NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53: Jamie, Red sun
Jamie stood in the shadowed room, alarmed, eyes darting around as he tried to detect anything wrong with the suspicious environment surrounding him. This was the King's Fortress but not as he heard of it. It was upgraded, reshaped by its owner's will and ideals.
For a few seconds, everything was dark, all black and motionless until the walls began to fade, like drops of paint dissolving under heavy rain. The darkness weakened, revealing a vast room beneath.
Weights lay scattered across the floor, each one different in size and design. Some rested on the ground, others on chairs and desks, as if mid-use. There was no doubt this place was a gym.
Only a few spectators noticed the sudden shift. Most were still fixated on Alexander's encounter with one of the Blue Eagles, a fight that promised blood.
In their eyes, Jamie stood inside a massive black cube its walls fluid, shifting between liquid shades of black and deep blue. Nothing seemed particularly interesting about it at first glance.
"This is the King's Fortress!?"
His eyes moved upward, tracing the ceiling. The detail was astonishing one could easily be fooled into thinking they'd been transported elsewhere.
"Welcome to my world."
A cold yet confident voice echoed through the room, loud, as if the very walls were its mouth. Jamie stood vigilant, ears sharpened, legs firm and ready, trying to locate the source of the voice that shook the gym.
"Anything that happens here is by my will. Want to move? You answer to me. Want to leave? You answer to me.
Want to fight? You answer to me.In here, you're a slave under your master. Me."
His voice lowered to a subtle tone, a psychological tactic to tilt the fight in his favor before it even began.
Jamie's expression remained neutral, the kind only worn by someone carefully weighing their options.
Beep.
A sharp sound filled the space. He activated his golden system screen.
[3:00 minutes to go]
His gaze fell, heavy and silent.
A grin rumbled from the walls, mocking him after reading his unease. In just a few hours ago , Jamie had learned truths he never wished to face, the emotional wounds in his heart were still fresh but the enemy interpreted it differently, a prey afraid of the predator.
"You're dead meat."
The words came hollow, echoing like something whispered from deep within a cave.
Jamie's eyes stayed fixed on the glowing screen only he could see. In his mind, a storm of debate raged what to do, when to act. The first round hadn't started yet, two minutes remained before the third game's opening tiles. But instead of preparing for the next challenge, he was trapped inside a magical fortress with an enemy who wanted him dead.
And yet, amid all that darkness, a faint spark glimmered within him, a fragile thread of hope, small enough to be mistaken for nothing. A chance. A chance to test his newfound strength.
He lifted his head, a challenge burning on his tongue, eager to be released.
"Show yourself, or I'll make you come out."
His voice was cold, threatening.
"Uuuuh, I like your energy,"
came the reply, dripping with arrogance, like a mother sweet-talking her child, voice smooth and deceivingly soft.
Snap
Vroom
An invisible wind roared from nowhere, violent as an amateur tornado. It scrambled Jamie's hair, rattling the air around him.
Ding.
Squeak.
Metal bars clashed and shook, the wind lifting them effortlessly, strong enough to raise the heaviest ones, though not to cause harm.
"Fortress Rule: Your body weight will be multiplied by ten for my attacks!" He proclaimed.
From the right wall, the King of the Fortress leapt out, like a beast emerging from a swamp. The transition was seamless. His sharp eyes locked onto Jamie, the markings on his nose triggering recognition.
He was a veteran, a member of the White Jaguars Clan, under Captain Cain himself. His stance was that of a trained boxer, though he wore no padded gloves, only bare knuckles, scarred black from endless battles.
Jamie barely had time to react.
A right punch came flying toward his face, veins bulging like cords beneath the skin.
Pow!
The blow landed clean, rattling his jaw like an earthquake. His teeth trembled, mountains tested by quakes. Pain surged through every nerve, each cell forced to bear the impact alone. The force was monstrous, his own body weight multiplied tenfold.
The man didn't pull back; he drove forward, pressing through like a nail hammered deep into wood, amplifying the agony. The first hit had been a distraction.
Pow!
A mid jab slammed into Jamie's stomach—sharp and precise, like a dart striking the red ring of a target. His body folded slightly, air escaping his lungs. Then came the twist, skin pulled, pain multiplied. The force overwhelmed his balance, throwing him backward like a ragdoll.
Phu!
He crashed into the wall, leaving a deep mark behind, a brutal memory etched in stone.
Cough.
Saliva and bile splattered from his mouth. His ribs screamed. He wondered how a single man could strike with such force.
"A flawless technique," the man muttered, walking toward Jamie's fallen form.
"It took endless combat training with Captain Cain to perfect it, day and night. But I never gave up, because it's the only way I'll win the third game."
Behind them, the space sealed shut.
Jamie's gaze fixed on his enemy. The screen still read his weight: 117 pounds. That was why the punch had hit like a truck, 1170 pounds of force.
"Hahaha!"
He laughed, an odd sound in such a tight, hopeless place. Using the wall as leverage, he pushed himself up, one hand gripping it like a child learning to stand.
"This place just keeps showing me I'm not strong enough,"
he said aloud, a small, bitter laugh escaping.
"I never…"
Pain in his mouth cut him short. He pressed a hand to his gums, shaking them to provide quick first aid.
Click
They relocated.
"I never thought I'd have to use this so early… but you left me no choice."
[Special Skill Upgrade → Red Sun]