At two in the afternoon, in the waiting room of the Central Arena.
Rhode sat on a stone bench. The dim yellow light from the torches fell across his back, outlining the sharply defined muscles beneath his thin clothes.
Rhode clasped his hands and propped them against his forehead, his eyes obscured by the shadows.
He knew he was nervous.
The reason was simple. Half an hour before the match, Garo, a Martial Artist who had originally been at the same level as him, had somehow leveled up.
Although the bonuses from leveling up were minuscule for beginners like them, in a battle that had originally been evenly matched, it was a crucial step that could decide victory or defeat.
Fortunately, they had registered for the "Unlimited Duel Tournament," which placed no restrictions on participants. They could use any items, martial techniques, or magic.
This was generally a mode where rich young masters and ladies came out looking for fun, fighting people who were short on money and unafraid of death, then crushing them with cash-shop items.
The two of them had chosen this mode because they both knew what the other had. The items they could afford were roughly the same grade, and out of a certain sense of ceremony, they felt that marrying Xiao Zi required going all out—including with their wallets.
Fortunately.
Rhode looked at the cloth pouch at his waist. The object within had distinct edges, and through the fabric, he could vaguely make out a palm-sized cube.
This was Rhode's trump card!
It all began at the market that morning.
At the time, Rhode had not known that Garo had leveled up. He had been browsing the nearby market for a suitable item to catch Garo off guard.
As he hesitated and deliberated, a square cube-like item with a muddled mix of colors at a shabby stall in the distance caught Rhode's eye.
On a sudden impulse, Rhode went over to ask its price. A voice within told him that he had to buy it.
Looking back, it was probably his incredibly sharp martial intuition! The seller was a hooded figure whose face could not be seen. When Rhode asked where the item had come from, the figure replied in a deep voice, "I found this item in a labyrinth. My Appraisal skill says it seems to be a tool ancient men used to select the true men among themselves. It's useless in my hands, so I'll sell it to you for two silver coins."
Though the answer disappointed Rhode, two silver coins were nothing to adventurers like them, so he followed his instincts and bought it.
Just as Rhode unwillingly scanned it with Appraisal magic, something unexpected happened.
Rhode carefully noticed that the appraisal panel for this item was subtly different from a normal one. His teacher had happened to teach him about this situation—it was a panel created by a Forgery skill, meant to conceal the item's true function! The method to break it was simple: all he needed to do was drip blood on it and use mana to force his way through! Sure enough, after Rhode dripped his blood onto it, the appraisal panel slowly revealed the hidden text!
True Man's Cube Universal Advanced Magic Item Effect: This cube has six faces, each divided into nine squares. By rotating it, you can alter the patterns on its surface. The shorter the time in which you assemble more complex patterns, the more powerful the magic it releases! A competition item said to have been used by Ancient Warriors to select the true men among them. Its effects and destructive power are extremely terrifying! Use with caution! Skill List: Flying Dragon in the Sky.JPG, Great Windmill.JPG, Super Braid.JPG, Old Man Spinning Walnuts.JPG
"An advanced magic item!" Rhode was overjoyed. "And it's universal too. I struck gold!"
Ordinary advanced magic items were sold by the gold coin at minimum, let alone universal items that required no matching magical affinity and could be used by anyone! And with descriptions like "Ancient Warriors," "its destructive power is extremely terrifying," "use with caution," and "true men"—all so wildly badass—one could imagine just how powerful its effects were! As for whether this panel had been made by an even higher-level Forgery skill, Rhode could only say that was impossible.
The advanced skill books for Forgery had already been lost in ancient times! Unless someone could directly level up and derive the highest level from an ordinary Forgery skill, then use it to scam two silver coins from a young man like him.
How could such a person possibly exist, right?
Of course, Rhode had personally tested it on a Magical Beast. Far outside the city, he had struggled to assemble one of the simple patterns from the tutorial in front of a level 27 male Magical Beast. The beast, ten levels higher than Rhode, instantly howled and fled, while Rhode himself had consumed only a tiny amount of mana.
This was the power of a divine artifact! As for those patterns, with Rhode's foundation as a level 17 Martial Artist, he had mastered every one of them in just one afternoon.
Rhode did not even dare imagine how much damage he could inflict if he rapidly assembled those patterns at his current level!
"Forget it. I should go easy on Garo later, considering we grew up together!"
"Heh heh heh." Rhode revealed a sinister grin.
"Number 27, Rhode, it's your turn!" The summons rang out from afar. Rhode adjusted himself slightly and prepared to enter the arena.
"Number 28, Garo, it's your turn!"
"Got it!" A sunny black-haired young man stood up and stretched. He patted the cloth pouch hanging at his waist and revealed a sinister grin. "Heh heh heh. Forget it, I should go easy on Rhode later, considering we grew up together!"
Garo knew that, given Rhode's personality, if he proposed an Unlimited Duel Tournament, Rhode would definitely go to the market to buy items.
As for Garo, he had actually been on the verge of leveling up. He had only needed one final push, so he asked his teammates to buy the items while he secretly went into a labyrinth to level up.
The result was an unexpected delight: he obtained a Universal Advanced Magic Item, the ancient True Man's Cube.
"Fate is on my side! Xiao Zi, here I come!"
Chu Ke, the instigator behind it all, was currently carrying a bucket of popcorn as he searched for his seat, ready to watch the upcoming battle between true men! He had just popped the popcorn himself; this other world definitely did not have anything like it.
"B22. This is it." Chu Ke found his seat.
The layout somewhat resembled a large stadium from his previous life. The audience sat in high-tiered seats while the combatants fought below.
The difference was that the organizers used special projection-rule magic to project the entire event onto a huge crystal suspended in midair, ensuring that everyone could clearly see the match.
The arena was enclosed by a magical barrier to prevent the audience from being caught in the crossfire.
It was said that the arena could also use massive elemental magic arrays to create different terrain depending on the event, from volcanic lava fields to abyssal depths beneath the sea. It was quite comprehensive.
Just as Chu Ke was examining the arena before him, a pleasant female voice suddenly asked, "Excuse me, is this B21?"
Chu Ke turned around. The person asking was a beautiful and cheerful woman with long golden hair, dressed in armor.
Following behind her was a purple-haired girl in a long robe, with a cold expression.
"Yeah, it's right next to mine."
Chu Ke's professional instincts suddenly stirred. After thinking for a moment, he cast a scouting spell.
Natalie Diallo (Hero of the North) Class: Paladin Violet Vega (Title: Violet Archmage) (Gold) High-Level Element Control Archmage lv.90
Oh, there was another familiar face.
I'm very sorry. I finally got this done today, but I might not have enough time to make up for yesterday's update. Work has been insanely busy lately, but don't worry, I'll definitely make it up tomorrow or the day after. I won't go back on that promise. As long as I haven't made up for it, I absolutely won't delete that leave notice! Finally, thank you Shangyi for the 588-point donation! Thanks! Please support everything! Finally