As the last few seconds ticked down, heroic music wafted around everyone's ears. Visible notes appeared, gathering towards the center of the arena.
They shone in all the colors of the world, delivering a gorgeous spectacle. Suddenly they all collided in the center and disappeared in a flash of light.
"Ah!"
Cyclone let out a startled shout. Next to her, a light flashed as well, and Fortune disappeared. When the light in the arena receded, it revealed Fortune standing in the air.
"What's this?"
"Hey, it's Fortune!"
"Fortune you're the best!"
"Great! Much better than seeing Maycos!"
The audience, mostly fans of Dream Avenue, naturally cheered loudly as the gorgeous woman appeared on the arena wearing a long, flowing dress.
Liam and his friends were extremely surprised, staring at the mage. Fortune chuckled and winked in the direction of her friends.
"Ahh, she winked at me!"
"I can die laughing now!"
"A dream come true!"
Fortune was excited noticing the audience's reactions. This was exactly what she had hoped for.
Since a while ago the ministry had sent out the news that one could apply for the position of host. Fortune knew instantly that she had to grab the chance. When she received the feedback telling her that she got accepted, the young woman was overjoyed.
But she decided to be sneaky and surprise her friends with it.
Now standing above the arena with her face shown on the big water screens, Fortune felt her heart race. She smiled brightly, warming the hearts of countless men.
From this moment on the name of the host was also added if someone searched for a fight to watch. As people found Fortune's name on the list, the audience continued to increase.
Just then the gorgeous woman received a prompt from C telling her to announce the start of the first match. She took a deep breath, her voice filling the arena:
"Ladies and gentlemen! I also wish you a warm welcome to the much-anticipated federation tournament. I am your host, Fortune! And this is arena number 7748310.
I know all of you are here for the fight, so let's not talk too much and welcome the first contestant:
With the number 256039, it's Siiick Sammyyyy!"
Suddenly a player appeared on the arena floor. He carried a large, mighty bow, and wore a green hat adorned with a long feather.
The moment he appeared Dream Avenue erupted with deafening cheers. Although Sick Sammy wasn't some prominent guild member, he was one of them and was among the first people to fight in the tournament. He deserved every bit of support.
Infected by the excitement Dream Avenue's fans in the audience cheered as well, startling Sick Sammy. The young man had never experienced such a scene, momentarily at a loss.
Meanwhile Fortune continued to talk:
"That's it. Thank you, dear audience, for the fervent support for our contestant. Right now, mister Sick Sammy is communicating with C, able to choose between options like tuning down sound from outside or even increasing the volume, all to his liking.
In the meantime, let me tell you more about Sick Sammy. He is a player since the first second, proudly boasting level 39. His class is called Agile Hunter, a popular class mostly seen among wood elves.
Mister Sick Sammy belongs to the guild Dream Avenue and has also signed up for the team contest with a group called Seven Heroes Three Beauties!"
Receiving a shout-out, Dream Avenue's members cheered even louder, accompanied by the rest of the audience.
Only Liam wore a faint frown as he didn't appreciate C disclosing the classes of the contestants. Someone like him could draw a lot of information from this.
However, it wasn't too bad for him and his friends as their skills couldn't be kept a secret anyways thanks to Fortune's videos.
"Great, it seems our valiant warrior is done. Now we are all curious which enemy our contestant will face in the qualification round. And here it comes in 3, 2, 1..."
Fortune drew out the count creating a tense atmosphere as the arena floor suddenly changed. The smooth, cold stone was replaced with a grassy landscape, the occasional tree growing towards the sky. And opposite Sick Sammy appeared a tall bear with thick, red fur and four arms, standing upright.
The monster's information was displayed on the screens.
A low roar echoed through the arena, ruffling the grass.
"The opponent has appeared! It is a Four-armed Red Bear! This lord-tier monster is of the same level as our contestant, 39. It inhabits multiple locations within the Central Plain. It is known for its ferocity. Four-armed Red Bears are sinister creatures. Instead of going into hibernation, they hunt down their brethren who do so!
But all of this doesn't matter for our valiant contestant. The countdown has already begun. With five seconds left Sick Sammy is cleverly distancing himself from the monster. A pity for him that mounts aren't allowed in the tournament.
Please continue cheering for this future hero as the fight starts. One second left, and, GO!"
"The red bear instantly chases after our contestant. The powerful paws leave deeps prints in the soft soil. Sick Sammy draws his bow. Beutiful, fluent movement. The arrow reaches the monster in a flash. 412 points of damage! Not bad!
The red bear is known for his high physical strength and strong vitality. With 46.000 HP it will take our contestant a while to bring the bear to fall."
"Oh no, the monster managed to close the distance. Now Sick Sammy is under great pressure!
Great manoveur by Sick Sammy! It looks like this skill allows him to flip backwards while delivering a strong blow to the enemy."
"Another arrow! Sick Sammy fights valiantly. But the red bear isn't without means. What is this?! The monster's eyes erupt with a terrifying red light! Two beams aim to pierce through Sick Sammy's chest!"
"A decoy to block the damage! Sick Sammy is using his defensive skills wisely! The red bear looks like it needs to catch its breath. Our contestant naturally won't miss the opportunity! An arrow storm engulfs the monster! The continuous damage shaves off a good amount of HP!"
"Great combination! Nailing the enemy to the floor with a magical arrow, forcing the monster to remain within the arrow storm for a longer time! Sick Sammy knows how to bring out the strength of his class!"
"The red bear suffers. Sick Sammy doesn't rest on his laurels, unleashing more attacks amidst the ongoing arrow storm. But it looks like... yes, the red bear has freed itself from the stun and I can feel its thirst for revenge!"
"Sick Sammy's skills seem to be on cooldown. The bear manages to force him into close combat. His four terrifying arms open wide. It's a bear hug! But not the pleasant kind!
That looks painful! The red bear jumps into the air, pressing Sick Sammy against its body! There is no way to escape. Ah! The monster hurls our brave contestant. Sick Sammy collides with a tree! His face looks distorted from the pain!"
"Audience, I'm sure our contestant could use your support now! Show him your love! Louder! Louder!"
"Sick Sammy doesn't show any fear. With a nimble roll he is back on his feet! The red bear is still in the air. How will Sick Sammy use those precious seconds?"
"He drinks a health potion! Per the tournament rules he can only do so once per fight! This seems to be the right moment. His HP recover quickly!"
"The arena trembles! The red bear lands back on the ground! It doesn't waste time and continues hunting its prey!"
"We can see that the red bear's movement speed is higher than Sick Sammy's. Our contestant only managed to land two attacks and is again forced into close combat. How will he get out of the situation?"
"Beutiful dodges by Sick Sammy! Those claws can't reach him! But dodging isn't enough, you need to deal damage! Oh, we know that move! Another bear hug!"
"Sick Sammy flips backwards! His skills appear to be off cooldown! Well done!"
"I can see the rage in the monster's eyes. Dear audience, I really don't want to meet this red bear in the dark! It's preparing to unleash more beams from its eyes! But Sick Sammy counters just like before. He makes it look so easy, but his reaction time is on point!"
"What is our contestant doing now? The red bear appears exhausted. Even the monster has to feel fear right, right? What a powerful attack! One, two, three... ten arrows! There is no way to escape! Great damage! And the arrows seem to apply bleed, the monster is constantly loosing HP! Is this Sick Sammy's ultimate skill? We can only speculate."
"Well done by Sick Sammy. He keeps his distance, using the trees as a way to block the enemy. It doesn't matter that his attacks slow down! The bleed works effectively! I didn't know it could to this much damage! The red bear is running out of energy!"