Bodoo sighed as he closed the book in his hand before looking down from the upper bunk.
"Hope you understood it this time?" he asked in a slightly tired voice.
"Enough to call it a day," Light replied casually before asking in turn,
"Are there entertainment facilities here? The place is too big to be just a prison and a school, no?"
"There are a lot, but only the Prison-schoolers perform there for fame. Some fight tournaments in the underground rings, there are footballers, musicians, and many others.
They do everything here just for fame, and fame comes with Dread automatically. Believe it or not, there are prostitution zones and strip clubs too. Only the known villains get to sleep with the workers there. That way the workers gain reputation for being chosen by strong villains, while the strong ones get to enjoy themselves."
Light thought for a moment before standing up. The reading session had taken hours. It was all to make his claim of illiteracy believable.
He could say with honesty that the writer had poured her all into writing it… Light was sure he could've been shaken already if his mind wasn't already made up.
He took the book from Bodoo and tucked it into the waistband of his pants before asking Bodoo to show him the way.
He needed to get in touch with the strong figures here, the stronger the better. He simply couldn't cause chaos without the help of these elites.
But to do that, he first needed to make a name for himself... And fast.
Bodoo walked out with Light as they passed several hostile inmates. Their district was mostly filled with low-level outcasts, and Bodoo was fairly famous there, so most people didn't want trouble with him.
"I still can't believe you're a level one… and only sixteen. How do you even have such a strong stealth skill at that level?"
His voice dropped to a whisper as Light turned to look at him.
'So it's confirmed… not everyone gets attributes or temporal quest skills,' Light thought briefly before replying.
"Confidential."
"How come there's sunlight here? Wasn't the sky supposed to be blocked by the unfading storm clouds?"
The question had been bothering Light. Every other part of the remaining country lacked sunlight, yet this place had it.
"The sun you're seeing is artificial," Bodoo explained. "It's powered by an Ether harnesser. They can tune it brighter or dimmer just like the real thing… not that I know what the real one looked like."
'So the city literally built a mini sun.'
They entered a door that led to a long staircase sloping underground.
The lighting changed as they descended, shifting into a dim blue glow.
The entire area smelled of accumulated sweat and blood.
It was extremely noisy, filled with chants loud enough to make him consider turning back.
He resisted the urge as he approached the raised octagon caged-ring at the center. The platform was tall enough that he could see the fight clearly from where he stood.
A bulky inmate was battling a lean woman with short hair.
There were no seats. Men and women simply surrounded the ring while shouting and chanting.
"How is it run?" Light asked.
"In zones. There are three zones in total.
This one is the first. It's for low-level contenders. No weapons allowed here.
The second zone is for mid-levels. Weapons are allowed there, and blood gets drawn every fight.
Lastly, the third zone is for high-levels. That's where you see peak outcasts fight. It's hell there."
Bodoo paused before continuing.
"The rule in the tournaments is simple. If a fighter stands in the ring and challenges you, you can't reject the duel. It doesn't matter if you're just a spectator."
"So any level three can challenge a level one once inside the ring?" Light asked.
"Not exactly. They can only do that if the level one accepts. But that's basically suicide. So most people only challenge those around their level."
Light asked how he could participate and the answer was simple.
He only needed to raise his hand when a champion of his level stepped onto the platform.
Bodoo also advised him to join a powerful gang if he wanted to go far. It was almost impossible to rise as a lone wolf.
Light naturally rejected the idea.
His goal was to build a name for himself. Only then would persuading stronger inmates become possible.
They moved closer to the ring and watched the brutal fight unfold.
The woman's legs trembled violently as she struggled to stay upright. Her tight black shorts were soaked with blood, and both her cheeks and eyes were swollen.
The bulky man wasn't in much better shape. His jaw hung slightly dislocated and several teeth were missing. Blood streamed down his face as his wounds widened.
Light wondered who would collapse first.
The fight ended moments later, both fighters dropped at the same time.
Their respective gangs rushed into the ring to drag them away before the opposing side finished them off.
The crowd erupted in boos. They had expected a clear winner.
Light felt slightly disappointed as well. He had been rooting for the woman. Her fighting technique was clearly superior, but she lacked the raw striking force.
Light himself was a fighter.
When you grow up in the slums, survival means learning how to protect your throat from knives. He knew how to throw punches and swing blades well enough.
The crowd's mood shifted when a new fighter stepped onto the platform.
Light looked closely and noticed the man appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen.
He checked the man's level.
Outcast — Level 1.
'A nineteen-year-old level one?
He's probably an F or E-class. His chances of passing level one are less than eight percent.
No matter how popular he gets… he might only reach level three if the entire country feared him.'
Light glanced to his left but Bodoo was gone.
He scanned the surrounding crowd, still nothing.
'Where did he go?' Light wondered, frowning slightly.
He pushed the thought aside...
This was the perfect moment to start his plan.
He raised his hand high enough to be noticed.
After waiting a few seconds and seeing that no one else volunteered, a strange feeling crept over him.
Something felt wrong somehow.
He was about to lower his hand when Bodoo suddenly reappeared.
His eyes widened dramatically before he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"We have a willing contender!"
Light's pupils shrank.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him to turn around and leave.
Dozens of gazes immediately locked onto them and the cheering stopped.
People began stepping aside, creating a clear path toward the tall crimson ring.
Light tried to slip deeper into the shadows and disappear into the dim lighting, when a deep voice echoed from somewhere near the ring.