Skullcrusher?

Alden entered the waiting room.

There were already some people inside, all wearing masks and minding their own business.

Alden took a seat at one corner.

There was a large screen in the centre of the room showing an ongoing match inside the arena.

A man with a curved dagger was trying to outrun his opponent, but a second later, blood sprayed across the arena.

The audience roared as the victor stood over the corpse.

The rules of these matches were simple.

Kill your opponent or force them to surrender.

Surrendering was possible—technically. But in a place like this, most fighters didn't show mercy.

Most people fighting in this arena were those at and below Apprentice Rank.

The reason was simple: those at Adept Rank and higher were highly sought out by various guilds. They could easily earn lots of money.

So the highest-ranking challenger in the arena was probably at apprentice rank.