Chapter 166*
Angelina’s POV
Felix stood near the cage entrance. Clipboard in hand. Talking to a referee
I walked over. Found an empty spot on one of the benches. Sat down.
The candidate next to me glanced over. A guy. Maybe twenty years old. Short hair. Nervous energy.
‘Been waiting about thirty minutes. They’re taking people one at a time. Three to five minute matches.”
I nodded. Didn’t say anything else.
He kept talking anyway. “I’m number thirty-two. What number are you?”
I pulled out my assignment card. Checked it. “Forty-seven.”
“Oh man. You’ve got a while to wait then. They’re only on number eight right now.”
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I looked at the cage. A female candidate was sparring with an instructor. She was doing okay. Decent footwork. Her punches lacked power though.
The instructor was clearly holding back. Making it a teaching moment instead of a real fight.
After about four minutes, a whistle blew. The match ended.
The referee made some notes. The candidate climbed out of the cage. Looked relieved.
“Number nine!” Felix called out.
A tall guy stood up. Walked to the cage entrance. Looked confident.
The guy next to me kept talking. “The scoring seems pretty straightforward. They’re looking at technique, defense, stamina, tactical awareness.
Standard stuff.”
“Mm.”
“I heard the top scorers get like twenty extra points added to their overall ranking. That could make a huge difference.”
I watched number nine climb into the cage. He immediately took an aggressive stance.
The instructor smiled slightly. Like he was amused.
They started sparring. Number nine threw a combination. Fast but sloppy
The instructor blocked easily. Countered with a body shot that made number nine back up.
“See that?” the guy next to me said. “The instructors are really good. We need to be careful not to get overconfident.*
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“Yeah.”
@
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More candidates were arriving. The staging area was filling up. Maybe seventy people now.
Some were stretching. Others were reviewing notes on their phones. A few were just sitting quietly. Eyes closed. Preparing mentally.
Number nine lasted about four minutes. Ile tried hard. Got in a few decent hits. But the instructor was clearly better.
When the whistle blew, number nine was breathing hard. Sweating heavily
“Number ten!”
Another candidate stood up. A woman this time. She looked scared.
I leaned back against the wall. Closed my eyes. This was going to take a while.
Around me, conversations continued. People speculating about the scoring system. Discussing strategy. Trying to psych each other out.
Number ten finished. Number eleven started. Then twelve. Then thirteen.
The matches blurred together. Most candidates were average. A few stood out. Most didn’t.
The crowd watching Cage 8 was sparse. Maybe ten spectators. Mostly other candidates waiting their turn.
Not exactly thrilling entertainment.
Then I heard something. Voices getting louder. Coming from down the comidor.
“Did you hear? Death match starting in Cage 13!”
“Theodore is fighting tonight!”
“Fifty-win streak! This is gonna be insane!”
The candidates around me perked up. Started whispering to each other.
“Cage 13? That’s the death match cage, right?”
“Yeah. Felix warned us about it this morning.”
“Should we go watch?”
“I don’t know. Sounds intense.”
More voices from the corridor. People running past. Heading toward Cage 3.
“Theodore just arrived! He looks massive!”
“They’re saying his opponent is some independent fighter. Nobody knows who.”
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“This is gonna be brutal!”
The candidate who’d finished number fourteen climbed out of the cage, mediately started walking toward the Cry 13 firection.
“I’ll come back for my evaluation later. I gotta see this.”
Two more candidates stood up. Left the staging area. Headed toward Cage 13.
Then five more. Then ten.
The staging area was emptying out fast.
Felix looked annoyed. “Hey! You all have evaluations to complete! Get back here!”
Nobody listened. They just kept leaving.
Even some of the spectators left. The sparse crowd became even more sparse.
Felix pulled out his phone. Started scrolling. I could see his screen from here. He was pulling up the Cage 13 livestream.
His expression changed. Eyes widening slightly.
“Holy shit, he muttered. “Theodore really is huge.”
The referee next to him leaned over. Looked at the phone. “Damn. That’s big dude.”
They both stood there. Watching the livestream. Completely distracted.
The current candidate in the cage finished his match. Climbed out.
Nobody called the next number. Felix and the referee were too focused on the phone.
The candidate looked confused. “Uh, sir? Should I wait or…”
Felix didn’t even look up. Just waved his hand. “Yeah, yeah. Wait over there.
More people left the staging area. I stayed where I was. Waited patiently.
Number fifteen finally got called. Then sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen.
But between each match, there were longer gaps. Felix kept checking his phone. The referee kept getting distracted.
“Theodore just entered the cage! This is starting!”
Someone shouted that from down the corridor. Running past.
Five more candidates immediately stood up. Left to go watch.
I was four people away from my turn now. Numbers forty-three through forty-six were still ahead of me.
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Chapter 166*
Number forty-three got called. A guy with a shaved head. Looked nervous.
He climbed into the cage. Started sparring with the instructor.
About two minutes in, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it. His eyes went wide.
“Sorry!” he called to the instructor. “I need to take this!
He just stopped mid-match. Climbed out of the cage. Left.
The instructor looked at Felix. “What the hell?
Felix shrugged. Still looking at his phone. “Let him go. Next!”
Number forty-four. A woman. She lasted about three minutes. Then her phone buzzed too.
She checked it. “Oh my god. The Cage 13 fight is getting crazy. Sorry, I’ll finish my evaluation later!”
She left too.
Number forty-five got called. He didn’t even make it into the cage. His phone buzzed while he was climbing in.
He stopped. Read the message. “Holy shit. Theodore just took down his opponent in one hit. I gotta see this.”
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