Gacha Harem System

The matches continued, and Lukas used the time between his bouts watching his fellow competitors.

He had no idea who he’d faced in the next round, and while he was confident, he was careful not to be arrogant.

Confidence was being aware of one’s capabilities, but arrogance was simply being blind to your opponent’s. And that could lead to defeat.

After all, he’d watched a D-rank Awakener defeat a C-rank. Ranks were not the only things that mattered. Strategy did too, and the most important part of strategy was knowing one’s opponent.

As he watched, he mentally catalogued what he saw.

As expected, the fighters around him were a mixed study.

Some were cautious, preferring to slowly wear down their opponents with whatever advantages they had, while others were aggressive from the very first second, and didn’t give their opponents time to do much.

A few showed genuine creativity, winning even when they were disadvantaged, showing they actually thought as they fought, instead of going through whatever motions they’d been trained to do.

Three battles over, a loud explosion filled the air, sending smoke into the sky.

Half the nearby spectators turned to see what was going on and Lukas turned with them.

A woman stood at the center of her arena, both arms wreathed in fire, which blazed brightly, stopping just below her shoulder.

She had bright pink hair, and equally pink eyes.

Her opponent was already on the ground, the healers moving in quickly from the edge of the arena.

She stood over where he had been with a relaxed posture that showed she’d never seriously considered the possibility of a different outcome.

She was laughing, but unlike what one would expect from a woman wreathed in fire, it wasn’t cruel.

The expression on her face had no evil, but showed the open enjoyment of someone doing something they were very good at.

The staff called her the winner.

She rolled her shoulders, let the fire dissipate, and began sauntering back to the competitors’ seating with her chin slightly raised.

Lukas watched her for a moment, cataloguing what he had seen. Her major tool was fire, and she had a high output which pointed to a powerful class, and most importantly, she was confident.

He’d have to keep an eye on her.

Then his name was called.

He stood, rolled his neck, and climbed the steps to his designated arena.

His second opponent was a swordsman who stood there on the balls of his feet, looking like he’d put serious time into his footwork.

Lukas studied him in the first few seconds and made a decision.

The moment the fight was declared started, he raised the gauntlet and fired a beam straight at him.

The swordsman reacted faster than his first opponent.

He dodged the first beam, ducked under the second, and deflected the third with the flat of his sword, sending it flying off at an angle.

The crowd nearby made an appreciative sound.

Then the swordsman planted his back foot, and with all his strength, threw his sword.

The weapon left his hand spinning, end over end, crossing the arena with speed.

Lukas wondered just what kind of swordsman threw away their own sword, before realizing how hypocritical he was being.

Even he had thrown his sword more than once when fighting beasts.

But judging by the speed in which the sword was moving towards him, he concluded that it had to be a skill.

He immediately raised his hand and fired at it.

The beam slammed into the sword and the resulting explosion sent the sword tumbling down to the arena floor, smoking.

It landed with a clatter, and then immediately reversed, flying back into the swordsman’s outstretched hand.

Lukas raised a brow. Two skills. One for throwing the sword, and another to retrieve it. Or maybe one skill with a push and pull effect?

"Interesting."

Lukas straightened, a smile appearing on his face. "Let’s see how you fare against this."

He raised his gauntlet and began firing in rapid succession, not giving the swordsman time to reset as he dodged.

His beams filled the air, forcing the man into making decisions faster than he could think.

The swordsman’s movement became reactive, then desperate, then erratic.

Until finally, a beam slammed into his chest, then one more, the force sending him flying over the boundary line, where he hit the floor outside the arena and didn’t immediately get back up.

He’d fallen unconscious.

The staff called the match, and Lukas lowered the gauntlet.

As always, he quickly left to his seat.

He kept watching the rest of the fights until a gap opened in the schedule and Rollo’s amplified voice announced a one-hour break for lunch.

Around him, Lukas and at he’d in real time as spectators calculated the value of food against the value of where they sat.

After all, entering the stadium was free, so people could sit wherever they wanted.

If they left their seat to get food, someone might have taken over before they returned. And there was no guarantee that they would be stronger than the person and could strong-arm them into giving their seat back.

Most people stayed where they were, and it was clear to see that the vendors knew this would happen.

Within minutes of the break being called, they were moving through the aisles, calling out what they were selling to the seated spectators who flagged them down.

Lukas raised a hand at the nearest one, traded coins for a reasonable lunch, and ate in his seat while watching the now empty arenas.

He soon finished his food, leaned back in his chair, and waited.

The hour passed, and Rollo’s voice filled the stadium again, declaring the start of the second half of the day.

Lukas watched three more matches before his name was called.

He stood, made his way to the designated arena, and took his position. The staff called his opponent’s name across the space.

"Kaida Steele."

Lukas frowned. Why did the name sound so familiar?

He turned to the other side of the arena as his opponent approached, and he immediately recognized her.

That bright pink hair, coupled with the confident stride, and the faint smell of something that had recently been on fire.

The woman who had caused the earlier explosion.

As she walked into range, he felt her aura.

She was B-rank.

A slow smile spread across his face.

He didn’t know he’d actually face a challenge so soon.

Time to see how he’d do against someone of similar rank.