Jaxon stood outside the Orc dungeon, feeling a surge of accomplishment. After three successful runs, he had finally reached Level 20. The familiar sensation of leveling up filled him with excitement, but the real thrill was his new skill. The dungeon had been challenging, but not nearly enough to make him feel overwhelmed. He smirked to himself as he walked past the security guard, who stood frozen in shock.

  “How… how did you survive?” the guard stammered, eyes wide with disbelief.

  Jaxon didn’t even look his way, simply continuing forward. His thoughts were already on his next goal the Virtual Battle Arena. There, he could test his new skill against live opponents, win some money, and maybe even acquire better gear, which he sorely needed. His journey had just begun, and he was already rising fast.

  He arrived at the Virtual Battle Arena, an enormous colosseum that loomed before him like a monument to power and glory. As he entered, a greeter approached him with a bright smile. “Hey, would you like me to take you to a battle room where you can be matched up with a random opponent?”

  Jaxon shook his head. “No, I’d like to register and create a profile.”

  “Of course, follow me,” the greeter said, leading him to a computer screen where Jaxon began to fill out the registration form.

  Profile Created:

  Name: Jaxon

  Profession: Trap God

  Level: 20

  Wins: 0

  Losses: 0

  His profile was complete. From here, he would begin building his reputation as a powerful hunter. He was then led to a battle room where he could be matched with his first opponent. A voice chimed in.

  “Would you like to hide your identity?”

  “Yes,” Jaxon replied. He had no intention of drawing attention to himself just yet. The last thing he needed was a target on his back.

  His opponent appeared shortly after, materializing across the room. A large, burly figure with a confident smirk on his face.

  Opponent Profile:

  Profession: Beast Tamer

  Level: 25

  Wins: 5

  Losses: 0

  The Beast Tamer laughed as he read Jaxon’s profile. “You must be new, Trap God,” he sneered. “I’ll use you to add to my win streak.”

  Without hesitation, he summoned his beast a familiar figure. It was the Orc Boss, the very same one Jaxon had defeated in the dungeon three times.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Jaxon couldn’t help but grin. “This will be easy,” he muttered under his breath. He immediately began running around the arena, setting traps in strategic locations. To the Beast Tamer, it looked like Jaxon was just running in circles.

  “Pathetic,” the Beast Tamer sneered. “You’re just running around like a fool.”

  Sensing something was off, the Beast Tamer activated a Detection Scroll, hoping to reveal Jaxon’s traps. But nothing appeared. Confident that Jaxon had failed to set anything, the Beast Tamer commanded the Orc to charge.

  Just as the Orc stormed toward Jaxon, the ground trembled. Jaxson new skill activated The Black Hole Trap-The trap creates a black hole sucking enemy’s in and then exploding the massive creature was sucked into a swirling vortex of gravity. The Orc struggled, but the force was too strong. Before the Beast Tamer could react, he, too, was caught in the trap. The black hole exploded with a violent burst, sending both the Orc and the Beast Tamer crashing into the arena walls.

  A moment later, a voice declared: “You have defeated your opponent.”

  Jaxon grinned, but then frowned as he realized something. “Damn it. I forgot to place a bet,” he muttered to himself. The battle hadn’t earned him anything other than bragging rights.

  His battle record now read:

  1 Win, 0 Losses

  He glanced at the Orc Heavy Armor Set that had dropped from the dungeon boss. It was useless to him, but he figured it would come in handy in a trade.

  “I want another challenger,” he called out.

  Almost immediately, a new opponent spawned.

  Opponent Profile:

  Profession: Archer

  Level: 26

  Wins: 15

  Losses: 1

  The Archer smiled, her eyes glinting with confidence. “A Trap God with only one win? The guy you faced must have sucked. I’ll be the one to give you your first loss.”

  Jaxon smirked. “I want to place a bet. If I win, give me common-level speed gear. If you win, I’ll give you this common. Orc Heavy Armor Set.”

  The Archer raised an eyebrow. “The armor’s no use to me, but I have a friend who’s a Tank, so I’ll accept.” She stepped back, drawing her bow as the match began.

  Arrows flew through the air with deadly precision, forcing Jaxon to dodge while he began setting his traps. She watched him closely, but couldn’t see any traps being laid. Frustrated, she activated her own Detection Scroll but still, nothing appeared.

  “You didn’t set anything!” she shouted, charging forward recklessly.

  Jaxon’s Bear Trap triggered. The Archer’s leg was caught, and she let out a scream as the trap sank into her skin, the pain real enough to cause her to wince.

  “Do you surrender?” Jaxon asked, a calm smile on his face.

  “Never to a Trap God!” she growled.

  With a flick of his wrist, Jaxon tossed a Landmine toward her. It exploded on impact, ending the battle in an instant.

  You have received: Common Speed Gear

  Your battle record is now: 2 Wins, 0 Losses

  Jaxon smiled as he equipped the speed gear. With this, he could set traps even faster and cover more ground during fights. He had barely dodged her arrows earlier, but now, with increased speed, he would be much more efficient.

  “That’s enough for today,” Jaxon said to himself. He left the arena, heading back to his cabin to install the new traps he had acquired. He was big on self-preservation and liked to be prepared for anything. He had no powerful family or guild backing him he was all alone, and he had to rely on his own strength to survive.

  Tomorrow, he would tackle a Level 30 dungeon. For now, rest was his priority. He couldn’t wait to test his new skills on stronger enemies.