Chapter 76: Arena Champion (Fourth Update, Monthly Ticket Bonus)
Half an hour later, the bald old man's roar had grown hoarse.
"So, have you thought it over? Six thousand Paradise Coins is a good price."
The man with gold-rimmed glasses smiled at the bald old man. No matter how much the old man cursed him, he just kept smiling.
"You... fine, I'll knock off a thousand Paradise Coins. Just don't bother me again."
The old man sighed and looked at Su Xiao.
"The item is ready. Wait a moment."
The bald old man walked toward the back of the shop, and the man with gold-rimmed glasses sidled over.
"Hello, friend. My name is Glasses."
Su Xiao didn't say a word. This guy talked too much, and a stream of poisonous chicken soup advice came nonstop. When it came to being a chatterbox, ten Su Xiaos combined might not be a match.
"Don't be so cold. Having more friends in the Paradise is always a good thing."
Su Xiao still remained silent.
"Such a cold guy."
The man with gold-rimmed glasses gave up and left the shop with his companion.
Not long after he left, the bald old man emerged from the back of the shop.
"Take a look. I added a grappling hook to the Realm Severing Thread for you. It can be fixed to the outer walls of buildings."
Su Xiao took the [Minotaur Lord Bracer]. Now, at the wrist of the [Minotaur Lord Bracer], there was an inconspicuous small line wheel. The wheel was flat in shape, and its color matched the bracer—both were a deep red.
"Not bad."
Equipping the [Minotaur Lord Bracer], Su Xiao attempted to use the Realm Severing Thread.
A small, gleaming grappling hook shot out from the wrist of the bracer, embedding itself directly into the wall of the shop. Su Xiao tugged on it; the hold was firm.
Su Xiao controlled the line wheel of the Realm Severing Thread to tighten. A strong pulling force emerged, enough to lift his entire body off the ground.
Stumbling forward a few steps, Su Xiao gave the Realm Severing Thread a hard yank.
Clink.
The grappling hook was pulled out from the wall and quickly retracted back into the wheel.
"This is a usage guide I compiled. This line wheel can launch the Realm Severing Thread in two ways. The first is with the grappling hook attached to the tip. The second is without the hook, which is more suitable for combat, as it's harder for enemies to detect."
The bald old man handed over a sheet of instructions. Although the modification cost wasn't cheap, the craftsmanship and creativity were good.
"Satisfied?"
"Very satisfied."
A smile couldn't help but appear on the bald old man's face. His temper might be bad, but the customer's approval lifted his spirits.
"Let's cooperate again if there's a chance next time."
Su Xiao studied the modified [Minotaur Lord Bracer]. This piece of equipment had versatile functions, excellent for scaling buildings.
"I certainly welcome a straightforward customer like you."
After greeting the bald old man, Su Xiao left, heading straight for the Arena.
His time was running short. Su Xiao planned to break into the top 20 before returning to the Real World.
Arriving at the Arena with practiced ease, Su Xiao waited in the rest pod for a matched opponent.
[Matching opponent, please wait.]
Su Xiao took out a tablet and started playing a puzzle game while waiting.
The difficulty of this puzzle game was considerable; he had only cleared half of it.
[Match successful. Due to the Hunter's 84 consecutive wins, the Arena has matched the Hunter with the (First Rank) 13th-ranked competitor.]
A teleportation sensation washed over him. Before Su Xiao could even see his opponent, he heard a tidal wave of cheers from all around.
"He's here! Finally, a top 15 match! I've been waiting for three hours."
"A melee fighter versus a ranged one? I'm betting on the melee."
"I'm betting on the ranged. That's a cute girl over there."
The spectator stands were packed to the brim, not a single empty seat.
"Half-mechanical modification?"
The opponent not far away spoke. Su Xiao was currently wearing a deep red mask that covered the lower half of his face, along with deep red metal bracers. It would indeed make people suspect a half-mechanical modification.
"A Contractor who uses a bow."
Su Xiao's voice now had a dull, metallic quality, an effect of the mask.
His opponent was a girl holding a bow. The wooden bow had tender green sprouts growing on it. The girl had a slender figure and very pointed ears, which made Su Xiao think of an Elf-type class.
"Defeating you will let me rise to the top ten. I'm on a 21-match winning streak."
The Elf girl had a lively personality and a delicate face, looking at most eighteen or nineteen.
"21-match winning streak?"
"What, surprised? That's what strength looks like."
The Elf girl raised her fair chin.
"What a coincidence. I'm on a winning streak too."
Su Xiao was overjoyed. He had actually encountered an opponent with over 20 consecutive wins. Ending such a streak could earn a lot of Arena points, something he had tested before. That time, he had only ended a five-win streak.
Now, this Elf girl had a full 21-win streak. If he ended hers... maybe he could directly break into the top ten.
With his current strength, reaching the top ten wasn't impossible, but it would take a lot of time—at least the interval of two or three derivative worlds. The matchmaking time was simply too long.
The Elf girl's appearance was nothing short of an opportunity.
[Three, two, one, Arena start!]
The Arena began. The isolation barrier around Su Xiao disappeared, allowing him to move freely.
Su Xiao chose not to summon Bubu Teni. He didn't have the time.
The battle commenced. Su Xiao stomped the ground and surged forward. Dragon-Slaying Flash appeared in his hand, pale blue electric arcs crackling across its surface. He activated Azure Steel Shadow immediately.
The Elf girl nocked an arrow with practiced ease. Her slender fingers released, and an arrow shot through the air toward Su Xiao.
Su Xiao tilted his head to dodge the arrow. The arrow's flight speed was fast; within three meters, he definitely couldn't avoid it.
Only five meters remained between him and his enemy. The enemy was a ranged type; once he closed the distance, victory was assured.
The Elf girl knew this too, but her delicate face showed no panic. She brought her thumb and index finger together and put them to her mouth.
A whistle rang out. A black panther appeared beside the Elf girl.
"Little Black, hold him off."
The panther was the size of a tiger and very intelligent. It leaped from its spot and pounced at Su Xiao, while the Elf girl quickly retreated.
The black panther charged straight at him. Su Xiao didn't dodge or evade. A transparent shield appeared around him—the skill 'Sanctuary' from [Mikasa's Heart].
Su Xiao closed in on the black panther. The panther raised its paw and swiped rapidly. Its claws gleamed with a metallic sheen, like iron hooks typical of feline creatures. After a few swipes, the shield shattered. This panther's attack power was terrifying.
Su Xiao's pace didn't falter. Holding his blade with one hand, he swung. Dragon-Slashing Flash had greatly increased in sharpness after being upgraded to a Purple weapon. Now was the time to test that sharpness.
The blade struck the panther's torso. The edge cut through flesh, blood, and bone without any resistance, as if slicing through a piece of tofu.
The black panther crashed onto the Arena platform with a thud, its body severed in two. It twitched a few times before dissolving into specks of light.
Gasps erupted from the spectator stands. Su Xiao's powerful slash had stunned them.
This slash was delivered by Su Xiao using strength combined with a subtle, mysterious sensation.
After the slash, Su Xiao's steps didn't pause. In a few strides, he reached the Elf girl.
The Elf girl leaped backward with force. Mid-air, she had already drawn her bow, aiming an arrow at Su Xiao's chest. Her fingers on the bowstring released.
Twang.
The bowstring vibrated at high speed. An arrow pierced straight through Su Xiao's chest, leaving a finger-sized hole.
Though heavily wounded, Su Xiao's slash was already on its way.
Su Xiao lunged forward. Dragon-Slashing Flash slashed downward from above. A flash of gleaming blade light passed by. The bow in the Elf girl's hand was severed, and a forearm fell to the ground.
Su Xiao staggered two steps before stopping, standing still and catching his breath.
The battle had only lasted ten seconds, but those ten seconds were exceptionally brutal.
"Whoa!!"
Loud exclamations came from the spectator stands. All the spectators stood up, feeling they had gotten their money's worth. This Arena match was incredibly exciting.
"You lose."
Su Xiao's breathing returned to normal. He looked calmly at the Elf girl.
The Elf girl raised her head stubbornly.
"I haven't lost. It's just one arm. I still have..."
Zzzz.
The sound of a metal wire retracting came. The Elf girl's expression changed drastically.
"You... ruthless."
The sharp Realm Severing Thread was coiled around the Elf girl's neck. Su Xiao pulled hard.
Pfft. A head was severed.
[85 consecutive wins!]
The spectators in the stands were dumbfounded. They had no idea what had just happened.
[Personal battle concluded. Victory!]
[The Hunter has ended the opponent's 21-match winning streak. The Hunter's ranking has increased from 21st to 9th (First Rank).]
[Detected that the Hunter has risen to the top 10 of the Arena. Current rank: 9th (First Rank). Awarding 'Arena Champion' medal.]
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