I let out a sigh.

My 5 gold in the credit system apparently needs to be 200 times greater in order to enter this Royal Coin Section of the city. Making the necessary total 1,000 gold coins. Just 100 gold is equal to a platinum coin, so this must mean a single Royal Coin is 10 platinum. I've never heard of this currency before, so it must be a special region-specific one in this city.

I'd have to clear out all the quests in cities similar to the Size of Solara for the next 10 days straight to make that kind of money.

"Is there any way I can contact that guild without entering the inner-most wall?"

He lets out a laugh.

"This is Valor City kid. No one cares who you are, and no one will believe a word you say unless you have the money to back it up. I don't know how you got that card, but I can guarantee you, you won't even get a smell of a single Galeheart Guild member unless you have the coins to enter their domain. Money is everything in this city. That's just the way it works."

I nod, seeing he's not going to budge on this point.

"Is there anywhere in this city one can make money? Or can we only spend it? I've brought quite a bit of gold with me, but unfortunately not enough to make it into that Royal Coin border."

The armored man lets out a long sigh and points off back to the direction I came, then turns his hand to point to a portion of the Silver-walled city I haven't been to yet.

This city stretches all the way around in a circle, so my walk here has hardly scratched the surface of all the sights to see.

"Go check out the arena. People from every rank in the city reside there to place bets and make money on the fighters that take on beasts. If you're feeling lucky, I'd say go check it out. Walk that way and you can't miss it."

I take a look at the open golden gate, then turn back toward the direction the guard pointed with a firm nod.

"Thank you, I'll be back soon."

The gate closes up and I head off in the direction of the arena without another word leaving the inner city behind me for now.

Considering the expression on the guard's face, even if I walk through the golden gates and even into the platinum walls, I won't be making my way all the way through without the money to back myself.

This city doesn't care about your identity. If you have money, then you have power...

I grin to myself with my arms crossed as I walk through the rows and rows of high-end shops.

Eventually, people in the streets start to crowd around and congregate to a single area off in the distance. I follow the crowds until a stone arena that looks similar to a coliseum comes into view. It's right up against the back of the golden wall, and it looks like one of the entrances actually allows people to enter from there.

However, here within the silver walls, there are 3 arching entrances with people flooding in. Outside, projected onto the stone walls above each entrance, there's a display of a blond man with a large scar over his left eye holding a long silver sword.

He stands alone, gripping his blade with two hands, fighting against a massive cyclops.

There's no sound coming off the projector, but as the beast opens its mouth I can imagine the roar it lets out.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The hunter and beast run at each other, but the creature is sliced to pieces in an instant. The ground around the hunters feet rises and crumbles, making it look like he's an earth magic user.

The view on the projector shifts to the rows of seats and cheering crowd. I can't hear a thing until I walk through the lightly humming archway of an entrance with everyone else and enter the arena.

The cheers of a crowd full of hundreds fill my ears and I walk up a few rows of steps to find an empty seat to watch.

The sound of an announcer's voice rings out.

"Stage 2 is complete. The Hunter 'Stone Breaker' has defeated the cyclops and has now decided to move onto the 3rd stage. He'll be facing off against a level 240 High Orc in the next round after the 5-minute cooldown commences. Please feel free to place your bets."

As I hear these words, a small blue window automatically pops out from my wristband.

____________

Place Bet

[Hunter] Stone Breaker: 1.35x

[Monster] High Orc: 2.79x

____________

My mind races to do the math on these odds.

I even try to use inspect and appraisal on the man's gear down below me to get an edge, but there's a mana imbued protective dome that covers the main arena. It must be used as an anti-cheat, but also protects people in the audience from getting harmed by whatever beast is fighting as well.

Clearly, the hunter is the safer bet. By the sound of the crowd, he seems to be a regular.

Some of the voices I hear around me double down on this notion.

"I'm all in on Stone Breaker, this Orc doesn't stand a chance!"

"Yeah me too, he made it to stage 5 before quitting yesterday, so I'm sure he'll come out on top!"

"10 Silver on Stone Breaker!"

I watch the odds of the hunter get closer and closer to 1.00x and the High Orc's payout skyrockets past 10.00x.

However, I'm in no mood to gamble. After a quick calculation, the house takes about 10% of all bets placed here. They win no matter how the fight goes. So, the more bets placed the worse off I'd be. This is not where the money is made.

The real money must be in the fighting itself...

As I come to this conclusion, the announcer's voice echoes throughout the stadium again.

"Thank you all for placing your bets, you have 1 minute to finalize them. The Stone Breaker vs the High Orc match is soon to commence. If any of you are new to the arena and stopping by for the first time, this is how it works!"

I listen attentively, and many others stop their chatter as the announcer continues to speak.

"Every stage, the beasts that are captured by the Valor City Royal Guard are brought to our arena for your entertainment. Stage 1 begins with a monster between level 1 and 50. Stage two, the monster is always above level 100 and below 200. From here, the level range rises by 100 every stage. Every round, the hunter may choose to proceed or stop and take their winnings. All of you are able to bet on the odds of our prized hunters. There is no lower or upper limit to your betting amount. However, every bet placed affects the odds."

The announcer stops talking for a moment, and silence fills the arena. All eyes are on the hunter below as a large red timer counts down from 10.

Once it hits 0, the betting screen disappears.

"Let the battle begin!"

On the opposite side of the stadium, a red-skinned High Orc appears in a flash of white light, wielding two large silver axes full of rage.

It lets out a roar and storms forward, and the hunter runs at the monster with his own blade drawn.

The ground rumbles and the sound of metal on metal fills the area, but in less than 20 seconds the crowd is cheering and erupting with noise again as the monster falls to the ground and the hunter takes his victory lap around the ring.

I chuckle to myself, sit back and cross my arms to enjoy the show.

The next match ends in a similar fashion with the hunter taking a victory in stage 4 against a level 320 mutant wolf-shaped monster I've never seen before, but he doesn't fare as well against the familiar enormous Berserker Giant at level 405 in the 5th Stage.

He's defeated by the monster in the ring and disappears in a flash of white light the moment he's torn to shreds. It seems as though they're using some kind of magical item to ensure the fighters aren't actually critically injured. The beasts on the other hand, they're real and are really slain every match.

The same cheers still ring out in the stadium as he's transported back to a small fighter's booth outside. The fans are here to see a show, they don't care who wins or loses.

A team of 3 guards in Black Armor quickly subjugate the final beast that wasn't killed by the previous hunter.

The Announcer's voice echoes through the room again.

"After a quick intermission, our next fighter will take the stage. For anyone that would like to sign up for tonight's fighting slots, we still have a few available. If you believe you have what it takes to challenge the Arena, please come down to the registration table at any time to talk with a representative and secure your spot."