After stirring things up, Chu Ke casually sat down.
Beside him, Diallo frowned, looked at Chu Ke, and carefully chose his words before asking, "I really don't understand. Why would you do something so vulgar...?"
Diallo was not one of the summoned Heroes, but someone naturally born in this world.
Diallo came from the Diallo Family of the Northern Royal Family. Because their hair had gleamed like gold for generations, the Diallo family was also known as the Golden Nobles.
Everyone cared about appearances. Since they had the noble label, all sorts of etiquette naturally emerged to set them apart from "barbarians."
Hearing that, Chu Ke looked Diallo over once more.
Mm, a distinguished family, gentlemanly manners, a cheerful personality, that strikingly heroic face, and skills full of all the right elements.
Definitely a king among women.
"Everything I do is for fun." Chu Ke calmly looked toward the arena. "That includes becoming a Hero and going to defeat the Demon King. It includes sitting here right now, enduring the sweat and body odor of these medieval men around me while watching this match."
Chu Ke looked at Diallo. "Even coming to this world and meeting you is part of what makes me happy."
In simple terms, he was just looking for entertainment.
"Mm!" Diallo leaned back slightly, seemingly unable to handle Chu Ke's bluntness. He then regained his composure and asked again, "Then what was enjoyable about what you just did?"
Ignoring Vega's increasingly strange gaze beside him, Chu Ke pointed at the arena.
At some point, the two men who had been fighting evenly had both stopped. They stared at each other from afar, their guard raised to the limit.
"When someone in the stands shouts, 'Quickly Pinch His Balls!', both fighters in the arena will start worrying about one thing."
"He Won't Really Pinch My Balls, Will He? It's really a despicable thing to do, but what if? What if the other guy really does it?"
"From then on, the two of them will fall into a chain of mutual suspicion until one side gives up the match or actually starts pinching balls."
"I call it the Dark Gacha Law."
"Isn't it interesting? Just because of one sentence from an off-field spectator, the relationship between the two people in the arena, their method of dueling, and even the fate of the rest of their lives can all be changed."
The person with the biggest reaction was not Diallo, but Vega behind him.
Vega's eyes lit up slightly, while the shadow cast by her bangs hid her expression.
Diallo froze for a moment. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, but after a brief struggle, he seemed to tacitly accept the logic behind Chu Ke's actions.
He said nothing more.
In the arena, whenever Garo approached Rhode in an attempt to attack, he felt a cold current circling beneath his crotch.
Though he knew it was an illusion, he could not help feeling uneasy.
Apparently unable to endure the pressure any longer, Garo suddenly retreated and pulled a cloth bag from his clothes.
"Hmph." Garo sneered as he looked at Rhode. "When it comes to fighting, you may indeed be strong. Even our master praised you, despite you becoming his disciple after me. Even though I'm a level above you, I'm still no match for you."
"But playtime ends here!"
Garo gave the bag a hard shake, revealing the object inside.
It was a strange dark-gold cube. Each of its six faces was divided into nine even squares, painted with patterns of different colors.
Under the blazing afternoon sun, it reflected an eerie, terrifying glow.
"The legendary Ancient Magic Item! It is your fortune to be defeated by its power!"
"What?!" Countless spectators in the stands dutifully cried out in surprise, perfectly playing their roles as background extras.
"A legendary Ancient Magic Item? How could it possibly appear here?!"
"That kid wasn't lying! I just used the Remote Appraisal Telescope. It really is an ancient-series magic item, but I don't recognize this prefix. It must truly be a brand-new ancient magic item!"
Chu Ke raised an eyebrow. He had not expected the status panel he had casually made up to accidentally hit the mark. What kind of Ultimate Lucky Student was this?
"How is that possible?!" Vega stood up in shock and pulled a monocle from her chest. "It's actually real? Although it's only high-grade, it's still from the ancient series. Where did they get something like that?!"
The two had known her since childhood. Given their standing, how could they possibly have encountered something like this?
At the same time, Rhode in the arena was stunned. Then, before everyone's eyes, he pulled out an identical dark-gold cube from his pocket. Looking at the utterly shocked Garo, he mocked, "I don't know why you have one, but remember this: you aren't special!"
"What?! There's another one?!" That was the background-extra spectator.
"Wahahaha! Being able to witness a battle between ancient items like this, even if I die here, the ticket price will have been worth it!" That was the bloodthirsty spectator.
The moment the two took out their cubes, two beams of light shot out from them at once.
"Combatants detected. Begin the True Man Duel?"
The same message entered both of their ears.
"Though I don't know what's going on, it suits me perfectly. Come on!"
"Hmph, don't get cocky either. Start it!"
As soon as they gave the command, the rules of the game flooded into their minds like a tide.
This game is turn-based. Choose the positive or negative side, then toss a coin to determine who goes first. The last person still standing after enduring every trial shall be the true man! Note: Once the match begins, it cannot be interrupted unless one side loses consciousness, and it will continue automatically.
Rhode chose the positive side, while Garo chose the negative side.
The virtual coin was tossed. It landed tails-up, and Garo would attack first.
"Hmph, with the power of this divine artifact, going first means victory! Take this~!" Garo burst into wild laughter and twisted the cube toward Rhode.
Perhaps because he was still subconsciously worried about Rhode's safety, Garo's movements were somewhat slow.
Before long, he assembled a cross-shaped pattern.
Rhode gritted his teeth and nervously watched ahead.
He had witnessed this artifact's power before. Though he did not yet know what it felt like to actually be attacked, with the willpower of a martial artist, he should still be able to overcome a beast—as long as he could survive the first round. The next instant, an invisible force slowly drifted toward Rhode's crotch.
At that moment, Rhode seemed to understand why that experimental beast had suffered so terribly.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH—!!!"
In the distance, Garo watched Rhode freeze at first, then slowly bend over and let out a tortured howl.
Since the day he had met Rhode, Garo had never seen such a twisted expression on his face.
Three minutes later, Rhode was still screaming. Garo swallowed and looked fearfully at the cube in his hand.
What kind of pain is this...? Rhode, you absolutely must not endure it. If you do endure it, then does that mean I'll also...
A moment later, Rhode slowly straightened up, his face drenched in cold sweat and twisted in agony, though his legs were still trembling.
"Garo!" His voice was like a demon crawling out of hell. "Didn't expect that, did you? I endured it."
"I trusted you so much before. Even in this battle, I had hoped that after it was over, we could return to being friends who could talk about anything."
"I never thought... I never thought you would be this vicious!"
"Die!" With a furious roar, Rhode began frantically twisting the cube in his hand.
"No—!" Garo wanted to explain, but there was no turning things around. He could only watch in agony as Rhode rapidly twisted the cube, assembling a cross in half the time Garo had taken.
The next instant, a piercing pain surged from Garo's crotch, as though his marrow had been ripped from his bones.
At that moment, Garo understood everything.
At that moment, the real battle began.
I'm getting discharged tomorrow. Thanks for your concern, brothers! Lastly, I'm asking for everything!!!