Black Street

After leaving Porto-Vino Castle, the night wind sent a chill down Kexi's spine.

Saibas escorted him to the gates of the Montelli Manor, gave a perfunctory bow, and then turned back.

Kexi stood at the gate, took a deep breath, and felt that tonight she had danced between two tigresses and hadn't been bitten to death; she was just incredibly lucky.

He was about to push the door open when he caught a glimpse of a shadow moving at the base of the wall.

The shadow crouched low, pressed against the wall, and moved step by step toward the side door.

The movements were very light, but the posture looked strangely familiar.

Kexi squinted and carefully examined herself for two seconds in the dim light of the porch lamp by the door.

Zani.

Wasn't she injured?

Kexi grinned silently and followed quietly.

Zani was completely unaware; her attention was entirely focused on how to climb over the low wall by the side door without making a sound.

She had just stepped one foot onto the decorative stone pier at the base of the wall when someone suddenly patted her on the shoulder.

"Hey!"

Zani jumped in surprise, her foot slipped, and she almost fell off the stone pillar.

She whirled around, assumed a fighting stance, and then saw the face of the person who had approached her.

"Young Master?!" Zani whispered, patting her chest, "You almost scared the soul out of me, you know that!"

Kexi put his hands in his pockets and looked her up and down with a grin.

Her bandages were still on, but she moved with surprising agility, a stark contrast to the wounded soldier who had been lying on the sofa eating potato chips in the room just moments before.

"Weren't you injured? Why are you sneaking out like this?"

Zani looked around to make sure no one else was there before moving closer and lowering her voice, saying, "That little injury is all healed now. I just wanted to get a few more days off from the Second Miss."

Kexi paused for a moment, then gave a thumbs-up with considerable admiration. "Brilliant."

No wonder he's a master of slacking off.

"Of course." Zani proudly raised her chin, then patted Kexi on the shoulder. "Since you found out, I'll tell you then: I'm going to Black Street tonight to see that guy with the ninety-game winning streak."

"Ninety consecutive wins?" Kexi remembered, "That's the formidable character Zani mentioned before. Didn't you see him last time?"

"We have to see him this time." Zani's eyes lit up, her voice filled with pure excitement. "I heard that person is supposedly a woman with white hair."

Kexi's eyebrow twitched.

White fur. More white fur.

Does having white hair grant any hidden attribute bonuses? Doubled combat power? Increased critical hit rate?

"White Hair," Kexi exclaimed, "His strength must be quite high."

How did you know?

"Based on experience."

"I want to go too."

Are you going too?

"I'm going to gain some practical experience."

Zani didn't ask any more questions, and grabbed his arm to pull him out. "Stop talking nonsense, we're in a hurry. There will definitely be a lot of people queuing tonight, and if we go late, we won't even be able to get in."

A stunning transition.

Black Street.

Zani and Kexi disguised themselves so that others wouldn't recognize them.

She then led Kexi through several turns, familiar with the area, and through an inconspicuous iron gate.

Inside the door was a completely different world—a huge underground arena.

The arena was in the very center, completely surrounded by an iron cage. The surrounding stands were already filled with people, creating a noisy atmosphere, and the air was thick with the smell of sweat and adrenaline.

Zani squeezed to the registration window and gestured to the staff inside. "Two numbers, for the competition."

The staff member, a middle-aged man with a cigarette dangling from his lips, raised his eyelids slightly and pushed two forms to the window.

Zani quickly filled out the form and handed one of the sheets to Kexi.

Kexi looked down and saw that the third rule in the competition instructions read "You are responsible for your own life and death," and the words were in red.

"Someone has died in this arena before?" Kexi raised an eyebrow.

"Certainly."

"Scared?"

Kexi slapped the form back into the window and flashed Zani a bright smile, "What's there to be afraid of? It's a good opportunity to get some practice. I can't always rely on others to save me when I'm in danger."

Zani glanced at him, a hint of approval in her eyes.

But then she remembered something, her expression suddenly turned serious, and she grabbed Kexi by the collar and pulled him in front of her.

"Oh, and don't you dare borrow my strength." Zani stared into his eyes and said, enunciating each word clearly, "I don't want to get beaten black and blue by a bunch of weaklings again. I haven't settled the score with you from last time."

Kexi raised her hands. "Don't worry, I'll rely entirely on myself today."

Zani snorted and let go.

The two received their number tags and walked to the waiting area.

The waiting area consisted of a row of long wooden benches against the wall, where seven or eight people were also waiting to go on stage. There were muscular, strong men, mysterious people wearing masks, and a skinny boy who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old. It was unclear who gave him the courage to sign up here.

Soon, Kexi's number came over the loudspeaker.

Zani patted him on the shoulder. "Good luck, don't get knocked out in the first round."

Kexi stretched her wrists and strode onto the ring.

His opponent was already waiting on the other side, a bald, burly man with a neck thicker than Kexi's thigh, and arms covered with menacing tattoos.

The burly man looked down at Kexi, then tilted his head back and let out a low laugh.

"Kid, it's not too late to admit defeat now."

Kexi smiled at him and made a starting gesture, "Come on."

The burly man narrowed his eyes, said nothing, and slammed his right foot off the ground, hurtling towards Kexi like a cannonball.

The floor of the arena shook.

A chorus of whistles and cheers erupted from the stands; everyone was waiting to see this arrogant young man get knocked flying.

Then the burly man stepped into a puddle of water that someone had spilled on the ground.

His right foot had barely touched the ground when he slid out, instantly losing his balance, and his left foot landed right on his shoelace.

The shoelace had come undone at some point and was now tied in a knot at his feet.

His massive body spun halfway through the air in an extremely contorted posture before crashing onto the ring like a toppled wall.

The entire arena fell silent for a second.

Kexi's fist was still hanging in mid-air; he hadn't even had a chance to make a move yet.

The referee hesitated for two seconds before running over to check.

The burly man lay sprawled on the ground, his eyes closed, a trickle of white foam escaping from the corner of his mouth; he had already passed out.

The referee raised his flag, his voice still carrying a hint of bewilderment. "Winner... winner, number 67!"

Kexi silently withdrew her fist, looked down at the burly man on the ground, then looked up at the bewildered audience on the stage, and turned and walked off the stage expressionlessly.

Zani was laughing so hard in the waiting area that she slapped her thigh, "Holy crap, this works?"

"Strength." Kexi sat down without changing his expression. "Purely based on strength."

"You have absolutely no skill; you're just lucky."

Not long after, the broadcast came on again.