Book 2: Chapter 181

Dragonmen on Combat Island didn’t carry around anything like an identification card.

This didn’t mean that the concept of identification cards didn’t exist. However, since the process of obtaining one was tedious and required money, most people chose to live without it. For most, it was not something they needed to have.

Of course, there were still cases when it was necessary.

The most typical case was when traveling between islands. At that time, strict screening was carried out on both sides, so those who didn’t have any form of identification were not allowed to cross over to another island.

In addition, identification cards were required for self-employed people, signing important contracts with each other, or having special jobs. Of course, these people were the minority, and most Dragonmen went their entire lives without getting one.

Perhaps the characteristics of the people living on Combat Island were part of the reason.

The Dragonmen living here were very against the act of lying, and they would never think about using someone else’s name to impersonate them.

Because of this, when Lukas revealed his name, no one doubted him.

Instead, the Fighters beside him all shot sideways glances at him and whispered to each other.

Even without listening carefully, it was easy to get a rough idea of what they were saying.

‘The Dragon Hunter? That man?’

He certainly didn’t look like a Dragonman.

‘He looks weaker than I expected.’

Lukas spoke to the receptionist without paying any attention to their whispers.

“Is that enough for me to register as a Fighter?”

“Ah! Yes. Of course!”

The receptionist quickly erased her shocked expression and responded with a professional smile.

“This is the contract. Please read it carefully and write your name in the blank space at the end.”

Lukas collected the document and read it through.

Deciding to only focus on the important things, he directly ignored the small clauses.

The minimum contractual period for a Fighter was three months.

They had to fight at least five times a month no matter what.

And they had to accept the fact that they could die in a match without complaint.

After reading it, Lukas wrote his name in the space provided before handing it back to the receptionist.

She received the document and coughed slightly before speaking in a serious voice.

“Mr. Lukas, you said that you don’t belong to any arena, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then how about signing an official contract with the Lirua arena?”

“Are there any disadvantages for not signing the contract?”

The receptionist shook her head.

“There aren’t. However, if you do sign the contract, there would be many advantages.”

“Like?”

“For one, you would be able to rent equipment exclusive to our arena at half the price. As your value as a Fighter increases, the price will become cheaper and cheaper, and later, you may even be able to borrow the items for free.”

Naturally, since it was a major city, the weapons, and equipment in the Lirua arena were all high-quality items. In fact, many Fighters came to the Lirua arena specifically for the weapons here.

Nevertheless, Lukas, who had no interest in the Fighters’ weapons or equipment wasn’t the least bit interested.

Realising this, the receptionist dropped for a moment before she began speaking in a slightly more frantic manner.

“A-, and you would have access to the various amenities of the Lirua arena at half price! Not just meals, but also blacksmiths, clothing stores, accommodations…”

“…”

“You will also receive three times your salary as a down payment! O-, of course, your salary will also increase based on your number of wins!”

Money.

He had already received more than 100 million erus, so that offer was not appealing either.

Lukas decided to voice his thoughts.

“I will remain independent.”

“…yes.”

The receptionist’s face became a bit pale, but she did not pursue the issue any further.

“How do I register for a match?”

“You just have to tell me.”

“Then I would like to apply for one immediately.”

“Yes. Do you have any specific date in mind?”

Lukas thought back to the match schedule that he’d seen before coming.

“The earliest date possible.”

* * *

Lukas’ first match was scheduled two days later.

The receptionist didn’t really want to do that, but it was what Lukas wanted.

“If you postpone a match because of personal reasons, you will receive a fine. Please note that if you accumulate a certain number of absences in a short time then you will no longer be allowed to fight in the Lirua arena.”

Lukas nodded at the receptionist’s reminder.

Afterward, he didn’t leave the arena right away. Instead, he headed inside.

According to the newspaper, there was a big match scheduled for around that time. But Lukas’ goal wasn’t to appreciate the match.

‘Of course, it is worth it to see the level of my competition in the Lirua arena.’

But what he truly wanted to see was something else.

Lukas found his seat and sat down.

Naturally, the prices varied greatly depending on the location of the seats.

The price of one on the ‘Sky Stand’ that Bargan had mentioned was 3,000 erus, while the ‘A Stand’ that Lukas was currently sitting in only cost 30 erus. The prices were one hundred times apart.

Nevertheless, this didn’t mean that the A Stand wasn’t good. The seats in this stand were clean, and there was little trash strewn about. The only downside was that there wasn’t a very clear view of the arena below.

This didn’t really matter for him since he would be able to see everything perfectly just by focusing slightly.

Murmur-

Maybe it was because the seats in this stand were the cheapest, but his surroundings were filled.

The spectators were all looking at the arena with eyes filled with anticipation. The Fighters hadn’t even appeared yet, but the heat in the arena was already beginning to rise.

They didn’t know.

That the match they were so enthusiastic about was being thoroughly manipulated.

Thinking about it, Bargan’s anger was understandable.

Suddenly.

“Big Match!”

A loud voice erupted, spreading across the entire arena.

It came from the sky. The eyes of everyone in the crowd turned to look in that direction, and some of them had even begun to cheer.

There, they saw someone standing on a platform floating above the arena. But before anyone could get a better glance at him, he did something completely unexpected.

He leapt from the floating platform.

Bang!

And when he landed, the ground caved and cracked. The dust cloud that rose up was much thicker than Lukas expected.

“Are you guys ready for the fight?”

The voice was heard again.

It was a simple murmur, but it strangely sounded like it was coming from right beside their ears.

“Woooooaaah!”

“Kang! Ki! Kang! Ki!”

At the same time, the crowd began to go crazy. It felt like the temperature in the arena rose by a few degrees in an instant.

As the crowd chanted his name like fanatics, Lukas found out who the owner of the voice was.

Whoosh!

A huge burst of air erupted, clearing away the dust cloud.

And a huge Dragonman could be seen in the center of the arena.

He was really huge.

This wasn’t just a simple difference in appearance. For a moment, Lukas wondered if he was a different race. At first glance, he appeared more like a Dragonling than a Dragonman.

Generally, male Dragonmen tended to be about two meters tall, but this man appeared to be at least five meters tall.

He was sitting cross-legged on a stone throne, which wasn’t there when he jumped.

‘The Major City Lord of Lirua, Kangki.’

Lukas’ eyes narrowed slightly.

“Ah! You guys are really hot today!”

Kangki smiled before taking a large wine bottle from his pocket.

Then, without even bothering to open it properly, he tore the bottleneck off with his hand and poured the wine into his mouth.

Gulp… gulp…

Because of his large size, the bottle he took out was as tall as most adult men. Drinking this bottle was no different from a man drinking an entire barrel of wine.

Crack!

After he was done, Kangki threw the bottle on the ground before shattering it beneath his foot.

Then he got up from his throne and roared.

“Maintain his undefeated streak without any signs of stopping!”

Clank!

An iron gate to the left of the arena slowly rose up. Then, a Dragonman walked out from it.

“The current fourth place ranker in the Lirua arena! In order to compete in the ‘Championship’, he cannot afford a single loss!”

Papapang!

Fireworks shot into the sky. At the same time, the crowd’s voices became so loud it even shook the ground.

Kangki also exclaimed in excitement.

“Kaytai!”

“Waaah!”

“Kaytai! Kaytai! Kaytai!”

The crowd screamed his name.

The Dragonman called Kaytai swung his large axe a few times before releasing a savage roar. The audience became even more excited by this unrestrained display.

“The emergence of a super rookie! Who said that green skins only have peaceful personalities? In the 15 matches he has fought so far, this Fighter has never spared a single opponent! The one with the overwhelming performance, Toirask!”

On the right side, a green-skinned Dragonman walked out from behind the gate. He looked a bit nervous, but he was certainly a formidable Fighter.

Lukas turned away from the Fighters and looked at Kangki, who was looking appreciatively at the two contestants, once again.

‘…indeed.’

Lukas admitted honestly.

At his current level, he wasn’t Kangki’s match.