Chapter : 681

"It lacks a proper storyline," Ken explained. He used his flawless slacker logic. "In a real anime tournament arc, the main character fights his rival in the finals. The rival always has a tragic backstory. They talk about their feelings while punching each other. Right now, two random guys are just rolling around in the dirt. There is zero emotional depth. I want my popcorn money back."

"I bought the popcorn," Olivia pointed out flatly.

"Exactly," Ken nodded enthusiastically. "You should demand a refund. We could spend that money on chocolate cake instead. Chocolate cake never disappoints me."

Naomi packed his secondary snacks today before he left the estate. He felt very happy about that. Naomi did not scowl at him anymore. She treated him very nicely. She smiled a warm, gentle smile when she handed him a small bag of cookies. He patted his pocket. The cookies were safe.

The crowd erupted into another massive cheer. A fighter in the ring got knocked out. The referee blew a loud silver whistle. The match was over.

A new man walked into the fighting ring.

The man looked very arrogant. He wore a shiny, sleeveless combat shirt. He had massive, bulging muscles. His arms were covered in tribal tattoos. He had spiky blonde hair. He wore bright red fighting wraps around his knuckles. He raised his arms high into the air. He flexed his muscles for the audience.

The announcer spoke into a magical microphone. "The winner of the previous bracket! Give it up for Gavi the Crusher!"

Gavi smirked. He walked around the edge of the ring. He pointed at the crowd. He loved the attention. He thrived on the cheers. He looked proud of himself.

Gavi stopped walking. He looked up at the VIP seating section. He saw Olivia sitting on the wooden bench. His eyes widened slightly. He recognized her pristine dark-blue uniform. He recognized the elite servant of the 13th Unit.

Gavi ignored his next opponent. He climbed over the ropes. He walked straight up the stairs toward the VIP section. He wanted to show off.

Ken watched the muscular man approach. Ken popped another piece of popcorn into his mouth.

"Oh no," Ken mumbled lazily. He slouched deeper into his seat. "The arrogant side character is approaching. He has spikey hair. He has a stupid nickname. He is definitely going to cause a scene. This is a very annoying development."

Gavi stopped right in front of their bench. He crossed his massive arms. He looked down at Olivia. He offered a smooth, overly confident smile.

"Well, look who is here," Gavi announced loudly. His voice carried over the crowd noise. "The famous Silver Spear of the 13th Unit. I saw you watching my match. I hope you enjoyed the show. I defeated my opponent in two minutes. I am fast."

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Olivia stared at Gavi. Her face remained a blank, strict mask. "I was not watching you. I was observing the footwork of the northern fighters. Your stance is too wide. You leave your left flank open."

Gavi lost his confident smile for a single second. He frowned. He did not like criticism. He quickly recovered. He puffed his chest out.

"My stance is perfect," Gavi bragged. "I hit so hard, I do not need to defend my flank. I am the best fighter in this arena today. You should come down to the locker room later. I can teach you a few real combat tricks."

Olivia narrowed her eyes. She gripped the handle of her silver spear. She looked ready to hit him. "I do not need combat advice from an amateur. Go away."

Gavi scoffed. He looked offended. He finally noticed the person sitting next to Olivia.

Gavi looked at Ken. He saw the untucked white shirt. He saw the wrinkled pants. He saw the messy black hair. He saw the goofy, lazy smile. He saw the bucket of buttery popcorn.

Gavi laughed a loud, mocking laugh.

"Is this a joke?" Gavi asked cruelly. He pointed a thick finger directly at Ken. "Why is a top-tier warrior like you sitting next to a pathetic slob? He looks like a homeless beggar. He cannot even tie his own tie. Does the 13th Unit hire stray dogs now?"

Ken stopped eating his popcorn. He looked at the angry fighter. He did not look scared. He did not look insulted. He just looked bored.

"I am not a stray dog," Ken corrected lazily. He tilted his head. "I am a professional slacker. There is a very big difference. Stray dogs do not get free popcorn. I get free popcorn. Therefore, I am superior."

Gavi glared at the boy. His face turned a slight shade of red. He hated being mocked. He wanted to impress Olivia. He wanted to look strong. He decided the best way to look strong was to humiliate the lazy commoner.

"You have a very big mouth for a weakling," Gavi sneered. He cracked his knuckles loudly. Pop. Pop. Pop. "You think you are funny? You sit up here in the VIP seats. You eat snacks while real men bleed in the ring. You are a complete disgrace to the fighting world."

"I am okay with being a disgrace," Ken agreed casually. He offered a goofy thumbs-up. "Being a disgrace requires zero cardio. I highly recommend it."

Gavi gritted his teeth. He pointed his finger at Ken's face.

"I challenge you," Gavi roared loudly. The people sitting nearby stopped talking. They turned to watch the drama. "Right here. Right now. In the center ring. I challenge you to a public martial arts duel."

The crowd murmured. They looked at the massive fighter. They looked at the slouching boy. It was a ridiculous mismatch.

Olivia sighed deeply. She looked at Ken. She knew Ken was secretly a god-like entity. She knew Ken could destroy the entire arena with a single thought. She knew Gavi was making a massive, fatal mistake.

"You do not want to do this, Gavi," Olivia warned smoothly. She tried to save the foolish man. "He is not a fighter. He is my companion today. Leave him alone."

"Are you protecting him?" Gavi mocked loudly. He threw his arms in the air. He played to the audience. "The great Silver Spear has to protect her little pet! He is too scared to fight! He is a total coward!"

The crowd laughed. Some people booed at Ken. They called him names. They wanted to see a fight.

Ken sat on the bench. He looked at his popcorn bucket. It was almost empty. He looked at Gavi. He ran the situation through his flawless anime logic.

"This is a classic public humiliation scene," Ken analyzed casually in his mind. "The arrogant bully challenges the weak-looking protagonist. The protagonist refuses. The bully insults the protagonist's friends. The protagonist finally accepts. Then the protagonist uses a secret technique to win. It is very predictable. I really do not want to participate in this script. Fighting requires standing up."

Ken looked back at Olivia. Olivia looked very annoyed. Her date was ruined by this loud idiot.