Sacrifice: Time of Mine

As a rookie in that stadium, Avion and Tamya were yet to be brought to the big fights where Mettany and Edora were participating.

The news was yet to be brought to the latter two as they were still prisoners even if they were rising stars. As long as they have no freedom, they have no real power.

In Rank Dih's stadium, Jemer no longer has any power and could only become advisers to its Rank Cee Manager regarding Avion.

"This mortal is that strong? Is he essence-overdose? Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Youngsters are truly hot-blooded. Doesn't he know that you can't just drink all the compound essence as you want?" an old woman with a hunch back and white long hair that almost covered her hair spoke with a hoarse voice.

"Manager Gaba, I'm serious, we should put focus on Avion Teller. You know about the rumors about Rank Es Supreme Elders watching the fights of the Rank Eeh's stadium? It's true! I was there and experienced the pressure that almost made me fainted!" Jemer couldn't help but exclaimed, remembering what happened the other day.

The old woman, manager of the higher stages of the Rank Dih's Stadium, the Rank Cee Manager Gaba raised her eyebrows with evident shock, "I thought that was just a distasteful joke. Why would the respected Supreme Elders come to watch a fight between weaklings!?"

"it's true! You know Seran, right?"

"Of course, who doesn't know her!?" Manager Gaba shouted back, trying to compete with Jemer's loud voice.

"Ehem... sorry for shouting, Manager Gaba. But this is very important. That Seran knows Avion Teller and they have..." he then leaned forward and whispered, "a complicated relationship. I overheard them. I didn't mishear since Seran waved at Avion."

"Complicated relationship? What kind of complicated? Did Seran go west then came back to Avion Teller? Or is it the other way around?" Manager Gaba asked with full interest.

"Manager Gaba, please don't be a scandalmonger right now. The thing is, she's escorted by two crown princes at each side. And, of course, with crown princes, there's the Supreme Elders! What if Seran watched Avion's match again then brought those Elders and the Crown Princes?"

"So what is your point?"

"I'm just saying we shouldn't mistreat this Avion just because he's a mortal. I know the place here. The people here are bullies towards the lower rankings."

"Rude of you to generalize but you're right. Avion Teller may play a bigger role here and we need him to get in our side."

Jemer raised an eyebrow, "T-that's not what I mean-"

"We need to give him what he wants, go and ask him if he have any requests!" 

"I guess... that's okay... but what about the bullies?"

"Don't worry about them, I already told them not to bother others."

...

"What's a mortal doing here!?" a Rank Dih guard shouted, "Little kid, did you get lost?"

Avion, who's in a cell, looked around before he replied, "I don't think I did." 

"~I don't think I did~" the guard repeated in mockery before shouting in force, "Get out of there!"

The guard's colleagues behind him laughed.

"I don't think I can. You have the keys, not me."

"Oh, so you're fighting back now?" the guard snickered as he looked back at his friends and laughed.

'They're messing with me.' like a lightning, realization struck Avion. However, he wasn't still too sure, therefore, he sincerely asked, "Are messing with me?"

However, his sincere question sounded like a provocation.

The laughter from the guards stopped. The other cell prisoners lowered their heads in hearing this.

The front one who was speaking earlier glared at Avion, "The audacity! Don't you know your place, mortal!? How did you even got here!?"

"I got through the Ascension Battle."

"Ascension Battle? A mortal like you defeated the Top 10? Or did you use your handsome face to get here?"

"How?"

"You know, seducing the someone from the higher-ups." 

"You can do that?"

"I don't know, I'm ugly!"

"You're not, it's not about the outer appearance!" Avion rebuked.

"No, you don't understand, I'm so ugly my wife left and now, this is the only job I can get even though I worked hard to be a Rank Dih Elementalist."

"That's not true. Think about it, did your face change when your wife married you? No, she left you because of another reason, what else did you do?"

At that moment, the guard went daze as his backstory filled his head. After a moment, he dropped onto the ground and tears dropping from his eyes.

"It's because I was too focused on ranking up that I didn't give her any attention! Now she left me because I failed as a husband."

The other guards then patted his back.

"See? It's not all about the outer appearances." Avion reached out his and patted the guard's head, with a gentle tone, he said, "So you can do it. You worked so hard, you have a beautiful inside. You can seduce those higher-ups."

'I think that's the wrong direction.' the kneeling guard's colleagues thought.

"Yes! You're right! Now that she left me, I can seduce anyone with my inner beauty." the kneeling guard felt like he was anew as he ripped his shirt, revealing his glossy muscled torso.

Claps could be then heard from multiple cells.

The guard ran free and wild as went to the manager's office. After an hour, he came back, running back.

"I can't do it!" the guard cried again.

"What happened, did you forget about your inner beauty?" Avion asked.

"No, the problem is that the higher-up here is old and ugly!"

"Oh..." Avion was shocked as he looked at a direction and saw Jemer and an old lady in front of him.

"Manager Gaba is wrinkly and smells rotten! I just discovered a real undead!" the guard shouted at Avion as if pleading, "Who did you seduce, her? I do have the inner beauty but I don't have the inner strength to even go near her!"

"Who is seducing who?"

"No, I give up, I'll just go to a brothel where there are young and pretty girls, the opposite of Manager Gaba."

"Oh, you mean me?" Manager Gaba asked.

"..."

Jemer went around the future murder scene and asked Avion, "Avion, this may be sudden but think of it as an additional reward for completing the Ascension Battle. Is there anything you request?"