Chapter 377: Athens' Arena Games

Chapter 377: Athens' Arena Games

"| Welcome to All! |" A kind and charismatic voice resounded everywhere inside the Arena.

Rakna's ears perked up as he, along with everyone riding the same boat as him, landed on the top floor of the grand building. The very top of the Arena was a garden filled with verdure and streams of water going in and out of the ground.

The center was hollowed out and gave a direct view of the 'stage' for the games. It was surrounded by rows of spectators spread across several floors.

However, it wasn't as simple as that. If you looked inside the hole from the top floor, your brain would be overwhelmed due to the sheer spatial refraction going on inside. Atlantis' Arena was one of the most spatially expanded buildings in the entire System.

It was a known fact that the Arena Games were supported by the System itself. Eva had approved the Arena as a place beneficial to the Hosts and Locals, on par with Trials and Ordeals. As such, the kinds of matches that could occur within it were varied and notoriously hard to reproduce.

"How many participants?" Rakna asked as he looked down at the well of spatial distortions while leaning on the railings. His extreme senses and Eye of Symphony allowed him to observe it with barely any discomfort. Sometimes, the layers of space would intersect and he would see more than a dozen different stages being prepared, all of them diverse in nature.

"This year, we have about three hundred," Michael answered respectfully.

"Oh? More than usual," Zialtra commented with a grin. "Last I heard, the number was always about two hundred or one hundred. I know you guys pick based on potential; are there that many good ones this time?"

"Indeed. Their combined potential is high," the nobleman nodded. "Our examinators were all quite positive about these participants' prospects. Undertaker contributed to the auditions last month as well and few can escape his eye when it comes to latent power."

Rakna's eyebrow twitched at the name but otherwise refrained from commenting on it. However, he did glance in a certain direction on the other side of the roof. The Arena was so large that one with an ordinary vision would have barely been able to see people moving. But to the therian, the distance was inconsequential.

There stood a tall and well-built man, with grayish curly hair and a burn scar on his face. His red eyes glowed and a smirk spread on his face as he returned Rakna's look with a playful wave.

"Undertaker?" Nyx was the one instead to raise the question with a wary look.

"Treiber Sterben. Leader of Friedhof, a notorious mercenary Guild," Kryas answered, lazily eyeing the same place that Rakna was focused on. "Arguably the biggest Guild in terms of headcount as well as the undisputed pinnacle of hired hands. Resourceful, loyal, powerful, connected... a reliable bunch."

"Albeit lacking any sort of moral compass," Zialtra snickered. "And loyalty goes out the window if your enemy hires them after you. Well, as long as your contract with them is not active. Then, yes, they're quite loyal. They never betray their employers for a bigger reward."

"Hm..." Rakna hummed casually and looked away. "Good to know, I suppose."

"Well, let's go inside, shall we?" Azheim proposed as he began to walk toward an open staircase in the ground, his cane tapping the grass. "I do not know about you, gentlemen, but I haven't eaten my breakfast today, so I'm quite hungry."

"Honestly, I could go for a snack too..." Allan grumbled as he started to follow. "Anything to get rid of the smell of blood. Pain in the ass, this ability."

"Control your senses, boy," Akronis shook his head in disappointment. "Your werewolf friend does not complain about his sensory abilities, does he? He has a firm handle on them."

"You can't compare me to Rak! He's basically half-machine at this point! He can filter shit out with a thought... And who cares about a cheater's accomplishments anyway?" The blond huffed.

"Hmph, that man's life is forfeit if he dares to show himself in front of me again," the angel scoffed, still reeling from the affront she had suffered.

Rakna snorted in amusement and idly walked to his seat between Kaelith and Flavia. In the corner of his eyes, he saw the humorous sight of an annoyed Hans fighting Zialtra for the same food due to her attempts at riling him up.

With a hum, he grabbed a muffin from one of the plates and was about to sit when he sensed one familiar presence approaching. He took a bite from the pastry and curiously turned around to see a certain shark merfolk making his way toward them.

"Ah, so you're here too," Rakna remarked. "Not in the stands then. I suppose as a King, you do have the authority to get in here."

Cura grunted in acknowledgment and stopped a few steps away. Without saying anything, his eyes wandered toward the strongest people nearby. He squinted at Merlina, Kryas, and Zialtra but only one of them reacted to it.

"Haha, look here, if it's not the Shark King," the Hunting Queen laughed when she noticed him. "It's a surprise to see you in this place. Looking for a fight again? I can kick your ass if you want. Maybe you'll last longer this time."

"...no need, I have a better confrontation in mind," the shark replied succinctly and silently stared at Rakna as if expecting him to add to that.

The therian smiled wryly. "Yes... I swore it, so I will fight you. It can't be today, but if you wish, we can do it... well, maybe tomorrow? Or in two days. It's a bit tough for me since there's the Myth Council meeting as well as my Guild's test coming up, but I didn't forget. Don't worry."

Cura narrowed his eyes and ultimately nodded.

Zialtra smiled insidiously. "My, are you saying the boy can provide a better fight than me?"

At her words, Gulon abruptly made itself known and let out an unearthly laugh. Even she couldn't help but stiffen in response. Her smile dropped a bit as she watched the mouth of the creature grin at her over the merfolk's shoulder. There was no doubt that she was stronger than Cura but... King Gulon was an existence she knew would forever be greater than herself.

"Roughly..." Cura paused for a second. "What Gul is saying is, 'You're damn right. The wolfwalker is an all-eat buffet while you're just a savage woman. Obviously, he's a better fight'. His words; not mine."

Hans audibly repressed a snicker at that and the Hunting Queen merely elbowed him without even looking, causing a small tremor that surprised everyone at the table. She grinned at the Ancient Creature whilst the azure-haired boy held his sides annoyed rather than pained.

"Is that so?" Zialtra leaned back in her seat. "Well, I'm quite eager to see this showcase now," she said and eyed Rakna like a predator.

He returned the gaze with a blank one. "...no fight for you," he deadpanned.

"Hahaha!" She burst out laughing. "Refusing before I even ask? How rude," she snorted.

The short exchange was interrupted by Gulon growling questioningly, and Rakna promptly looked back at him with a huff. "Right, sorry, I'll tell you why we called you here," the therian said, making more than a few people raise their eyebrows, alternating between him and King Gulon.

Even Cura seemed startled but Rakna continued unabated, "I'll make it short. We need you to be the carrier of a certain 'miracle'..." LaaTest novels on (n)ovelbi/n(.)com