Grade A Fugitive

"Haha, I told you, Red Side was bound to win. That guy's height and reach gave him too much of an advantage."

Before long, amid the gamblers' cheers, another fighter was killed, and the match ended.

The gamblers cheered for the victor, while the loser's corpse was dragged out of the octagonal cage like a dead dog, leaving behind a glaring streak of blood.

Suren watched the scene before him without giving anything away.

As the corpse passed in front of him, no one noticed the ball of "Gray Mist" being devoured by him.

"Obtained Memory Fragment x2 from 'Watt Smith'."

"You have received the information: 'I really don't want to be treated like a slave anymore, fighting in these damned underground boxing matches.'"

"You have mastered Ground Technique: Armbar. Combat experience +2."

"Mental Power +0.05."

Suren processed the Memory Fragments he had just obtained. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes, and he was slightly surprised. I directly comprehended a combat skill?

This was the first time Death Reaper had stripped away a complete skill.

Did that mean he also had a chance of directly stripping complete Alchemy formulas and spell skills?

In that instant, Suren suddenly felt that the surprise had come a little too abruptly.

It was not as though useful skills could be stripped from every dead soul, but there were plenty of corpses!

There were seven or eight such death matches every night. That meant over two hundred corpses a month.

Moreover, the fighters were all seasoned experts proficient in combat skills, so the chances of stripping combat abilities were high!

Compared to nearly dying himself just to kill a few enemies, collecting Memory Fragments this way was simply far too easy.

He only had to stay beside the Gladiatorial Arena and watch the matches. There was practically no risk at all.

If he could lie low for a few months, Suren felt that his combat strength would definitely undergo a qualitative leap!

Of course, that was assuming he could survive long enough in a gang where people tended to die young.

On his first day on the job, Suren suddenly found himself rather liking this gangster identity.

After one match, the next began not long after.

Suren's attention was entirely on the corpses, and he had not expected the betting girl in hot pants from earlier to approach him again with a sweet smile.

She offered him a tray and said charmingly, "Hey, sir, congratulations on guessing right. Would you like me to place a bet for you on the next match? Tonight's final main event features real Professionals."

"Professionals take part in this kind of death match?"

Suren's gaze paused slightly. He was not particularly happy about winning money; factoring in the odds, he had made roughly a thousand liso.

What truly surprised him was that genuine Professionals would actually participate in such death matches.

In his mind, those Professionals with their strange supernatural powers could do anything else. Why come here to earn money with their lives?

Seeing that Suren seemed interested, the betting girl asked again, "Sir, who do you favor? Shall I place your bet for you?"

As she spoke, she pressed her entire body against Suren's, even rubbing against him like a kitten.

Suren naturally understood. This was not a romantic encounter, but a tactful request for a tip.

He was not stingy. He took out two green one-hundred-liso bills and tucked them into the girl's bra.

That was the sort of behavior expected from a normal gambler.

"Giggle, thank you, boss."

The girl felt a tingling itch across her chest. Not only did she not feel taken advantage of, her smile became even more seductive.

Suren did not let his hand linger. He pulled out several more stacks of bills and said, "I'll bet on Red Side for the next few matches. One thousand per bet."

"Boss, you really have good taste. I also think Red Side has a better chance of winning tonight~"

The girl filled out the betting slips, blew him a flirtatious kiss, and sashayed away.

The life-and-death battles inside the octagonal cage continued in full swing, while Suren carefully observed every match.

Besides stripping Soul Fragments, he was also seriously studying this world's fighting techniques.

Although these gladiators were not Professionals, their physical capabilities far exceeded those of humans on Earth. Their fighting styles and techniques were also vastly different from what Suren remembered.

To conceal his purpose and actions, he played the role of an ordinary gambler. He cheered for the side he had bet on, grew excited when he won, and sighed when he lost.

For him to have such a relaxed environment on his first day in the gang, his instincts told him that a pair of eyes seemed to be watching him from time to time.

The original owner's identity had issues. He did not want to attract too much attention.

And indeed, that was the case.

While Suren and the other newcomers were spending money at various entertainment venues, Kai, the captain who was playing cards with several veterans, also received a report from his subordinate.

"What are the newcomers doing now?"

"That Suren has been gambling at the Gladiatorial Arena the entire time. The other three: Jigg went to the bar, while Sapa and Andrew went to Emperor's Bathhouse."

"Oh, got it."

Kai listened and responded expressionlessly before saying nothing further.

Sam, sitting opposite him, was also an old member who had followed Kai for a long time. He had no reservations when speaking and asked curiously, "Captain, why did you have the brothers keep an eye on those newcomers?"

"Smoker Boss used to say that normal people have to indulge in at least one of eating, drinking, whoring, gambling, or smoking. Those are basic human desires. Anyone who shows no desire is either harboring ulterior motives, extremely disciplined, or a monster. No matter which it is, they cannot be friends."

Kai continued playing with the cards in his hand and explained blandly, "I don't want people with ulterior motives mixing into our team."

Suren found that his luck seemed fairly good. Of the several matches he bet on, he won more than he lost and even made a few thousand liso.

Finally, the last main event began.

Before the match started, the rumble of an elevator could be heard beneath the fighting arena. The octagonal cage was dismantled and lowered underground, while a massive transparent glass enclosure rose up.

Rather than being surprised by this unusual development, the gamblers erupted into wave after wave of excited shouts.

"Whoa, we're in for a good show tonight!"

"..."

Suren looked at the thick glass walls around the arena and found them familiar. Wasn't that like the Bulletproof Glass at bank counters in his previous life? Though this looked much thicker.

The pot-bellied gambler beside him seemed to be a regular here. He muttered, "Tsk, tsk. It's been a long time since I've seen the Blast Shield raised. Looks like the two Professionals tonight are very strong."

At that moment, the first contestant entered.

He was a man escorted onto the stage by several muscular men with Mechanical Arms, like a prisoner.

Seeing this, Suren raised an eyebrow slightly. A dangerous figure has arrived.

The moment the man appeared, the venue instantly exploded.

"How is that possible? Why is it him?!"

Someone among the gamblers recognized the newcomer and cried out, "Grade A Fugitive Shadow Scorpion Aberk! This guy is a genuine Second Tier Professional. He's actually in this fighting match?"

The people around them began whispering among themselves. It seemed that no one had expected tonight's match to be of such a high caliber!

"I heard that guy was caught by the Umbrella Organization after causing trouble in the Inner City. So it was true."

"This match is going to be interesting. There are too many murder cases under this guy's name to count. He's been rampant for so many years without getting caught, so he's no weakling."

"If Shadow Scorpion Aberk is competing, then who is his opponent? Could he also be a Second Tier Professional? Heh, this is rare. Second Tier Professionals are top experts anywhere, yet they've been sent to a Gladiatorial Arena."

"..."

Second Tier?

Listening to the gamblers' conversation around him, Suren found it hard to believe.

The Iron Cross Society was one of Old Lindun's three major gangs, already a powerful large-scale supernatural organization. Yet even they had only a limited number of Second Tier Professionals.

Even Captain Kai, who controlled three blocks, was merely a First Tier Professional who had just entered the rank. Yet tonight's death match had brought in two of them, with one destined to die?

Just how strong is a Second Tier Professional?

Suren's curiosity was piqued. He had no real concept of a Second Tier Professional's combat power.

Whether it was Iron Head Ivan or Silver-Arm Dick, whom he had killed before, both were First Tier Professionals. Yet to him, they had already been absurdly powerful. If not for a fortunate chain of coincidences, even a hundred Surens might not have been able to kill them.

And now there were two Second Tier Professionals?

Doesn't that mean I'll soon be able to strip the soul of a Second Tier Professional?

Suren's surprise turned into anticipation. Before the match had even begun, he was already looking forward to what he would obtain from the corpse.

After the cheers died down, the second contestant entered the arena as well.

He was a broad-shouldered, thick-waisted man in a suit, with a cold expression and a scar over his left eye. He looked like a chunk of icy stone.

The man's attire was immaculate, and his gelled hair gleamed with oil. Even after stepping into the arena, he carried an air of superiority. He looked somewhat like the bodyguard of some Inner City bigshot.

The host introduced the man's name: Red Demon Golon!

A man who seemed to have no reputation at all in the Outer City.

However, well-informed gamblers could always pick up bits of inside information.

Upon hearing his title, someone seemed to recognize his background.

"Huh, could it be that guy?"

"You know him?"

"Some time ago, I heard that the personal bodyguard of an Inner City bigshot secretly hooked up with the man's beautiful wife, and their affair spread far and wide... Could this Red Demon be that bodyguard?"

"Could very well be. Otherwise, who would be willing to send a Second Tier Professional into a death match? He was probably sold to the casino, or perhaps the cuckolded bigshot personally sent him here."

"Tsk, tsk. Anyone who can serve as a personal bodyguard for an Inner City bigshot is extremely strong. I heard those bigshots have very high requirements for their bodyguards' Talents—at least Grade C, and they might even awaken a rare Grade B Talent."

"..."

Listening to the gossip around him, Suren fell into thought.

But it seemed that Shadow Scorpion Aberk was stronger?

Ding!

The bell rang, and the match began.

Yet right from the opening, this transported man's eyes were opened wide!

P.S. Brothers, send over some votes! Votes are very important for a new book~

Thanks to A Maple Night Rain in Two Dimensions, Benevolence Doesn't Make You Rich, and Flower-Fruit Mountain Outcast. Thank you all for your support and rewards.