Ha Joon Pendragon remained calm throughout, listening to the announcer entertain the audience before the next battle would commence.
'Hurry up.'
[The wolf girl has been registered.]
[Approval from Subordinate is needed...]
'Alright.'
Ha Joon looked at the wolf girl kneeling on the ground beside him.
It wasn't like he didn't try to make her sit down. Every effort he made seemed to be met with a suspicious gaze from her.
He had just bought her... and she was a slave. Why on earth would someone who came to buy a slave for a battle care about the slave's well-being?
'That's probably what she's thinking. From her appearance, she definitely looks like a rare breed. Don't worry, I'll fix this soon enough.'
—(Mind link.)
Ha Joon linked his mind to the wolf girl's.
『Hey, what's your name?』
The fear on the girl's face grew tenfold as she wondered where the voice came from.
She was just about to leap up when Ha Joon grabbed her by the arm and forced her back down.
『It's okay! I need you to calm down.』
The wolf girl figured it out.
It was her current master.
『H..e..eh..』
She was barely able to form coherent words, but her eyes sent the messages Ha Joon needed to understand.
『Yes, it's one of my abilities. Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. Nod your head if you understand me.』
Skeptical, the wolf girl hesitated. It wasn't like she had a choice—she couldn't refuse anything he said—so why would he be taking such a soft approach?
『I have a lot of questions I need to ask you. To do that, you need to win the battles before us and come out on top. As I said, I'm not going to hurt you, but you need to trust me. I'm here to help your kind. These people are blindly using you for their entertainment, and I don't want that to continue. I want to help.
Will you let me help you get out of here?』
Her green eyes stared at Ha Joon for a while. His words, for some reason, felt believable. Or perhaps it was because the man in front of her was the only person to have ever spoken to her kindly since she became a slave.
『Y...yes.』
Ha Joon smiled. He had gotten her to talk.
『Good girl. Winning is going to take a lot of power, and I'm willing to give you all the power you need. In return, I want you to swear you'll be loyal to me and never betray me. I do not take betrayal well.』
Whether it was fear or honesty, Ha Joon couldn't tell.
The way the wolf girl shook her head desperately, hinting that she wouldn't dare betray him, seemed truthful. Though it didn't mean she would fully accept him as her master.
Beast people were known to only follow those stronger than them.
He needed to prove that first.
And he did.
Ha Joon controlled the aura around him. For just a millisecond, he let his energy run wild.
It was time for the next participant.
The crowd was growing wild for the tiger beast representing number 2, cheering for him to rip apart his next victim.
Beast men had amazing healing factors, allowing them to fight for days non-stop as their cells continued to repair themselves.
"Coming into the ring! To challenge the undisputed champion, number 2, is number 4 and his battle servant, Death Wolf!"
The cage opened after the announcer's voice began to fade.
Walking into the cage was Terra—the once dirty slave now looking more beautiful than most of the nobles' wives.
The men stared, her figure almost exposed under her short top. The shorts she wore made her look even more attractive as her thighs were exposed for all to see.
There was no doubt about it: people loved beautiful, dangerous women.
But what they loved more was seeing a beautiful, dangerous woman beaten to a pulp!
"Finish her!"
"She's so cute! Rip her skin off!"
"I call dibs to buy the pretty girl if she survives!"
The voices of the people echoed throughout the arena.
'Can't believe these are nobles in Camelot... I'm so embarrassed.'
Alaric covered his face as he looked at the ground. He was standing right outside the cage, where the other participant also stood.
"Let the battle... begin!!!"
The tiger beast wasted no time.
He charged forward like the wild beast he was, his claws out and ready to strike at his opponent.
He was strong, and people knew it. Just the size of his paw, combined with the power of his strikes, could rip a body in half.
Now imagine everyone's surprise when Terra blocked the attack with one hand, then proceeded to shove the tiger's head down, slamming it against her raised knee.
The arena went silent for the second time that night.
They watched as the tiger rolled on the ground like a rag doll.
The tiger beast tried to stand up, only to find Terra had moved from where she had been and was now standing in front of him.
She was so fast, no one saw her move.
*Bash!*
She stomped on the tiger's head with her foot, crushing it so quickly that his brains splattered all over the place.
It happened so fast. No one knew how to react.
Well, except Ha Joon, of course, who was smiling from the corner.
A few needed to die for his plan to work, and he was more than willing to bear that burden as king.
"Uhm... I... I guess the Death Wolf wins!!!"
The crowd was still shocked by what they had seen. No one dared to cheer.
Some of the nobles were already getting suspicious. If this demi-human were to win, that would mean the nobleman who bought her would get to take such a powerful weapon home.
And the noble in question was the man dressed in a black cloak, his face covered.
"Things have gotten interesting," a noble said with a grin.