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"Squeak!"
Another door opening sound rang out, and at the same time, a tall shadow enveloped the preparation room.
Following the sound, a tall and burly man with bear ears on his head strode into the preparation room.
A Bearman of the Beastman race, with a square face, ripped muscles, and a body covered in thick black fur, he looked like a towering wall of muscle, exuding immense visual pressure.
The Bearman's somewhat sinister triangular eyes swept around the room and then focused on Ryoji.
He walked over silently and sat down beside him.
With a "bang," the simple wooden chair creaked and groaned like a taut bowstring, almost shattering under his weight.
"Did you place a bet?"
The Bearman lowered his head, glancing at Ryoji from the corner of his eye, and pulled out a vicious smile, asking in a low, muffled voice.
"A bet? Can you place bets here?"
Ryoji seemed oblivious to the menace in his expression, completely distracted by the mention of gambling.
So, you can place bets in this arena?
Ryoji felt a pang of regret.
If he had known earlier, he would have bet on himself to win. Many transmigrator Senpais always made a fortune in arenas like this!
'This arena is so sneaky, quietly swindling him out of millions. Damn it!'
"No bet? That's good."
The Bearman showed a satisfied smile and then reached out with his arm.
He seemed to want to put his arm around Ryoji's shoulders, but Ryoji frowned and bent down to avoid it.
Seeing his arm miss its target, the Bearman's face darkened, and his massive body exuded a sense of oppression.
"...Let's make a deal."
But he didn't explode immediately. Instead, he retracted his arm and rested it on his knee, masking his awkwardness.
"I see you like playing in the arena. How about this? I'll help you knock the Dwarf off the stage and then intentionally lose to you, letting you enjoy the feeling of being the champion. I'll only take a tiny bit of your reward. After all, with your frail body, you definitely can't beat that Dwarf. I also have a few brothers outside who can help. You can think about it."
His gaze went past Ryoji and landed on the backpack beside him.
At the Guild, he had seen with his own eyes that the backpack was filled with gold and silver treasures. Just taking out a portion had exchanged for more than 2 Million Valis, and the total value was at least two to three times that.
He was worried that this reckless kid would spend all his money on the arena, so he pretended to be a contestant and came in, with several brothers waiting outside.
More than 5 Million Valis is a huge sum even in Orario. Even for a top-tier Adventurer like him, it would take about half a year to earn that much, and that's only if nothing goes wrong while exploring the Dungeon.
However, since there are people from the Ganesha Familia in the arena, he couldn't act openly, so he sneaked in to threaten him.
If this kid hadn't stuck to the main roads and avoided the less-traveled paths, they would have already made their move on the way, without having to wait until the arena.
After getting all the money, they could capture this kid and sell him off secretly. There would be plenty of wealthy merchants willing to pay a high price for such a high-class "rabbit."
"How strong are your brothers?" Ryoji stroked his chin, pondering the question.
"We're all top-tier among Lv.1, and I'm Lv.2... How about it? Satisfied?"
The Bearman curled his lips, looking quite proud.
"You're Lv.2?"
"That's right!"
Ryoji's gaze sharpened.
Then he also curled his lips.
"Do you think I'm kidding here? You dare to ask for a reward from me and you are actually threatening me? Either obediently be my stepping stone or get the hell out of my sight. Also, you stink too much. Go home and take a few more baths!"
The Bearman's smile instantly froze, and his expression visibly darkened.
He clenched his fists, his eyes radiating killing intent born of anger.
But before he could act, Ryoji stood up.
On the stage.
"The next match is here! This time, the challenger is still a human, said to be an outsider who came to Orario with dreams. Surprisingly, this challenger is an ordinary person without Falna!"
The host held a megaphone-like device, looking at the registration form in his hand with astonishment.
'What is an ordinary person doing on the Adventurer's stage?'
Also, according to the number plates, there should have been at least three challengers before him. Where did they all go?
He silently cursed but still tried to hype up the atmosphere, after all, the contestants were not his concern. He had seen many get injured or even die on the stage.
As the host stepped down from the stage, he immediately spotted Ryoji walking toward it.
"Watch this for me."
He tossed the backpack to the host, who looked at him in disbelief, as Ryoji made his way to the stage.
"Wait, wait, wait, is this for real? An outsider, and an ordinary person? He wants to challenge a Dwarf Adventurer?"
"There's no way he can win; after all, Dwarves are the strongest warriors."
"This race generally possesses immense power, giving them a significant advantage in the novice stage, not to mention this guy doesn't even have Falna."
The audience was a boiling cauldron of voices.
Regardless of race, whether commoner or Adventurer, everyone displayed expressions of pity. They all believed the Dwarf Adventurer would win without a doubt, and no one held any hope for Ryoji.
Ryoji selected a katana from the weapon rack below the stage and then walked up onto the platform.
During the match, to prevent any unfair weapon advantages, both contestants could only use weapons provided by the arena. If they broke, they wouldn't have to compensate, as clearly stated in the contract.
"What a shabby arena."
Ryoji took in the surroundings of the stage, wrinkling his nose.
The arena itself was quite spacious, a square about a hundred meters on each side, but the surface was entirely made of rock, with broken stones that no one bothered to repair. It was far inferior compared to the arena at Hagun Academy.
As he stepped onto the stage, whispers erupted from the audience.
"The host just said he's human? Did I hear that wrong?"
"And he's an outsider; with that face, he should quickly become famous in Orario. The Goddesses are going to go crazy over him."
"The male gods will probably go crazy too, like Apollo..."
On stage.
The Dwarf, standing more than ten meters away from Ryoji, tapped his axe.
"Haha! What a handsome young man! But your body is too slender; you need to focus on physical training!"
He was an older-looking Dwarf, laughing heartily at Ryoji.
His height barely reached Ryoji's chest, and his face was covered in gray-brown stubble, almost obscuring half of it. When he spoke, his lips were completely hidden, and his forehead bore several deep wrinkles.
Most notably, his arms were muscular and well-defined, and even while holding a shield in one hand and an axe in the other, he showed no signs of strain, exuding an imposing presence.
"In the eyes of a Dwarf, all other races look quite slender."
"Exactly."
"Hey, the Amazons are going wild...!"
The audience began to stir, and the noise grew louder, with some letting out horrified screams.
(End of Chapter)