MULTIVERSE FIGHTERS — Episode 2: "The Blood Doesn't Wash Off"
The smell of sweat, alcohol, and smoke hung over the district like a permanent curse. The Hunt was over, but its echoes lingered in every alley: streaks of blood on brick, broken bodies dragged half-heartedly by drones, laughter too loud to be honest.
X sat at the end of the table while Cody told a story that grew taller with every sentence. Asia leaned back, one arm draped over the chair, cigarette dangling between tattooed fingers. Around them, the after-dark chaos roared—fighters drinking like victory was permanent, strangers grinding in shadowed booths, two brawls happening at once just for the hell of it. And everywhere, the system ticked quietly, granting EXP for every indulgence.
X didn't drink. He didn't smoke. He only listened—to Cody's voice, to Asia's half-smile, to the faint hum inside his chest that told him the system wanted more. His screen whispered at the edge of his vision, numbers glowing like an itch.
X — L102 → L103
EXP: 1000/1000
Energy cost: 20% → 19%
He closed the display before anyone noticed.
⸻
Memories That Don't Heal
Later, when Cody passed out across a stranger's lap and Asia wandered off toward the upstairs rooms with her grin sharpened by liquor, X slipped into the alley. The night air was thick, tasting like copper and cheap perfume. He pressed his knuckles against the wall until they hurt.
He saw it again—the orphanage. The rotting mattress they'd shared, the way kids were dragged out in the night and didn't come back. Asia's bruised face when she fought off an older boy twice her size. Cody breaking a guard's nose with a brick and laughing while he bled.
And himself. Always himself. Watching, waiting, never stopping what he should have.
That was before the accident, before the explosion carved a hole in the world and left him standing in the middle of it, alive when everyone else wasn't. Since that day, his body had been different. Hungrier. Stronger. Secret.
He slammed his fist against the wall. Brick crumbled. The sound was swallowed by the city's chaos.
X — EXP +150 (Physical exertion logged)
L103 → L104
He stared at his fist, flexed it once, then pulled his hood low and walked back into the crowd.
⸻
The Next Hunt
Their phones beeped at dawn. Not a sunrise dawn—the kind where the sky looked like it had been peeled back, showing fire underneath.
Asia groaned, pulling herself out of a stranger's bed. Cody stumbled down the stairs with eyes red from no sleep. They met X in the street. Nobody spoke, but all three raised their palms. The screens bloomed again, cold and merciless.
NEXT TRIAL AVAILABLE
OPTIONS:
1. 50-PLAYER HUNT
2. 100-PLAYER HUNT
Cody grinned through his hangover. "You know me. Always the big one."
Asia rolled her eyes. "One day your mouth's gonna kill us."
X just nodded. He didn't need to vote. The choice was already made.
The city split open, and they were pulled into the next battlefield.
⸻
The Arena
This time, it was a ruined stadium. Rusted bleachers towered in silence, lights flickering weakly. The ground was cracked concrete, littered with bones and scraps of old uniforms. Faded banners still hung, stained dark.
The system's voice hit like thunder:
HUNT COMMENCE. BARE HANDS PERMANENT. NO WEAPONS. NO MERCY.
Bodies rained down—fighters screaming, fists already swinging before they hit the ground.
Asia spat out her smoke, squared her stance. "Round two, assholes."
Cody roared and charged.
X followed slower, quiet, his system already humming.
⸻
Brutality Unleashed
The first wave came fast. Fighters in ragged clothes, eyes wild with fear and hunger. Cody met them head-on, slamming a fist into a man's chest so hard the breath burst out of him in a wet gasp. He locked another in a head-and-arm choke, holding until the twitching stopped.
Asia danced between three at once, grin sharp. She caught a punch, twisted the wrist until bone snapped, then kneed the fighter's temple on the way down. Another rushed her; she ducked low, popped up with an elbow that shattered teeth, and shoved him into the ground, pounding until his blood painted her arms.
X moved differently. Controlled. Efficient. He ducked under a swing, slid behind the attacker, and crushed his windpipe with a forearm. Another leapt from the bleachers; X pivoted and drove a fist into his stomach, folding him like paper. No shouting, no showboating—just work.
X — L104 → L112 → L118
Energy cost: 19% → 16%
Asia — L4 → L5
Cody — L4 → L5
Blood sprayed across the cracked concrete. The stadium echoed with fists, bones, curses. No one cared about survival rules anymore. Only hurt and hunger.
⸻
The Strong One
A fighter bigger than Cody dropped into the ring, muscles thick as chains, scars like maps across his chest. His prestige badge blinked faintly: Prestige 5. He cracked his knuckles and grinned.
"Fresh meat."
He lunged. Cody caught him first, fists colliding with a sound like sledgehammers. They traded blow for blow until Cody's nose broke, blood streaming. The giant laughed, hammering him down.
Asia tried to flank, but he backhanded her so hard she flew into the bleachers, coughing blood.
X stepped forward.
The giant sneered. "You don't look like shit."
X said nothing. He slid in, blocking a fist with his forearm, body turning with the force. He countered—short punch to the ribs, another to the liver, an uppercut under the jaw. The giant staggered, shocked.
X pressed, calm, precise. Every strike landed where it hurt most. The bigger man swung wild, desperate. X weaved, punished, crushed him down with a final hammer fist that echoed across the arena.
The giant collapsed. Silent.
Asia stared, blood on her lips. Cody spat red, eyes wide. "Since when the fuck—"
X shook his head once. "Since now."
He turned away before they could press.
X — L118 → L137
Energy cost: 16% → 14%
Asia — L5 → L6
Cody — L5 → L6
The Ending
By the time the last five fighters fell, the stadium floor looked like a slaughterhouse. Blood in pools. Bones snapped like twigs. Screams cut short.
REMAINING: 3.
REMAINING: 2.
REMAINING: 1.
The voice boomed:
HUNT COMPLETE. SQUAD CLEARED.
After-Dark Engagements AVAILABLE.
The world split.
They fell back into the undercity. Bars already waiting. Music pounding. Fighters staggering in to drink, fight, forget.
Asia collapsed into a booth, lighting another cigarette with trembling hands. Cody drank until he laughed again.
X sat silent, screen glowing faintly where only he could see.
X — L137 → L152 (After-Dark bonus)
Energy cost: 14% → 12%
Next Super Form: L500
Concealment: Critical
From the shadows, someone watched. A man in an old coat, eyes sharp, badge flickering Prestige 100,000. He smirked, whispering to himself.
"Still hiding. Let's see how long that lasts."