55 Chapter 55 - Glaive Fight

Author's Apology Note: I would like to apologize for the delay in delivering the chapters. I really don't plan on giving up on this fanfic for a long time, but I got caught writing at work. So the time I have for it has decreased significantly.

But don't worry. I will use my weekends and an upcoming holiday to try and update at least 10 chapters so that I won't owe anything anymore.

Thank you for understanding and happy reading!

***

At the Steel Armor Shelter, the latest news of the moment was about how Son of Heaven tried to attack the unified groups of Elysium and others just to steal their hunt. It was a secret that ended up leaking from those who came from there, and no one wanted to go so far in the wilds just to confirm the veracity of the facts.

Han Sen, Qin Xuan, and Fist Guy already knew that it was inevitable for the news to leak, so they spoke to everyone to alter the events. If the true news, which was an extermination attempt, leaked, then all those present would suffer consequences. And by the time the modified news spread, even if someone wanted to tell the truth, it would be difficult, as it would be drowned out by the voices of others.

For all intents and purposes, this news ended up shaking the entire structure of Shelter, which until a few months ago had the Son of Heaven as an influential figure, and his group was indeed one of the most powerful. But now that this has happened, in addition with the news that their higher ranks fled to another Shelter, the remaining group eventually dissipated like smoke. Some joined smaller groups, while others formed their own.

And the person responsible for this was currently inside the Elysium Operations Base hall, in the middle of an arena.

~°~

"Are you sure you want to bet such a contract?" Han Sen was in the center of the arena, a smile on his face trying to disguise how stupid he thought the other party's idea was.

Where they were was one of the training areas of the Operations Base, where someone could learn to fight if they had someone to teach them, which required points. It was also one of the busiest areas, which explained the large number of people who were watching them now, almost filling the space. Lin Beifeng was also there, watching the match with clear interest in knowing what the hell is going on.

"See, I am a dealer. Apart from some benefits that take away the effort of my hunt, the rest was not worth what I can offer you. And since I found it unfair, nothing better than to solve it like this, right?" Baldur had a strange smile, but he didn't think it was a joke. Business was something serious for him, and Han Sen's proposal was something he needed to bet on to be worth it. After all, if he accepted a binding contract in exchange for the Beast Souls he was offering, it would be foolish. On the other hand, if he simply gave up on it, he didn't know what he would be missing out on if he didn't join in as well.

"You decide." Han Sen knew that the terms he had mentioned were just a test, and he wasn't too worried whether the other party accepted them or not. Those destined to fight by his side would fight, and those who didn't would simply be left behind.

"Which weapon will you choose?" Baldur summoned his glaive once again, which had a very powerful design. It was one of the few Beast Souls that he was interested in, as he didn't like carrying too many. He left his Sea of Souls unoccupied for those he considered worthy.

"Well, since you don't intend to wear any armor, I'll go with you. And it's been a while since I fought with this type of weapon." Han Sen unequipped his armor, revealing the sophisticated and high-quality clothes underneath. He soon also pulled out a primitive glaive, something he had obtained while hunting. There were several other types of weapons like this in his Sea of Souls, but he wasn't going to spend points unnecessarily.

"Interesting." Baldur liked his attitude, but not so much for underestimating him. But he also learned that no matter who it is, the other party's actions are not always arrogance, but something as natural as breathing for them.

"A glaive fight? Wow, that's going to be exciting!"

"Do you think the leader has any skill with this weapon? No one has ever seen him using it."

"Well, maybe he practices alone and only now will show his skills. Not to mention that the glaive he has is just primitive, so he just doesn't have a suitable weapon to fight."

"Is a fight without armor really cool? I know they don't want to get hurt, but it's always good to protect yourself just in case."

"I think they have reached a much higher level of power than us mere mortals..."

"Dude, what the hell are you talking about?"

While the discussions beside the arena were starting to heat up, Baldur and Han Sen silently nodded in agreement.

"Begin!" Han Sen said and watched as Baldur displayed an incredible reaction time and took the initiative to attack.

Shiing!

As the blades of their glaives clashed, the sound of metal scraping against metal silenced the discussions beside them, and everyone began to pay attention.

Skillfully maneuvering the impact force, Han Sen made Baldur's glaive blade touch the ground along with his own. Using the lower part of his weapon, he defended against another surprise attack and dodged the blade when Baldur managed to break free.

"Very good..." Han Sen smiled as he made some movements with the glaive. He then looked serious at Baldur, "But not that good."

SWOOSH!

With a sudden impact force, Baldur felt his chest being hit by the butt of the weapon, luckily not pointed. He hadn't even seen how Han Sen moved, and suddenly he was already in front of him, sending him back a few steps.

"Cough* Cough*! Damn..." Baldur cursed for underestimating him too. If Han Sen had chosen to use the blade, he would surely be dead by now.

"Do you want to continue?" Han Sen had still been merciful. If he wanted to, he could have hit him in the heart or even destroyed one of his arms with the move, but this was just a spar. That's why his strike made him step back, so it was more like a "gentle push."

"The bet should be worth some pain, right?" Baldur stood up, and soon the red mark on his chest was no longer there. He pointed his glaive at him again, "You won't easily defeat a merchant."

"What a shame. My hobby has always been deceiving merchants." Han Sen chuckled a bit and watched him attacking again.

This time he was a little more calm and wouldn't make Baldur suffer. It was obvious that this merchant had a bit of a hot blood for fights, but it wasn't his main focus. If he entered Elysium, it would be something that needed to be corrected.

With blows being exchanged every moment, Han Sen didn't even use any points from the system and just fought as he always had in his past life. The glaive was a weapon he spent some time using, and he was capable of doing a lot with it. He was just a little rusty.

As the fight went on, Baldur didn't seem to get tired and attacked time after time, each one stronger and faster than the previous. Nevertheless, no matter what he did, he saw how Han Sen used a better technique to nullify any of his advantages. And no matter the strategy he used, there always seemed to be a way to neutralize his attacks.

'Unless I use that, I find it difficult to win this bet...' After 30 minutes exchanging blows with him at high intensity, Baldur stepped back and analyzed the fight. But soon he gave up, 'It's not worth it for something so futile.'

"It seems I won a trader, didn't I?" Han Sen was not tired at all and noticed that Baldur wasn't either. But his hesitation means that he doesn't want to continue, either because he can't or because he doesn't want to, "It would really be better not to use any of your tricks here. Just admit defeat."

Caught off guard, Baldur just laughed a bit and saw that Han Sen was more complicated than he imagined. And it would be terrible if he joined a group that was too easy.

"Alright, it seems like you've won. A loss for me." Baldur put away his glaive and simply raised his hands in surrender. He didn't like losing a bet or having an unfair deal, but it wasn't all bad either. After all, according to what Han Sen said, he would still keep his freedom to leave.

"Don't worry, don't worry." Han Sen waved his hand and soon started descending from the arena with him, heading towards Lin Beifeng. "Just one of many."

"What?"

Baldur felt his eye twitch a little and didn't know if he had just entered into a contract with someone untrustworthy.

~°~

"As I told you, you can choose whether to stay or not, as long as when you come back or we meet, I have a choice between your products. And I'm not greedy, so I won't take something of great value just because I want to. Regarding our agreement, you can maximize all the points of mutant genes here in our Operations Base, and I will give you a Sacred-Blood Beast Soul in exchange for the Gear. Good enough for you?" Han Sen asked one last time while eating some cookies at his desk.

"As a merchant, what I value the most is my freedom. And if it only costs a few Beast Souls, so be it." Baldur fully understood what Han Sen's proposal was, even about the support he would receive when he leaves. By using Qin Xuan's contacts as a military officer, he would be supported by soldiers instead of relying on his luck to find a group in each Shelter that wouldn't try to exploit him.

"As the first member of Alpha Squad, you should be a little happier than that." Lin Beifeng, who finished registering Baldur as a new member of the group, spoke with a little anticipation. After all, it was the first of many.

"Of course." Baldur didn't smile or anything, he just found it somewhat uncomfortable.

He then handed his Sacred-Blood Beast Souls and Sacred-Blood Gear to Han Sen, and in return also received a Sacred-Blood Beast Soul that he casually evolved on the spot. It was from the Shadowy Horned Lizard, taking the shape of a Macuahuitl, a rather rare weapon that suited Baldur's exotic tastes.

"Ok, I withdraw my sadness. That was a beautiful Exotic Beast Soul!" It seemed like they had given a candy to a child and Baldur started to smile again, looking at his new acquisition.

"Well, you can go now. One of the benefits of the Alpha Squad is that each member has a personal room at the Operations Base. And since you come from another Shelter, it is more than necessary. Lin Beifeng will inform you the rest of the privileges later." Han Sen dismissed Baldur, noticing that he was easy to please when it came to a worthwhile deal. He still had to investigate this person's background a little more.

As soon as he left, Lin Beifeng looked at Han Sen seriously.

"Are you sure you did the right thing? Although he liked the Beast Soul, he didn't seem comfortable with the idea at first." He also noticed that Baldur was not someone used to being "tied" to any place.

"I don't know." Han Sen shrugged, not wanting to care too much about it. "If he doesn't want to stay, he can just run away. Just like he doesn't trust us, we don't trust him."

"Ok." Lin Beifeng also didn't mind, but then remembered something, "The person you asked me to find is here! The man named Gu Qing recently came to our Shelter. Will you also meet him?"

"No. You can handle it alone. Establish contact with him, but don't push too hard. There's no rush." There was still some time left to fully structure Elysium, and Han Sen preferred to nurture talents rather than capture them. The number of people rising in the Squads is a demonstration that at some point there will be someone from Beta Squad who will have the qualifications to enter Alpha Squad.

After the conversation ended, Han Sen left the Operations Base and wanted to pay a visit to his personal room. It had been a while since he had seen how Little Snake was doing.