Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  The Northern Underground World Gladiator Arena.

  A Gnome worker in a neat blue uniform stood at the entrance. He smiled as he welcomed the Goblins, Houndhead Men, Gnomes, and Orcs.

  They had green symbols above their heads, and they streamed out endlessly from the Teleport Portal. Soon, they filled up the entire circular arena.

  When the worker confirmed that there were no more creatures, he walked towards the resting room.

  After waiting for an hour and welcoming more than 4,000 spectators, no creature would be able to stand it. It was necessary to go to the resting room to drink a cup of water.

  There was another Gnome sitting in the resting room.

  “Ha…… it’s tough. There are more than 4,000 creatures.”


  The Gnome saw his colleague walking in and complained in a helpless and indignant tone.

  “They seem to be from Eternal Kingdom and are registered Gladiators. I know a few of them.”


  “Of course. Why else would they arrive using the dedicated Teleport Portal for Gladiators?”


  “I wonder what the big event is today. Is there a mass Gladiator blind date today?”


  “I don’t think so. It doesn’t look like a mass blind date. They didn’t bring snacks and looked dirty and unkempt, so it can’t be a mass blind date. Have you seen blind dates in the arena?”


  “You can’t be sure. They are Gladiators, after all.”


  The two Gnomes said simultaneously as they looked at each other and nodded, “Yes, they are Gladiators, after all.”
……

  “Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Northern Underworld Gladiator Arena. Today, we shall witness three consecutive duels. They are the death duels of Changan City and the Pioneer Alliance! The Gladiator Fight is different from previous fights, as there will be actual deaths in the arena!”


  A metal cage was lowered on a screen composed of four crystal balls, which depicted a large image. It showed a Little Fairy locked in a metal cage that was hung up high.

  The host shouted, “Today, victory is determined by who wins two out of three duels. The winner will decide the fate of the Little Fairy. She is likely to die. Cheers! Ladies and gentlemen, the most bloody and brutal Gladiator Fight is about to begin!”


  The gamers erupted into wild cheers after the host finished speaking. They didn’t understand why, but it was appropriate to cheer.

  The gamers occupied half of the arena, while Underworld residents occupied the remaining area.

  Every day the arena would have Gladiator Fights with different themes, with the most popular being the Sole Survivor fight with individual and team variants.

  Though the opening for today’s duel was traditional, the prisoner, the Little Fairy, was an eye-catcher.

  To the Underworld residents, it was an anticipated event.

  There was a lot of bloodshed in the previous Gladiator Fights, but they were performances. Right now, the duel would have deaths to honor the Little Fairy!

  The Little Fairy was a decadent and evil Surface World creature, so it was better to kill her.

  The gamers and the natives cheered in anticipation of the duel.

  Meanwhile, in a Gladiator resting room.

  “Are you really fighting? Raintea, you haven’t died before, have you?” Peasant asked the nervous Raintea, who was holding a tree branch, while he polished his Shield.

  The tree branch was an Underworld Magic Wand, which could be found at the Winterfell Magical Items Shop. The effect of the Magic Wand was to increase the Mana affinity and power of the user.

  Some high-quality Magic Wands were even able to store Mana. A Magic Wand was a piece of powerful and necessary equipment for a Magician.

  However, very few Magician gamers would equip themselves with Magic Wands.

  Magic Wands weren’t cost-effective. The high price tag didn’t come with equivalent combat power.

  There weren’t many Mana Skills available to the gamers, and they weren’t powerful. Examples were small fireballs and hurricanes. They required long periods of incantation and had to be combined with the usage of Bladder Bombs. Otherwise, the power was limited. It was more efficient to stab with a knife.

  Therefore, the existence of Magic Wands was redundant.

  Peasant was the first Magician in the game. His style was to complement his main physical attacks with Mana Skills.

  Currently, there were no gamers who wanted Mana Skills as their main combat skill.

  “I won’t be a burden to everyone! I have learned superior Healing Mana Skills. As long as there are no broken arms or legs, I can help heal everyone,” Raintea shouted solemnly. The words “Pioneer Alliance” appeared once again under her name. To defeat the members of Changan City and save the Little Fairy, Raintea rejoined the Pioneer Alliance Guild.

  There was opposition to her joining the Guild since some felt that she didn’t have any combat power. Though a single member was insignificant compared to 500 members, a strong member was better than a weak one.

  Even Arthur thought so. But after he witnessed Raintea’s new Mana Skills, he decided to let Raintea participate in the first battle.

  “Don’t be tense. Relax a bit. We’ve beaten them before, so just follow us. Where did you learn your new Mana Skills? I went to buy a Mana Skills Book to learn Mana Skills, but I couldn’t find Healing Mana Skills,” NotWearingPants, who was sitting by the side, asked.

  The other Guild members were also curious about Raintea’s new Mana Skills.

  “The kitten Polio gave me a new mission. He is the new pet of Lord Sherlock.”


  Raintea appeared nervous as she held the Magic Wand and answered the gamers’ questions.

  “Gosh! I knew the kitten wasn’t a white elephant. It was meant for the gamers to cuddle! I didn’t expect the kitten to have a Strange Encounter Mission!”


  “Didn’t you cuddle the cat before? Did you receive the Strange Encounter Mission after cuddling the cat?”


  “The Strange Encounter Mission must have a prerequisite!”


  “Yes, yes, Veteran Raintea, under what circumstances did you receive the Strange Encounter Mission?”


  The other gamers were asking Raintea, curious about her Strange Encounter Mission.

  Raintea explained her mission in detail.

  When she was troubled and wondered how to rescue the Little Fairy, the kitten Polio approached her and said, “I’ll teach you a set of Healing Mana Skills that were passed down from the ancestors!”


  He then took Raintea to the Dungeon Core Main Hall entrance. From the Mana Skills selection, she spent a Mana Skills Book to learn the Healing Mana Skills.

  “That simple? Aren’t there any prerequisites?”


  “Gosh, is that all?”


  “This is a Strange Encounter Mission based on character?”


  “Not necessarily. Perhaps the gamer obtained the favor of the NPC.”


  Everyone was speculating about how the Strange Encounter Mission was triggered. It was at that point that an Arena worker walked to the door and shouted to everyone.

  “Gladiators of the Pioneer Alliance, prepare yourselves. The duel is about to begin. Pick up your equipment and wait at the holding area.”


  “Let’s go, brothers!”


  Arthur sprung up, and the metallic clanking of his armor was heard. He clapped his hands and smiled confidently as he shouted to the gamers.

  “Charge!”


  “Let’s go!”


  “Let’s butcher those silly dudes!”


  “Waaaaah—!”


  The battle that all gamers were watching was about to commence……

  While the gamers of Eternal Kingdom were watching the battle between Changan City and the Pioneer Alliance, the gamers of Victoria City were cursing and swearing.

  They swore at Changan City, cursed the Pioneer Alliance, and scolded the game producers.

  Gamers could only have a single account, and changing factions required 100 Magic Stones. Not to mention, if the number of people in both factions was equal, it was hard to change factions.

  As such, the gamers had a strong sense of belonging. Moreover, the game was ultra-realistic, like the real world, making their sense of belonging even stronger.

  The Plot of Eternal Kingdom was exciting, while the Plot of Victoria City paled in comparison. The gamers were unhappy, and they complained.

  A person had triggered a Plot.

  In the slave resting room in the Castle of York Territory.

  “Lord Duke, Hoodlum is here.”


  A servant led the tall and fat Duke of York to a deep corner.

  There were prison cells with sitting, standing, and resting slave Gladiators along the way. They were private slave warriors of the Duke of York.

  In the innermost resting room, inside the largest cage, there was a strong slave warrior sleeping in the darkness.

  “Slumbering Hoodlum,” the Duke of York muttered to himself as he looked at Hoodlum, who was currently offline.