Chapter 14: The Extraordinary Arena

Ten minutes had passed, and the burly man from the Black Tower continued to stare at Cohen without a word—his nephew, who he believed had the intellect of an elementary school student, had found him ten minutes ago claiming to be unharmed.

Cohen stood with his back straight, his presence unwavering.

He slightly raised his head, his jawline sharp and severe, exuding coldness.

Hogue Corion furrowed his brows and finally spoke:

“Is this a plot you and Angus have concocted together?” His voice was deep and powerful.

Cohen shook his head.

“So far, the only ones in the know are the Middleton family and Uncle Wang.”

Hogue’s lips moved slightly.

“Your Majesty surprises me greatly. Have you ascended to the supernormal realm already?”

Cohen nodded.

“Not a Paladin?”

“I have a better choice.”

Hogue looked at Cohen intently.

“It’s wise to conceal your abilities. Coming to me shows you trust me enough, which moves me deeply.”

Then his tone shifted.

“But even if Your Majesty were present, I couldn’t help much.

Since I joined the Senate, I must not interfere in politics. Besides, so far, everything the Angreen family has done is to maintain Effin’s stability.

Snape and others misunderstand the Prime Minister. In that situation, Angus had no choice but to centralize power to ensure a stable transition of the monarchy. Our enemies aren’t a few treacherous dukes at home, nor the small principalities around… Can Your Majesty understand this?”

Hogue naturally assumed that Cohen’s decision to keep the Angreen family in the dark meant he distrusted the Prime Minister’s family. To him, Cohen’s confession was a plea for help to overthrow the Prime Minister.

Cohen propped his chin on his hands, eyebrows rising in surprise. Who said this uncle was just a brawny brute? His insight into the political situation was quite sharp.

Hogue’s words were less consolation and more an explanation for the Prime Minister’s actions—Angus believed a teenager was too weak to support such a vast country. Rather than allowing the powerful domestic nobles to strip his authority, he chose to act decisively.

At least, he considered himself far more loyal than those nobles.

Cohen had no intention to debate Angus’s right or wrong. Whether the Prime Minister endured for the country or harbored hidden malice was meaningless before absolute power.

What he needed now was time—time to gain that absolute power.

Cohen waved his hand slightly:

“Uncle Wang, you misunderstand. Today, I am frank with you not to seek power struggles or question the Prime Minister’s loyalty. I came hoping that sometimes, you could cover for me.”

Hogue’s response surprised him, as if he was seeing his nephew anew:

“Cover for what?”

Cohen answered with action—

He donned the black-striped mask and melted into the shadows.

Hogue sprang up abruptly. Apart from Cohen’s faint laughter, the room fell silent.

“The King of Effin is undergoing Paladin training at the Prince’s residence. I hope Uncle Wang gives this answer to everyone!”

Hogue stood stunned for a long while, a flicker of fire igniting in his eyes as he murmured, “Victor, you’ve raised a fine son!”

…

In the game, defeating an NPC of the same tier grants 5 experience points. Defeating one a tier higher grants 10 points, two tiers higher 15 points. Defeating lower-level NPCs only yields 5 points if more than two are defeated.

Of course, the fastest way to level up is leading armies in battle; a successful campaign can accumulate hundreds of experience points.

However, Cohen had yet to organize his own army and had no rebels to grind for experience.

He had to rely on personal combat to gain experience and level up quickly.

With the power of the secret class “Dragon Seal: Master of Arms,” combined with the runes “Shadowmeld” and “Add Fuel to the Fire,” Cohen was eager for a fierce battle.

Unconsciously, he arrived in the heart of Fiorentia, before a magnificent and unique building—circular in appearance, elliptical from above, covering over twenty thousand square meters, a landmark in the city center.

The Supernormal Arena!

The dojo of Ares Pyro, God of Battle and War!

Standing outside, Cohen could already hear the thunderous cheers from within.

The arena, as the name suggests, was made for combat, but both gladiators were supernormals.

To gain a large amount of experience quickly through personal combat, the Supernormal Arena was the best choice. After buying a ticket at the entrance, Cohen walked inside.

The arena’s major diameter was 200 meters, minor diameter 150 meters, circumference about 500 meters, with walls 60 meters high, accommodating nearly 100,000 spectators.

The walls were divided into five tiers, each adorned with exquisite column decorations.

At the center was the combat zone, surrounded by tiered stands divided into five sections.

The lowest tier was the VIP area, featuring luxury boxes for long-term rental, accessible only to Effin’s ruling class and some top families and organizations on the continent. The second and third tiers housed ordinary boxes for general nobles and wealthy patrons, while the remaining tiers were seating and standing areas open to ticket holders.

Two massive magical screens stood at the northwest of the arena; the left displayed the participants of the next five matches clearly, while the right broadcasted live footage.

Cohen now stood on the highest tier, gazing afar as a match had already begun.

The announcer’s booming voice echoed within the arena.

The combatants were a monk and a ranger.

The monk was enveloped in a faint white aura, unarmed, eyes determined and spirited, with strong, muscular hands. Cohen recognized him as a disciple of the “Sanda Sect.”

The ranger was easier to identify, accompanied by a black mastiff whose limbs bore intricate patterns pulsing with faint magical energy—a ranger of the “Beastmaster” lineage.

Both wore two badges on their chests.

One badge was identical for both—a silver insignia with two stripes, indicating their rank—mid-silver.

The other differed slightly: the monk’s bore five red stars and seven black stars, representing five wins and seven losses in the arena; the ranger’s showed six red stars and seven black stars, meaning six wins and seven losses.

Over ten matches won earn a moon icon; over one hundred, a sun icon.

Both had participated in more than ten duels and were familiar faces, thus greeted by roaring cheers upon entering.

Participants included mercenaries fighting to earn a livelihood and some young supernormals of humble origins but exceptional talent.

They weren’t here for prize money; their real goal was to catch the eye of the nobles in the first two tiers.

If they showed enough talent, those nobles were happy to grant them opportunities to leapfrog their social status. Many supernormals under the Corion royal family originated from the arena.

Matches were generally between opponents of the same tier. Without additional wagers, the prize for victory or defeat was 10 gold coins—enough to support a family of three for half a year.

If the opponents were of different tiers, the challenger could refuse the match, but victory would double the prize.

There was also a rarely triggered rule: winning ten consecutive matches required accepting a challenge from a higher-tier opponent. Another ten consecutive wins meant facing opponents two tiers higher, and from the eleventh win onwards, prize money doubled each match.

Since its establishment, the highest record at the Fiorentia Arena was a fifth-tier Berserker who won twelve consecutive matches, defeating ten fifth-tier opponents and two unstoppable sixth-tier supernormals, ultimately earning a knighthood and ascending to nobility, favored by the Duke of the Western Territories.

His story inspired many supernormals born as commoners or even slaves.

The match soon commenced, but Cohen had little interest in watching. He had only one goal: defeat his opponents, gain experience, and leave!