Open the Iron Cage and Let Him Out

Loren didn't spare the nobles around him a glance. He looked straight at the portly steward and said calmly,

"Is there anything else?"

The steward froze, then shook his head.

"Of course not. You just need to pay enough pucks, and these barbarians are yours.

"But we can't help you with anything else. You'll have to take the barbarians away yourself."

As he spoke, he looked at the dozens of nobles around them, all waiting for a good show, and felt a headache coming on.

These barbarians were foul-smelling and stubborn. They were impossible to control, and they weren't afraid of death. Threatening them with death and pain would only invite their mockery.

If they'd been easy to tame, Loren wouldn't have been the one to buy them.

Loren paid no attention to the people around him. The blood in his chest surged, and a demon's bloodthirsty, murderous battle lust spread like weeds.

Fight! Fight!!

Suppressing the battle lust that threatened to spill out of him, he walked, under everyone's watchful eyes, to the iron cage in the middle, where the Barbarian Chieftain was held.

"Highland Barbarians, I've bought you. Under the laws of the Silver Moon Kingdom, you're now my slaves.

"Now, come with me to my territory."

Silence fell after he finished speaking.

The barbarians inside the cage looked at him with scorn and contempt.

They looked like bears of the wasteland sneering at a mouse's challenge.

The young nobles around them burst into laughter.

"Ha ha ha! What family does this descendant come from? He's hilarious."

"Goddess above, does he really think he can tame the barbarians like that?!"

"I'll bet that when he stands in front of the Barbarian Chieftain, he'll be screaming for his mother."

The curly-haired noble and the blond noble looked even more scornful. They almost regretted speaking to him in the first place. A fool like this wasn't even worth talking to.

The portly steward wiped the sweat from his face, looking thoroughly perplexed.

He hadn't expected Loren to do something so awkward. Typical behavior for a noble young master, indeed.

"My lord, perhaps you should forget it. We have other slaves, all strong warriors—"

He truly had no way to deal with these barbarians. They were not only ferocious fighters but also attacked everyone around them without hesitation as soon as they left their cages.

To the Highland Barbarians, death was their ultimate fate. They feared it not at all.

Loren ignored the portly steward and fixed his gaze on the barbarians in the cage.

"People say the barbarians of the highlands are warriors who yearn for freedom. They can hunt Magic Beasts barehanded and tear brown bears apart with their bare hands. I admire warriors like that."

With that, he took out the 20 million he'd just received—a gold card from the Fairy Bank.

As everyone watched, he held it up.

"I've bought all your rights from the Black Feather Merchant Association.

"But brave warriors deserve respect. Today, I'll give you a chance.

"If you can defeat me, I'll grant you true freedom!

"I'll free you from slavery!"

Everyone was shocked by his words. Even the barbarians, who had been as still as statues, all turned to look at Loren.

Loren met the sharp gazes of these men and spoke with forceful confidence.

"If I win, then from this day on, you'll swear allegiance to me and fight for me!"

The nobles around them erupted in an uproar.

Did this man intend to fight the barbarians himself?

And he was only Silver Grade, while the Barbarian Chieftain was a Gold-ranked warrior!

Fiana furrowed her brows, worry and irritation in her eyes.

That bastard—didn't he know how ferocious these barbarians were? His noble status meant nothing to warriors who could tear Magic Beasts apart with their bare hands.

Anor and Robert were clearly taken aback. They'd thought Loren had some other way to deal with the barbarians, but they hadn't expected him to fight them himself!

And he'd put such a huge wager on the line!!

They simply couldn't understand it.

After the young nobles came to their senses, their excitement slowly grew. They'd sent countless subordinates to subdue those damn barbarians, only to watch them get torn to pieces.

A Silver Grade fighter dared to challenge the barbarians?

They could hardly wait to see the barbarians chop off his head.

The curly-haired noble and the blond noble, surrounded by the others, exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

This idiot really intended to fight those barbarians!

"Lord Henley, how many seconds do you think he'll last? Hmm, I'd say five. After all, it takes some time to get thrown into the air and land."

The blond noble stopped laughing and pretended to think for a moment before replying confidently,

"At least ten seconds. If he's still breathing, it doesn't count as a loss. After ten seconds, he'll probably be nothing but a pile of minced meat."

They exchanged another glance and laughed even louder.

The barbarians in the cage rose as one after Loren finished speaking. They stared at him coldly, as if trying to determine whether he meant what he'd said.

Loren didn't back down. He stood there, facing a group of men who were nearly six foot three on average, their bodies rippling with muscle.

The battle lust in his eyes burned like fire.

A moment later, the barbarians parted, making way.

A massive figure over six foot six tall, with a cross-shaped scar on his face, appeared before everyone.

Even among the barbarians, who averaged nearly six foot three, he stood out as particularly powerfully built.

The muscles on his arms looked as if they'd been carved to perfection with a razor. No one could doubt the immense strength that such a terrifying body could unleash.

One punch could probably kill a bull.

"Human noble, I'm the chieftain of the Frost Tribe. I accept your challenge. How do we fight?"

His voice rumbled like thunder, and his amber eyes were as sharp as a falcon's.

The young nobles outside the cage instinctively backed away a few steps. Even with such a sturdy iron cage between them, they didn't feel the least bit safe. It seemed that if the barbarian lost his temper, he could tear through the steel before him.

The pressure his massive frame exerted was astonishing.

The portly steward swallowed, his eyes pleading.

"My lord, perhaps you should give up. The Barbarian Chieftain has the blood of Gold Knights on his hands.

"And when he was first locked up, he tore apart a brown bear that escaped from its cage. No one can subdue him."

If this clueless noble descendant got himself killed by those foul-smelling, stubborn barbarians—

The steward feared he'd be held responsible.

The portly steward couldn't help regretting the whole affair. If he hadn't been reluctant to get rid of these hard-to-catch barbarians, he wouldn't have gotten himself into so much trouble.

Loren felt the power awakening within him and fixed the chieftain with a knife-sharp gaze.

"On the arena. No weapons. Fight however you like."

Fiana could no longer hold back. She stepped forward and blocked Loren, looking at him with stubborn determination.

"I'll take your place in this fight!"

Loren looked at the cool, composed girl and smiled brightly.

"Trust me, girl."

Then he waved a hand. "Open the iron cage and let him out."

"I've never tasted the blood of a Gold-ranked warrior before."