Gacha Harem System

Two days passed quickly, and soon it was the day of the tournament.

Lukas had spent the time walking around with his reduced stats and sparring lightly against Melody. And now, he was used to fighting in this state.

However, right now, all three of them were part of a river of people that was moving through the streets of Havenhart towards the city gates, and the worst part, they were moving slowly.

The gate was packed with people, and even from back here, Lukas could tell the guards were working more than they’d done the whole year and were still severely understaffed.

This was exactly what happened when thousands of people were all trying to leave at roughly the same time.

Lukas stood between his wives, shuffling forward in increments, the gate visible ahead but not close enough for them to see the guards.

"Why do we have to go outside the walls for this?" Akira asked, craning her neck to see how far the line extended behind them. "Can’t we just do this whole tournament inside?"

"There’s no space for all that," Lukas said. "The stadium they need for this many spectators doesn’t fit inside the city. So they build it fresh every year, run the tournament, then take it apart again."

"Every year," she repeated. "They construct and disassemble an entire stadium annually."

"It’s a significant event."

A vendor had positioned himself along the edge of the moving crowd with the instinct of someone who understood opportunity. He was moving parallel to the thick line, a tray of grilled meat sticks held above his head, yelling and advertising his snacks to everyone within earshot.

Melody stepped slightly out of the flow and waved him over.

He appeared beside them instantly, and the transaction was completed in under thirty seconds.

Melody turned back to them, handing them two sticks each. They took a bite, humming at the delicious taste. The meat was well-seasoned, and with more than enough grease for it to qualify as junk food.

"How many people do you think will actually be inside the stadium today?" Akira asked between bites.

"At least half the city’s population," Lukas said. "That should be two hundred and fifty thousand people, maybe more. And that’s just the first day."

"I heard that there was a year in which as many as four hundred thousand people turned up for the final battle. Apparently, it was a sight to see."

"You didn’t watch it yourself?" Akira asked, curious.

"I didn’t." Lukas nodded. "I was a new orphan, and a kid, so I didn’t have anyone to take me."

That was the original Lukas, of course.

Melody chewed thoughtfully, her eyes distant as she made a few calculations in the back of her head.

"I’m less interested in the crowd size and more interested in how much money is moving through this event," she said.

"Has to be enormous," Akira said. "With all the food, vendors, and everything, it has to be at least one million gold coins."

"You’re thinking too small." Melody looked at them both. "Let’s start with the gate fee."

"Each person exiting the city has to pay at least thirty gold coins each. And if two hundred and fifty thousand people really exit the city like you said over the seven day tournament period, the City Lord’s gate revenue alone is...," she paused for exactly one second, "seven and a half million gold coins. Per day."

Silence filled the area around them. Apparently, some had been listening in on their conversation, and they struggled to wrap their heads around the figure.

"Across seven days, that’s fifty million coins minimum," Melody said. "And this calculation is based on the assumption that nobody exits the city more than once."

"Fifty million," Akira said, almost to herself.

"Don’t forget, that’s a conservative estimate," Melody said. "Before we calculate food, accommodation, vendor licensing, or any other fees the city collects during the festival period."

Lukas’ mind went to the day they’d met the City Lord, He’d wondered just why some Climbers were willing to pause their advancements to govern a city in the middle of nowhere.

Now he knew just how profitable it was. Just from the fifty million, he tried to calculate how many [Items] he could buy.

"Now I understand," he said to himself.

Melody smiled, saying nothing. She could tell what he was thinking.

The gate finally came within reach, and they quickly paid their thirty coins each before stepping through into the open ground beyond the walls.

Then they saw it.

The stadium sat to their right, and the word stadium felt immediately insufficient.

The building, if it could be called that, was vast. It was built out of a pale white stone that rose high enough to be visible from well within the city. The only reason they hadn’t seen it was how close they were to the city walls.

It had an open roof, and wide entrances spaced along the outer wall at regular intervals, the crowds flowing through each one without any problems with traffic.

If someone had told him the stadium could seat the entire population of Havenhart, he would not have argued.

Melody’s jaw dropped at the sight of it and so did his.

Akira stood between them, her eyes moving slowly across the full span of it, taking in the scale from one end to the other.

"Wow," she said, her voice low. One could hear the wonder in it. "This place rocks."

After a minute of gawking, they joined the flow of people moving through the nearest entrance and stepped inside.

The interior was somehow even more impressive than the exterior. Tiered seating rose on every side, already filling with spectators who had arrived early enough to choose their spots.

The noise level was significant and still climbing, with thousands of conversations layering on top of each other into a dull roar.

Below the seating, the fighting space was enormous. It was a wide, flat expanse that had been divided into eight separate arenas, each one partitioned from the next by translucent red barriers.

The barriers were solid enough to contain a fight among Awakeners, and transparent enough that spectators could follow the action in any section they chose.

And floating above the arenas, high enough to be visible from every seat in the stadium, was a large cube displaying information in clear, readable text.

He honestly wasn’t surprised that they had screens for a stadium like this, but he was more confused on why this world didn’t have a TV. Or was the City Lord blocking them from the rest of the Tower?

Lukas scanned the screen, reading the information on the different sections of the stadium.

He found what he was looking for. Section T2, which was positioned closest to the arena where his first match would take place.

"Let’s go," he said.

They began walking.