Chapter 23 - 22

In front of me, tall lumbers were stabbed on the ground forming a crude circular-shaped cage. Inside that cage, two Banobos were both holding down a monster while seemingly trying to untie the two monsters' bounds. When I looked outside that cage, I saw a lot of ape-type monsters which for some reason were cheering from excitement. And though it was clear that all the monsters spectating outside were ape-type monsters, they all seemed to vary in size. According to mister Assess, those ape monsters that looked like a monkey were called a [Chimp], and the monster that seemed to be a small gorilla was called [Lesser Banobo]. But while that information may be somewhat important, the conclusion I came up with after seeing the set-up of the area was what surprised me the most.

'What the heck?! Is this… some sort of a fight club?' Was my immediate conclusion.

Back in my old world, there were a lot of popular fighting sports. And for me, I mainly categorized them based on whether it was official or an underground one. Though in my opinion, the term underground was simply a fancy term for illegal. Anyway, because a Familia was technically a group that mainly thrives on underground businesses, I had seen my fair share of fight clubs before. More than that, there was also a time when I fought in one. Well, enough about my past. My point was that I knew a fight club when I saw one. And based on how this place was set up, without a doubt, this was strikingly similar to a fight club.

'Well, well, well. Looks like my theory that there is another reincarnation in this place is getting truer by the second.'

While feeling impressed by the unexpected culture of these ape-type monsters, it seemed like the Banonos inside the fighting ring was almost finished in preparing the two monsters they were holding down. Then the moment that only a single vine was left, the ape monsters surrounding the fighting ring finally quiet down. Right after that, the Banobos untied the last vines bounding the monsters then immediately hopped over the fighting ring.

When the monsters were finally free, the two monsters charged towards the edge of the ring. Clearly, the two monsters intended to destroy it then escape. Unfortunately, the Banobos guarding the ring swiftly stopped the monsters by swinging huge lumber towards the charging monsters. Normally, because the two monsters were both Hackclaw, they should be able to cut those lumbers using their scythe-like arms. But in this case, the two Hackclaw weren't able to do that because the Banobos were swinging the huge lumbers with unbelievable speed and power. And coupled with the natural flexibility of their arms, the Banobos were able to swing that solid lumber like a goddamn whip. Honestly, even I was terrified by those powerful swings.

After witnessing that spectacle, the two Hackclaws cowered in fear and stopped on their tracks. In the end, the Hackclaws were pushed back to the center of the ring.

At first, the two Hackclaws didn't want to fight. I didn't know if it was because they felt sympathy for their kin, but regardless, the two guard Banobos forced the two Hackclaws to kill each other by threatening to smash them using the huge lumber. And without any way out, the two monsters finally gave in.

Along with the cheers of the spectating ape-type monsters, the two Hackclaws clashed at the center of the ring. Sparks flew as the two Hackclaws relentlessly slashed and parried each other's attack. In the beginning, the two monsters fought at mid-range. But while the two were in the middle of that high-speed battle, they were also slowly trying to push forward. As a result, the intensity of the battle was increasing by the second.

A few moments later, the two Hackclaws finally reached the range in which they would have to fight in close quarters. Because of that, the two monsters grew more desperate, and it didn't take long before the two became littered with cuts. Along with the sparks created by their attacks, green liquid which seemed to be their blood flew from time to time.

Probably thrilled by that spectacle, the cheers of the spectating ape monsters grew louder. And it was then that one of the Hackclaws managed to overpower the other.

The scythe-like arms of one of the Hackclaw were flung away. Following that, the other Hackclaw mercilessly severed the arm of its kind. With one of its only weapons gone, the one-armed Hackclaw was now at a clear disadvantage. But despite that, the one-armed Hackclaw still desperately fought for its survival. Unfortunately, defending against two scythe-like arms using only one proved to be an impossible task. As a result, one of the legs of the one-armed Hackclaws was also separated from its body.

The pitiful Hackclaw helplessly fell to the ground. To be perfectly honest, even if the one-armed Hackclaw was left on its own, it would still surely die from excessive bleeding. But of course, the battle would only end after one of the monsters was already dead. That was why without showing any hesitation, the other Hackclaw ended its kin's suffering by a fast and swift decapitation.

Cheers of gyah, gyoh reverberated through the whole area when the spectating apes saw what had happened. But despite successfully surviving for another day, the winning Hackclaw just stood at the center of the crude ring while looking at the dead body of its kind. Most likely, the winning Hackclaw was paying its respect on its skin.

As the cheers finally died down, a Banobo hopped over the fence of the ring and then proceeded to restrain the winning Hackclaw. Surprisingly, unlike before, the winning Hackclaw didn't show any slight bit of resistance. Though, based on the Hackclaw's condition, it was probably just too tired to even resist. Well, it was clear that the two Hackclaws had given it they're all on that fight so I guess that was an inevitable result.

'Besides, there is no use in resisting. Doing so is like asking for a beating so it is a stupid act in the first place.' I concluded.

Of course, the other captured monsters were also put in that same situation right after that first fight ended. Among the monsters that have fought were; the spider type monster [Lesser Tarantal], the boar type monster [Chargar], the bison type monster [Winset], the lizard type monster [Horned Umbrazard], and the most powerful monster among them, the bear type monster [Savaga].

Honestly, I thought that the apes may have been pushing it the moment I saw two of those bear-type monsters. I mean, seriously, those bears were so powerful that multiple Banobos were needed just to restrain one. And the moment that they removed the bounds of the bears, they had a hard time trying to make the two fight each other to the point that even the spectating apes were terrified that the bears might escape. Well, it somehow still worked out in the end, so I guess that was that.

'Now, when is my turn I wonder?'

Since I was brought into this place, I know very well myself that I would be fighting inside that ring eventually. After all, there would be no sense if these Banobos had taken me here just to watch all those monsters fight. And well, I had no problem if it was a fight in the wild or inside a ring because it was still pretty much the same rule of to eat or to be eaten.

Initially, I was quite worried that I might be forced to put up a fight against an opponent that I had no chance of winning. To put it in perspective. Take that bear-type monster [Savaga] for example. Upon witnessing that monster for the first time, I instantly knew that I had no chance of winning in a straight-up fight. Honestly, even if I ambushed that thing, I still couldn't certainly say that I would win. And upon witnessing the fight between those Savaga, my guess was only proven to be true. Fortunately, I noticed something important about the match-ups of this event.

When the second match began (which was a match between the two Lesser Tarantal), I had already noticed that the match-ups seemed to be between two monsters of the same species. But since it was still just the second match, I decided to not become too hopeful and still prepared myself for the worst. And then the match between the two Savagas happened followed by the match between two Winsets. At that point, I had become sure that the match was indeed set up to be between monsters of the same species. Unfortunately, the Wolfs, or to be more accurate, my species, didn't live in this place.

Of course, it was also possible that I was wrong or maybe our home was located near this area. But I had a hunch that this Banobos most likely wasn't keeping any other Wolfs besides me in this place. For now, that was just a simple claim without any proof. The problem was…

'What kind of monster would I be fighting if these guys didn't have any other wolves in this place?' I couldn't help but be anxious.

Well, it wasn't like I couldn't kill one of my kind. In fact, if I was put inside the ring to fight against a monster of the same species as me, I would do it without any hesitation. After all, even back at the forest where the wolves live, killing a wolf from an enemy pack was just a normal occurrence. That was why I could confidently say that there was little to no difference between fighting inside that ring, and fighting in the wild. Besides, even back when I was still a human, my hand was already stained in blood. It was mysterious honestly, because for some reason…

'It doesn't really matter how civilized they are. At the end of the day, when push comes to shove and it becomes a matter of life and death, humans will eventually turn to their instinct of self-preservation. At that point, the strong and cunning are the ones who are likely to survive. That's how natural selection seems to work. And in the face of that force of nature, ethics, justice, and ideals don't mean anything. In short, just like everything else on the planet, the truth of "Survival of the fittest" will always be ingrained in every human's basic instinct'

While my thoughts were taking an unexpected turn, it seemed like it was finally my turn to fight and I was brought back to reality when a Banobo hauled me unto its shoulder. Then, after the Banobo hopped inside the ring, I finally saw what was supposed to be my opponent.