Chapter 92: Today, I'm Not Targeting You Specifically
Inside the rest lounge, Su Xiao leaned back on the sofa to rest. He had already waited for 1 hour and 50 minutes. If his opponent still didn't accept the match in another 10 minutes, he would be directly promoted to 10th place in the arena.
Back when he was in the First Rank, Su Xiao had broken into the top 10 of the arena and obtained the Arena Champion Mark. However, when he advanced to the Second Rank, the arena reset, and the Arena Champion Mark was taken back.
The stats from the Arena Champion were quite good. Su Xiao believed that the Third Rank arena would definitely offer even better rewards. If the rewards were similar to the Arena Champion's, then the opponents he matched with would definitely not avoid fighting.
The rewards for the top 10 in the Third Rank were not something the Arena Champion could compare to. Giving up the 10th place position was essentially giving up those rewards.
Just as Su Xiao was speculating about what rewards the top 10 in the Third Rank might bring, a notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[Opponent has accepted the match.]
[Match completed. Opponent's rank: 10th (Third Rank).]
Su Xiao glanced at the time. He had already waited for 1 hour and 57 minutes. The timing was so precise that his opponent was definitely stalling. The message was clear: 'You want to challenge me? Then wait obediently in the rest pod for two hours.'
A teleportation sensation surged. Su Xiao picked up a glass of water from the table and downed it in one gulp. At the same time, the glass shattered into powder in his hand.
Light flickered before his eyes. When his vision cleared, Su Xiao found himself on a sandy battlefield. This battlefield was about 300 meters in diameter, surrounded by a large ring of tiered spectator seats.
The stands were packed with people. This time, it wasn't just idle workers coming to watch; many contractors were also present. They came both to enjoy the competition and to learn combat experience.
[Betting function has been disabled.]
Upon receiving this notification, Su Xiao frowned. Betting was also a considerable source of income. Judging by the current situation, top 10 matches probably couldn't participate in betting. As for why, it was most likely due to the reward mechanism for the top 10.
"It's finally starting. I've been waiting for almost half an hour."
"Top 10 matches are always this slow."
"Lochin is an idiot. Counting this time, this is the fourth time I've watched his matches. This guy often delays match times."
"Then why do you still watch his matches?"
"It's business, kid. You're still young. You don't think the arena is just about fighting, do you? It supports a lot of people."
The audience buzzed with discussion, but most were just casual onlookers. They didn't know about the match time limit for the top 10. In their eyes, this match should have started long ago, since they had paid Paradise Coins for the right to watch.
On the yellow sand field, Su Xiao adjusted the metal mask covering the lower half of his face. Although he showed his true face in Reincarnation Paradise, he never revealed his appearance in the arena. This was to hide his combat style.
However, Su Xiao had recently noticed that many Third Rank contractors recognized him. The reputation of 'Beheader of the Night' seemed to be growing louder, with both pros and cons.
Ignoring the increasingly lively crowd, Su Xiao looked at his opponent this time. About a hundred meters away stood a gaunt man with a gloomy expression.
The gaunt man's face was ashen, his eyelids drooping. His cheeks were sunken, and his triangular eyes gleamed with a fierce light. He exuded a faint smell of blood. His name was Lochin, a core member of some adventure group.
"Hey, kid over there."
Lochin's voice was cold and sinister, as if he had some 'old grudge' against Su Xiao. He stomped on the yellow sand beneath his feet, causing a large patch of it to wither and turn gray.
Su Xiao didn't pay attention to Lochin's attitude, but he noticed something very strange. The two daggers strapped to his opponent's legs were one gold and one purple. This odd combination was quite intriguing.
Even if that purple dagger suited him well, the gap between purple and gold quality was two whole grades. No matter how suitable, Su Xiao would never choose to use such a low-grade weapon.
Accessories could be understood, but weapons needed to be able to clash head-on with enemies.
As a top 10 arena competitor, Lochin using a purple dagger was far too shabby.
Combined with Lochin's hostile attitude, Su Xiao guessed one thing: this guy had probably been strengthening equipment in the Equipment Enhancement Hall, and just then, Su Xiao had matched with him.
Anyone with half a brain could figure out that Lochin had blown up one of his weapons during enhancement. That's why he was so resentful. With such little time, he couldn't contact a merchant and could only grab an emergency weapon from the Trade Market.
Lochin's triangular eyes narrowed as he sized up Su Xiao. He sensed the blood energy on Su Xiao, but he didn't care. In Reincarnation Paradise, who didn't have blood on their hands?
"Today, I'm not targeting you specifically. I'm just in a really bad mood."
As soon as Lochin finished speaking, the countdown for the match began.
[Three, two, one. Match, start!]
The moment it was announced, Su Xiao slowly drew the Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist. The long blade let out a crisp ring.
As Su Xiao drew his sword, Lochin flipped the daggers in his hands and grinned. That smile was too iconic, like a deranged murderer about to strike.
The battle began, and the noise from the audience gradually died down.
On the field, Lochin lightly leaped backward. The light around him distorted, and his entire body vanished. This guy was an invisibility-type.
In a 1v1 match like this, invisibility-types had a natural advantage. However, Su Xiao didn't care whether his opponent was invisible or not.
The yellow sand field was quiet. Lochin left no footprints on the sand. This was the terrain he had chosen; he wouldn't be stupid enough to pick a disadvantageous one.
Su Xiao swung his left arm, and the Realm Severing Thread shot out. Metal wires spread around him, slowly falling.
Since his opponent was an invisibility-type, there was no need to charge at him. He just had to wait for the opponent to approach.
Holding the long blade, Su Xiao stood still. He knew the characteristics of invisibility-types all too well. When Lochin revealed himself, it would be because he was confident he could injure Su Xiao, and he would launch a storm of attacks.
One minute, two minutes...
A full ten minutes passed, and Lochin still hadn't appeared. The audience was already booing. Of course, those booing were the casual onlookers. Those who truly understood combat knew that when Lochin did show himself, the fight would end in an instant.
Standing still, Su Xiao rolled his neck. From his stance, it seemed like he was full of openings.
Inside the Shadow World, Lochin crouched only ten meters away from Su Xiao, waiting for an opportunity.
Lochin had been staring at Su Xiao like this for ten minutes. His expression was no longer as gloomy as before; instead, his eyes were full of vigilance.
In Lochin's perception, Su Xiao was like a sleeping beast. He seemed full of openings, but Lochin didn't dare get within seven meters of him.
Lochin sensed it—the perception field around Su Xiao. Once he entered that area, a sharp long blade would slash at his neck.
A metal wire brushed past, nearly grazing Lochin's shoulder. At the same time, a pair of eyes locked onto him.
"Damn it!"
Lochin cursed under his breath and leaped to the side.
Boom!
The yellow sand exploded as if a bomb had been detonated in the sand. Su Xiao vanished from his spot and charged straight at Lochin.
Clang, clang, clang...
Crisscrossing blade auras slashed toward Lochin. Before Su Xiao even reached him, Lochin was already engulfed in a storm of blade auras.
Lochin released his dagger, which was connected to his wrist by a chain. Using the chain, he swung the dagger into a spinning circle.
After a series of metallic clangs, the gold dagger shattered over a dozen blade auras. Lochin, like a nimble monkey, darted through the gaps between the auras.
Lochin dodged the blade auras, but Su Xiao was already charging straight at him.
An assassin whose invisibility had been broken, facing a melee fighter head-on—the result was obvious.
Clang.
The long blade rang out. A severed arm flew high into the air, still clutching a dagger with a broken blade.
Lochin stumbled back a few steps, clutching his severed arm. He wasn't weak; the main reason he lost an arm in one slash was the gap in their weapons.
"Shadow Rampage!"
Lochin shouted, and a large number of shadow-formed blades appeared around him. He planned to force Su Xiao back first.
Blade light flashed. One shadow blade after another was knocked away. A few shadow blades struck Su Xiao, leaving only shallow cuts.
Pfft!
Blood splattered. Lochin's chest was completely slashed open, damaging several vital organs.
"Since when... does a tank have such offensive power!"
Lochin had learned something today. From the few shallow cuts on Su Xiao, he judged that Su Xiao was a 'tank.' A melee fighter couldn't have such defense.
A hand broke through the shadow blades and grabbed Lochin's throat. The metallic sensation at his neck told Lochin he had lost.
A long blade pierced Lochin's heart. At the same time, his neck was snapped. With a crack, he turned into a shower of light particles and vanished from Su Xiao's hand.
[Match over. 277 consecutive wins!]
The audience was still dead silent. The entire match had lasted ten minutes, but the actual fighting took only 17 seconds. Before Lochin could unleash his terrifying attack power, Su Xiao had broken his invisibility and killed him in a few slashes. This was the common weakness of invisibility-types: low defense but high overall survivability.
Su Xiao vanished from the yellow sand field. Only then did the audience snap out of it.