Chapter 49

Against all odds, Arthur won the fight. Those people who bet their money on Stab weren’t happy, but the people that ran the arena were.

“It doesn’t matter to us. As long as they bet their money, we get our cut.” a man said inside a private room above the arena.

The man was someone Arthur was familiar with. It was Runo. He was the person behind these illegal fights.

“The winner is DEATH CLAW!!!” the announcer emphasized the ‘Death Claw’ name for people to know it.

Arthur had a deep wound after the fight, but it was healing at a rapid pace, visible to the naked eye. The regeneration power he had as a dragon was no joke.

He returned to the same waiting room, and all the other fighters gazed at him. Some with fear, others with curiosity. Stab was a well-known fighter, and he was now dead.

“Here, your rewards.” the same person who lead them to the fight gave Arthur his rewards. It was not an extraordinary amount, only 50 gold coins, but he was not there for the money.

No, Arthur had to make a name for himself in this illegal arena. Runo, the person he was after and also the organizer, would eventually call him for a talk in his office when Arthur got famous enough. And when that happened, then Arthur would strike.

The number of fights one could do in one night was not unlimited. A fighter could only fight 3 times per night. Arthur planned on doing 2 more fights, and then comeback tomorrow and do the same.

“These illegal fights happen every night, and I don’t see Runo fleeing so soon. I have time to build up my fame in this arena, but it would be the best if I fought 3 times per night just to be quicker.” thought Arthur.

The woman responsible was still in the room. Arthur went near her and said he wanted to fight 2 more times that night, and that shocked her. It was not common for fighters to fight 3 times per night, as they usually ended up hurt after the first fight.

She saw how Stab pierced his knife in Arthur, so she couldn’t understand the reason behind such actions, but she still did what he told her, and questioned nothing.

~~~~

A few more fights happened in that night before it was Arthur’s turn again. They knew he had just fought, so they wouldn’t send him to a fight right after. Arthur got a time to heal, and with his regeneration, it was more than enough.

“Death Claw vs The Illusionist!” said the woman responsible for calling the fights.

This illusionist guy wore a robe and had a staff in hands. He was a mage, and based on the nickname he got, he probably used illusions.

“First a guy that turns invisible, now someone that cast illusions? My day keeps getting better.” thought Arthur as he followed the lady and headed back to the arena he went earlier.

The same guy from before announced the fight using magic. There was a difference this time, though. More and more people were betting in Arthur after his fight earlier that night.

“I believe in Death Claw. Look, even though he got stabbed, he looks fine. This man is not simple at all.”

“Whoa, I haven’t realized that. My money is on him, too.”

More and more people bet their money on Arthur. Of course, most people still bet their money on The Illusionist, as it was a well-known fighter, just like Stab was. But it was still an indicator that Arthur was getting more famous after each fight.

“Are you both ready?” the announcer looked at both fighters, and they nodded.

“Start!”

This time, the person of Arthur was going against wasn’t simple. The Illusionist was level 20, and right after the announcer said the fight started, he was already casting spells towards Arthur.

Most spells the man used had a pinkish color. Some spells were also red, which was weird. Arthur did not have that much information about illusion type magic, as the Frostpeak Academy had not taught him anything about that.

In a normal fight, Arthur would just devour these spells and attack his enemy. But his devouring skill should be kept a secret for now, and with these rich people watching, he couldn’t do that.

The only thing left for him was to sidestep and dodge these spells the best way he could. They weren’t particularly fast, so it was not a problem for Arthur. Well, not at the start.

More and more spells came into his way, and it was getting to a point that it was impossible for him to dodge all of them. Even after using all of his speed and agility, one spell hit him.

Arthur thought it would cause him some pain, and that’s it. It differed significantly from what he thought. The moment the spell hit him, he was no longer in the arena, but back at the Frostpeak Academy.

“What the hell? Did the guy teleported me? No, that can’t be right.”

Knowing the name of his opponent, and seeing what happened, Arthur was sure it was an illusion. But what type of illusion could that be? Would it hurt him in the real life as well?

“Arthur, you’re here. Wisa is searching for you. She’s pissed.” Jane appeared out of a sudden and said that to him.

“Jane?” Arthur froze for a second.

“Yeah? I just saw you moments ago. Are you missing me already? Haha,” Jane giggled and asked him to follow her.

Everything felt so real. All the people Arthur was searching for in the real life were there, and for him there was no reason to leave.

“Maybe everything that happened was a dream, and this is where I belong.” he thought.

Arthur was all smiles as he followed her, forgetting for a moment that he was still inside an illusion…