Chapter 59: Are You Crazy?!

In the dungeon.

Thirteen sat on the ground, glancing at the black magic-suppressing collar around his neck; his lifeless eyes flickered with a faint dimness.

Is this a dream?

What a beautiful dream!

Tap-tap-tap.

At that moment, someone stepped into the dungeon.

“Thirteen, it’s time. Your turn to fight.”

The man opened the cell door, speaking calmly—he was Benson, the dungeon overseer, responsible for leading slaves to the arena.

No reply. Thirteen simply rose silently and walked out of the cell.

What a massive, imposing frame!

Could this truly be a human body?

Even though he had seen it before, Benson was still awed by the giant’s tower-like stature and iron-hard muscles.

Too bad he’s a slave. He silently lamented in his heart.

“Come on. Today your opponent is a ground bear. Take your time—last time you smashed the Black Abyss Wolf into pulp with two punches. The crowd was furious, screaming for refunds.”

As Benson walked through the grim dungeon corridors, he gave instructions to the giant behind him.

The giant remained silent, and Benson had long grown accustomed to his quietness.

“What does this mean?”

Suddenly, the giant stopped and gouged several crooked characters into the wall with his thick fingers.

“It means stars and fire.”

Though puzzled, Benson instinctively answered.

If another slave had dared speak up, he might have lashed out to teach them a lesson.

But this giant was one of the dungeon’s most valuable assets—he, as merely an overseer, had no right to destroy him casually.

Unless the giant truly committed a grave offense—like refusing orders or refusing to fight—Benson wouldn’t bother over minor things.

Then, under Benson’s incredulous gaze, the giant’s scarred, ugly face suddenly twisted into a terrifying smile.

So… so terrifying!

Beyond the corridor stood a colossal circular arena, built from countless massive stones.

The spectator seats rose in tiered layers, packed tightly with countless people.

Nobles, draped in lavish robes, sipped cups filled with crimson liquid from the uppermost tiers, watching the bloody spectacle below with cold eyes.

Freemen and merchants crammed onto the lower stone steps, waving their betting tickets wildly and screaming themselves hoarse.

In the center lay a vast circular patch of sand, stained dark red by years of bloodshed, the air thick with the reek of blood.

Along the edge of the sand stood tall iron railings; behind them lay dark passageways, from which faint roars of beasts and the clanking of taut chains could be heard.

This was the most prosperous, yet most wicked and bloody city in the Sosia Kingdom—the Slave Capital.

And this was one of its most important structures—the Blood Fang Arena.

Every fight had betting pools; countless people had become rich overnight here—or lost everything, even becoming slaves on the spot.

“Butcher!”

“Butcher!”

As the giant emerged from the passage, the crowd roared in frenzy.

Hearing this, Thirteen frowned slightly. For some reason, since entering the dream-palace, he had grown weary of this title that had clung to him for so long.

Finish quickly, come back, and memorize the characters that His Highness taught me.

With a thought, another line of text appeared beside his commoner’s protection on his forehead—deep purple: Berserker.

Berserker was an ancient profession, easy to attain—no complex prerequisites, only constant battle; as long as you didn’t die, you’d eventually succeed.

But due to its extreme mortality rate and difficulty in advancement, it had long been replaced by the mainstream knightly path.

Yet for slave owners, letting slaves choose a profession requiring no investment was undeniably the most cost-effective option.

Roar!

At that moment, a three-meter-tall giant bear burst from the opposite passage with a deafening roar.

Its body was covered in armor-like thick fur, its eyes blood-red, radiating a suffocating, ferocious aura.

Starving for days, it quickly fixed its gaze on the towering human nearby.

So much meat!

Drip… drip…

Saliva dripped from the ground bear’s fangs as it lunged excitedly toward its prey.

Swish!

As it closed in, the bear swung its massive paw at Thirteen with such force it whipped up a gust of wind.

Thud.

In the bear’s human-like expression of shock, the giant caught its paw with a single arm like an iron pillar.

A human… had blocked its full-force strike!

The bear’s mind froze. In terror, it swung its other paw.

Thud!

Again, the giant caught it.

Then came the struggle of strength.

The giant’s copper-colored muscles tensed instantly, veins bulging like coiled dragons; the ground beneath his feet cracked from the immense force.

Amid the crowd’s thunderous roars, the bear gradually lost ground, stepping backward inch by inch.

Roar!

Losing patience, the beast opened its maw, lined with fangs, and bit down hard on the giant’s shoulder.

The fangs sank deep into flesh—and then… wouldn’t bite further.

So hard!

Is this even flesh—or stone?!

The bear’s mind short-circuited. For a moment, it couldn’t tell who was the monster anymore.

Is this… really a frail human?

Boom!

Thirteen surged forward, flipping the bear onto its back, then brought down a fist the size of a human head.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With earth-shaking impacts, his fists hammered the bear’s skull and body like iron hammers.

Each blow brought the crunch of breaking bones and the bear’s agonized howls.

Blood and shredded flesh sprayed, staining his copper skin and the earth.

The spectators stared, awestruck by the brutal beauty before them, forgetting to cheer.

Only when the massive bear was reduced to a stinking pulp of meat, and the giant walked calmly toward the passage, did they finally react.

“Butcher!”

“Human Beast!”

The crowd screamed in frenzy, though some who had bet on the bear’s victory wailed in despair.

“Stars and fire. Glory and justice. Xia Mingyu.”

Ignoring the deafening roars behind him, Thirteen silently recited the characters taught to him in his dream.

He didn’t want to disappoint that kind prince who had personally taught a slave to read, and even spun a gentle lie for him.

Meanwhile, in the lord’s bedroom of Black Wolf Keep.

“What did you say? You want me to ask His Highness to be little Haidon’s godfather?!”

Kallen, just awakened from sleep, stared blankly at his wife beside him, wondering if he was still dreaming.

Only after his waist was pinched hard did he confirm this was reality.

“Are you mad, Danielle?!”

“Though His Highness is always kind and benevolent, and we have indeed helped him a little, expecting him to be Haidon’s godfather? That’s pure fantasy!”

Even Kallen, who usually cherished his wife, couldn’t help rebuking her sharply.

For nobles, the bond between godfather and child was an intimate tie, nearly equal to that of a biological father—and vice versa.

(Note: Protection is essentially the world’s safeguard granted to sentient beings; thus, no slave protection exists, for the world does not recognize its sentient creations as slaves.)

Thanks(ω) Read again and drop some moon tickets, folks!

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(End of Chapter)