Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Demian was there.

In that space suffused with weariness, he stood inside a cage, the burden of exhaustion evident. Demian tightly gripped a lone sword, resembling a vigilant canine.

Exactly the same.

Raciels initial impression upon seeing him aligned perfectly with the illustrations from the novel. Demians towering height, well-proportioned physique, sleek black hair, sealed lips, and disinterested gaze sweeping across the crowdall matched precisely.

Fortunately, the duel hasnt started yet.

Raciels thought surfaced at that moment.

Clang! Rumble!

The cage bars swayed heavily.

Gradually, the ground on the other side started to open.

Creeeeak

In the midst of the silent spectators and gamblers, a slanted underground tunnel emerged, resembling a cave. From within the tunnel, an unknown growl reverberated.

Grrrr!

A beast?

No.

If it were merely a beast, the growl alone wouldnt send shivers down ones spine. It couldnt have turned the faces of countless spectators pale beyond the bars, plunging them into a chilling silence.

Thump, thump.

Troll.

Amidst a feeble moan, an imposing silhouette unveiled itself. Standing at around 3 meters tall, bulging muscles and tendons pulsated beneath its dark gray skin, reminiscent of armor. Between its torn lips gleamed yellow fangs.

Yet, the most captivating feature of all were its red eyesdevoid of reason, filled with primal animalism and savagery. The troll roared, unabashedly exhibiting its destructive frenzy.

Rooooaaar!

The bars trembled.

The deafening sound was agonizing.

Hes supposed to fight that?

Demian of the Colosseum.

Raciel had already encountered a similar gladiatorial match in the novel. However, the disparity between reading about it and witnessing it firsthand was akin to understanding love through the internet versus experiencing it.

This is no joke.

No ordinary beast could emanate such pressure. The trolls presence and grandeur were overwhelmingly immense.

In reality, the troll was enormous too, well exceeding 3 meters in height. Its bulky frame consisted entirely of muscles, reminiscent of the hulking figures seen in famous movies.

At that moment

Tug, tug.

Someone beside Raciel pulled at his sleeve. He turned to find Gardin, his face drained of color.

Y-Your Majesty?

Gardins trembling lips quivered as he inquired, What is that? What is happening here?

Youll see.

So theyre sacrificing that poor man

Gardins horrified gaze shifted towards Demian inside the cage.

You mean theyre offering him as food for that troll, and were here to witness it? This is

Gardin seemed to have a grave misconception. However, Raciel remained silent.

If that unfortunate man Gardin is looking at were to die, the novel would have ended here.

There was no time for such words. The troll had initiated its charge, bellowing with a thunderous roar.

Rooooaaar!

Thud thud thud! Thump!

The charge was unbelievably swift.

Hwooooah-!

In a flash, the troll leaped over 5 meters, its massive arm resembling a pillar swinging towards Demian.

Whoosh-!

The trolls claw sliced through the air, hurtling towards him. The speed was so astonishing that an ordinary person wouldnt have had time to react. But Demian was no ordinary person.

Swoosh.

He didnt even take a full step.

Just half a foot.

With a simple maneuver, he evaded the trolls swing, leaning his body back and ducking his head. It was a narrow escape, leaving a gap barely wider than a piece of paper.

Groargh?

The trolls eyes widened in surprise.

It had anticipated tearing off the fragile humans head with a single blow, yet it found nothing but empty air. Rage surged within the troll as it realized its failure.

Groooargh!

That marked the beginning.

The troll unleashed its merciless onslaught.

Groaaargh! Groargh!

Its arms swung wildly, delivering blows, scratches, swipes, uppercuts, waves, smashes, jabs, kicks, stabslaunching one attack after another.

But nothing changed. Demian stood his ground, not taking a single step, not budging an inch.

Can a human do that?

Raciel couldnt fathom what he was witnessing.

They see him as nothing more than a wretched existence in an underground arena. They are oblivious to the fact that he is the person who will save this world from the clutches of war. They have no inkling that he will rise to become the emperor of a vast empire in the distant future.

In their wildest dreams, they would never imagine it.

Demian is far more remarkable than they realize.

A sense of pride welled up within Raciel as he savored the knowledge that he alone possessed this understanding. It was akin to knowing a hidden gem of a restaurant that remained undiscovered by others or being the ultimate fan of a rookie who would eventually become the biggest star in the world.

However, just as he basked in his solitary pride, an unexpected conversation caught his attention among the gamblers.

But let me ask you something. Have you heard about the recent rumor, the Crown Princes Overpowering Theory?

Pfft!

Raciel nearly spat out in surprise.

Maintaining his indifferent facade, he perked up his ears to listen to the gamblers discussion. The conversation unfolded before him.

The Crown Princes Overpowering Theory? Ive never heard of it.

Tsk tsk. How can you be so slow in keeping up with the news?

Before you blame me, why dont you enlighten me? Ill buy the drinks tonight.

Fair enough. So, the Crown Princes Overpowering Theory is You must have witnessed the confrontation between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince on Lloy-Javi Bridge a few days ago, right?

Yes, I did. It ended in quite an unexpected manner.

Thats right, it was quite memorable. Especially the Second Princes reaction after his defeat.

The Second Princes reaction?

He fainted.

Yes, he did.

And when the Crown Prince barely touched the unconscious Second Princes foot the Second Prince screamed. You saw that, didnt you?

Ah, yes. I certainly did.

Do you recall the Second Princes demeanor afterward?

Ah.

You do remember. Yes. He suddenly rose to his feet, dropped to one knee before the Crown Prince, and conceded defeat, unprompted.

So, could it be

Youre onto something. Exactly. The grip strength of the Crown Prince, who had briefly touched his foot surpassed all expectations.

I see.

I see? What I see?

Raciel yearned to interject and join their conversation immediately. Yet, regardless of his inner turmoil, the gamblers discussion flowed uninterrupted.

With that astonishing grip strength, the Second Prince must have felt as if he were in hell. He likely sensed a genuine threat to his life. Perhaps he thought, if I continue to challenge him, I might truly die. Its possible that he knelt and admitted defeat due to that sense of crisis.

That does make sense. It was more than just a defeat. It was a renouncement of his dream for the position as the Crown Prince, an abandonment of his path to becoming the emperor.

Exactly. The Crown Prince possesses a grip strength so terrifying that it compels others to swiftly relinquish their aspirations of becoming emperor.

Wow. I had always heard that he was a frail individual plagued by chronic illness. How could he possess such Does this mean the Crown Prince has been concealing an extraordinary power all along?

Thats the crux of the Crown Princes Overpowering Theory.

Tsk. Lets just leave.

He was too occupied to entertain such nonsense.

There was no time to waste on idle chatter.

Raciel swiftly maneuvered through the bustling crowd, navigating towards a corridor tucked away in one corner of the arena. It led to the gladiators waiting room.

Naturally, there were guards stationed to regulate access to the area. However, this posed no obstacle for Raciel. Silently, he handed each guard a generous sum of gold.

The guards regarded him with stern eyes, seemingly questioning his attempt at bribery.

But the value of the gold was far too significant to harbor suspicions.

Thus, he acquired a seamless passage into the hallway.

The innermost section of the corridor.

The rarely ventured waiting room located at the far end. That was where Demian resided. Recalling the novels contents, Raciel took a deep breath.

Now, this is crucial.

He was about to meet the novels protagonist. With his heart inexplicably pounding, Raciel organized his plan, meticulously reviewing the details he retained from the story.

What Demian required most at this moment. What held the utmost urgency for him? Raciel needed to showcase his ability to fulfill those needs. To accomplish that with a 100% success rate

Excuse me.

Creeeak.

Boldly, he swung open the door to the waiting room.

Inside stood Demian Cayenne.

Perhaps he was in the midst of wiping away the trolls splattered blood from his face. He cast a casual glance through the towel covering his features, his expression questioning:

Who are you?

What do you want?

Yet, Raciel did not respond to that gaze.

Instead, he strode forward with determination.

He suppressed his racing heart.

Reaching out, he picked up a bottle of medicine from the nearby table. Turning towards Demian, he offered a knowing smirk. Accompanying it was a punchline he had carefully crafted.

Tsk tsk. Its a shame. Why are you resorting to such cheap painkillers? Can you even get a good nights sleep with those?

What?

Demians eyebrows twitched. A flicker of irritation emerged in his cool gaze.

Raciel concealed his satisfaction.

Thats it.

A fresh beginning for their first encounter.