I was someone willing to take risks when everything depended on me alone. But I couldn't succumb to greed or thirst for glory. I refused the two hundred thousand points without a second thought. Now that I knew Leah and Jimmy might be here, my priority had to be ensuring their safety. Additionally, due to the System's quest, I needed to ensure that the rest of those under my care would successfully complete their trials.
"Now let the show begin!" Grimweld announced as a gong rang out, louder than any before.
The cages swung open simultaneously. The first to charge wasn't the powerful hamster, the cat-faced wolves, or even the squirrel. No—it was the completely naked man, moving on all fours like a dog, making the audience chuckle. Poor lad couldn't catch a break. Then again, I didn't feel much sympathy for someone who would try to rob innocent people in dark alleys.
"You may be—" Grigo started his little pre-battle speech, but for me, the battle had already started. With only the close-combat bonus objective remaining, I could finally show them my true speed.
I blurred into motion, drawing on years of combat experience. First, a delicate application of Air Mana decreased air resistance around my body to practically zero. The precise manipulation of Gravity Mana then reduced my mass to a tenth of normal—considering my base weight of around 1,000 lbs due to my condensed, dense muscles and bones, that was no small feat. Lightning Primal Surge flowed through my limbs last but not least, filling them with unprecedented energy. The combination allowed me to move faster than most eyes could follow, as the world around me froze.
The naked man never saw me coming. One moment he was charging; the next, he lay unconscious. Two other men, one Black and one Latino, huddled in the cage nearby. I dispatched them just as quickly, my gentle touches rendering them senseless before they could even process my presence. I then turned my attention to the cat-wolves, striking precise nerve clusters on their feathered forms, knowledge gained from fighting similar beasts in Luminosa. The three-headed snake's movements seemed almost laughably predictable after my battles against far deadlier multi-headed foes. In a flurry of blows, the snake joined its allies in unconsciousness, its three heads bouncing off the ground in unison.
The crimson battle-hamster proved slightly more challenging, its horn crackling with energy, but a Lightning Primal Surge flowing through my limbs allowed me to strike faster than it could react. Even as their champion fell, the other beasts were already down. Not even a second had passed as I returned to my original position, facing the fat gremlin.
"—fast, human!" Grigo continued, not yet realizing what had happened. "But my animals will show you what happens when they surround you. You'll have nowhere to escape when I activate my ability to make them bigger, faster, stronger!" The Tamer declared, unaware that his army was already defeated.
"Look around, Tamer. It's already over."
The gremlin fell silent as realization dawned. Like the entire tribune, and even his brother the announcer, he had no idea what to say. In the fraction of a second it took him to finish his boast, I had already disabled every single opponent and returned to my original position. The Asian gangster lay crumpled on the ground, his two companions unconscious in their cage, the cat-wolves motionlessly scattered across the arena, the three-headed snake knotted around itself, and even the crimson battle-hamster neutralized before anyone could say "what the heck."
The crowd sat in stunned silence. Even the vampire couple, who'd clearly bet on me this time judging by their grins and the way they were already counting their winnings, seemed shocked by the speed of it all.
Only then did I strike at Grigo, my hand piercing his chest in a display of ruthless efficiency. The crowd erupted—some in horror, others in bloodthirsty glee. A few more spectators' heads exploded from losing life-bets, their remains splattering those seated nearby.
[Congratulations! You have completed the Side Quest]
[Congratulations! You have finished the Bonus Objective]
[Rewards are being calculated based on performance...]
[You have earned EXP for killing a level 357 Gremlionis]
[You receive bonus EXP for killing an opponent of a much higher level]
[EXP will be distributed after you choose your first Archetype, reaching E Rank]
As for why I hadn't received experience for my previous opponents? Simple—I hadn't killed them. Yes, even the octopus. Now that I'd completed the quest and didn't have to restrict my ranged abilities, I pointed my arm at its corpse and sent a brief lightning discharge. The octopus awakened immediately, its tentacles twitching as consciousness returned. I'd had a hunch that a monster with such remarkable regenerative abilities wouldn't die just from having its brain gently stroked—after all, I'd seen similar creatures in Luminosa recover from far worse.
"You cheated!" Grimweld shrieked from his floating disc, his monocle falling as he gestured wildly. "I won't accept these results from such a boring fight! What level are you really? Tell us! Why are you ruining my show?"
The crowd was in chaos. The vampire couple celebrated loudly, waving what looked like betting slips, while others demanded refunds. Some of the more monstrous spectators were actually eating the remains of those whose heads had exploded from lost life-bets. The three-eyed humans looked particularly disappointed—they had probably expected a longer show for their money.
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"You really are bold to speak that way for someone so close to me," I said, fixing my gaze on the announcer. With casual ease, I created a gravity wave that pulled down upon his disc. The levitating platform, for all its elaborate magical engineering, didn't resist for long. It plummeted toward the blood-stained arena floor with its passenger still aboard.
Had I mentioned before that the field draining Mana in the arena was an easy nut to crack? Yeah, I'd already understood it enough to control it, if only briefly. And now, as announcer Grimweld fell with his disc, I focused the field's energy on him, momentarily rendering him unable to use any abilities beyond basic body enhancements—which, if I had to guess, he wasn't very proficient at.
His trembling hand reached for his monocle—the same one I'd seen him use to show off before the audience and threaten me. I could sense the concentrated Mana inside the device as he desperately tried to activate its deadly laser mechanism. But with the field focused on him, nothing happened when his fingers touched the rim. Before he could try again, I casually used my gravity powers to pluck the weapon-disguised-as-eyewear from his face, watching it float toward me.
As the disc plummeted, a familiar figure awaited below—the Titan Octopus. Perhaps it realized who the real enemy was. After all, even on Earth, normal-sized octopi were clever creatures. Now that it had regenerated its brain, it had completely shaken off the dead tamer's mental control. Its remaining tentacles shot out to catch the supposed master of this exhibition. The now mostly helpless thin gremlin found himself completely wrapped in tentacles, their suckers holding him firmly in place.
"Welcome to the ground floor. How does it feel to mingle with us mere mortals? Not quite the same view from down here, is it?" I chuckled as I gave him a mocking glance, letting his monocle spin slowly in the air before me. It also turned out that the System could provide some basic info about magic items.
[Monocle of a Show-Off (Ultra Rare)] "Because nothing says 'I'm better than you' quite like wearing a single lens that shoots death rays!"
Requirements: Mind: 500 Spirit: 250
Item Description: A deceptively elegant monocle that channels focused beams of destructive Mana. Perfect for those who want to look sophisticated while vaporizing their enemies. Comes with a built-in targeting system that makes you look thoughtfully contemplative while actually lining up your next shot.
Primary Effect - Death Ray: Channel Mana through the monocle to fire a concentrated beam of destructive energy. Damage scales with the user's Mind attribute. Each shot leaves a satisfyingly dramatic trail of smoke, because what's the point of being powerful if you can't be theatrical about it?
Secondary Effect - Analytical Enhancement: Provides detailed information about targets within visual range, displayed in an unnecessarily elaborate holographic format. Because reading basic stats isn't fancy enough—you need swirling golden runes and floating crystals to really sell the experience.
Warning: May cause excessive ego inflation and an irresistible urge to monologue during combat. Side effects include developing a British accent and an appreciation for overpriced tea.
Note: The System is not responsible for any accidental discharge of death rays while adjusting your monocle for dramatic effect.
I can't use its magical effect, but who would stop me from wearing it, huh? I thought as I put it on with grace.
Perhaps not surprisingly, given what I'd seen before, the audience wasn't shocked or afraid—instead, they cheered. They seemed more entertained by seeing their charismatic announcer, who was now squinting and trembling, completely under the control of a beast that was supposed to be dead.
"How? Why?" Grimweld sputtered, his composure completely shattered. "You realize this won't be the end for you if you kill me? I was put here by the System itself! My role is important—the Ringmaster wouldn't abandon me!"
"Oh, Ringmaster?" I perked up at that. "I actually have a quest to play his games and beat him up. Both in his games and literally."
"What?" Grimweld started to laugh maniacally. "You, beating the Ringmaster? Keep dreaming! Ha! You can kill me, but this will only incur the wrath of this place's powerful people. You're here just to complete your tutorial. Do you really want to become a public enemy?"
"Public enemy? Somehow, I doubt many would care about a mere announcer." I paused, watching the octopus tighten its grip. "Meanwhile, let's see what the audience thinks. Hey, people!" I projected my voice, enhancing it just enough for everyone to hear clearly. "Do you want me to save your favorite announcer? Or would you rather see him get a taste of his own medicine?"
I could have saved him from the octopus's increasingly tight grip at any moment, but the crowd's response was exactly what I expected.
"Kill him! Kill him!" they started to shout. Only a few spectators shook their heads or cast the gremlin glances of pity.
"Well, you hear them," I shrugged. "We want to be entertained."
With this, I nodded to the octopus. The intelligent creature had already understood I was the most dangerous being here and that it needed to obey me. What a smart fellow—perhaps I should make it my pet? Nah, too large. I'd rather release it back to the sea or wherever it would be most comfortable.
"You will pay for this!" Grimweld shouted, his face somehow turning an even paler shade of green. "You stupid people! Ungrateful bastards! And you! Cheating dumb human!" Those were his last words before the octopus dexterously popped him into its mouth.
Thank you for the meal, I could practically read in its expression. The crowd cheered—probably the first time they'd seen such a show.
I sent a wave of electricity through the floor, reaching all the fainted beasts in the arena—the Mirrorfang, the crimson battle-hamster, all of them. Then I turned off the field, draining the area of uncontrolled Mana. Now there was nothing restricting us anymore. With a wave of my hand, I sent a whirlwind of Wind Mana at the barrier. After all, it was more focused on physical attacks than on Mana powers.
The magical barrier shattered like glass, its fragments dissolving into motes of light. A moment of stunned silence fell over the arena before chaos erupted. The weaker spectators immediately scrambled for the exits, while some of the more aggressive ones—particularly the three-eyed humans and various demon-like creatures—drew weapons or gathered their own Mana.
"ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?" I roared, adding Gravity Mana to my voice, making it resound with such overwhelming power that the very foundations of the arena shook. "ARE YOU NOT INTO TRAINS? IS THIS NOT WHY YOU ARE HERE?"
What could I say? I loved that one movie about a gladiator and just couldn't hold myself back. Leah had also misheard the legendary phrase and asked me, "Why is he talking about trains?" So I decided to keep this part as well...