The fireball was the size of a basketball, orange and white, radiating heat even from three meters away.
Ah You dove left.
The fireball hit the chain-link fence behind him with a metallic whoosh, flames spreading across the metal for a second before dying out. The crowd roared.
"Move! Don't stay still!" Zara's voice crackled in his ear.
Ah You scrambled to his feet. Raymond was already forming another fireball, larger this time, grinning like this was the most fun he'd had all week.
"What's wrong, plant boy? Too slow?"
The second fireball launched.
This time Ah You was ready. He focused on the grass growing through cracks in the concrete floor – thin, scraggly, but alive. He pushed his will into it.
GROW!
The grass erupted upward in a wave, forming a crude green wall between him and Raymond. The fireball hit it and the grass ignited instantly, turning into a brief wall of flame.
But it had bought Ah You two seconds.
He used them to run to his right, circling the cage, getting distance.
[MP: 40/50]
Raymond laughed. "That's your plan? Run? This is gonna be embarrassing."
He sent three fireballs in rapid succession, not aiming directly at Ah You but cutting off his escape routes. The concrete floor scorched black where they hit.
Ah You's mind raced. Raymond had range. Power. Direct offensive capability. Everything Ah You didn't have.
But Zara's training echoed in his head: Your opponent will underestimate you. Use that.
There was a potted fern near Raymond's corner of the cage. About two meters from where the fire user was standing, completely ignored.
Ah You focused on it.
Grow. Spread. Quietly.
The fern's fronds began extending, creeping along the ground, silent and unnoticed. Ah You made sure to keep Raymond's attention on him, moving erratically, making himself an obvious target.
"Stand still and fight like a man!" Raymond shouted, throwing another fireball.
Ah You dodged again, deliberately clumsier this time. He wanted to look desperate. Scared.
Which wasn't hard because he absolutely was both of those things.
[MP: 35/50]
The fern fronds had reached Raymond's feet now, curling around his ankles like green snakes.
"You're just delaying the inevitable!" Raymond charged forward, flames engulfing both his hands. He was going for close combat, probably planning to just grab Ah You and burn him directly.
Wait for it... wait for it...
"Now!" Zara's voice commanded.
CONSTRICT!
The fern fronds tightened around Raymond's ankles and yanked.
Raymond went down hard, face-first onto the concrete. His flames sputtered out from the shock and pain.
The crowd gasped. Some cheered. Someone yelled, "Holy shit, the plant boy's actually fighting back!"
Ah You didn't waste the moment. He ran to the nearest potted plant – a small bush with woody stems – and focused every ounce of concentration on it.
Grow. Thorns. Sharp. FAST.
The bush exploded with growth, branches extending, bark hardening, and dozens of sharp thorns forming along the stems. Ah You directed the growth toward Raymond, who was struggling to get up, still tangled in fern fronds.
[MP: 25/50]
Raymond saw the thorny branches coming and panic flashed across his face. He unleashed a wave of fire in all directions – a defensive burst that burned away the fern fronds and scorched the approaching bush branches.
But the fire also exhausted him. Ah You could see Raymond breathing hard, sweat pouring down his face.
Fire generation clearly burned through energy fast.
"You little shit," Raymond snarled, getting to his feet. "I'm done playing."
His entire body ignited. Not just his hands – flames wreathed his arms, his torso, even his hair seemed to be burning without being consumed.
[WARNING: Opponent entering enhanced state]
[Threat level increased]
"Oh, that's not good," Ah You muttered.
"He's burning his reserves," Zara's voice said. "He can't maintain that for long. Survive for thirty seconds and he'll collapse."
Thirty seconds. Might as well be thirty hours.
Raymond charged like a human bonfire. Everything he touched ignited. The grass, the plants, even the concrete seemed to blacken under his feet.
Ah You backpedaled, but Raymond was faster now, closing the distance.
Ten meters. Eight meters. Six.
There was nowhere left to run. The cage wasn't that big.
Ah You made a desperate decision.
He dropped to the ground, pressing both palms flat against the concrete floor. Every single plant in the arena – the grass, the potted decorations, even the weeds growing outside the cage – he reached for all of them at once.
EVERYTHING. GROW. NOW.
It was like opening a floodgate. His MP drained catastrophically as he pushed growth into dozens of plants simultaneously. But it worked.
The arena floor erupted in green chaos.
Grass shot up like bamboo, growing two feet tall in seconds. Vines burst from potted plants and whipped across the cage floor. Roots broke through concrete. The fern regenerated its burned fronds. Even tiny weeds became thick, tangled masses.
The cage transformed into a miniature jungle.
[MP: 5/50]
[WARNING: Severe MP depletion. Ability effectiveness drastically reduced.]
Raymond was caught in the middle of it. Vines wrapped around his legs, his arms, his torso. Thick grass tangled his feet. He burned through them, but more kept growing, replacing what he destroyed.
It was a war of attrition now. His fire versus Ah You's plants.
And Ah You was losing.
His MP hit 3. Then 2.
The plant growth slowed. Raymond burned through the last of the vines restraining him.
"Got you," Raymond said, stepping forward, flames still burning.
But then he stumbled.
His fire flickered.
And went out.
Raymond fell to one knee, gasping. "What... the..."
He'd burned through his energy completely. Whatever reserves powered his fire generation, they were empty.
Ah You was on his knees too, vision blurry, head pounding from MP depletion. But he was still conscious.
Raymond tried to stand, couldn't. Tried to summon flames, couldn't.
The referee stepped forward. "Raymond Ong is unable to continue. Winner: Li Ah You!"
The crowd exploded in noise – cheers, boos, shocked exclamations.
Ah You collapsed onto his back, staring at the warehouse ceiling, chest heaving.
He'd won.
Holy shit, he'd actually won.
[QUEST COMPLETE: Arena Initiation]
[Rewards Distributing...]
[+100 Esper Points]
[+1 Skill: Basic Combat Awareness]
[+1 Title: Arena Survivor]
[LEVEL UP!]
[You are now Level 3]
The notifications kept coming, but Ah You was too exhausted to read them all. His MP was at 1. His body felt like it had been run over by a truck.
Zara appeared beside him, helping him sit up. "Not bad, rookie. Not bad at all."
"I feel like death."
"That's how you know you pushed yourself." She handed him a bottle of water. "Drink. Slowly."
Across the cage, Raymond was being helped out by his corner crew. He looked equally destroyed, but he shot Ah You a look that was half respect, half resentment.
Kenneth approached, clapping slowly. "Impressive. Very impressive. Most rookies don't win their initiation matches."
"What happens to those who lose?" Ah You asked weakly.
"They train more and try again. Or they quit the Arena entirely." Kenneth extended a hand, helping Ah You to his feet. "But you won. Which means you've earned Arena membership. You can train here, take on matches for prize money, access our resources."
Linda appeared, looking satisfied. "Well done. You exceeded my expectations."
"You expected me to lose, didn't you?" Ah You said.
"I expected you to learn something important: that you can survive in this world. That you're not helpless." She gestured to the crowd, which was already placing bets on the next match. "This is reality for espers. Power, competition, danger. The food consulting work is legitimate business. This is the other half."
Ah You looked around at the Arena – the fighters, the crowd, the casual display of supernatural abilities.
Two weeks ago, he'd been a nobody restaurant worker scraping by on 1,200 ringgit a month.
Now he was an esper. A fighter. Someone who'd just won a match in an underground supernatural combat arena.
His life had become absolutely insane.
"Can I go home now?" he asked. "I'm about to pass out."
"Hafiz will drive you," Linda said. "Rest today. Tomorrow, we have a meeting with some potential investors for the new restaurants. You'll need to be sharp."
"Right. Investors. Because that's totally normal after almost getting burned alive."
Kenneth laughed. "Welcome to the esper life, kid. It only gets weirder from here."
---
Ah You slept for fourteen hours straight.
When he finally woke up Monday afternoon, his body ached in places he didn't know could ache. His MP had regenerated to 40/50 – apparently it recovered slowly during sleep.
But he felt... different.
Stronger wasn't quite the right word. More aware, maybe. Like he could sense the potential in his body more clearly.
He pulled up his system interface:
[SARAWAK ESPER SYSTEM]
[HOST: Li Ah You]
[LEVEL: 3]
[BLOODLINE: Rainforest Guardian (108th Generation)]
[HP: 120/120] (increased from 100)
[MP: 40/60](max increased from 50)
[ATTRIBUTES:]
- Strength: 9 (+1)
- Agility: 8 (+1)
- Intelligence: 13 (+1)
- Perception: 17 (+2)
[ABILITIES:]
- Nature Sense LV2
- Basic Combat Awareness LV1 (NEW)
[TITLES:]
- Natural Merchant
- Discerning Eye
- Arena Survivor (NEW)
[ESPER POINTS: 110]
He'd gained stats across the board. The fight had pushed him, forced him to use his ability in ways he'd never tried before. The system had rewarded that growth.
He clicked on the new ability:
[BASIC COMBAT AWARENESS LV1]
[Description: Improved threat assessment and situational awareness in combat scenarios. Slight enhancement to reaction time and tactical thinking.]
[Effect: +5% to Perception during combat, improved danger sense]
It wasn't much, but it was something. And combined with his increased Perception stat, it meant he'd be a little less likely to get his face burned off next time.
If there was a next time.
His phone buzzed. A message from Linda:
Meeting at 6 PM. Imperial Hotel, Conference Room 3B. Dress professionally. These investors are important.
Ah You groaned. He didn't own anything "professional" except the shirt and pants he'd worn to the Hilton, and those were starting to look worn out.
Another message came through, this time from an unknown number:
The Arena has a tailor service. Show them your member badge, mention Kenneth sent you. They'll give you a discount. - Zara
Member badge?
Ah You checked his system inventory. Sure enough, there was a new item:
[ARENA MEMBER BADGE (BRONZE)]
[Grants access to Arena facilities and services]
[Tier: Bronze (Rookie)]
Apparently winning one match gave him official membership.
He hauled himself out of bed, every muscle protesting. A shower helped. Food helped more – he made instant noodles with an egg, the breakfast of broke champions.
By 3 PM, he was on a bus heading to the address Zara had texted him. The tailor was in a nondescript building in the city center, above a mobile phone shop.
The door had no sign, just a small bronze symbol that matched his Arena badge.
Inside was a revelation.
The shop was small but immaculate. Suits, shirts, and custom clothing hung on racks with precision. An elderly Chinese man sat behind a counter, examining fabric with a magnifying glass.
"Arena member?" he asked without looking up.
"Uh, yes. Zara sent me. Kenneth's recommendation."
"Show the badge."
Ah You pulled up his system interface, selected the badge item, and somehow... materialized it. A small bronze disc appeared in his hand, warm to the touch.
The old man finally looked up, examining the badge, then Ah You.
"Level 3. Rookie tier. First time here?"
"Yes, sir."
"What do you need?"
"Something professional. For a business meeting tonight."
The old man stood up, pulled out a measuring tape, and began taking Ah You's measurements with practiced efficiency. Arms, chest, waist, shoulders – the whole routine took less than three minutes.
"You have the build of someone who just started training. Muscles developing but not filled out yet." He walked to a rack, selected a dark gray suit. "Try this."
Ah You went into the changing room. The suit fit perfectly – not tailored perfectly, but close enough that it looked intentional. The fabric was good quality, way better than anything he could normally afford.
He stepped out.
The old man nodded. "Acceptable. Take it. Also take two shirts – one white, one light blue. And a tie."
"How much?"
"For Arena members, discounted rate. Three hundred ringgit for everything."
Ah You winced. That was most of his remaining money. But he needed to look the part for Linda's meeting.
"I'll take it."
The old man wrapped everything professionally. As Ah You was about to leave, the tailor spoke again:
"You're the plant user who beat Raymond Ong."
"News travels fast."
"Arena community is small. Everyone knows everyone's business." The old man returned to his counter. "Raymond comes from a fire esper family. Three generations of fire users. Losing to a level 2 rookie with plant powers embarrassed them."
"Is that going to be a problem for me?"
"Probably. But that's Arena life. You made an impression. Now you have to deal with the consequences."
Great. Just what he needed – esper family drama.
Ah You left with his new clothes, already dreading whatever complications were coming.
---
The Imperial Hotel was the second-fanciest place in Kuching, after the Hilton. Ah You had walked past it countless times but never imagined he'd actually go inside.
Now, wearing his new suit, he walked through the lobby like he belonged there.
Fake it till you make it, right?
Conference Room 3B was on the third floor. Ah You arrived at 5:55 PM, exactly on time.
Linda was already there, along with three other people:
A Malay man in his fifties, wearing traditional formal attire, exuding authority.
A Chinese woman around forty, designer glasses, tablet in hand, every inch the corporate executive.
And someone Ah You recognized – Melissa Chen, the rare plant dealer from the expo.
Oh no.
"Ah You, perfect timing," Linda said smoothly. "Let me introduce our potential investors. Datuk Ismail, who owns several plantation operations in Sarawak. Ms. Rebecca Chong, CFO of Chong Holdings. And you've met Melissa already."
Melissa smiled slightly. "We meet again, Mr. Li."
Ah You shook hands with each of them, trying to look calm and professional despite his racing heart.
What was Melissa doing here? She dealt in medicinal plants and underground markets. Why was she investing in restaurants?
Unless...
"Please, sit," Linda gestured to the conference table. "We have a business proposition to discuss."
Ah You sat, his newly acquired Combat Awareness ability sending little warning tingles up his spine.
This meeting wasn't about restaurants.
Not entirely, anyway.
Linda opened a presentation on the room's screen. "As you know, I'm planning to expand Golden Phoenix into a restaurant group. Three new locations over the next six months."
She clicked to the next slide, showing a map of Kuching with marked locations.
"But restaurants are just one revenue stream. The real opportunity is in specialized food sourcing – premium ingredients, rare herbs, unique products that command premium prices."
Melissa leaned forward slightly. "There's a growing market for rare plant-based ingredients. Medicinal herbs, exotic spices, organic compounds with specific properties. Most distributors can't guarantee quality. But with the right expert..."
She looked directly at Ah You.
"...we could corner that market."
Datuk Ismail spoke for the first time, his voice deep and measured. "My plantations produce standard commercial crops. But I have land that could be converted to specialized cultivation. If there's profit in it."
Rebecca Chong adjusted her glasses. "Chong Holdings has the capital and distribution network. What we need is quality assurance. Someone who can verify product authenticity and grade ingredients accurately."
They were all looking at Ah You now.
Linda smiled. "Which is why I brought Ah You on board. His talent for ingredient assessment is unparalleled. With him evaluating products, we can guarantee our clients are getting exactly what they pay for."
"How do you assess quality?" Datuk Ismail asked him directly.
Ah You chose his words carefully. "I have... extensive experience with plants. I can determine freshness, growing conditions, potency, authenticity. Things that standard testing might miss."
"Could you demonstrate?" Rebecca asked.
Linda had anticipated this. She pulled out a small wooden box from under the table and opened it. Inside were three bundles of what looked like dried herbs.
"These are three samples of Tongkat Ali root," Linda said. "All labeled as premium grade. One is genuine. Two are either inferior quality or outright fakes. Can you identify which is which?"
Every eye in the room was on him.
Ah You activated Nature Sense.
The information came instantly:
Sample A: Genuine Tongkat Ali. Five years old. Medium potency. Decent quality.
Sample B: Tongkat Ali, but heavily treated with chemical growth enhancers. Technically authentic but corrupted. Low potency despite appearance.
Sample C: Not Tongkat Ali. Different species processed to look similar. Complete fake.
"Sample A is genuine," Ah You said confidently. "Medium grade, naturally grown. Sample B is technically authentic but has been chemically enhanced, which reduces its medicinal properties. Sample C is a different plant entirely – probably Eurycoma longifolia's cousin species, made to look like the real thing."
Silence.
Then Melissa laughed – a genuine, delighted sound. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect."
Datuk Ismail looked impressed. "That's... remarkably detailed."
Rebecca made notes on her tablet. "If he can do this consistently, the profit margins could be substantial."
Linda leaned back, satisfied. "So. Are we in business?"
The three investors exchanged glances.
"I'm in," Melissa said immediately.
"Chong Holdings will participate," Rebecca confirmed. "Pending contract details."
Datuk Ismail stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I'll commit one hundred acres for specialized cultivation. With one condition."
"Which is?" Linda asked.
"Mr. Li consults on what we grow. I'm not converting profitable land without expert guidance on which plants will actually command premium prices."
They all looked at Ah You again.
He was a nineteen-year-old former restaurant worker who'd awakened plant powers two weeks ago. Now he was being asked to consult on a hundred-acre agricultural operation.
"I can do that," he said, because what else could he say?
[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE: The Consortium]
[Description: You've been recruited into a business venture that straddles legitimate and underground markets. Navigate the complex relationships and deliver results.]
[Rewards: Ongoing income, business connections, access to rare plants]
[Risks: Exposure to dangerous elements, potential legal issues, complicated alliances]**
[Accept? Y/N]
Ah You looked at the faces around the table. Linda, ambitious and calculating. Melissa, operating in gray markets. Datuk Ismail, powerful and connected. Rebecca, representing serious money.
This was way above his head. He should run.
But the alternative was going back to washing dishes for 1,200 ringgit a month.
He accepted the quest.
The meeting continued for another hour, discussing logistics, timelines, profit sharing. Ah You's head spun trying to follow it all.
By the time they finished, it was dark outside. The investors left first, Rebecca and Datuk Ismail together, Melissa separately.
Linda gathered her materials. "You did well."
"What have I gotten myself into?"
"A legitimate business opportunity with some... unconventional elements." She smiled. "Welcome to how the real world works. Everything's connected. Legal and illegal. Above board and underground. You navigate both or you get left behind."
"Is this what you wanted all along? When you hired me?"
"I saw potential. The restaurant was a test. The expo was a test. The Arena was a test." Linda headed for the door. "You passed all of them. Now we move to the next level."
She left, heels clicking on the polished floor.
Ah You stood alone in the conference room, looking at the business cards the investors had given him.
His phone buzzed. An unknown number:
You're getting in deep with dangerous people. Last warning. Walk away while you can.
The same mysterious esper who'd warned him before.
Ah You stared at the message for a long moment.
Then he deleted it and headed home.
He was already in too deep to turn back now.
---
[To Be Continued]