in so easily and allowed them to tag along to her VIP suite. Just the cigars alone were probably a fortune.

But people rarely did things without ulterior motives, and as wild as she seemed, she was also sharp and perceptive.

He felt like they were similar in that regard.

Not only was she keenly observing him, but she also probably assumed that Elara was with him. Then again, maybe she just wanted the company of someone who was completely afraid of her.

Either way, Ethan was grateful and also had a bunch of questions for her.

"So," he said, glancing at Kaela. "Who runs this place?"

She took a slow sip before answering.

"Guy calls himself Cyclops."

Ethan hadn’t heard of him.

"Is he some huge, ugly dude?"

She laughed.

"No. Just has one eye."

"Creative name, I guess."

But then, her expression shifted.

"I’ve met him once," she said slowly.

"And?"

Kaela exhaled slowly.

"He’s not good news."

That meant a lot, coming from someone like her.

’So he’s at least A Rank,’ Ethan assumed.

But that still didn’t answer his questions, as even if they were an S Rank, there was no way they could hide these monthly events. Just the fact that there were rogue Titled here would put it on the Association’s radar.

And even more surprising to Ethan was that not everyone here was a rogue Titled.

"How does this even operate?" he asked. "There’s no way the Association doesn’t know about this."

Kaela shrugged.

"They do. And they let it happen."

Ethan frowned.

"...Why?"

She swirled her drink.

"Because they can control it."

She glanced toward the arena.

"It’s the same way the government controls all illegal shit, not that they’d admit it. There will always be something like this, so it’s smarter to try to manage it than get rid of it entirely."

Ethan nodded slowly.

"Makes sense, I guess."

"And what better way to gather information on Titled and monitor them, whether they are registered or not, than a place like this?"

Kaela’s rhetorical question made it make even more sense to Ethan, who remained curious about this Cyclops fellow.

"Was he the one who put up that barrier thing?"

She shook her head, "That’s someone else, who also maintains the physical barrier around the arena so that the audience doesn’t get hit by anything."

"That guy must be an A Rank too," Ethan theorised aloud.

"Who said it was a man?"

After that, Kaela avoided the rest of the curious E Rank’s questions, telling him to focus on the fights and enjoy himself.

-

Time passed.

The atmosphere grew louder and wilder.

Ethan and Kaela were fully settled into the rhythm of the place - drinking, smoking, watching fights, occasionally shouting at the arena like the fighters could hear them.

Mark had relaxed slightly behind the bar, though he still looked out of place. And Elara sat quietly to the side, her nose wrinkled slightly at the smoke. Her red eyes flicked toward the arena occasionally, but there was discomfort there.

She didn’t like the violence and chaos, confused as to how so many could be entertained by it.

From the outside, the scene was absurd.

An E Rank sitting casually between two A Ranks and being the centre of attention.

Mark rubbed his face slightly.

’I guess he always was like this...’

’But this is insane.’

Still, Kaela wasn’t what he expected.

She was loud and crude, but not as frightening as he had heard. The Riot Valkyrie almost seemed normal right now. Mark was even starting to enjoy himself, as wild as it was, but things would soon take an unexpected turn...

- 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Mark leaned back into the plush leather seating, exhaling through his nose as he ran a hand over his short, wavy hair.

"Okay," he muttered, almost to himself. "This is... not as bad as I thought."

Elara didn’t respond verbally, but she gave a small nod, her shoulders loosening slightly.

The real source of chaos, however, was still very much alive and well.

At the centre of it all sat Ethan and Kaela.

"Another grand?" Kaela grinned, swirling the amber liquid in her glass before knocking it back without hesitation.

Ethan didn’t even blink.

"Obviously."

They clinked glasses, drank, and turned their attention back to the arena below.

"Left guy wins," Ethan said casually, pointing lazily.

Kaela snorted. "You’ve said that every time."

"And I’ve been right every time."

A few moments later, the fight ended exactly as Ethan predicted.

Kaela threw her glass at the wall, then slowly turned toward him.

"You’re good at this."

Ethan smirked, leaning back like he owned the place.

"I’ve got a good eye."

He had won the past five bets, each one being worth a thousand.

And the most ridiculous part?

Ethan didn’t even have the money to cover the loss if he had been wrong about all those bets. He’d already burned through most of his cash from the gate, spending as he pleased.

’But it doesn’t matter, cos I’m winning.’

And if he did somehow end up losing more bets than he won?

’Eh... I’ll figure it out.’

Worst case, he’d borrow from someone or pay Kaela later after entering some gates. She didn’t exactly seem like the type to chase debts politely, though she would be the scariest debt collector possible.

But that was a problem for future Ethan, and present Ethan was thriving.

-

Down in the arena, the fights were escalating.

What started as E Rank bouts, essentially glorified street fights with minor enhancements, had transitioned into something far more engaging.

D Ranks.

Now those had been interesting with some skill, experience, and actual ability.

But now, they were entering something else entirely.

C Rank territory.

Kaela leaned forward slightly, her purple eyes gleaming with interest.

"Now these..." she said, voice low but filled with excitement, "...are the real Titled."

Ethan nodded, watching closely.

She wasn’t wrong; there was a clear shift.

Everything felt heavier, sharper, and more dangerous.

C Rank wasn’t just stronger; it was a threshold, a step into something closer to true power. And it was among this rank that Ethan would have his bout in the arena...