Pesculo kept guiding me toward his territory. The deeper we walked into it, the worse the conditions became.
Unlike the southern area I'd been to, this western part was much filthier. The walls looked corroded, as if they hadn't been cleaned in over ten years.
Even the sand felt wetter and grimier compared to the southern area.
"You live in filth, Pesculo," I commented with clear disgust as my foot sank too deep into the damp sand.
"This is the perfect training ground for my fighters. And you better put some respect on it, kid. The western area is where the most money and bets are made," Pesculo grinned as he explained his reasoning for why the place looked so disgusting.
Behind us, the huge crowd trailing along kept a respectful distance, watching closely for one of the most important events of the night.
We finally arrived at a dedicated ring.
It still had a sandy floor, but structures marked the limits of the fight.
"Get in there and wait, brat."
I entered the ring and crossed my arms.
After a few silent seconds, Pesculo returned, followed by a massive, muscular guy.
"This… is Explosive Strike. My best fighter—the one who's earned me the most territory and wins out of everyone I've trained," Pesculo said with a wide smirk as he introduced him.
The fighter stepped into the ring. He already looked completely wrecked.
Both his eyes pointed in different directions, drool constantly dripped from his mouth, and his body was covered in bruises that hadn't fully healed—along with scars that had been poorly treated.
He wore a jacket lined with metallic buttons and a cowboy hat with an eyemask.
"Pesculo, this can't be real. He can barely stand straight!" I complained as the fighter stumbled and fell face-first onto the ring's floor.
Though I thought Pesculo was pulling some kind of trick with the fighter he chose, the murmurs, whispers, and reactions from the crowd told me that he—Explosive Strike—was a big deal.
"Think what you want, Alen. He's the one you'll fight with, and he's the one who'll defeat you!"
"Let's start by establishing our bets, Pesculo. What do you want if you win?" I asked, arms still crossed.
"When I win, you'll go through the same training method he did, and you'll follow it with absolutely no complaints. You'll become my personal toy to break."
"Then, if I win, I want you to step down as lord and make me the new lord of the West."
A deafening silence fell the moment I stated my side of the bet.
Then... a quick chuckle that quickly turned into a burst of laughter from that old bastard Pesculo.
"Ahaha! You think you can just do that?" he said between loud and obnoxious laughs. His fighters and bodyguards joined in.
Even some spectators couldn't believe the stakes I proposed.
"We have to bet things of equal, agreed value. To me, my own freedom is as important as your little empire," I clarified, unfazed by their laughter.
"You know what? Fine. If you win, I'll step down as lord and leave that spot to you," Pesculo said through his laughter, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Then it's settled? We both agree on the terms?"
"Yeah, brat. Whatever makes you happy…" He finally calmed down a little.
"Now, you'll be fighting under my rules and restrictions, as you agreed to."
"That's why I came here," I said with a nod, steeling myself for whatever he had planned.
The old man dug his hand into his crusty beard, and after a moment of searching, he pulled something out.
It was a small vial. Through the glass, I could see a green liquid inside.
"This is basilisk venom!" Pesculo announced, drawing gasps from the crowd.
In the game, basilisks inflicted a sleep status effect.
"As you can imagine, extracting the sleep-inducing liquid from their throat pouches is something only the most elite adventurers can do."
He tossed the vial at me.
I didn't catch it, hoping it would shatter on the ground. But the sand cushioned its fall, and it didn't break.
"That small amount will put you to sleep in about twenty minutes. Drink it, Alen," he said smugly.
"Also, I've got one more rule. I want to allow two spells in this fight!"
That was the condition that shocked everyone.
Magic was strictly prohibited in this underground fighting arena, yet he wanted to allow two spells?
"One light and one dark spell: Painbound, to make you feel every hit you land on my fighter... and Cruel Sigil, to amplify the pain you feel when you're attacked."
Did he seriously think I'd agree to two Tier Four spells being used?
"Have you gone crazy, Pesculo? You think anyone's going to be okay with you allowing magic?"
"You still have that awful look on your face…" Pesculo shook his head and clicked his tongue.
"You better agree, Alen! You're not the only one in my territory. Look at all my hostages!"
At that, tons of his bodyguards and fighters pointed sharp knives at the regular spectators.
"Almost everyone here tonight came to witness this fight! And I know you won't let them be harmed."
That old bastard… he's deliberately breaking the rules set by this place by wanting to use spells and bringing sharp weapons when they're strictly prohibited.
I clicked my tongue and picked up the vial of basilisk venom. "Cast your spells now, you shitty geezer."
Pesculo laughed as two of his men stepped up beside me. They chanted the incantations for the light-affinity spell Painbound, and the dark-affinity spell Cruel Sigil.
Thanks to Painbound, a glowing mark appeared on the palm of my hand.
Thanks to Cruel Sigil, a foggy, translucent dark circle manifested on my chest.
"Let's test if the spells are working…" Pesculo said before smacking Explosive Strike's shoulder with a wooden mug.
"Aghk!" I cried out as the same pain shot through my own shoulder.
The amplified pain from Cruel Sigil made it feel like I'd just been hit by a truck that sends people into other worlds while my bones were made out of paper.
"You… shitty old man!" I glared at Pesculo, gripping my shoulder.
"Hahaha. Looks like the spell works perfectly."
I clicked my tongue and uncorked the vial.
As soon as the cork came out, the stench of basilisk venom hit me—a putrid odor that made me wrinkle my nose and instinctively extend my hand.
I want to die...
No.
I want to punch that shitty old man so hard he never wakes up again.
I pinched my nose and downed the contents of the vial.
It tasted just as bad as it smelled. The texture was like drinking sewer water.
I started coughing immediately, fighting the urge to vomit as I slipped the vial into my pocket.
"This tastes…" I coughed again, then straightened up and got ready to fight.
"So, you're finally ready?" Pesculo asked with a grin.
"Shut up…" I was in a seriously foul mood.
"Then... start!"
Explosive Strike lunged at me the moment Pesculo signaled the start of the fight.
---
Ember Bar, seconds before Alen's fight against Explosive Strike.
"This kid seems interesting. You really don't know why they're here?" Lady South asked everyone at the bar.
She had just finished interrogating both spectators and fighters who had witnessed what Alen and Cecil were up to that night.
"N-no, Lady South. Far as I know, the trickster kid just showed up tonight. It's his first time here," Snap answered nervously, his tone shifting now that he was in front of someone who was practically his boss.
"And you, Little Bear, from the eastern territory? Do you know as much as Snap does?"
"Exactly, Lady South. All I know is that he wants to defeat Snap, and that he's gotten involved with Lord West," Little Bear explained.
"One kid presents himself without a care in the world and challenges Rumble multiple times no matter how many times he may lose. The other got involved with a lord and is currently training to defeat Snap" Lady South's fox tail elegantly swayed from side to side as she began planin into the future regarding these two kids.
"That's all i need to know" was the last thing the fox demi-human said before standing up and planning to leave the bar.
"L-lady South...!" The doors of the bar opened up as a guy gasped for air. "Lord West has been challenged by a kid. He is using his best fighter against the kid, and he made the kid drink basilisk venom"
"What!" Everyone in the bar said in unison as they were told of what was happening.
"You better not be lying, or I wear that you'll regret ever coming through that door!" South grabbed the guy that just entered by his collar.
"I-I'm not lying Lady South. L-lord West even allowed the use of two spells" the guy nervously said.
"Little man..." Little bear muttered before quickly leaving the bar and heading where everyone else were walking toward—the western area.
"That kid..." Snap clenched his teeth. "I'll be leaving Lady South!" Snap announced before exiting the bar and running to where Alen was.