The Helplessness of a Wage Slave

Killing intent flared in Lu Li's eyes as he raised his hand and fired several Lightning Arrows.

Before they could hit their targets, his "Speed System" talent activated at full force!

Lu Li's figure suddenly accelerated!

Like a cannonball blasting from the barrel, he slammed viciously toward one of the gaps!

The invisible Lizard Warrior was too busy dealing with the incoming Lightning Arrows to notice Lu Li charging at him like a madman.

By the time he came to his senses, the sharp blade had already sliced across his body!

"Aoo!" The wounded Lizard Warrior howled in pain.

Just as he tried to retaliate, he discovered that his movements had inexplicably become far more sluggish.

"What's going on? There's poison on the blade!"

The Lizard Warrior glanced at his Data Panel and was horrified to find a long string of debuffs following his name!

"Curse Toxin," "Decay Toxin," "Laceration," "Severe Wound," "Continuous Bleeding," "Wound Corruption," "Weakness," "Armor Break," "Confusion"...

And he had only been slashed once!

The Lizard Warrior was utterly terrified. As he struggled to retreat, he tried to take a potion from his Space Pouch to cleanse the debuffs.

But how could Lu Li possibly give him the chance!

With a sudden stop and turn, his Blade Arm struck like a reverse thrust, instantly piercing through the Lizard Warrior's chest!

Seeing his companion slain, the other Lizard Warrior immediately let out a grief-stricken roar and tried to charge over to fight Lu Li to the death.

Unfortunately, a large number of Soul Soldiers surrounded him. Though their levels were low, they still posed considerable obstacles to the Lizard Warrior.

Lu Li did not even charge again. A few Lightning Arrows were enough to blast the Lizard Warrior into charred ash.

The battle ended once more.

The spectator stands were utterly silent. Only after a long while did thunderous cheers erupt!

"Holy shit, Lu Li is insane!"

"Using a bunch of trash summons to locate and trap an invisible opponent—how the hell did I not think of such a great idea?!"

"His combat reactions are smooth as flowing water. Lu Li is definitely a top-tier genius..."

"Who else?! I'm asking, who else can defeat this newcomer?!"

"It's in the bag! If he can even take down an opponent with an Invisibility talent, a hundred-win streak is within reach!"

"Huh? Where's that guy who said he'd help me make a fortune? Your heart must be ice-cold by now..."

The discussions in the private boxes were just as heated.

Inside one simple yet elegant private box.

An old man and a young boy stood before the glass, looking down at the Arena below.

Only after hearing Dior announce Lu Li's victory did the old man slowly speak.

"Kou'er, after watching for so long, what is your assessment of this person?"

The boy, who appeared to be only eleven or twelve, smacked his lips and replied loudly.

"He's pretty impressive, but his fighting style is too reckless, and he isn't steady enough."

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

The old man glanced at the boy, his tone as unhurried as ever.

"With Lu Li's ability, he could have easily made it to the eightieth battle without taking a scratch. Yet for the sake of efficiency, he deliberately allowed himself to be injured."

"Using himself as bait was indeed a strategy, but in a hundred-match gladiatorial battle, it's far too risky."

"If he encounters an opponent he can't contend with, he'll lose his life for good."

The young Chen spoke with sound reasoning, every word incisive.

Yet the old man showed no pleased smile. Instead, he shook his head somewhat disappointedly.

Rather than directly point out the flaws in the boy's assessment, he asked another question.

"If you went down there to fight him, what do you think your chances of winning would be?"

Hearing this, the boy seemed to have suffered a tremendous insult. His young face reddened slightly.

"If I fought him, I wouldn't say I had a hundred percent chance of winning, but with ninety-nine percent certainty, he'd be no match for me!"

"Setting aside the level gap, my talent alone is leagues beyond his!"

"Grandpa, have you gone senile? How could you ask such a question..."

Faced with the boy's displeasure, the old man showed no anger. Instead, he chuckled.

"The spirit of youth is fierce and unrestrained! Confidence is a good thing, but one should not be arrogant."

The boy retorted, "Our Chen Family cultivates the Mad Blade. The talent awakened by our family generation after generation is also [Rage], which is compatible with the blade. Being confident and arrogant is perfectly normal!"

"Grandfather, you're too timid, which is why your strength has been unable to improve at all."

The smile vanished from the old man's face, but there was still no anger in his eyes.

He made a suggestion that greatly surprised the youth:

"If you truly think so, why not step into the arena and fight Lu Li later?"

"Fight him in the arena?"

A nearly imperceptible trace of fear flashed through the youth's eyes before being swiftly replaced by disdain.

"Wouldn't that be bullying him? Besides, arena management wouldn't allow gladiators with too large a level gap to fight."

To ensure fairness in gladiatorial matches, the Hub Arena had a hidden rule.

That was, the level difference between the two combatants could not exceed 10 levels.

The youth, Chen Kou, was already Lv.30, fifteen levels above Lu Li—far beyond the limit for entering the arena.

The old man pretended to suddenly remember, patting his head as he chuckled.

"I nearly forgot about that restriction. Then, to ensure fairness, let's send out a Blade Slave..."

Inside another luxuriously decorated private room.

Xiao Erfu withdrew his gaze from the arena and spoke with some concern.

"Madam, should I go over again? Supreme Heaven may have underestimated Lu Li's strength. If this continues..."

Octopus Lady raised a hand and said gently, "No rush. There are still twenty matches left."

"This opponent was merely a test. Lu Li is very strong, but he has already played all his cards."

"If I'm not mistaken, Supreme Heaven will soon send someone to have him sign an Indenture Contract."

Sure enough.

Before Octopus Lady had even finished speaking, Dior, who had been standing at the edge of the arena, suddenly ran toward Lu Li.

It seemed he had received some sort of instruction.

Seeing the robot referee running toward him, Lu Li found it strange as well and immediately stopped looting the corpse.

"Lu Li, you've struck it lucky! Someone has taken a liking to you and wants to buy you!"

"Buy me? But I don't belong to the arena."

Lu Li frowned deeply, not understanding what Dior meant for the moment.

If he remembered correctly, he had never signed an Indenture Contract with the arena.

Since he was free, how could anyone speak of buying or selling him?

Seeing Lu Li's confusion, Dior immediately explained, "Of course you don't belong to the arena right now. That's why I came over—to have you sign an Indenture Contract."

"Once you sign it, we'll arrange very weak opponents for your next twenty matches, helping you easily achieve a hundred consecutive victories."

"If you don't sign, the arena will arrange opponents you cannot defeat. You will die."

"Even I can't change that."

After saying that, Dior shrugged helplessly.

He liked Lu Li very much and also hoped Lu Li could successfully win a hundred gladiatorial matches.

But Supreme Heaven had already intervened. No matter how awesome Dior was, he was still only a referee.

Just a miserable wage slave who couldn't change anything.

Lu Li's expression immediately turned cold.

He hated being threatened more than anything!

And though he had been reborn and sought stability in this life, he would never bow and scrape!

"Forget about the Indenture Contract. Hurry up and let the match continue."