Rome – Renovatio Corporation Headquarters

Some days after Enzo’s interview, an armored car pulled up outside the Renovatio Imperii guild’s center of operations. Several policemen got out of the car, then opened up the back and removed two handcuffed men.

Several members of Renovatio Imperii were waiting outside the building, and they escorted the policemen and their charges inside. The building was fairly modest, but it was clear that new security measures had been recently installed both inside and outside. It seemed that the guild wanted to take no chances with whichever criminal they recruited.

The policemen were led to a small meeting room, where two heavy chairs had been placed in front of an even heavier table. The prisoners were handcuffed to both the legs of the table and their own chairs, so that there would be no chance of escape.

One member of the guild stepped forward and spoke in a firm voice. “Hello, my guests. I’m Tiberius, the guild trainer. Today, you will be immersed in a training program specially designed by Renovatio Imperii to judge prospective talents. As Augustus told you, we’re looking for a hand-to-hand specialist. Therefore, we will provide a curated selection of the weapons which we’re most concerned with.”

He signaled to his assistant, who fitted a VR headset on each of the prisoners’ heads.

***

All at once, Enzo found himself and the boxer standing in a formless void, completely naked!

In a moment, a third man appeared, clad in Roman war dress.

“This is our virtual training space,” he said. “Here, our guild members can train freely. We can set any physical rules we desire here.” He snapped his fingers, and in response, several shelves filled with weapons and armor appeared around the candidates.

“Choose your weapons!” the man continued. “The duel will start in five minutes and will be divided into rounds. The first man to land a hit will win that round. The first man to win three rounds will be recruited… while the other will return to prison to finish serving his sentence.” He gave a Roman salute and said, “Good luck!”

Then he disappeared and a five-minute countdown appeared in his place.

Enzo examined his body and the space around him with wonder. This was the first time he had experienced the new technology called Virtual Reality Immersion. It was absolutely breathtaking! The physical sensations were as close to real as he could imagine. In fact, he almost had trouble believing that this was only a simulation.

Then Enzo stepped close to the nearest weapons rack. He hadn’t exactly been trained in the use of exotic melee weapons, so he picked up a light sword, which he knew that he could swing with great speed.

Upon feeling its weight, he frowned.

Enzo glanced back at the wall of weapons, staring at a two-handed hammer for a moment. He nodded once to himself, but kept the sword and then turned to face his opponent.

Meanwhile, the boxer simply took a pair of brass knuckles, flexing his fingers and nodding approvingly at the way they fit. “Real good,” he said. “I like it!”

Enzo swung his own sword in the air, hearing it whistle. “What’s your name?” he asked.

The boxer answered, “Rachid Bayord. And you?”

“Enzo Romano.”

Rachid stared at the remaining weapons on the wall, but made no move to try any of the others out. He was a boxer, after all. It would be a waste of time to step outside his area of expertise. “Do you think he’s telling the truth?” he asked. “That we’ll really be free if we win the duel? The government plays cruel tricks on people like us. I find it pretty hard to believe.”

Enzo answered, “I don’t know. But I don’t think they’d go to all that trouble for nothing.”

Rachid answered slowly, “I see. You know, I like you. You defended a friend of mine against guards who abused their status to give him cigarettes in exchange for… well, you know what they were doing. But I warn you, I was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. I’ve already done five. I don’t think I’ll last for the rest of it. If I have the slightest way out of this hell, I’ll take it. Even if it means you have to take the fall.”

Enzo answered with a grim smile, “Don’t worry. I’m doing the same. I wouldn’t expect anything different.”

The two men just stared each other down as the countdown reached its final few seconds.

10…

9…

8…

7…

6…

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

The timer was replaced with a new message.

“Round 1: Start!”

Rachid immediately launched himself at Enzo, striking him several times in the face.

Enzo raised his arm to try to protect his face with the sword, but it was no use. The practiced speed and form of a professional boxer were much too fast for him to evade like this, even though he’d been a brutal fighter in the streets.

The message changed again.

“Round 1: Won by Rachid. Next round in 30 seconds. Get ready!”

Enzo was breathing hard. The pain he’d felt upon being punched had faded almost immediately, probably because of the rules of the simulation. However, the shock of being so easily struck still made his head spin. He couldn’t believe how quickly and dexterously Rachid had managed to hit him! The boxer was truly a tier above the sorts of people Enzo fought on the streets.

“Round 2: Start!”

This time, Enzo took the initiative! He leaped towards Rachid with his sword already swinging, planning to strike with the benefit of his longer-range weapon before Rachid could get close enough!

But Rachid anticipated this attack and took the extra length of Enzo’s sword into account. He ducked easily out of the way and counterattacked with a jab to Enzo’s abdomen.

“Round 2: Won by Rachid. Next match in 30 seconds. Get ready!”

***

Outside the simulation, several men were watching the duel on a huge monitor. The bottom portion of the screen showed many numbers which measured the prisoners’ vital stats, the speed of their attacks, and the efficiency of their motions.

Tiberius said, “Romano is fast, indeed. He thinks quickly and makes the most of every advantage in his surroundings. If we’d placed them on a battlefield with many more interactive elements, I think it’s likely that he would dominate. However, in a sterile duel like this one, the boxer’s professional experience is just too much for him to overcome.”

Augustus was also there. He said, “As I told you, the boxer is much better! He may have some mental damage after his long career, but we need someone who is powerful and inspiring! It would be a tragedy to pass over such raw skill.”

Tiberius answered reluctantly. “I suppose I must agree. The boxer is a much more pragmatic choice.”

Augustus replied, “Well, the game’s not over yet. We agreed that whoever wins this duel will also win the position. Don’t discount your favorite too soon!”

Tiberius replied with a laugh, “Aha, really?! Very good, Edward! How about a little bet?”

Augustus raised an eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?”

Tiberius said, “A thousand credits!”

Augustus rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Money? I’ve got plenty. That’s not interesting at all. How about we bet something a bit more rare… Your two Warglaives of Azzinoth in WoW!”

Tiberius frowned at this. “What, my two raid weapons? Are you crazy? Those things only have a 0.1% drop rate! I spent months grinding for them!”

Augustus answered with a thin smile,”Yes, I know. Exactly why I don’t want to try to get my own set the normal way. On the other hand, I’ve got something you want. How does my Swift Spectral Tiger mount sound for my side of the wager?”

Tiberius was astonished. “What, seriously?! That fucking mount must be worth at least a million credits!”

Augustus shrugged. “So, what do you say?”

Tiberius thought about it. He knew that Rachid had already won two rounds. His domination over Romano was likely to continue. However, the value of the mount compared to his weapons was so massive that the slim chance of his favorite candidate winning was enough for him to consider it a true opportunity.

“Deal!” he said at last.

***

“Round 3: Start!”

This time Enzo was on guard, ready to counter any attack.

However, Rachid was no fool. He knew that his opponent must be skilled enough to start reading his attack patterns. From this point on, he would need to be more careful.

In addition, based on the look on Enzo’s face, Rachid was guessing that his opponent wouldn’t be as dazed as someone would be in real life if they’d taken these same blows. That was part of his usual advantage, which he wouldn’t be able to rely on here.

Almost a minute passed while the two men stared at each other, completely on guard. Then, in a split second, Rachid stepped close and jabbed at his opponent’s face!

Just as quick, Enzo flicked the edge of his sword upward to meet Rachid’s fist!

The brass knuckles cracked Enzo in the jaw even as his own blade slashed across Rachid’s wrist.

“Round 3: Tie. Next round in 30 seconds. Get ready!”

Rachid shouted, “What?! No, I hit him first, you stupid machine! Well, you want to play like that, Enzo?! I’ll show you what ten years of boxing experience has taught me!”

Enzo smiled. He had finally gotten what he wanted!

The thirty-second countdown began again. Enzo took advantage of this short break to drop his sword and grab a war hammer from the wall, which he wielded with a two-handed grip.

This astonished everyone watching, as well as Rachid.

“What?” he asked. “You’re already slow with a one-handed sword, and you’re swapping it for something even slower? Have you given up, or are you just stupid?”

Enzo’s smile grew wider. “I wouldn’t worry about it. You’ll find out what I’m doing soon!””Round 4: Start!”

Rachid answered grimly, “We’ll see about that, buddy!”

He rushed towards Enzo… But just as his fist was about to make contact with Enzo’s face, a two-handed hammer blow broke his arm!

“Round 4: Won by Enzo. Next match in 30 seconds. Get ready!”

Rachid stepped back, staring at his arm in disbelief. Though it didn’t hurt in the same way as a real injury, a bit of text above it said, “Right arm crippled.”

“How is it possible to be so fast with a giant piece of metal like that?!” he gasped in fury. “That thing must weigh several kilos! It’s just as fast as your sword was! You must have hacked the system, or it’s some kind of bug!”

Enzo’s smile turned triumphant. “To win, you must always study your battlefield and learn every detail about it. That’s what separates a boxer like you from a survivor and warrior like me, Rachid! You didn’t take the time to learn the unique qualities of this arena. You simply saw the brass knuckles and didn’t give anything else a second thought.”

He spun the giant hammer in one hand. It seemed as light as a toy. “Here’s what you don’t understand: We’re not dealing with reality here! We’re in a combat simulation! Agility, strength, dexterity… All of that is imaginary compared to the real world, driven by computer data! Statistical ratings in a computer’s database which can all be modified!”

Enzo turned and gripped the huge weapon cabinet near its base. After a few moments of heaving, it lifted high into the air.

“You see?” he asked, laughing with delight. “I suspected all of this when they told me it was a custom training simulation… The physics of this place aren’t realistic at all! It’s as though every object in here is made of cardboard! But, at the same time, they’ve been programmed to deal wounds to us if they make contact.”

Rachid stared in shock at the weapons cabinet which Enzo held in one hand. For a man like him who had fought all his life in the boxing ring, he had a lot of trouble accepting this new way of thinking.

“It… it doesn’t change anything!” he said at last. “I’m still better than you. I have more experience. And now that you’ve given up your only secret advantage, it won’t help you again! After all, you’re only a bit of scum from the slums…”

“Round 5: Start!”

All this time, Rachid and Enzo had been moving slightly closer to each other in a macho stand-off, so that they were almost face to face. Rachid had distracted himself with his own fury, and the beginning of the round caught him by surprise!

Not Enzo, though. His speech had, of course, been intended to work Rachid into a scornful rage. When the round began, Enzo immediately whipped his hammer into Rachid’s side. It moved as fast as a knife, and Rachid stood absolutely no chance of evading due to the tiny distance between them.

“Round 5: Won by Enzo. Next match in 30 seconds. Get ready!”

Rachid said nothing.

He felt like he’d just been hammered in the head for a full five rounds in the boxing ring. His head spun with confusion.

How? How could the physical laws which had governed his whole life simply disappear like this? It was simply impossible for him to wrap his brain around.

“Round 6: Start!”

Yet Rachid was not the kind of person to give up, even so close to defeat. This was one of the qualities which had made him such a mighty boxer for so many years! As soon as he saw the huge word “Start,” he threw himself at Enzo with the fastest, most vicious left hook of his career. It was the most masterful blow he had ever thrown, and he would never throw one as swift and mighty again.

It wasn’t nearly enough.

The huge, several-kilo sword impacted his face a quarter of a second before he struck his opponent’s jaw.

“Round 5: Won by Enzo.”

“Congratulations, Enzo! You have won the duel.”