86 Ruthless Rules (2/2)
Arnin wasn't present to see the challenger, but that didn't matter too much because he was able to see what was going on inside the arena from the spectator area.
When he entered the spectating door, he was met with the typical grand seats that one would find in amphitheatres. There was a long fence that circled the large arena set on a lower level. Arnin looked at the air above the fence and snickered slightly.
'Looks like a barrier to prevent intervention in the fight.' Arnin didn't find it surprising for such a thing to be inside the spectating area since the fights needed to be 'fair'. He looked around elsewhere and noticed something on the other side of the seats.
It was a large wooden box with two tiny square holes. Arnin walked closer and noticed that there was a sign on the top of the wooden box. It had the word 'Bets' written inlarge letters.
'Bets?' Arnin walked closer and found that there were two different holes for two different types of bets one could make. The first tiny opening was for people who wanted to use normal currency of Afloria, such as gold, silver and copper coins. The second hole, however, was different. One would use something called Death Coins.
Arnin looked around and found that other than that, there was nothing else on the wooden box, however that only lasted for a few minutes. Suddenly, a name appeared on the wooden box.
[Canae: Win or Lose]
Arnin saw the name appear as soon as he felt the aura of the bun haired girl enter the arena. He looked down and saw that she was finally inside, but had a very cautious and nervous look on her face.
'So, it seems that the fighting will commence very soon.' Arnin waited for a little while longer before another change happened on the wooden box as someone else entered the arena.
[Canae: Win or Lose] vs [Piri: Win or Lose]
He nodded his head when he saw this. He didn't have any money on him to bet, nor did hehave the so called Death coins, so he simply waited until others entered the spectating area.
Half an hour passed, and the spectating seats were finally filled with many cultivators. Some others also went over to the wooden box and decided to bet with silver coins, however no one had any Death coins, or even knew what they were for that matter.
Arnin was sitting idly, waiting for the fight to start. The arena was an open field, but there seemed to be a barrier that separated the fighters from the spectators. He didn't know when the barrier separating the fighters would disappear but he knew that it would happen very soon.
A couple breaths after that thought, a shadow appeared in the middle of the arena. Everyone, including Arnin, looked up at the origin of the shadow and saw that something was falling down. As they looked closer, they found that the object was actually a statue.
'Isn't that the statue that was…' Arnin also noticed the descending statue and found that it was the exact same statue that he saw outside of the Cave Temple. It was the one that stood in the middle.
*BOOOM*
It landed with a thunderous rumble, picking up the dust and creating a small screen. The dust screen surprisingly didn't go back to normal, rather it began to solidify into a large cylindrical pillar.
”Welcome to the Cave Temple!” A deep voice, resounded throughout the arena and specting platforms. Arnin looked at the pillar with a smirk. ”This is a one time explanation of the rules in the Cave Temple.” The deep voice did not sound robotic or preprogrammed, rather it sounded like a normal person.
'This is probably a teacher or someone else associated with the Thorn Academy. The other zones most likely have a person like this as well.' Arnin pondered this thought as he listened to the person inside the pillar.
”The Cave Temple is a battle arena with rewards. The better you do, the better the rewards you shall receive. Most have already seen that the Cave Temple is separated into three different arenas; Bronze, Silver, and Gold. The ones who are even slightly smart should understand that the Gold arena is for the strongest while the Bronze is for the weakest, Silver sitting right in the middle.” Many people nodded their heads when they heard this. Something like that was not too hard to figure out.
Suddenly, a cloaked figure appeared on top of the pillar, looking exactly like the statue that landed previously, but this time it was moving. ”Anyone who enters the arena can only leave after the killing their opponent, however if I feel that the battle will not end quick enough, then I myself will intervene and decide a winner. The loser will, of course… die.” When everyone heard this, they began to look towards one another, slightly nervous, but also a little excited.
”Although battles to the death are also happening outside the Cave Temple Zone, this place gives you rewards if you win and also something called Death coins.” At the mention of the Death coins, everyone's ears perked up. They wanted to know what these things were since they could be used for betting.
”Death coins are earned through killing in the arena. Of course, you can earn some more if you use them in bets, but the only way to obtain your first coins is through battling in the arenas. I decide how much you earn depending on how well you do during your battles.” The more Arnin listened to the person in the cloak, the deeper his frown became.
'The only way to earn Death coins is to kill someone, but the amount you get is determined by this cloak person. You also get rewards based on how well you do in battle, which is also determined by the cloak person. Not only that, but if the cloak person is tired of your battle, he will kill the person he feels should lose. Seems like one has to get in this person's good books in order to benefit from the Cave Temple.' Arnin was not the only one who thought this. Some of the more intelligent people also came to this conclusion, which included the blonde haired man with the black marks.
'Interesting.' The blond haired man also had a small frown. Although strength was a factor in the arena, what really mattered was becoming a favorite for the cloak person, because only then could one get good things from the Cave Temple.
”What is the use of the Death coins? Other then betting, can they be used for anything else?” A fifteen year old or so aged girl couldn't help but voice out what was on most people's minds. If the Death coins could only be used for bets, then they were virtually useless.
”The cloak person 'stared' at the girl and continued speaking. ”The Death coins have three uses. One, they could be used to trade for Afloria currency. A single Death coin is equivalent to twenty silver coins. The second usage for them is towards rewards. The more your earn, the better reward you can get. The last and best usage of the Death Coins is towards academic points.” When these words came out of the cloaked figure's mouth, Arnin couldn't help but smile.
He knew that academic points were the currency used within the academies and they could be used for academy exclusive items and other things. They were not too difficult to obtain for someone like Arnin who could trade pills and cultivation stones for points, but for many of the common students, getting academic points was extremely difficult.
”Now then, there is one last thing that everyone must know. Although you cannot enter the arenas from the spectating seats, you can enter the arena mid battle if you desire from the original gates.” This news hit everyone like a lightning strike. Anyone could enter mid fight? Didn't that mean that once a person died, someone else could enter and steal the points?
People began to wildly think about all that could happen, and the more they thought about it, the worse the expressions on their faces got. Most even planned on leaving the Cave Temple zone since winning could still lead to death.
The cloak person stood silently before lifting his arm. ”I am not finished yet. Although anyone can enter midfight, that does not mean that they can enter after a victor is decided. Once someone wins, then that means that they can leave the arena unharmed.”
Arnin listened and couldn't help but shake his head. He knew that there was still a major loophole one could use during the fights. Although one could not enter after a winner was decided, that didn't mean that someone couldn't enter right before the winner was decided. If someone could appear at the best time, then they would benefit greatly by killing two exhausted fighters.
'These Thorn Academy teachers really encourage killing, but this is also a very good way for me to kill and cultivate with others' blood.' Arnin thought silently as he waited for the cloak person to finish.
”Now then, let us begin the battles. Bet all you want, and lets see who dies and who lives!” With that, the cloak person disappeared and the invisible barrier that separated the two fighters also vanished.
Arnin's eyes narrows as he looked at Canae. 'I have to make sure that she does not die too early. I still need her for now.'