Arena Rules (23)

I woke up abruptly from the fact that icy water was pouring over my body in a hail, bringing me out of my stupor. Confused and disoriented, I stumbled to my feet, trying to make sense of my surroundings. Memories came flooding back to me, I remembered how I was sold in an unknown direction. Suddenly, a voice rang in my head, which plunged me even more into the abyss of uncertainty.

[Good morning, Participant 137. It's 05:01. The 605 system welcomes you.]

Startled by the unexpected voice and the rag thrown in my face, I recoiled, narrowly avoiding a sharp blow. In front of me stood a woman dressed in a white robe, her red hair fluttering around her like fire. Despite my confusion and fear, I couldn't help but be struck by her beauty.

"Well, you should quickly leave the cell," she said in a sharp and shrill voice.

Her voice made me feel annoyed, and I raised my foot to strike back, but the voice in my head stopped me.

[You better not do what's on your mind. She has a lot more cards on her hands than you do. One of them is shackles tied to your neck and wrists.]

When I stretched out my hand to verify the authenticity of the unknown's words, I felt the cold metal shackles around my neck. The same can be said about my wrists, which were shackled with black shackles with shimmering symbols engraved on them.

[Welcome to the Arena, Participant 137. One of the slaves of human desires and their seven sins. From this moment begins a long way of developing your strength.]

I couldn't believe what was happening to me. My head was pounding with confusion, and I couldn't understand how I had ended up here. All I knew was that I was trapped, and that my captors had complete control over me.

When I found myself in a terrible situation, my first impulse was to laugh out loud. However, at that moment, instead of laughing, I heard a low rumble.

What the hell is going on here?!

The woman in front of me stared at me, clutching a black ball in her hand. Soon, I felt an electric current coursing through my veins. I dropped to my knees, curling up in agony and burying my face in the dirty rag. I writhed on the ground, unable to bear the excruciating pain.

"Found something amusing, did you? Wash up soon," the woman sneered.

I raised my bloodshot eyes to meet hers, my breathing ragged.

She took a step back, but then grinned and waved the black ball in front of me. "You're trying to scare me, huh? Forget it. You're just prey here," she said, her words dripping with malice.

With a snort, I got up from the ground, refusing to wash with the dirty rag. I took a step forward, determined not to let her intimidate me.

"Alright, let's just get it done," she said.

After that she fixed a talisman on my back and muttered a spell.

At the same time, a voice began to speak in my head, explaining the basic information about the place where I found myself.

[Participant 137, you are currently in the so-called Arena. This iron island is where creatures and beasts of the Empire, captured and enslaved, fight for Spiritual Stones. These stones are used to gain experience and enhance one's own body and mana.

Death or increased strength - the choice is yours.

The Arena has 36 floors and seven levels. Each level consists of 5 floors, which are fields several tens of kilometers wide. The final floor is guarded by the people themselves, and that's where the crystal is located.

In order to pass each floor, you need to defeat the main Boss, as well as defeat opponents chosen by the audience three times. Each subsequent level becomes more difficult to overcome until the mode becomes more frenzied. With your current strength, you won't be able to survive on the Second Floor of the First Level.

Your task as a participant is to reach the top - the 36th floor - and defeat the guardians to take possession of the Red Crystal.

You have 10 years to complete the first task. Your contract as a wanderer of Zone 60 is designed for exactly 300 years. However, if you become the Lord of the Void, you will be able to return to your restored world in advance. If you do not complete the mission on time, your existence will be erased in all worlds, and with it, your body, soul, and consciousness will be destroyed.]

As I walked down the narrow corridor, I noticed metal cages hanging from the ceiling, filled with explosive talismans and emitting vital energy. It was a dangerous situation, but also an opportunity to use this place to build my foundation.

The unbearable stench of decomposition made me feel sick. To divert my attention, I looked at the figures of the beasts ahead.

[So, am I a participant in a game or quest, or is this some kind of mission for the whole world?] I asked.

[Participant 137, you are a representative of the 10th layer with impeccable parameters of the future fighter. Your solar system was destroyed by the excess energy of the sun, and the planet was destroyed by subsequent cataclysms. You are selected as a potential villain, the Final Boss.] the voice replied.

I reached for my collar in disbelief. "Am I really in this game?"

Suddenly, a hoarse voice interrupted my thoughts. "Hurry up, or we won't get meat."

I turned around to see a walking fish with bulging eyes and a toothless mouth, its tongue replaced by a dangling appendage.

"Hey, hurry up, they say there will be Lunatic meat. Who's blocking the way there?!" another voice shouted.

"Pf, just crush him into a thin cake, we'll have a snack on the way."

There was laughter, and the noise continued.

I took a deep breath and rushed forward, unable to bear the stench and the eerie creatures any longer.

The narrow but elevated space was filled with cages and severed limbs of creatures that hung from the ceiling, tied with golden ropes.

Everything looked dark and scary, like scenes from a horror movie, and this crowd of freaks behind my back didn't give me a minute to think.

[They cannot be eaten, they are poisoned. After one bite, a slow and painful death will follow.]

[Do you think I'm thinking about it? Where is the exit?]

[You can't leave the Arena until you finish the mission.]

[Easier said than done. Why should I continue this damn mission?]

[For the sake of your home galaxy. You need to destroy the foundation of the Game Server to the nines, take possession of the Icy Heart of the Emperor. Your freedom is initially in your hands.]

[I've been here less than a week and I realize it's not that easy. One against the Game Server. Do you think I'm some kind of omnipotent virus?!]

[Participant 137 is not alone on this rocky road. You have been summoned from a destroyed level 10 planet, but there are other players just like you, summoned from other worlds to destroy the foundational Empire. But they are dangerous and are not considered allies or associates. You are rivals with them. Remember, the Emperor's Icy Heart is the only thing that can fix the world with the smallest particles, but the Legendary Artifact is used only once.]

[My rivals? They are also players, as you say, and I need to destroy this Empire and take possession of the artifact? You're kidding, I can barely survive.]

[There are many destroyed worlds, as well as those who seek to return to their planet. They are completely different from you. Systems are prohibited from disclosing basic information. But at the moment in the Arena, you are the only representative of the Mother Source.]

Sighing, I mingled with a crowd of creatures — mismatched, boneless, small and large, waiting on a huge platform with an iron ceiling.

There were more than a thousand individuals, and I was among them.

Waving my tail, I looked around, and saw that all the creatures were looking up at the ceiling. On the side walls, there were several dozen entrances with oval corners, from which the creatures crawled out in an endless stream. Even in this seemingly endless space, it became stuffy.

[Participant 137, watch your tail.] the 605 system reminded me.

Confused, I turned my attention back to the creatures around me.

Suddenly, the ceiling slid back with a bang, revealing a glass barrier. Inside was a colorless liquid, in which Sleepwalking millipedes swam. There were also a few plants of an unusual color that I had never seen before.

The creatures howled and, standing on the iron floor, began to push and shove against each other, showing their excitement. They snapped their fangs and scratched the iron with their claws.

[What are they doing?] I asked.

[They're begging for breakfast. Humans are disgusting creatures.] The 605th replied.

As the creatures continued to make a commotion, a voice boomed through the speaker with an air of superiority and disdain.

"Behold, the pitiful residents of the Lowlands of the Empire, eagerly awaiting their meager sustenance. How pathetic they are, these wretched creatures, scurrying and clamoring like rats for a morsel of food."

The voice dripped with contempt, as if the speaker considered the creatures beneath his notice.

"Open the wall and let them have their fill. It matters little, for they are but disposable pawns in a game much greater than themselves. Let them gorge themselves before they meet their inevitable end."

The glass opened a crack in the middle, and a ton of water poured over the swarming bodies. Someone grabbed me by the tail and used me as a springboard, jumping towards the food. Sleepwalkers sluggishly twitched their massive bodies as hordes of creatures broke through their black bellies, plunging into their insides.

"It's delicious," I heard one of them say. "If I die today, I won't regret it."

"Oh, what a treat... Hey, don't touch it, I cut that part off myself," said another.

There was a scramble for scraps, and loud laughter rang out in the speaker.

[You should try it. Painkillers and an Elixir have been added to the food for durability. The only drop is able to keep the fighters in good shape for 8 hours in a row. Your first battle within the walls of the Arena is very important.]

[Ok] I said, picking up one of the plants. I turned it over in my hands and asked:

[What is it?]

[Creepers, Thorny Creepers.] The 605th replied.

[They grow in the territories of Animals. They are very easy to get and are useful for concentration and digestion. You don't have any problems with the latter.]

[I see.] I said, biting off a long greenish-gray plant. I was surprised at its pleasant taste. The creatures continued to tear up carcasses, and the weaker ones, like me, became herbivores.

"It's been 15 minutes, everyone out!" an unknown person announced into the speaker.

The doors opened on the sides, and I felt a sense of impending doom.

Squaring my shoulders, I felt hundreds of eyes on me.

The creatures around us started whispering, and I overheard some of them talking about the newly arrived fighters.

"I think the fresh meat is here," one of them said, followed by a cackle from his companion.

"Ha! Yesterday I saw them being unloaded to the ground floor. The poor devils won't even get to the fourth floor, it's a pity we'll be deprived of these walking Spiritual stones," another replied with a grin.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I asked the system,

[What are they talking about?]

[As I reported earlier, the Arena is divided into levels of five floors each. Let me explain the basic rules of the Arena for you. There are seven possible outcomes after each battle:

1. If you win without killing your opponent, you can move on to the next battle and receive one Spiritual Stone.

2. If you kill your opponent, you can move on to the next battle and receive two Spiritual Stones.

3. If you lose the battle but stay alive, you will not receive any Spiritual Stones.

4. If you win three battles, you will be transferred to the Refinement Station.

5. If you lose one battle, you will be sent to the Redemption Plaza.

6. If you lose two battles, you will be sent to a place where creatures fight each other for Spirital Stones. This is a dangerous place where many experienced fighters deliberately lose their battles to get there. The name of this place is the Survival Crossroads.

7. If you lose three battles, you will die a painful death in the jaws of Carnivorous Plants.

However, if you are on the second level or higher and lose, you may be redirected to a lower level, up to five floors down. But you are now at the First Level, so this rule does not apply to you, if you lose as many as three times in a row, you will be sentenced to an excruciatingly slow death.

Please keep in mind that there are no guarantees in the Arena, and you must fight to survive.]