by Charles Dean
“No one uses those,” the penguin man said. “Pick the sword like we both know you will and get on out there. No reason to waste our customers’ time with a fleeting fancy.”
Lars glared at the man and then reached out and grabbed one of the axes.
“Oh? Gonna prove me wrong? Why not grab another one. I won’t say anything.”
“You should get a shield,” One Eye suggested. “That way you’ll last longer, and the crowd will be— Or you can grab another one.”
“Thanks.” Lars smiled as he held the two axes. It was as if he had picked up a kindred spirit, not a weapon, as he gripped their shafts.
You know I only said that as a joke, right? The Qi is important, not the audience. But . . . I can’t say I don’t like this stubborn side of you. It’s good to be defiant sometimes.
Because it’s a cruel world, and we have to push back against these bastards always trying to control what we do? Lars took a guess at why Ophelia thought it was good to be defiant.
No, because acting stubbornly like that is a good way to tick people off, and you seem to be much more comfortable killing people attacking you than just taking the safe route and killing them in their sleep with no witnesses to turn you in. Can you imagine how powerful you’d be right now if you’d just listened to me and killed more people in their sleep? I mean, if you give up those morals of yours, I can even teach you how to poison water supplies, plaster homes shut so we can burn down the poorer sections of the town filled with people that won’t be able to escape the flames, build traps in alleyways to catch unsuspecting people on their way home from work . . .
Even if a person only gives you a single stat point when they die, kill a few thousand, and it’s still better than killing a person who gives you several hundred. Oh, man . . . just thinking about all the Qi we could harvest from poisoning the aquifers watering the whole city . . . It’s got me salivating, Lars. Can’t you imagine? Can’t you already picture how good it would feel? How powerful we’d be? Come on . . . we can ditch this and just go on a murder spree. With this Stage 9 bodyguard next to us potentially helping out, we could hit the Qi Condensation Stage by the end of the night. Oh! That would be awesome! LET'S DO IT! LET’S KILL! Kill!! Kill! KILL! Kill them all! Kill them. It’ll all be better. I promise. I promise it’ll all be better if we just kill! Kill!
I’m not going to go on a murder spree. Lars winced as the familiar pleas and cries for him to murder everyone filled up his mind to the point where he couldn’t even make out the words Su Ryeon was saying next to him. He did his best not to show his shattered concentration as One Eye said something too and then began to open the door.
Quiet. Please quiet, Lars begged. It had been so long since Ophelia had been, well, Ophelia. She had acted almost normal—mentoring him and being helpful, reasonable, and diligent in her guidance—that Lars had nearly forgotten about these episodes of hers.
Fine. But I want something in return. Give me something good later, and it better have zednauts.
I will, I will. Just be quiet. I’m already on my way to kill something for you. Lars started to walk out behind Su Ryeon, but before he could leave through the door behind her, One Eye shot his hand out and blocked him.
“She’s announcing you. Just watch,” he said.
“Huh?” Lars wondered, looking out at Su Ryeon. She was standing in the middle of a large, empty ring that was big enough to contain the entire main hall of Bok Kyu’s estate with room to spare, and she began shouting out to the crowd while dancing about.
“She has a natural tongue for this,” One Eye said. “You found a good attendant.”
“Thanks . . .” Lars nodded as he did his best to listen to what Su Ryeon was saying.
“Even as early as this morning, the great Lars, heaven-sent champion of the gods themselves, bathed in the blood of Apollyon’s heretics as they tried to ferry up the river and into our glorious town to spread the vile corruption of the false kings and false gods of their so-called golden continent throughout our land!” Su Ryeon said. “But still, even after that bloodbath, even after he spent those nights I told you about fighting for that town in the middle of the southern woods to protect them against the Sect of the Hidden Green Tiger’s unrelenting claws . . . he had to come here. He has to fight for you all to see, to stand here alone against whatever demons or monsters the master of this most luxurious and noble gambling hall conjures up just to entertain you, because without the money your bets provide . . . he cannot even afford the ludicrously priced herbs and ingredients needed to save his sick and dying grandmother!”
I have a sick and dying grandmother? Lars blinked. How many lies is this woman going to tell with such a straight face?
“That’s why I implore and beg you! Do not be stingy with your bets! If you bet enough, if you show your spirit by placing large wagers without succumbing to cowardice and only watching, then you won’t be the only winner! His ailing grandmother will be too, for then, even if our Lars dies, the kind and generous master will take care of the ailing woman that spent her best years raising him! I’ve done my part by telling you this tale, sacrificing my time and my dignity to capture your attention.” She motioned at her body. “Now, it is your turn to do your part: to bet like this is the last fight in the world you will watch, like the fate of Lars the heaven-sent champion of the gods is in your hands!”
You lying daughter of a demon . . . Lars mentally cursed the woman whipping the crowd up into a frenzy. He didn’t know if he did have a living grandmother, or potentially two, but he surely didn’t want that woman, whom he had never even met, cursed with illness by his new companion.
“She’s a damn natural,” One Eye said. “You really did good.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Lars replied as Su Ryeon walked back over to where they were, huddled at the door, and held the bag of gold in front of him.
“Try to put on a good enough show to double this for us. That way, we can buy that mother of yours and live that peaceful life,” she said.
“Sure, I guess,” Lars replied.
“In case you didn’t know, your opponent is the one we prepped for the butcher, a three-tail,” One Eye said as he kept the door open. “Now, the best way to kill a three-tail is to hit the soft bits. Don’t hit the hard bits. And try not to die. We got good monsters coming in next week and will need fresh meat for them to eat if you can live through this.”
Lars didn’t get a chance to reply or to ask where the soft bits were going to be before the man’s massive, chest-sized hand pushed him out the door. The giant shut it behind him, trapping Lars in the ring.
Sand floor, stone walls, and little else . . . Lars took in his surroundings as he walked to the center of the ring, his eyes glued to the closed door on the other side of the one he had come through. He looked up and around, scanning the rows of seats with the people staring down at him. He had expected that there would be a throng of people watching, but there were no more than four or five rows of onlookers lining the walls and only enough seats for two or three hundred people at most. There were also sets of three private booths at each corner of the ring where Lars could see a few people sitting and many more standing at the sides of those sitting.
He didn’t let himself get too distracted by the sight of his spectators, though, and turned his attention back to the door just in time to see it begin to open. A pulley system raised a bar that kept it closed, and a few moments after the heavy pillar-sized bar that secured it was hoisted away, the door was hit, jarring it slightly open. Then it was struck again, and it opened even wider to reveal a monster that was taller than One Eye.
Ah, the three-tail, “Famed abominable scorpion of the apocalypse” as it was so lovingly nicknamed by the first person to encounter one and manage to run away.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a scorpion that looked like that though . . . Lars said as he stared at the monstrosity. He had actually seen a scorpion at least once that he could remember, and the few distinct featu
res of the creature he recalled didn’t seem to carry over to this beast. A scorpion only had six narrow legs, not counting the pincers, but this thing had at least twelve legs equally separated around the body that were larger and thicker than the circular disc that made up its body. Each leg looked like a curved tower shield stuck into the ground on one side with a fat metal beam that connected it to the body and lifted it from the ground. Also, its body was nothing more than a circle. It didn’t even have the famed pincers of the scorpion. Rather, the only thing that it had that Lars could remember about a scorpion was a tail, but it had three. Its tails were exactly like a scorpion’s. Each one hung off a third of the circular disk that was the creature’s body and pointed across the abdomen so that if all three tails lashed out at the same time, they’d hit in the air dead center above the monster’s body.
Where is the mouth for it to eat with? Lars hated asking it as he stared at the three-tailed, heavily-shielded monstrosity slowly making its way into the ring with him. He didn’t want to think about what surprises the devilish-looking creature held.
Underneath it. It kills things with the poison-soaked stingers on its tails and then lowers its body down on top of its victim to eat. You’d be surprised at how effective the system is.
I’m more curious how it catches up to anything with those legs and that body, Lars thought. The design just didn’t make sense.
It doesn’t make sense if you’re thinking of something without Qi. Just watch. Once it discovers you, you’ll see exactly how it catches up to prey.
Lars frowned at the warning. You can never make things easy for me, can you? Lars sighed as he held the axes, twirling one of them in his hand. However, his attempt to twirl the axe one-handed failed, and he ended up dropping it on the ground, forcing him to bend over and pick it up.
When he straightened up again, he saw that the three-tail had begun making its move. It had stopped walking and was currently bending all of its legs at the same time. The giant tower shield-like protrusions that made up the final parts of its legs had begun to turn inward, digging into the ground as they did and scooping the dirt toward the creature’s center. After a moment, the creature was no longer standing on the tips of its legs like an insect might but was rather entirely supported by the shins that now lay flat against the ground, lowering its whole body and leaving a massive clump of dirt that the legs had managed to scrape into the middle of them.
No chance you’re going to tell me what it’s doing? Lars asked warily as he backed up, holding the axes in front of him such that they formed a diagonal cross, as if that would shield him from whatever was about to happen.
It’s better you learn not to depend on me all the time. I may seem omnipotent, but I’m not. I only know the tales dead men tell, and none of them at your strength level figured out how to beat one of these in a one-on-one.
Great . . . Lars took in a deep breath. Not only was Ophelia not going to help him, but she was also saying that cultivators as strong as he was couldn't beat the damn thing. They were probably all martial experts, masters of the sword or some ancient fighting form, and here he was, an amateur, holding two weapons he had no experience with just because he wanted to be stubborn. If that’s the case, why couldn’t you have told me earlier about— What the hell?!
Lars didn’t get a chance to think anything further as the three-tail began spinning like a top twirled on a flat table. A powerful whirlwind began swirling underneath it, lifting the thing up into the air and creating a funnel-shaped cloud of dirt.
The dirt began glowing green and flew out in all directions from the center of the three-tail’s body. Lars tried to dodge the spray, but it was so fast that there was no way to escape it. Instead, the only thing he could do was swing his two axes at the largest clump of dirt heading toward him. He landed a solid strike against that big piece of earth, but a thousand other tiny ones bypassed his axes and pelted his body with a force that sent Lars flying back.Surprisingly, Lars didn’t take any damage from the attack. That’s right, he thought as he remembered how damage was done with elemental attacks and what level he was. The attack was likely a combination of Earth and Wind Qi, and with Lars’s 4,500 Resistance as well as his being attuned to all basic elements, the attack simply wasn’t going to be effective against him.
He didn’t get a lot of time to celebrate, though, as the swirling wind underneath the monster propelled it straight toward him, spinning the creature so fast that its three scorpion-like tails fully extended, creating a spinning top of doom with a trio of blades slashing out in all directions.
Lars gulped as he readied himself for impact. The creature was monstrous, big enough to function as a multi-room home, and Lars had no hope of dodging. The only thing he could think was that, right before the creature struck him, he’d lash out with both of his axes at the same time. Even if he got smooshed against the wall, he at least wanted to put up a fight.
Moron.
What do you suggest? Lars quickly asked as he watched the thing get closer. He could hear Ophelia’s voice as she began to reply, but before the first syllable had even entered his ears, the three-tailed monster was upon him. He did his best to duck, dodging underneath the spinning stingers. He readied his axes and chopped forward, but rather than Lars even creating a small dent or wound in the beast’s chitinous legs with his axes, the wind propelling the beast swept him up before he could make contact. The next moment, the gigantic body crushed him into the surprisingly hard—nearly diamond-hard—surface of the arena’s walls.
The moment it hit Lars, the creature bounced off and began moving away, leaving Lars clutching at his stomach as he tried to figure out which parts of his body didn’t hurt.
How the hell was that only 375 damage?! Lars cursed in his head as he tried to snatch his senses away from the creeping dizziness and shock that was washing over them and threatening his ability to even stand up correctly.
You have 11 elements and the strength of 250 men, you are wielding literally magical weapons in your hands, and you’re still trying to fight like an idiotic villager wielding a woodman’s hatchet against a hobo. Stop being so damn dumb. I shouldn't have to explain everything to you.
Of course . . . Lars felt like a moron. He had been trying to dodge left and right when there were other options available. The only problem was, as much as he knew how to push against the ground and jump, he had no idea how to use any of the elemental Qi types that he had at his disposal properly. To the best of his knowledge, the most he could do was use Fire Qi to generate fire or Water Qi to generate water, but that gave him little to no idea on how to use Earth, Wood, Metal, or Lightning Qi.
Then he remembered that Su Ryeon had told him she could use a skill once a day that allowed her to annihilate something instantly with a piercing arrow. He thought about how that would work as he watched the three-tail continue to spin away from him, building up distance.
It’s going to charge again, he told himself as he watched the thing move. However, the beast surprised Lars by once more shooting out clumps of dirt in every direction, but this time, Lars didn’t dodge. He had already taken a direct hit from the attack earlier, and he knew he wouldn’t get seriously hurt. He did, however, put his back against the wall, hoping to prevent himself from getting knocked back by the attack.
His strategy worked, but he still felt an uncomfortable stinging across his body as if he had belly-flopped into a pool rather than been struck by large clumps of dirt. His clothes, specifically the robe that he had gotten from the Neukdaegalbi family, were still trying to hold up and maintain form, but for the most part, they were more full of holes than whole.
The dust settled, and Lars saw that the beast was already barreling toward him with its blade-like stingers spinning outward as it repeated the exact same move it had before. Not wanting to wait too long, he pressed against the ground and jumped as high as he could to what would hopefully be a position both forward and over the monster below him.
Crap! La
rs thought as he realized the mistake he had just made while he skyrocketed toward the upper ceiling of the five- to six-story-tall arena at a speed he had never traveled before. He didn’t even have time to think a second word past “Crap!” as he crashed into the incredibly hard ceiling face first and lost his weapons in the process. Due to the momentum of his body, he tumbled into a ball until he fully rolled from around the middle of the ceiling to the opposite corner, bouncing off of it before dropping to the ground below.
Freaking hell, Lars cursed. This time he had lost a significantly larger chunk of his hit points than he expected, lowering him to 3,275. He still had a large margin of error, but not as much as he would have liked. He wanted to curse at Ophelia since it was her idea that he try to use his strength, but he knew she wasn’t to blame. He was being stupid again. He should have realized that he had the might of two hundred and fifty men, not some small number that would give him just enough strength to clear the obstacle.
He heard the whirling sound of the wind that levitated the three-tail getting louder as he did his best to collect himself, and he quickly turned around only to be greeted with the same attack the beast had pulled on him before. He took another 375 damage as he smashed into the wall behind him and was left trying to cope with the oppressive crushing sensation that riddled his body like a hundred tiny muscle aches.
The only solace he had was that, after bouncing him off the wall, the monster once more created distance between itself and Lars, giving him a moment to breathe.
Well, since my weapons are gone, I’m going to have to try something with the Qi . . . Lars looked at the two axes that were now on different sides of the arena, having been thrown away from him during his ceiling impact. There was the option of trying to salvage the weapons by rushing out to grab them, but he didn’t believe he’d be able to make it even halfway to one of his axes before the spinning nightmare returned.