Are You Afraid Now?

"Can't I fight?" Hoshiharu stroked his chin and asked.

"There shouldn't be any rules in this arena that prohibit ordinary people from challenging adventurers, right?"

Of course, there were no such rules.

Moreover, he had signed the contract, and even if he died in the ring, he could only blame himself. The arena wouldn't be at fault, and there would be no need to worry about being held accountable afterward.

Shakti said nothing.

However, her pupils sharpened, her facial expression gradually disappeared, and her eyes fixed on Hoshiharu.

The aura lingering around her quickly rose, pressing toward Hoshiharu from the front.

At that moment, it seemed as if there was heavy pressure on his face, as if the blue-haired beauty in front of him planned to do something shocking in public.

However, he remained unfazed by the momentum Shakti deliberately directed at him. His expression was so calm that it could even be described as indifferent.

"...Although I very much want to say that for the sake of your life, you are forbidden from participating, you don't look like a novice who knows nothing."

Shakti's blue eyes slightly relaxed, and her aura gradually decreased.

"Well then, it's up to you."

The indifferent attitude toward the momentum she released made her a bit more interested in this young man.

In this labyrinth city, anyone who made a living by exploring dungeons could be called an adventurer.

Although Level 1 was only considered a low-level adventurer and could be said to be the weakest level among adventurers, accounting for more than half the total number of adventurers in Orario, they were still beings who had received Falna from the gods and embarked on the path of growth.

There was a significant power gap between ordinary people and adventurers. Though it couldn't be called a natural chasm, it could be considered a gap.

Previously, almost no one would challenge adventurers as ordinary people. The approach was too unwise and not advisable for ordinary adventurers. If you weren't careful, you might be seriously injured and dying.

However, this young man might not be an ordinary person.

Shakti planned to give him a chance to see how far he could go.

"Here is your number plate. Go to the preparation room and wait."

After Hoshiharu filled out the registration form and signed the contract on the parchment, Shakti handed him a wooden number plate and turned to leave.

"Your name is Shakti, right? You're a good person."

Hoshiharu suddenly spoke.

After saying that, he entered the preparation room without looking back.

Shakti turned her head and looked at the boy's back, with a slightly surprised expression on her face.

He must have sensed her intentions. Unexpectedly, he was a very considerate man, which made her single heart of over thirty years beat a little faster.

The problem was, this man was very handsome.

"Later, you should keep an eye on the arena carefully to avoid accidents..."

The next match would soon begin, and Shakti returned to the ring and stood in a very hidden position.

After she left.

"Hey, give me a registration form!"

A brutal-looking adventurer with thick hands and a grim face came to the registration office and took a registration form from the employee.

He filled in his name and the big word "Level 1" on the registration form, signed the contract, and then entered the preparation room with a fierce look.

"Is this guy really Level 1 now?"

The employee was scared by his momentum and didn't dare to speak the whole time. Only after he left and looked back did he have strong doubts.

Guild employees often interacted with adventurers, and they could see the difference between high-level adventurers and low-level adventurers.

In this Orario, only adventurers who had reached Level 2 could be considered advanced adventurers.

❀❀❀

In the preparation room.

When Hoshiharu entered, three challengers remained: two humans and one pallum.

The three of them were holding onto their pants legs, shaking their feet, or pacing around. They couldn't hide the nervousness on their faces. They were all restless, even when they saw Hoshiharu come in. They had no intention of speaking to him at all.

The eyes of the three people were entirely focused on the same place.

Following their line of sight, Hoshiharu saw a clean and transparent window from which he could see the view of the ring.

At this moment, a new game had begun, and Hawks was receiving a challenge from the sixth adventurer.

Half a minute later, the game on stage was over.

There were no ups and downs in the process, and it was still a big win for Hawks.

The host announced a ten-minute break, and the next game would start in ten minutes.

In the preparation room, after seeing Hawks' six-game winning streak, the expressions of the three people became more nervous, especially the two middle-aged men among the humans.

The number plates in their hands were the smallest among the others, and it would be their turn next.

"By the way, are you afraid now?"

Hoshiharu approached and spoke to him with curiosity on his face.

"...A-a little."

Surprised by Hoshiharu's words, the middle-aged man looked at him in a panic and tried to calm down.

"Actually, I'm quite afraid. After all, I'm the only boy in my family, and there are two eighty-year-olds in my family. If I die here, I really don't know how they will survive for the rest of their lives!"

Hoshiharu looked sad, his face full of concern for his nonexistent elderly parents.

"I-I suddenly remembered that the field at home still needs fertilizing...!"

The middle-aged man's face quickly turned pale, then he suddenly stood up, ignored the gatekeeper's barrier outside, and rushed out of the arena.

After he left, the young man next to him, who looked about twenty years old, suddenly became flustered.

According to his number plate, he was next after the middle-aged man.

"Is it your turn to be nervous now?"

Hoshiharu moved his butt, sat next to the young man, and took the initiative to comfort him.

"Actually, there's no need to be nervous. Look at that dwarf's strong arm. Even if he can chop you into pieces with his axe and make your blood spill like tomato juice, it would hurt if you just stick out your head and let him chop it off. It only takes a moment, but the brain could explode, and it would be an unworthy death..."

"I, I, I, I, I suddenly remembered that the shop at home is about to open, I need to go back!"

The young man imagined such a scene, his face turned pale, he stammered for a while, lifted his trembling legs, and immediately left the preparation room.

Once the two humans left, the most nervous person suddenly became the pallum sitting in the corner.

He was only about Hoshiharu's waist height, and he seemed to have slender arms and legs, not big enough to be chopped off by a dwarf with an axe. Thinking about the scene Hoshiharu just described, a layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Then, he saw Hoshiharu approaching him with a warm smile on his face.

"...I'm still a virgin! I want to revitalize my family, I can't die here!"

His expression changed several times, and finally, he gritted his teeth, with a fiery expression on his face, and disappeared without a trace following the young man.

"I didn't say anything."

Hoshiharu pursed his lips.

'If your mental quality is poor, why should you compete in this arena?'

'Hey, looking at it this way, I indirectly saved three lives, and that's a great merit!'

The preparation room door opened.

An employee came in with a surprised expression on his face. He looked around, and his eyes fell on Hoshiharu.

"What happened here?"

"Nothing happened!"

Hoshiharu looked surprised.

He was a very polite man, what could have happened?

The employee left the preparation room with a puzzled expression on his face.