The Bald Man and Scarface

Hark then realized that Stone had already made his move. Although he was stopped by the guards before he could attack Scarface, it was enough for Scarface to have a valid reason to punish Stone.

Scarface brutally kicked Stone, who was kneeling on the ground, in the face, then relentlessly punched him. Stone was already low on energy and held by the guards, so he couldn't resist at all. Hark and the other Gladiators wanted to intervene but didn't dare, so they could only watch helplessly as Scarface beat Stone.

Scarface didn't have much strength and found his efforts ineffective after hitting Stone for a while. He then ordered two guards, "You two, break this guy's legs. Let them know what happens to those who defy me!"

One of the guards hesitated, saying, "Isn't this... a bit too much? He didn't really intend to riot, so to just... I-I understand, I'll do as you say!"

The guard saw Scarface's gaze growing fiercer and immediately stopped talking, only able to obey Scarface's command.

Scarface thought sinisterly, Although I can't punish all these disobedient wretches collectively, it's good to make an example of one to warn the others. Let them know the consequences of defying me. If this happens a few more times, let's see who else dares to continue being The Bald Man's stooge and cause trouble for me.

Just as the guard raised his halberd, about to strike Stone's legs, there was a whoosh sound. A spear flew from a distance and directly knocked the halberd out of the guard's hand.

The other guards quickly took up defensive positions around Scarface, shouting, "Who's there? Are you tired of living, daring to attack us!"

Scarface was startled by the suddenly flying spear. After the guards fully protected him, he patted his chest, still shaken, then furiously cursed, "Are you looking for death, tired of living? Who the hell threw that spear!"

Everyone looked in the direction the spear came from, only to see a burly Bald Man walking over alone, head held high.

The Gladiators around Harrot excitedly shouted, "It's Boss The Bald Man!"

The Bald Man walked over, roaring furiously, "Didn't I say, Magical Beasts and all that are your responsibility, Gladiators are mine? Are you brain-dead or tired of living, daring to mess with my people?"

The Bald Man's voice was as loud as a bell, and his angry roar made the guards around Scarface nervously step back.

The Bald Man approached Scarface step by step, his angry expression making one wonder if he would tear the skinny Scarface apart with his bare hands.

Several of Scarface's trusted guards aimed their halberds at The Bald Man. The lead guard said, "The Gladiatorial Arena's affairs are managed by several stewards together. There's no rule about who manages people and who manages beasts. It's not your place to interfere if our lord wants to punish a Gladiator."

Hearing this, The Bald Man roared in anger. He swiftly reached out, grabbing the iron shaft of the halberd, and with a powerful heave, lifted the guard along with his halberd into the air.

"Hmph! What kind of trash are you? A mere dog dares to lecture me?"

The Bald Man spoke as he easily swung the 'human weapon' in his hand, smashing it into the other guards. Harrot, standing nearby, widened his eyes in shock.

I thought my strength was already at the peak for humans, but now I see there are indeed stronger people out there. The Bald Man truly has the physique of a powerful individual.

The Bald Man's strength was truly astonishing. Those guards were private soldiers Scarface had brought from a Slave merchant caravan; their strength was mediocre. The Bald Man knocked several of them down with a single swing.

At this point, the halberd in The Bald Man's hand could no longer withstand the terrifying force and broke. The Bald Man threw away the broken halberd and rushed towards the remaining guards with his bare hands.

The Bald Man used one hand to parry a thrusting halberd, then punched the closest guard down with the other. He then lunged forward, lifted another guard, and with a loud yell, threw him, knocking down the remaining guards.

At this moment, all the guards Scarface had brought were beaten down, leaving only Scarface standing alone.

All this happened very quickly. From The Bald Man's arrival to him beating down all the guards, it took only about ten seconds. The Gladiators all cheered and praised The Bald Man, while the guards on the ground groaned in pain.

The Bald Man slowly walked towards Scarface, who kept backing away in fear. He tripped over a fallen guard's leg and fell directly to the ground.

"You... you... don't come any closer. You... if you dare touch me, the C-Count... Count Sarik will definitely not let you off! Yes, I'm Count Sarik's favorite. Count Sarik asked me to help manage the Gladiatorial Arena. Do you intend to defy Count Sarik's orders?"

Scarface, trembling uncontrollably after falling to the ground, could only bring up Count Sarik's name, hoping to intimidate The Bald Man.

Although The Bald Man's expression remained furious after hearing Scarface's words, he stopped. Count Sarik had changed him from a Gladiator Slave to a steward of the Gladiatorial Arena; he truly could not and was unwilling to defy the Count's orders.

Scarface was very useful to the Gladiatorial Arena now. The Count wouldn't care about minor scuffles between him and Scarface, but he would absolutely not allow them to actually kill each other in private.

The Bald Man grabbed Scarface from the ground, pulled him up to his face, and said word by word:

"Listen, you piece of trash, this is the last time. If I ever find you bothering my Gladiators again, I will tear you to shreds and feed you to the Magical Beasts!"

"Now, take your useless men and get out of my territory!"

With that, The Bald Man threw Scarface to the ground. Scarface scrambled to his feet, not daring to say a harsh word, and scurried out of the training ground.

The guards lying on the ground saw their boss run off and didn't dare say much, so they left. Although The Bald Man had been very angry, he had controlled his strength well. None of them had suffered fatal injuries, at most a few broken bones. The seriously injured were helped out by their comrades.

The Gladiators were all incredibly excited. In their eyes, The Bald Man's status was clearly much higher than that animal Scarface's. As long as Boss The Bald Man had their backs, they had nothing to fear.

The Bald Man also encouraged the Gladiators, saying casually, "Don't worry, as long as I'm here, that trash won't be able to boss you around. Just train seriously and don't die in the arena."

"Haha, Boss, you can rest assured, we'll definitely make you proud!" "Exactly, next time it's Man-Beast Combat, let me fight! I guarantee I won't embarrass you!"

"And now we have another expert! Harrot, the newcomer, is second only to you in skill!"

"Right, right! When I sparred with Harrot, he fought me like I was a child!"

Stone quickly chimed in with praise. When you're utterly defeated by someone, you definitely want everyone to know that your opponent was too strong, not that you were too weak.

The Bald Man's heart filled with joy upon hearing everyone praise Harrot's strength; this was a bargain he had stumbled upon.

The Bald Man smiled proudly and boasted, "Of course that's true. Harrot is an expert I bought for 200 gold coins!"

"That day, I went to the Slave market and instantly spotted Harrot, who stood out from the crowd. I could feel that Harrot's skills were extraordinary, far surpassing ordinary people. Everyone else thought 200 gold coins was too expensive, but I thought it was too cheap!"

"My subordinates tried to persuade me to calm down when I was paying, telling me it was best to test his skills before buying. I directly refused, saying, 'The person I've set my sights on can't be wrong!' and bought Harrot. How about it, I have good taste, don't I?"

With that, The Bald Man slapped Harrot hard on the shoulder. Even with Harrot's physique and the '+10 Golden Bell Shield,' he still felt pain. How much force did this guy use?

Is he warning me not to speak out of turn? Big brother, I'm not an idiot. Only a complete imbecile would expose their boss when he's bragging.

Harrot could only smile silently, but he secretly disdained The Bald Man. It was the Slave trader who actively pushed me on you, and you only spent 50 gold coins, yet you still felt pained by it.

Most importantly, if I hadn't transmigrated here, what you bought was a strong but slow-witted, slightly dim-witted, cursed farmer! What are you so proud of?

The Gladiators excitedly chatted with Boss The Bald Man for a long time. Finally, The Bald Man saw it was getting late and told all the Gladiators to return to their cells to wait for dinner.

As they left, almost all the Gladiators were happy, except for Hark. Hark was deeply worried and stayed in the training ground to speak with The Bald Man.

"Cleon, be honest with me. In the Count's eyes, who's more important—you or Scarface?"

Cleon was The Bald Man's real name. Hark had been in the Gladiatorial Arena with The Bald Man before, so he knew his true identity.

The other Gladiators were younger and less educated, thinking their boss, The Bald Man, was brave and skilled in combat. What was Scarface, that lowlife, compared to their boss?

But Hark, having more experience and a bit of education, understood that who would have the last laugh between Scarface and Cleon depended entirely on Count Sarik's will.

As long as the Count favored Scarface more, neither the Gladiators' support nor Cleon's own combat prowess would mean anything.

Cleon hadn't expected Hark to suddenly ask him this. After a moment's pause, he said, "Count Sarik is a wise and great Noble. He won't only care about short-term gains from the Gladiatorial Arena."

"Man-Beast Combat consumes Gladiators too quickly. If this continues, elite and high-level Gladiators will die out before long. Without these core Gladiators, even Man-Beast Combat won't be very popular."

"The core of the Gladiatorial Arena will always be the Gladiators. Trust me, I can definitely persuade the Count!"

After listening to Cleon, Hark sighed and walked silently back to his cell. Although Cleon hadn't explicitly given an answer, it was clear that the Gladiatorial Arena's current profits were much higher than before Man-Beast Combat was introduced.

In Hark's opinion, Nobles wouldn't care about the lives of those at the bottom.

If Cleon could truly persuade Count Sarik, why would it have dragged on until now? He could have driven Scarface away as soon as he arrived. But now that the Count had tasted the benefits, it would be even more impossible to persuade him.

Scarface could bring greater profits than The Bald Man, so it went without saying who was more important. The Bald Man would be transferred from here by the Count sooner or later. After all, The Bald Man's own combat ability ensured he wouldn't be abandoned by the Nobles, but the fate of the other Gladiators wouldn't be so good.