Chapter 27: Life is a Theater
Chapter 27: Life is a Theater
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Faced with such a bad attitude from his own Soul Armature Practitioner, the black colored Soul Armature said in a disapproving tone, "Undine, don't be so serious all the time. You need to learn to relax..." Having said that, just like a magic trick, he took out another few dozens of gold coins from God-knows-where and threw them into the hands of the attendants. Casually, he said, "Bet on that Sven the Rogue Knight... wait a minute... No! I'm betting that he will win 10 rounds consecutively. Yes this one! The one with the highest betting odds!"
The great beauty who was called Undine could not help but frowned upon such a statement. Still, she did not stop her Soul Armature from wasting her money. She just asked in a rather puzzled voice, "Do you really think so highly of him? Just because of that one coincidence?"
The black Soul Armature gestured for the attendant to leave and then lay down on the soft, big sofa before saying lazily, "Well, I may not be as strong as you are when it comes to swordsmanship but when it comes to reading people, regardless of whether it was in my past life or now, I'm usually pretty accurate. I have a strong feeling that this guy is the person that we need. Oh hey! Look at that! The second match is starting now. Let's just wait and see!"
Obviously, such an explanation would not satisfy the great beauty. Her brows furrowed slightly but even that gesture could not conceal her grace. She did not continue to argue or question but instead, she forced herself to patiently sit through and watch Baiyi's second match.
"Our Sven the Cow will soon face his second opponent. And to answer the question of why I'm calling him the Cow? HAHAHAHAHA! Well, isn't it because this name was commonly used by farmers to name their cows? Alright! Jokes aside, let's see who his second opponent is! OOOOOHHHHH OH MY GOD! IT’S DOUGIE THE SHREDDER! Poor Cow... I'm starting to pity him now."
"Howls the Iron Axe might be nothing more than a loud-voiced nitwit but this Dougie the Shredder is a KILLER! A TRUE KILLER! That's right! He had committed several murders in the realm of Marle before. There's no doubt that he is one psychopathic killer! This is exactly why he has the same name as the most violent devil in the abyss! Although it is stipulated here that both parties are forbiden to kill each other... BUT... As you know, this is the Arena of Blood and Glory, a place where accidents may happen... Oh look! Dougie the Shredder is coming now! Can all of you smell the bloody stench in the air? "
The host was indeed a person who was skilled with words. With the quick-witted use of various words, he once again aroused the enthusiasm of the spectators. With the host's words, those people imagined themselves watching a scene where Baiyi was torn to pieces by the Shredder. Once again, the gold coin that represented their anticipation was thrown into the betting plate one by one.
Baiyi measured the opponent in front of him, scanning him from head to toe. That person was wearing a scarlet robe and his face was even more ferocious than the previous actor Mr. Howls. With both of his hands gripping onto a pair of hands claws, the blood covering his body was shining sinisterly under the glaring sun. Baiyi scrutinized the claws blade and to his delight he found that there were some scratch marks on them. Yes, finally! Just by sensing his power, Baiyi could see that the power of that person was already quite close to the Advanced Level. Just a little bit more effort and he would become an Advanced warrior.
Did you used to have a follower named the Shredder? Baiyi asked the Devil with great interest.
"Yes. An Elite Level devil. Pretty much just a top-grade dirt," the Devil replied. "But still, he's way better than this guy in front. At least my Shredder would not pour swine blood on himself just to show off his brutality."
No wonder his body smelled like blood! It seemed like he was more professional than Mr. Howls in terms of acting and showing his strength. On top of that, instead of blatantly showing off his fierce looks and voice, he chose to gaze quietly at Baiyi with a savage look, just like a beast looking at its prey. If the person he was facing was not Baiyi, then maybe , he could successfully fool that person.
Before the two of them were about to start, Baiyi did not forget to ask the Knight in his mind again, So, which tactic should we use this time?
"Since these tasteless spectators love watching all kinds of fancy sword skills, let's use the Six-Stroke Divine Sword 1 ... Erm... Wait a minute... The amount of Chi Prowess that you possess might not be enough... Hmm... I guess... The Broken Chi Tactic 2 then!" The Knight replied after pondering for a moment.
Wait a second! I have been wondering since the very beginning. What's with all the name of these techniques? Do you realise that you're inadvertently exposing something? I didn't know at all that you are addicted to Martial Arts novel! Aren't you afraid that your image of a cold and elegant man would be ruined?
"So? What's wrong with it? What's the problem now? Yes, it's true that I like the righteous and itinerant life of a wandering traveller, the song-humming and the sword fighting life as well as the evident love and hatred in the story. What's wrong with that now? Huh?" Displeasure could be heard in the Knight's tone.
Although Baiyi knew that this guy was basically spouting nonsense but why did he somehow feel that the Knight had a point? Then again, if one were to think about it carefully, the unrestrained life of that person when he was young was indeed slightly similar to the wandering warriors in the novel. Well, maybe he had been quiet all this while because there was no common topic with the other Voidwalkers at all. Baiyi could not help but wonder in silence. Then, as the referee announced the beginning of the match, he quickly picked up his sword and strode forward.
The Broken Chi Tactic that the Knight developed for him had a general priciple like this: releasing many tiny and thin Chi Blades from the tip of the sword and use the blades to cut into the gap between the Chi Shield of the opponent and tear it down in one swoop. It could be considered as a highly aggressive tactic. On top of that, that the consumption of energy was not high and one could release it many times in a fight.
In accordance with the original design, the Knight who was at the Demigod Level could release numerous brilliant golden Chi Blades instantaneously to form a glittering blade and fire it towards his opponents. The scene would look very cool and sensational in real life. If this tactic was used consecutively in a row, then it would be even more magnificent and spectacular. There was no doubt that it could satisfy the appetite of those spectators.
But then again, Baiyi was only at the Intermediate Level. He could never release the gorgeous golden Chi Blades like how a Demigod Level could. All he could release were transparent ones and the number and density of the blades would not be as high as well. More importantly was that his opponent was only an Intermediate Level Warrior. There was no way he knew how to cast a Chi Shield!
So, what happened at the end you ask? Well, when the opponent hurried over towards Baiyi, he waved his sword and released the transparent Chi Blade in an instant. The opponent's scarlet robe, replacing the Chi Shield, immediately faced a huge calamity where it was cut into pieces. In an instant, pieces of cloth scattered everywhere leaving only a few pieces of fabric to cover his private parts...
Again, the match was forced to a halt abruptly. The opponent did not even say a word and all he could do was to cover his lower body with his hands. Throwing a murderous look towards Baiyi, he did not even bother to admit his defeat before running off the stage.
The host was at a loss for words that he even felt like killing himself but his sense of duty to his job still forced himself to find an excuse, "Errr... Well... Erm... Although I don't really understand t-t-the situation, but it seems like... erm... the Shredder... somehow was not in the mood t-t-today. Erm... o-okay... or maybe it was his clothing that was not in the mood today... Well, I'm sure you all know a-about this as well right? Er.... A w-warrior would usually cover his whole body with Chi Prowess so perhaps.. erm... his clothes was torn off by his Chi Prowess? Yeah... I-I guess that must be it... R-right?
"Well... erm... in short, the winner is still our lucky cow, Sven the Rogue Knight. Okay, I know this result is a little shocking and unexpected but he did survive the second round with that peculiar luck of his. Well, let us give this lucky guy a little applause?"
After the spectators saw the astounding results, as expected, the arena was filled with booing once again. Peels and trash that represented their anger and dissatisfaction rained down towards the stage. The poor attendants standing below the spectators who was supposed to collect the reward money was fully covered in those trash…
When the attendants once again put the pile of rubbish in front of Baiyi, he finally could not stand it anymore. "What the hell are we doing here actually? Picking up trash?" Then, he stood up and prepared to leave. He was undoubtedly a powerful being but being humiliated twice in such a way? He could not tolerate it no matter how good his temper was.
And that's not all! Even the other challengers who were waiting for their turns in the waiting room were looking at him in a weird way while holding tightly onto their clothes and stepping a few steps back.
What the hell does this mean now? Do you guys really think of me as a gay person now? I didn't even do anything other than slicing his clothes into pieces! Baiyi thought angrily.
Seeing that, the Sorcerer quickly advised, "Calm down. Although the spectators refused to reward us, but at least we still have the 30 gold coins as a reward for winning the second match,. Just think of Mia-chan's lovely smile and endure a bit more, okay?"
These words immediately pulled Baiyi back to yesterday's memory of Mia's eyes that were filled with hope and faith and also the touching scene of her moving that one piece of gold coin. It prompted him to sit back down at the corner and told the attendant who still had a piece of banana peel on top of his head that he was continuing the next match.
Well, for the sake of Mia-chan and my freedom in the future, I guess I'll just bear with it for now. Isn't remaining indifferent when faced with either favor or disgrace also a temperament a powerful being should possess? Baiyi thought to himself while telling the Voidwalkers at the same time, We really can't use the Knight's techniques anymore! It's not helpful at all!
"Nonsense! It's obviously these stupid people who don't know how to appreciate these arts!" The Knight argued.
Never mind him. Anyway, we really need to change our tactics so that we can dupe these people off their money, Baiyi said solemnly. We need extravagant tactics that will not reveal my identity!
As he spoke, he unconsciously swept a look towards the plates of trash by his side. Wait a minute! Is that a real gold coin among that pile of rubbish?
It seemed like there was somebody who could differentiate good from bad among that group of people? Or could it be that it was a moment of generosity by someone who had placed a bet on him? He could not help but pondered as he picked up the piece of gold and carefully looked it over.