Chapter 233 Odds
After the woman led Law and Buhara into the elevator, she began her usual explanation.
"From the first floor up to the 200th floor, each level is divided into ten-floor increments."
"In other words, if you win on the 50th floor, you'll advance to the 60th floor."
"Conversely, if you lose, you'll be demoted to the 40th floor. Once you pass the 100th floor, you'll receive a private room."
The girl spoke neither too fast nor too slow, which made her sound very comfortable to listen to. This showed that she had repeated this explanation thousands of times before.
"So, once we reach the 200th floor, the ranking system changes?" Law asked promptly as he saw the elevator had already reached the 30th floor.
The woman smiled and said, "As long as you can advance to the 200th floor, the relevant staff will explain the details to you."
Knowing he wouldn't get any more information, Law curled his lips.
Ding!
The elevator arrived at their floor, and the doors slid open.
The woman returned the papers back to Law and Buhara and said with a smile: "Please use this ticket and follow the directional signs along the walls to the reception desk to claim your prize money and prepare for your next match. Best of luck!"
"Thanks."
After taking the paper, Law thanked her.
The woman maintained her flawless smile as she closed the elevator doors and descended back to the ground floor.
Law took a moment to scan his surroundings. The corridor was spacious, and the walls were covered with numerous directional signs.
"Let's go collect our prize money first."
"How much do we get?" Buhara asked.
"Not much."
Law responded casually and led Buhara to the right.
"Your appetite is getting out of control. You better make some serious cash here. At the very least, we need to stockpile a year's worth of food expenses." Law remarked as they walked.
"I'll do my best." Buhara grinned.
The two arrived at a counter resembling a bank teller's window, where a sweet-looking female staff member waited behind a glass partition.
"Please show me your tickets." The girl said politely.
Law and Buhara took out the tickets at the same time and handed them to the girl inside through the hole under the glass window.
The girl took the tickets, verified them, and placed a few coins on the counter and slid them toward them.
There are four coins, with a total value of 252 Jenny, barely enough to buy an expensive canned drink. Moreover, there are two drink vending machines next to the counter, which clearly intended for participants.
This was the 50th-floor prize collection area, and everyone would receive the same payout.
In fact, on the first floor, contestants could receive 252 Jenny regardless of whether they win or lose. However, if they lost their next match, they would receive nothing. The 50th floor marked a significant turning point.
Winning on the 50th floor would cause the prize money to skyrocket to 50,000 Jenny. The higher one climbed, the greater the rewards. At the 100th floor, the prize money will be in the millions. At the 150th floor, the prize money will be in the tens of millions. At the 200th floor, the prize money will be in the hundreds of millions.
Law picked up the coin and put it directly into the vending machine, getting himself a can of coffee, while Buhara get a can of juice for himself.
The two of them drank their drinks while making their way toward the preparation lounge.
Upon arriving at the lounge entrance, Law threw the empty coffee can into the trash can, then pushed the door open and walked in, while Buhara followed closely behind.
There were about two hundred people sitting or standing in the lounge.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, the contestants inside all looked over. After a brief glance at Law and Buhara, they quickly lost interest and returned to their own business.
The overall quality of the contestants had noticeably improved compared to the chaotic mix of the first floor. However, at a glance, there wasn't a single Nen User among these 200 people, and they're just ordinary people with good physical fitness.
Law led Buhara to find a seat and sit down. Fighters who had passed the preliminary matches still had to compete in a second round later today. If they win, they will be promoted to the 60th floor, and if they lose, they will be demoted to the 40th floor.
"I'm getting a little hungry."
While waiting for their match to be scheduled, Buhara rubbed his stomach and said.
"You ate so much, and you're hungry in less than two hours?" Law stared at him speechlessly.
Buhara shrank his neck and said, "Just a little…"
Law rubbed his forehead in exasperation and said: "I really want to know what you've been doing this past."
Buhara scratched his head. Over the past year, his appetite had indeed grown larger, but so had the intensity of the training arranged by Dafifi. It was as if his food intake and training volume had increased in direct proportion.
Beep!
A sound came from a rectangular speaker hanging on the wall of the lounge.
"Mr. Law and Mr. Buhara, please proceed to Ring B on the 58th floor."
From the second match onward, the tournament organizers addressed the contestants by name, also adding a respectful 'Mr.' to their name.
After hearing the content of the notice, Law and Buhara looked at each other.
On the very first day, for their second match, they had been scheduled to fight each other.
"Boss, I'll give up!" Buhara said immediately.
"No need." Law stood up with a smile and said, "I actually want to test myself."
Seeing Law insisted like this, Buhara had no choice but to steel himself and go along with it.
The two of them stood up and left the lounge, heading towards the 58th floor.
Above the 50th floor, there will be a separate indoor arena and packed audiences, which is completely different from the situation on the lower floors.
When Law and Buhara arrived at Ring B on the 58th floor, the audience seats were full of people, who raised their hands and shouted in excitement. Waves of cheers echoed throughout the enclosed space, making it feel like a world-class combat event.
In reality, this was just a match on the 50th floor.
The audience had all purchased tickets to be here, and they could watch multiple fights throughout the day. More importantly, they could place bets on every match, which was the main reason for their enthusiasm.
"Ladies and gentlemen, sorry to have kept you waiting. Please welcome Mr. Law and Mr. Buhara to the arena."
"Both of them are fighters who showcased exceptional skill in their previous matches and directly jumped to the 50th floor from the first floor Now, let's take a look at their previous battles on the big screen!"
A young woman wearing a headset sat at the commentator's desk, guiding the audience's attention to a massive screen hanging on the venue's wall.
The dark screen flickered to life with static before displaying a video, Law casually blocking his opponent's punch and effortlessly tossing them aside. The footage then cut to Buhara, showing him smacking his opponent out of the ring with a single palm strike.
The purpose of playing this video is to let the audience know the strength of Law and Buhara, allowing them to make an informed decision when placing their bets.
After the audience had seen the performance of Law and Buhara in the previous battle, the commentator's voice grew more enthusiastic: "Now then, are you ready to place your bets? Press your buttons now!"
Beep, beep, beep…!
After seeing the strength of Law and Buhara from the video, the audience eagerly grabbed their betting remotes and placed their wagers on their preferred fighter.
Matches below the 200th floor weren't broadcast globally, as only fights at the 200th floor and above received live international coverage. However, even the lower-level fights managed to ignite the audiences' excitement.
The reason is the betting pools.
After a while, the betting results were displayed on the giant screen.
"The results are in! Mr. Buhara is the favored fighter!"
The odds were revealed: Law's odds were 2.275 and Buhara's odds were 1.300!
Judging from the odds, Buhara has an overwhelming advantage.
Seeing the odds, Law couldn't help but wonder: 'Can contestants place a bet too?'