Seeing the big guy sweat nervously, Liam patted him and pushed him forward. "This floor is just a gateway. As long as we win one fight here, we can go up. So no need to be so nervous."
What he didn't tell Derek was that the fights were not called on a first come first serve basis.
Rather, the highest level player was called out first and since they had registered together as a group, Derek being weaker among the two had the first chance to fight.
In other words, apart from Liam, he was the strongest player right now on this floor.
Of course, if Liam had mentioned this, the poor guy might have had more confidence when stepping into the ring, but he did not plan to make his life easy.
Since Liam had effectively altered the fate and relieved a lot of stress from this person's life, it unfortunately now fell upon his shoulders to sharpen this blade.
He didn't know yet just how much effort he had to put in, but he hoped that it wouldn't be too much. He also personally witnessed his fighting style so he wasn't worried too much.
Pressure might shape a person. However, in the end, whatever was inside was only going to come out. If nothing was inside then nothing would have come out.
So awaiting the future General's performance, Liam rubbed his hands in excitement and sat down in one of the seats to watch the show.
Meanwhile, Derek slowly walked over to the fighting ring at the center. He raised his hand and notified the referee that he was here.
The referee checked his details quickly by inspecting him and then he in turn responded by asking Derek to get in.
On the other side, another player also got in. When compared to Derek, this guy was actually a hundred times more nervous.
Every single player on the floor wanted to fight with Liam, so he could only curse his bad luck for drawing the short straw.
Just as he was thinking about giving up, the referee stood up and shouted a few instructions loudly.
"Rules of the PVP arena:"
"Once the player is inside the ring, they are not able to withdraw from the fight."
"The fight ends when one of the two players' health reaches 1. The winner is the player with higher health."
"Both the players' levels and attributes are equalized, but skill proficiency is preserved."
"Both the players are allowed to equip according to their choice. However, usage of consumables is banned."
"The fight has now commenced and the two players can begin fighting! GO!"
Before Derek or his opponent could properly prepare themselves, a loud gong sounded.
Derek was still somewhat calm even after hearing the bell, but the other party became too nervous and rushed towards him with a big saber.
It looked like both Derek and his opponent were melee players. So the player who landed the first hit had the initial advantage.
Also, certain attacks could trigger additional effects like 'bleed' or 'faint' and if that happens then the fight was almost as good as over.
Considering this everyone thought that the fight was almost over.
"Hey. Look at that. I think we overestimated the big guy. He doesn't have any decent gear and he is also slow and sluggish."
"Easy win! Easy win!" The other party's friends started cheering loudly.
On the contrary, Derek had come in with only one person who showed no such intentions. Liam casually leaned on the seat, a twinkle appearing in his eye.
Derek hadn't moved yet but he knew why. So he silently watched the fight. "This is going to end quickly."
And just as he muttered, Derek side-stepped at the last minute, letting the other party hit the air.
Because of this, he stumbled for a second, and before he could regain his balance, Derek used his plain fists to land a crushing blow to the party's upper back and then a second one on his neck.
WACK. WACK.
The guy who was already stumbling forward couldn't react at all and both the hits landed perfectly, taking out huge chunks of his health, sending him directly to the ground.
Even without the proper gear or the weapon, Derek had smoothly managed to use his strength and his opponent's movements against him.
Adding to this momentum, he then executed a final slam, right on top of his neck, targeting the same area as before.
HYAP!
The opponent yelped in pain and then his head flopped down. It turns out Derek directly knocked out the guy!
And the fight was over?
It only took him three moves to finish the fight?!
Everything happened too fast and the spectators' mouths hung open awkwardly as they did not even have the time to finish the cheering.
DANG. DANG. DANG. The gong once again sounded loud and then a deafening silence spilled and spread across the room.
Every single player present in the arena closed their mouths tightly shut. Even if their own abilities were lacking miserably, they could tell that this was not just another player.
This was an expert. A strong and powerful fighter who would probably soar through the ranks in the tower.
Before him, they did not even have the right to make a sound. They stood dumbfounded, their minds automatically replaying the fight again and again.
Derek, on the other hand, looked confused. That was it? He looked up at Liam instinctively to see his reaction, who only gave him a silent thumbs-up.
This was just the first entry-level fight. From Liam's point of view, there was nothing surprising about this result.
The referee then finally spoke, breaking the silence in the arena.
"The fight has ended. Winner - Number 1895"
"Next up. Number 1964 and Number 1378, please come to the arena."
"Ah, shall I leave?" Derek asked, to which the NPC gave a simple nod. "Your team is now eligible to go to the next level."
He hurriedly stepped out of the arena, his movements extremely awkward. He even fumbled a bit before getting down.
However, this time, no one standing there dared to judge him based on these actions.
The person he was right now was completely different from the person who had fought the actual battle.
The confidence level between the two was miles apart.
They could only silently mull over this thought as they watched him casually leave with the other person.
Since they already had a win, their team did not have to play again, at least on this floor. That was this floor's rule.
So when one person did the actual labor, the other got carried easily.
"Lucky freeloader!" Someone commented, making sure that it wasn't too loud. "I wonder if it would be possible for me also to hug a thigh like that!"
"Shut up. They haven't left yet.." The person standing near reminded him.