Chapter 211: Chapter 210: Enter the Arena (Please Subscribe)
The man with sunglasses arrived at a door with the words "Machine Room, Authorized Personnel Only" written above it.
He took out a card, swiped it on the machine beside the door, then pulled the handle and walked in.
Inside was a room of about forty to fifty square meters, with walls covered in monitors, watching everything outside.
Over a dozen people, some standing, some sitting, were watching the matches on the screens.
"Brother Hu, something interesting happened." The man with sunglasses walked over, grinning.
"What is it?"
A burly man drinking a cola looked over.
"A newcomer joined the association today and was dragged onto the stage by Zhang Jun and his buddies." The man with sunglasses smiled.
"What, a newbie just arrived?"
"Going straight to the stage? That’s gutsy!"
"Hey, isn’t it always like this? Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. They’ll learn the hard way soon." Others chimed in.
"Interesting."
Yang Hu grinned, "What’s the stake? 100?"
"50."
Just as everyone thought the kid had some self-awareness, the man with sunglasses added, "And 50 points, he bet on himself to win."
Instantly, the room fell silent.
Moments later, laughter broke out.
"Hahaha, Old Yu, are you trying to kill me with laughter? The newbie bet 50 points on himself to win? Seriously?"
"Why would I lie?" The man with sunglasses couldn’t hide his smile. "The last time we saw someone this confident was two years ago, right?"
"Yes, I remember that guy, Zhao something? Same antics and lost everything."
"I heard he died out in the wild later, right?"
"Seems so. Didn’t expect another overly confident guy to show up. This should be fun."
"Indeed."
Everyone had smiles on their faces.
The match on the stage was nearing its end. The guy with Earth Element Superpower caught his opponent off guard with a Rock Spike, successfully taking him down, though he was exhausted and couldn’t continue.
The loser spat curses, while the winner basked in joy.
"Number 15."
A voice came through the speakers, and a muscular man stepped onto the stage, shouting to the crowd, "200 points, who’s up for a match with me?"
"It’s him, no wonder he’s betting 200 points."
"Yeah, this guy is a Martial Artist, rumored to have reached Transforming Force. Along with his superpower, his body can swell to over three meters. The guy with the Earth Wall wouldn’t stand a chance against him."
"No one daring to step up?"
The muscular man scanned the room.
"Cui, why so cocky? Your 200 points, I’m taking it!"
A rough voice rang out as a burly man pushed his way to the stage.
"Zhu Chao, it’s you again."
Cui Yan sneered, "I haven’t thanked you for the 200 points you gave me last time."
"Damn it, Cui Yan, you dare say that? If I hadn’t fought two matches before that, you wouldn’t have won. Watch, I’m taking back double this time!"
Just then, the countdown began. If no one left the stage within ten seconds, the participants were set.
Soon, the countdown ended, and the match officially started three minutes later.
Two profiles appeared on the large screen with "pk" between them, and two columns of rapidly changing numbers below, showing ongoing bets.
The trend showed more people favoring Zhu Chao. In less than a minute, the points bet on him reached 5000.
Points bet on Cui Yan were over 3000.
Both numbers continued to rise.
Chen Fan watched quietly, then heard two familiar voices.
"All-in on Cui Yan, odds are nearly 2x. If he wins, our 50 points turn to 100!" Zhang Jun said excitedly.
"Do you think others are fools? Only you’re smart? Zhu Chao lost last time because he fought two matches before the third. This time they’re both at their peak. It’s obvious Zhu Chao has a higher chance of winning."
"Are you dumb? I have inside info. Cui Yan has improved a lot recently; Zhu Chao might not stand a chance."
"Really?"
"Just watch."
Three minutes later, the points bet on Zhu Chao reached 9000, with odds at 1.33. Points on Cui Yan were 6000, with odds at 2.0.
Chen Fan squinted; the association took a 20% cut.
No matter who wins, the association gets 2000 points. The more bets, the higher the cut for the association.
No wonder he was targeted right after joining.
This match was more exciting than the last one, with blood-pumping action. Female Awakeners in the audience shrieked with excitement.
Two minutes later, the fight ended.
To most people’s surprise, Zhu Chao lost.
"Told you so."
Beside him, Zhang Jun’s voice sounded, "Good thing you listened to me. 50 points, doubled to 100. Admit it?"
"Brother Zhang, you’re amazing. Good thing we listened to you."
"Of course," Zhang Jun said proudly, "I’ve got inside info. Watch, in no time, I’ll triple these 100 points."
As Zhu Chao left, Cui Yan also stepped down.
Despite the short fight, the physical and spiritual power drained was immense.
They wanted the triple-win reward of an extra 1000 points, but lacked the energy.
"Number 16 on stage."
The speaker called out again.
Under the gaze of over a hundred people, Chen Fan stepped up, and whispers buzzed around.
"Who is this guy? Doesn’t look familiar."
"Right, is he one of us? I have no impression of him."
"Looks like a new guy. I saw him with Zhang Jun and his buddies earlier."
The crowd’s eyes turned to Zhang Jun and his friend.
The two were stunned, about to explain, when the man with sunglasses spoke through the speaker.
"Let me introduce, Li Ping, a newcomer who joined today, an E-level Awakened. His superpower is Speed Enhancement. He wants to spar, betting 50 points. Anyone willing to accept?"
Silence enveloped the stage, then burst into chaos.
"Damn! A newbie! Really a newbie!"
"Are newbies all this confident nowadays?"
"Speed Enhancement, sounds decent."
"So what? Just an E-level Awakened. When I joined, I was E-level too, didn’t even dare speak loudly. This guy is so bold? Who gave him the courage?"
"Isn’t this free points? 50 points, damn, I’m tempted."
"Shameless, bullying a newbie as a D-level Awakened?"
"Everyone has their pride, so let me."
As many hesitated, a short man with a pockmarked face stepped onto the stage, grinning at the crowd.
The audience erupted in curses.
Wang the Pockmarked, an E-level Awakened, joined the association three years ago. His power is Sound Wave Manipulation. A hit could mean a headache and fainting at best, or bleeding from orifices and death at worst.
The countdown ended quickly.
Chen Fan and Wang the Pockmarked’s profiles appeared on the big screen.
It was obvious that Chen Fan had few bets, even occasional increases were just by 10 or 20 points at a time.
Wang the Pockmarked’s points rose by 50s and 100s, soon reaching 1000.
Then the increase slowed, as few believed in Chen Fan, and betting on Wang had low odds, earning almost nothing after fees.
On the stage, Wang the Pockmarked smiled,
"Brother, if I don’t take these 50 points, someone else will. Don’t blame me. I’ll go easy on you, just endure it."
Chen Fan smiled, knowing some details about his opponent through messages.
Two minutes passed, and bets reached about 200:2000.
"Zhang Jun, why did you bet all on Wang at such low odds? Even if you win, it’s not much."
"Playing it safe."
Zhang Jun rolled his eyes, "High odds on newbies is usually a waste. Betting on Wang, though low odds, is a sure win. Small gains add up, got it?"
"But adding a bit to the other side? Even ten points? With nearly tenfold odds, a win is huge."
"No upsets here. Didn’t I just double our 50 points? Trust me, I’m right." Zhang Jun was confident.
"Okay."
Liao Yue nodded.
Zhang Jun was right last time. If they’d listened, the 50 points would have been gone.
This time, though a win wouldn’t yield much, he hoped for better odds next time, to double points again!
Three minutes passed, the bets were now 300 to 2200.
Chen Fan’s odds were 7.33, meaning one point could win 7.33 points, 50 points would yield 366.
Wang the Pockmarked’s odds were just 1.05, ten points bet would win only 0.5, minus fees.
"Brother Hu, the match is about to start."
The man with sunglasses said.
"Mm."
Yang Hu yawned, unimpressed by the low-level fight.
The outcome seemed clear before it started.
People around were also shaking their heads.
In the crowd, Zhang Jun looked at Chen Fan on stage with pity. Brother, I tried to warn you, but you didn’t listen. You’ll understand soon.