Chapter 443: Wild Duel (2)
A few minutes later, a sudden burst of booming instrumental music filled the air.
Then, the snow elf presiding over the wild duel bounded energetically to the very center of the arena. With a voice brimming with enthusiasm, he proclaimed, “Honored lords and ladies, welcome to witness this wild duel!”
“Enough with the formalities, let us commence the first duel immediately.”
“A bronze thief consumed by greed versus an ordinary man whose wife and children were dishonored and slain.”
“Heh, today's appetizer promises to be quite interesting.”
“An ordinary man versus a transcendent!”
“Let us see, will the wronged commoner find justice, or will transcendent power prevail above all?”
“The next 30 seconds are your betting window!”
The moment the snow elf finished speaking, frantic bell chimes rang out.
After thirty seconds of ringing, the doors facing the arena in the waiting room suddenly slid open to the side.
The ordinary middle-aged man practically lunged out.
Wielding a bloodstained axe, he charged into the arena.
His enemy and opponent, the bronze level thief, limped out from the opposite doors, dragging a leg that bled incessantly.
Clearly, to enhance the wild duel's entertainment value and ‘fairness’, the arena owner had provided a transcendent in a compromised state.
The ordinary middle-aged man roared and charged forward, axe raised.
The bronze thief hopped on one leg, attempting to create distance.
“Damn it, he's faking it!” Spring Boxer suddenly whispered.
The door to the waiting room featured an iron grille. Though the view was narrow, it perfectly framed the middle-aged man's back and the thief who was “escaping.”
Lan Zao's gaze pierced through the iron bars, drawn to the fight.
He couldn't help but feel tense for the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man lunged at the bronze thief. At the critical moment, the thief flashed a triumphant, sinister grin, channeling his battle qi to make his movements suddenly agile.
The thief deftly dodged the axe swing, then aimed his dagger at the middle-aged man's back and thrust it viciously downward.
Completely unaware of the dagger thrust toward him, the middle-aged man roared in fury. His hand shot out, grabbing the thief's wounded leg and digging his fingers deep into the festering, bleeding wound.
In the next instant, both men roared in agony.
The thief's thrust faltered from the excruciating pain. Though the dagger pierced the man's back, it failed to deliver a fatal blow.
The man's back arched, the dagger lodged deep as he tore at the thief's wound, wrestling him to the ground.
He mounted the thief, raised his iron axe high with his right hand, and brought it down with a savage swing.
In the next instant, the iron axe cleaved the thief's skull clean in two, leaving only the mouth intact.
The thief's horrified expression froze on his face, nearly severed in two.
Yet the middle-aged man's vengeance had only just begun.
He raised the axe again and again, bringing it down relentlessly.
The bronze thief's skull shattered completely beneath the blows, followed by his chest, abdomen, entrails, and thighs.
With each furious swing, the wound on the man's back gushed fresh blood.
Yet the man seemed oblivious, his eyes bloodshot, pouring every ounce of strength into each blow.
Finally, drained of blood and strength, he too collapsed unconscious.
But that didn't stop him from being the ultimate victor.
“Nice work!” Spring Boxer grinned.
Lan Zao glanced at him and suddenly realized: though Spring Boxer was a gang member, a criminal, he wasn't the morally bankrupt type.
The battle between the extraordinary and the ordinary had ended with the ordinary man's victory.
This outcome held no surprises.
Many factors determined the outcome of a fight. Bronze level battle qi could only be amplified internally; external protection was something only iron level fighters could achieve.
In truth, even a fully-fledged bronze fighter could be killed by an ordinary person, let alone this bronze thief, who was already gravely wounded.
Only after the fight ended did Lan Zao notice: the terrain of the dueling arena had changed. It was no longer the red stone pillar terrain he had privately tested before, but a vast, flat plain dotted with sparse grass.
The unconscious middle-aged man was dragged away.
Black mist began to spread, eventually enveloping the entire arena in a pitch-black night.
The night quickly dissipated.
The arena transformed once more, becoming a marshland. Solid stone slabs dotted the deep purple swamp mud.
The snow elf host took the stage once more, standing atop the largest stone slab, his voice booming.
"Esteemed spectators, I trust the appetizer served earlier was to your liking? It is my honor to present the second event in this wild duel."
“A bronze level elderly magician, peddling counterfeit alchemy ingredients for illicit profit.”
"A young noble heir was thoroughly swindled by him. Our victim didn't choose to report it, that would be too boring."
“Instead, he mobilized his family's influence, captured the old bronze magician, and brought him here under guard.”
"Here are his exact words to the old bronze magician: 'Since you can craft pain tentacles so convincing they fool the senses; you must know them intimately.' I'll give you one chance. If you can traverse the swamp concealing the pain tentacles and retrieve the token from the treasure chest, you succeed. I'll spare your life!'"
“Ha! This one is even more entertaining than the last. What do you say, ladies and gentlemen?”
"The 30-second countdown has begun. Time to choose. Will the old magician overcome the pain tentacles and save himself, or will the powerful noble succeed in his revenge, delivering the most brutal lesson to the old magician?"
The moment the host finished speaking, a bell began to toll.
After ringing thirty times, the host shouted, "Now, please witness the bronze magician's journey of redemption!”
The entrance opened again.
Lan Zao saw the old man seated on the bench begin to move.
Taking a deep breath, he leaned on his slender staff, as thin as a walking stick, and stepped slowly and heavily onto the duel platform.
The old magician stood at the edge of the platform as the gate behind him swiftly closed once more.
His face solemn, he did not rashly step into the swamp. Instead, after chanting, he cast a spell, launching a fireball straight ahead.
The fireball struck the marshland and exploded.
Black muddy water splattered everywhere, a putrid stench surged outward, and several suspicious skeletal remains were also blown out.
This impressed Lan Zao, who marveled at how the arena could create such a realistic combat environment.
The old magician, however, lacked Lan Zao's composure. After temporarily confirming that the area ahead was safe, he cautiously moved forward.
The target treasure chest should be hidden opposite him, within a grove of broadleaf trees.
Beyond that, the terrain was open and exposed.
The old magician gradually approached the grove, but his use of fireballs to probe the area decreased sharply.
His personal magic power reserves were finite.
The old magician paused to meditate.
But in the next instant, the swampy ground near him suddenly bulged repeatedly, and one after another, purple-skinned swamp octopusmen emerged.
They howled and charged at the old magician.
The bronze magician shuddered in terror, abandoning all thought of combat as he sprinted forward with all his might.
After only a few steps, he sank into the mire.
Yet the next instant, the magician rose, floating above the swamp.
It had to be said, magicians possessed far more diverse methods than fighters; even at the bronze level, they possessed the ability to fly.
However, the old magician's flight range was clearly insufficient. Soon, he landed on a patch of rocky ground.
The pursuing octopusmen were closing in.
The old magician had no choice but to turn around, pulling a spell scroll from his robe.
A barrage of ice spears shot forth, slaying over a dozen octopusmen.
None of these octopusmen possessed extraordinary abilities, but their sheer numbers were formidable. The loss of a quarter of their numbers only fueled their fury.
The old magician hurled another vial.
The potion exploded, forming a shimmering cloud of crystalline white dust.
The octopusmen charged into the cloud, only to collapse sprawled on the ground moments later. Half their remaining numbers perished.
The remaining octopusmen chose to bypass the white dust cloud.
The old magician gained precious time and set off once more, flying toward the final grove of trees.
Within the grove, he spotted the treasure chest.
But the moment he opened it, countless pain tentacles burst through the ground, lashing at him from all directions.
The protective magic shield he maintained shattered instantly.
Ultimately, he was completely submerged by the frenzied lashing of the pain tentacles.
By the time the octopusmen rushed over and subdued the pain tentacles, the old magician's entire skeleton had been crushed beyond recognition, let alone his flesh and blood.
The manner of death was truly gruesome.
Witnessing this outcome, Lan Zao gained a deeper understanding of the wild duel.
Just as Shuang Tu had described, the wild duel was saturated with violence and bloodshed. If the opponent wasn't human, it was undoubtedly worse. Intelligent beings possessed emotions like mercy, compassion, arrogance, and might even spare a defeated opponent's life. But creatures like these pain tentacles didn't stop at killing the loser, they wouldn't rest until they ground the defeated into dust.
Black mist rose again, enveloping the entire arena.
When it dissipated, the battlefield had transformed into red stone pillars.
Seeing the familiar scene, Lan Zao's heart skipped a beat, knowing it was his turn next.
Sure enough, the snow elf host reappeared: “The third wild duel features a fortunate soul who awakened their bloodline, recently ascending to the iron level.”
“Damn it, why doesn't something this good ever happen to me!”
“Why is this guy volunteering for a wild duel? Is he desperate, or has his power gone to his head, craving more thrills?”
“Let's see who his opponent is!”
“Oh crap!”
“He's screwed. His opponent is an iron level snow eagle!”
“I love this. I can't wait to see his body torn to shreds by that snow eagle's talons.”
“Place your bets now! Our rookie's got nothing but his bare hands against a flying beast.”
“Will you trust this lucky guy, or do you want to see him get torn apart?”
The 30-second countdown clock chimed.