Chapter 537 - 536: Second Battle

Outside the arena and the slave market...

More than a kilometer away, on a high tree branch, two human figures covered by mouse-like masks and wearing green robes sat together.

In front of them were two small cups, each with steam still rising from it as tea had already been prepared.

"He survived," one of them couldn't help but say in surprise as the other looked at the distant giant mountain with disgust.

"If even he couldn't survive this, then how can he become the leader of our organization in the future?" the second human spoke, not impressed.

"But you must know he started as a mortal. And you have seen his life from the beginning. He hasn't had it easy," the first human said.

"Exactly. He hasn't had it easy. Tell me, who ever has? Don't make excuses for him. You faced yours, the same way I faced mine before being rescued by the organization," the second human spoke matter-of-factly, disregarding Keith's survival capability.

"Yes, we did, but that isn't compar—"

"Leo, enough," the second human said as he drank the tea in one gulp.

"I won't say our crisis was worse than his. But why him? Why couldn't it be someone from the organization? We have good enough candidates. Lei Sujah for example is stronger than him. He alone toppled the enemy base. Not only him, but others have sacrificed and dedicated their lives to the organization."

"So tell me, Leo. Why him? Why this boy? What is so special about him?" the second human said with a sneer.

"We can't know what the elders are thinking, nor should we question their decision," Leo, the first human, said as the second laughed lightly.

"Right. Anyways, I'm tired," the second human said as he stood up and stretched.

Leo sighed.

"Where are you going?" Leo asked.

"Somewhere far away from here, with proper human civilization... and maybe a brothel," the second human spoke with a smile as Leo frowned.

"What would you— We still have to—"

"Leo... we only came to look at him out of curiosity. We are not his assigned protectors, so drop the act," the second human cut him off as he leaped from the tree and disappeared.

The moment he was gone, Leo sighed as his gaze settled on the mountain. It seemed as though he could see through everything before finally looking at Keith.

"I hope you grow up well... Young Master," Leo spoke as he also disappeared, leaving behind two empty teacups.

---

The familiar roar of the crowd filled Keith's ears as he took deep breaths.

At this moment, he was behind the wall, the very entrance to the arena. Just like the first day he had arrived here, the only difference was that Keith was now dressed in leather armor. He was still thin, but his grip on the knife was tighter, and his eyes were colder.

It had been two days since his last battle, and it was time for another.

According to Jeso, he would be able to have his own personalized weapon once he reached his twentieth battle.

It was evidence of strength and survival.

Surviving twenty battles in the arena was no small feat.

It was proof of strength, and that was why only after twenty battles did one earn their own weapon.

Keith took a deep breath as he couldn't help but wonder who his opponent would be.

If it was someone like his last opponent...

Keith's gaze moved to his left arm as he felt movement beneath his skin.

He would win.

Then the ground trembled as the wall slowly lowered, and loud cheers filled his ears as he walked out into the arena.

"And his opponent..."

"The one who displayed terrifying strength during his very first battle and, against all odds, defeated a stronger opponent!"

"Welcome..."

"The Devil!"

The announcer's voice echoed throughout the arena as the crowd cheered wildly.

Who wouldn't remember the kid who had risen against all odds...

Well, and also made them bleed money.

The crowd continued cheering as the Arena Master looked down from above.

"Let's see how well you do today," the Arena Master muttered with a smile.

Below, Keith saw his opponent.

It was someone he could say was similar to himself.

He observed the opponent.

Darting eyes that constantly looked around...

Wobbly legs...

Shaking hands...

No doubt, this was a new slave who had just entered the arena.

At first, Keith had thought his opponent would be another veteran like the first time.

But now it was someone just like him.

What was going on?

And why?

It seemed this arena's way of operating wasn't what Keith had expected.

"Everyone, place your bets!" the announcer shouted as the crowd became excited.

They looked at the screens in front of them.

Then their expressions changed.

"This devilish thing again..." someone couldn't help but mutter.

Opponent survives 30 seconds against The Devil — 1.4 odds

Opponent...

The same time-based bet that had made them all lose money last time.

When they lost, everyone had gone mad and questioned the arena.

But after it was explained, people realized this was a trap.

This bet had no winning or losing side.

It was simply based on the time you chose.

If the opponent survived longer or shorter than your chosen time, your bet was void.

A huge trap.

But...

The odds were tempting.

Before, the crowd would have finished placing their bets immediately.

Now, they carefully looked through every option, making the Arena Master laugh.

The crowd chose carefully, but most believed that although The Devil had shown impressive capabilities in his last match, it didn't mean he would instantly kill his opponent.

At the same time, they didn't think the fight would last very long.

Some chose one minute.

Others thought, What if the opponent is like The Devil? so they chose two minutes.

Only a select few chose a wild option.

The Devil defeats the opponent in one move — 80 odds.

It was obvious to anyone that this was almost impossible.

Yet a few people in the crowd were brave enough to place their bets on it.

Seeing that almost everyone had finished betting, the announcer declared the start of the battle.

"Let the match... begin!" the announcer shouted as everyone's eyes settled on the two fighters.

Keith's opponent looked at him, gulped nervously, and struggled to hold the knife tightly with his thin arms.

But Keith had already moved.

The opponent's eyes widened.

The arena fell silent as the crowd stared at the scene before them.

"Hey, you fool... knock me. I'm not dreaming, right?"

Knock!

The sound echoed throughout the arena.

"Bastard! Why did you knock so hard?! I'll fight you!" the man shouted at his neighbor as the two immediately started arguing.

"Damn... am I blind?" another person muttered in shock.

Silence spread throughout the arena as people found it hard to believe what they had just witnessed.

"My lucky charm," the Arena Master said with a bright smile.

Of course, he couldn't keep using the time-based bets forever.

Once was a test.

Twice was another test.

But a third time...

The crowd might hang his head on a wall.

Still, there was no doubt that this match had earned the arena another massive profit.

Keith took a deep breath as he raised his hand.

There, a severed head with a shocked expression could be seen, frozen in time forever.

Thud!

The opponent's body collapsed onto the ground.

With that...

Tears welled up in the eyes of much of the crowd as their money went down the drain.

Meanwhile, the few who had chosen the crazy option wore wide smiles as they burst into laughter.

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