Gladiatorial Deathmatch

"Bone-breaking... Arena?" Will stared in astonishment at the hunter.

"Indeed. Judging by your bewildered expression, it seems you were tricked into coming here, am I right?" The hunter chuckled, casting a knowing glance at Will.

"Ah..." Will gazed at the hunter in confusion. It was only after the hunter's words that a flicker of memory returned to him—he had been drugged by the old woman he had helped, and brought here.

"From the looks of it, this is not a pleasant experience for you," the hunter said as he slowly approached Will.

"Yes..." Will lowered his head, speaking in a tone of deep shame.

"What is your name?" The red-haired woman asked.

"My name is Will Gibson. I hail from the Paralle Empire. This is my first journey away from home to train, and I never imagined I would encounter something like this." Will smiled slightly as he spoke to both the red-haired woman and the hunter.

"Ah, I am Lisa Hill. As for where I am from, you wouldn't know it, so there's no need to elaborate." The red-haired woman responded.

"Hello." Will greeted Lisa with a smile.

"You can call me Jin," the hunter said, pointing his thumb to himself, a confident smile on his face.

"Hello, Uncle Jin," Will said politely.

"I told you to just call me Jin!" Jin shouted, slightly irked.

"By the way, what exactly is this place?" Will asked, his confusion mounting.

"What place? Take a look outside carefully," Jin said, pointing towards the large window behind Will.

Without hesitation, Will rushed to the window to see for himself.

What he saw made his blood run cold. Before him stretched a massive, circular arena, where six people were locked in a brutal battle. The arena's high walls stood at least five or six meters tall, making it nearly impossible for anyone to climb out. Above, the stands were packed with people, all of them yelling and screaming in a frenzy, as if caught in a wild madness, directing their rage towards the combatants below.

"Now you understand, don't you?" Jin said, walking over to Will's side and observing his gaze.

"Will we... end up like them?" Will's eyes remained fixated on the blood-soaked arena.

"Exactly. That's why we are here with three people on our side. The rule is that each team sends three fighters into the center of the arena to battle it out." Jin explained.

"Lisa and I haven't had our turn yet, because we were always missing one idiot. Until they caught you." Jin chuckled, patting Will on the shoulder.

"This is too cruel!" Will exclaimed, his voice filled with fury.

"There's no choice. The world is too chaotic right now. No one dares to intervene. This arena isn't even within the borders of the Paralle Empire, the Magic United Nations, or the Arus Empire. So, none of the three major empires are coming to stop it. And the smaller nations are too weak to do anything. But I've heard that the leader here is quite powerful, or they wouldn't be so openly defiant." Jin sighed.

"Damn it!" In a surge of anger, Will slammed his fist into the wall.

"I understand how you feel, but getting upset won't help now," Jin said, patting Will's shoulder before walking away.

"Yay!" A deafening cheer erupted from outside.

"Ah, it seems three people have been killed already," Jin remarked.

At that moment, the sound of metal clashing echoed from outside, signaling that someone had come to open the door.

"It's our turn," Jin said to Will and Lisa.

The door to their room swung open, revealing a figure clad in old, worn armor, his face obscured by a helmet. Without a word, the armored figure stood motionless in the doorway.

"What... what should we do?" Lisa asked, looking at Jin with uncertainty.

"Let's head out first," Jin replied. He grabbed his crossbow, leading the way, followed by Lisa, while Will picked up his short sword and shield and cautiously stepped out.

Beyond the door stretched a curved hallway, lit by torches on both sides. The air was thick with the putrid stench of decay, mingled with the metallic tang of blood.

"What... is that smell?" Will pinched his nose, recoiling at the odor.

"The stench of corpses, blood. Isn't it normal to smell this in a place like this?" Jin answered nonchalantly.

After traversing the long corridor, they reached the center of the arena. Standing before them were three large, muscular men, each wielding deadly weapons—one with a knife, one with a massive hammer, and the last with a pair of razor-sharp gauntlets.

"Lisa, why aren't you armed?" Will asked, noticing Lisa was unarmed.

"Me? I don't need a weapon. Don't you think I look perfectly at ease?" Lisa replied coldly.

"Uh, is that so?" Will glanced down at his own short sword and shield, offering a bitter smile.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen! This next match features a new team, yet to be named! If they survive, I'll give them a name—hahaha!" The voice came from a short figure, a gnome who stood at the front of the VIP box opposite the arena. His malicious words were met with uproarious laughter from the crowd.

"These newcomers will face our 'Butchers'," the gnome continued, announcing the opponents. A wave of cheers erupted from the stands.

"Well then, let's see how long these three new recruits can last! Hahahaha!" The gnome laughed wickedly, then descended from the box.

Immediately, the Butchers charged forward, three men sprinting toward Will and his companions. Will was the first to react, charging headlong into the fray, while Jin and Lisa remained motionless.

The man with the knife was the first to reach Will, slashing at him with lightning speed. Will, having been trained, easily dodged the strike. Seizing the opportunity, he crouched and slid behind his opponent, thrusting his short sword toward his back. Just as Will thought he would land the hit, a massive hammer slammed into his side, sending him crashing to the ground, unable to move.

"Heh, didn't expect you to be so quick," the man with the knife said, standing over Will with a malicious grin.

"Your teammates seem too scared to move. Hahaha!" The man with the hammer sneered at Will.

"Die!" The knife-wielder raised his weapon to strike.

"Whoosh!" At the last moment, an arrow flew like lightning, piercing through the man's skull. He collapsed to the ground, dead before he hit the floor.

"Who did that?!" The other two men shouted in fear, their eyes wide in horror.

"Who said we were too afraid to move?" Jin's voice rang out from behind, his crossbow aimed at the remaining opponents.