Azimuth: The Elden Throne (New Version)

Chapter 278 Gladiator of the Arena Part 4

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/Din Din Din!/

[Champion of the Arena!]

[DING]

[9 Victory Streak!]

[Solo 1v1 -> 9/0/0]

[Calculating Ranking...]

[Continue fighting to receive a Rank!]

As faint sunlight illuminated his face and surroundings through the canopy of the trees above him, Dale yawned slightly as he stretched his back and neck.

'Nine victories and still no ranking… This last guy was in the top 2000 though. Will my last fight be amidst the top 1000?'

'That would be great, better to rise quickly than to have to spend two hours fighting weaker players too far from my Skill Level, even if that sounds egocentric.'

'So far, everything I wanted to do with these duels has been achieved, and most importantly, I won all of my fights so far without needing to rely on that Skill… Though I mostly won due to an overwhelming difference in Stats.'

'I feel a bit bad for that, most of these players, the best of the best are between Levels 30 and 35 while I'm Level 69, that alone is a terrific Stat difference.'

'Normally I would be placed with people my Level but… These people are the best, the ones that represent big Guilds, big Spenders. The ones that treat this game seriously, Pro players and the like.'

'Who else will I be matched with if not them? Though it's not like the System isn't aware of my capabilities as that must've been the reason why I started fighting people in the top 10,000 rather than from the very beginning.'

'The players I've encountered haven't really gotten stronger, they're all within the same Level gap and hence possess similar Stats, so instead, they've become really creative and dangerous sometimes.'

'Since everyone is the same Level, the Stat range of these players relies mostly on their items, even if there's someone with a lot of control and skill, they'll still end up suppressed in the face of overwhelming Stats.'

'I've seen players with extreme tactics and Skills, things that surprised me, things that disappointed me, I've absorbed them all, and with the replays of these matches I'll learn it all properly later.'

[Ding!]

[Rewards have been processed]

[You've been awarded 1560 Favor for defeating player, Hambu777Trick]

[You bet on your own Victory, being awarded 250,000 Favor]

[Due to your Special Packages, all Favor and Recognition rewards times 3]

[You've been awarded 750,000 Favor (Final Value)]

Dale nodded silently, being happy for his rewards.

Albeit the main reward was extremely lackluster, it was merely in counterpart to the generous betting system, or in other words, the administrators want the players to bet on themselves constantly and likely to always bet the maximum amount possible.

That was no problem to him but he understood why it could be annoying to some players who wanted to be more casual about these, though if that was what they wanted, they should contend themselves with the lower rankings.

"No Achievements or Unique Objectives this time? Unfortunate." He mumbled out loud as he shook his head

'I just take too long in these fights to receive anything, maybe if I one-shot every one of my opponents I would get something to represent that.'

'I got one Achievement for achieving five consecutive victories and for winning five duels without taking damage, so maybe I can get another one if I repeat that in the next fight.'

Regardless, it was time to go.

/Flash.../

Under a faint light curtain, Dale vanished from the Deep Forest Arena.

…

/Seconds later.../

[… Match found]

[Moving to Arena…]

/Flash!/

"Hum… Where now?" 

Dale slowly opened his squinted eyes as he looked around, immediately noticing his peculiar surroundings.

A tall stone Colosseum that could likely support tens of thousands, decorated with statues, carvings of beasts and warriors, and grand pillars to support its structure.

He was currently at the bottom where a faint arena of sand and stone stood, there was a lingering scent of metal and rust in the air, albeit he couldn't tell where that was coming from.

Engraved on the stony walls of the arena at a very high spot just above a pretty big stand was a metal plate with the numbers: 912.

He knew where he was, this was the Unique Arena for fights above the 1000 Rank where the best of the best fought.

Different from the other Arenas, those seats weren't for decoration as players could choose to join in and view the fight from high above, including even betting and making other predictions.

Most importantly, the fighters could get a portion of the bets on them if they won the fight, like a small fee in a sense.

If both agreed, they could also set prices for tickets for their match and split the profits whichever way they agreed on.

"Hum..."

'Well, this was quick, I didn't expect to reach this Rank in so little time. If I win this, I'll be over Rank 900, right?' Dale thought as he looked above

[DING]

[Welcome to the Arena!]

[Envyroment: Heroic Spirit Colosseum]

[Time Limit: 20 Minutes]

[Defeat your opponent or have him give up, if both contestants are still standing once time's up, a vote is erected to see who deserves victory]

[Arms Up! The protective barrier will fade away in 60 seconds]

Like before, the notifications rang in his ears, but this time, things were a bit different.

The time limit was four times bigger than before and the protective barrier lasted twice as long, not only that but the conditions for victory also changed.

'It's really more thematic up here… The way they do the top 1000 Gladiators that is.'

'I don't quite like the voting option since it could lead to unfair and biased outcomes, but I don't plan on using it anyway.'

'Time to work.' He thought as he crossed his arms

/Flash…/

[Both participants have been confirmed in the Arena]

[Your opponent is: StuartBig (SdM) -> Level 35]

[Solo 1v1 -> 62/6/7]

[Highest Winning Streak: 47]

[Leaderboard Ranking -> 912]

[The Match will begin in 30 seconds…]

On the other side of the Arena, a man wearing heavy gray armor appeared, he had a thin long sword stuck on the ground as he rested his arm around it.

He looked like a proud knight standing still with patience and virtue as sunlight reflected on his polished armor…

(Image?)

"Oh? It was rather fast this time Chat!" He said in an annoying tone as he raised his head slightly to read the popup windows

His voice and way of speaking were the complete opposite of his aura.

He looked at Dale, placing his right hand around his chin.

"Hum, his armor doesn't loom impressive but it has that sheen to it, has to be Unique at the very least, what do you all think?" He asked out loud

"..."

'Looking at a streamer is quite embarrassing...'

Dale also looked back at him, not saying anything.

It seemed the man was unaware Dale could easily hear him from this far away.

This wasn't the first time this had happened as many players liked to speak out loud or just mumble to themselves, the problem was that he could hear them all rather easily.

"A spear user huh, those are quite bothersome at this Ranking but… What's this? We can't see his Ranking nor can we see his Level? I've seen the former before but never this…"

"Well, not like we can do anything even if we knew his true Level, as for his rank, he must be uncalibrated, which is fascinating."

[Your opponent is: DareDevil (HcM) -> Level (Private)]

[Solo 1v1 -> 9/0/0]

[The Match will begin in 30 seconds…]

"His nine consecutive wins proves that, and he's also a HardCore Mode Player..."

"This is going to be a good one!" He said excitedly as he raised his index finger to the air

"Let's open the bets! Will I remain victorious as we rebuild our previous Streak or will I lose and become this man's Ranking's stepping stone?!"

"Make your predictions!"

/Flash flash…/

Meanwhile, Dale raised his head to the side, seeing how several players were logging in to the Arena, sitting on the spectator seats as they waited for the fight to start.

They were likely the man's viewers, albeit he wondered, did he have any fans as well?

He closed his eyes, also making bets on his own stream as he waited.

And eventually…

[5…]

[4…]

[3…]

[2…]

[1…]

/BADDUM!/

[BATTLE START!]

/Hold.../

At first, the two contestants remained still, looking at each other in silence until Dale decided to take the first move.

He grabbed his spear and entered a throwing stance...

"!"

'Don't tell me he...'

/THROW!/

"?!"

/CLANG!/

Dale threw his spear, it flew so fast in the air that Stuart barely had any time to react and put on a defense.

/Pierce!/

He twisted his body, using his sword to accurately swipe the spear to the side, having it pierce the ground behind him.

'What extreme physical strength.' He thought silently as he looked at the spear sideways

'But why did he throw his spear? Without it he...?!'

Just as he thought about it, Dale raised his right hand, and the spear trembled on the wall!

/FWOOOSH!/

/CUT!/

Taken by surprise, the spear slashed through his right shoulder, chipping out some of his health reserves as it flew back to Dale's hand.

"Dammit, I got careless." The man said out loud as bluish energy started to surround his blade, like a faint veil

'I'll get serious now.'

Meanwhile, Dale smiled slightly.

'He's better than the others, at least he managed to evade it.'

This move wasn't telekineses or anything of the sort, this was merely the Set Effect of his Armor and Spear.

To be able to throw it and recover it any time, he often used it to test his opponents and force them to act seriously from the start.

It worked well so far.

/Dash!/

And from the looks of it, he managed to induce his enemy into action once more.

/Chuckle.../

Will this opponent be any better? He thought as he held his spear with one hand.

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Notes