Chapter 162: Beast Arena(2)

"Who—?!"

Gogris rolled twice on the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a human girl charging straight at her with a spear. They looked about the same age, yet the girl’s youthful face was twisted with ferocity. Perhaps out of fear, she had her eyes shut tight, tears streaming down her face as she rushed forward.

"I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I don’t want to die—please, you die first!"

In her mind, as long as everyone else died, she would gain her freedom.

"I won’t give up either!"

Gogris hurriedly raised her shield, curling herself behind it to brace for the impact.

But the human girl charged blindly with her eyes closed, completely missing her target. Instead, the butt of the spear slammed into her own abdomen, and she let out a pained scream.

"Her scream will attract the monster. I can’t stay here."

Gogris tried to retreat rationally, but when she looked up—

Foul, sticky saliva dripped down.

"No... you’ve got to be kidding me."

Sweat streamed down her pale neck, seeping into her wound and sending piercing pain through her body.

Yet that pain was nothing compared to the horror before her.

Gogris used the last of her composure to raise her shield.

"Buzz—"

A sonic boom rang out.

The aberrant mantis’s terrifying blade-arm slashed down, tearing through the air. The lingering afterimage hung in place, a testament to its terrifying power.

"Slash—"

Wood splintered.

The shield shattered instantly—without even a hint of resistance. A spray of blood followed.

A first-tier monster against an ordinary demi-human—there was no room for evasive maneuvers. The blade pierced into her chest and hooked out through her abdomen, blood gushing wildly.

The massive blood loss left Gogris dazed. The world spun violently, her vision blurring.

"So... I’m going to die... That’s fine... this world... is too filthy. I just hope... the last one... can live well..."

She felt herself lifted weightlessly into the air. The mantis drooled, preparing to suck out her brain. The fox girl could already smell the nauseating stench.

"Damn it! My ten thousand gold!"

At that very moment, Phield mobilized all the magic within his body, converting it entirely into an overwhelming aura that burst forth violently.

His shout of "ten thousand gold" rang out like thunder, shaking people’s eardrums.

"Holy crap, you scared me!"

"What are you yelling for?! If you’ve got a problem, go talk to the host!"

People around him cursed loudly. Instantly, Phield felt three or four killing intents lock onto him, thick malice gathering. He was certain—if he made any disruptive move, he would be killed on the spot by the powerhouses here.

"Useless trash! Can’t even handle something this simple!"

Phield pretended ignorance, maintaining his noble demeanor as he continued to curse angrily.

Yet, strangely, the aberrant mantis casually tossed aside the dying Gogris. Tilting its head, it glanced at Phield, its compound eyes shifting, before its attention was drawn to the remaining girls. Leaving behind an afterimage, it rushed off toward them.

"Phew... it worked. My observation and judgment were correct."

Phield secretly wiped away cold sweat.

Earlier, when the mantis attacked the audience and was slapped down by the third-tier knight, it had developed an extreme sensitivity toward magical power.

When the black-clad youth released his magic, Phield had clearly noticed fear and hesitation in the creature.

"This kind of beast is extremely timid. It constantly monitors its surroundings and is highly sensitive to fast-moving targets," Phield analyzed inwardly. "Number four, who ran the fastest earlier, died because of that."

His sudden burst of magic had successfully diverted the monster’s attention.

"What are you doing? I thought you were calm, but you’re just as worked up after losing money."

The female merchant rubbed her ears, complaining, "Stop shouting like that—you nearly scared me to death."

"Ahem... sorry."

Phield replied casually, then turned his attention back to the arena. The killing intent aimed at him had also faded—after all, he had only shouted and hadn’t interfered with the outcome.

He had just lost ten thousand gold. Wasn’t he allowed to vent a little?

"As long as her brain hasn’t been sucked out, demi-humans have strong vitality. She shouldn’t die immediately... the rest depends on fate."

Watching the fading green marker, Phield clenched his wine glass so tightly it nearly shattered.

Fortunately, the mantis didn’t cause any unexpected trouble. Within a minute and a half, it cleanly killed the remaining girls.

"The winner is number three!" the host announced excitedly.

Those who guessed correctly went wild with excitement, while the losers cursed angrily, grabbing people nearby to vent their frustration.

"I paid ten thousand gold—I have the right to take the corpse. I’m going to whip it to my heart’s content!"

Phield shouted and jumped straight down, rushing to Gogris’s side. The massive wound had nearly severed everything that could be severed—organs, bones... the sight was unbearable. Even in a modern world, she would be beyond saving.

"Keep an eye on him—make sure he doesn’t tamper with the arena."

"Let him take the corpse. Even if a goddess came, that slave couldn’t be saved."

"Besides, who would bother saving a slave?"

The enforcers of the arena had intended to intervene, but Phield’s "twisted" behavior amused them. With a laugh, they allowed him to take the body.

"You better survive... ten thousand gold."

Phield lifted Gogris and leapt back up swiftly.

"You’re really going to whip the corpse?" The female merchant’s eyes flashed with anger as she stepped in front of him. "Have some decency."

Facing the crowd’s gaze, Phield merely raised an eyebrow and suddenly kissed Gogris on the cheek.

"Sorry, I’m into this sort of thing. Now move—I’m busy."

"Good! Good! Sir, I support you!"

"You’re a real pervert—I like it!"

"Here’s a thousand gold for you. If you perform it publicly, I’ll give you ten thousand!"

Something absurd happened—several perverts rushed over, excitedly tossing him reward money.

Phield cursed inwardly: "Freaks... I almost forgot they even rank perverts here."

"I’ll ’play’ with her first—but that’s private."

Seeing that Gogris no longer had a heartbeat—though the green marker hadn’t completely vanished—Phield wasted no more time and rushed out.

Activating the magical envelope again, his vision twisted, and he returned to the grassy field.

"Phield! Are you alright?!"

Rosalia, who had been waiting outside, stumbled out from the woods. Seeing that Phield was unharmed—and that the thick scent of blood wasn’t his—she finally let out a long breath, regaining her usual elegant composure. She walked up to him and scolded angrily,

"If you dare act alone again, then from now on... you can forget about sleeping at all."