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墨書 Inktalez
The tavern was bustling at night. Various colored lanterns illuminated the space, divided by several wooden railings. The approximately 230-square-meter establishment was filled with neatly arranged tables and chairs, occupied by drunken men and scantily clad women. In the center stood a two-meter tall square Arena.
Garen pushed the door open and found Black Duncan and Dostodoro at a table by the window.
As he had suspected, Black Duncan's invitation for drinks was likely aimed at addressing Dostodoro's issues. His prolonged absence from classes had probably caught the attention of the town mayor, Tutulu.
“Sir Garen!”
Seeing Garen approach, Black Duncan immediately stood up. “It’s great to see you again! I’ve been worried sick these past few days!”
Garen smiled and greeted them before sitting down opposite Black Duncan and Dostodoro.
Dostodoro was coldly staring at Garen, and when he noticed Garen's gaze, he let out a huff and turned away.
“Dostodoro!” Black Duncan frowned and whispered, “Don’t forget what we just talked about—mind your manners!”
Reluctantly, the boy turned back around and lazily waved his hand. “Hey, Garen.”
Perhaps sensing the awkward atmosphere, Black Duncan quickly took over the conversation. “I’m really sorry; due to the weather, many restaurants closed early, leaving us with only this tavern as an option. How about we order some drinks first?”
“Sounds good,” Garen nodded with a smile.
Black Duncan picked up the bell on the corner of the table and gave it a gentle shake. About half a minute later, a bunny girl approached. Under the dynamic lighting, her exposed fair skin seemed to shimmer with colors, and her long legs drew countless gazes.
The bunny girl pulled out a menu from her ample bosom and smiled. “May I assist you with anything?”
"A large vegetable and fruit salad, two cups of Wheat Beer, hmm..." Black Duncan glanced at Dostodoro. "And a cup of watermelon juice."
Before Black Duncan could finish his sentence, Dostodoro suddenly raised his hand.
"Hey, pretty girl!" Dostodoro stared intently at the bunny girl's chest, his youthful voice chuckling, "Bring me a Deep Sea Dream! As for how deep... that depends on you!"
The bunny girl looked confused, realizing that Dostodoro's eyes had been fixed on her chest all along.
"Alright, interesting young man!"
The bunny girl tossed a flirtatious glance as part of her profession.
Once the bunny girl turned to leave, Black Duncan's expression darkened with anger.
"Who taught you all this?"
"Of course, it was my mentor," Dostodoro replied proudly.
"Volikov? That bastard!" Black Duncan inhaled sharply. "If your grandfather found out about this, he would be furious."
"That old stubborn man?" Dostodoro sneered coldly.
At the same time, Dostodoro cast a disdainful glance at the observing Garen, as if to say—look! A warrior with nothing but appearances; this is what a good life looks like!
Garen grinned slightly, finding it somewhat amusing.
Back in Demacia, there were many unruly newcomers who tried everything to undermine discipline and provoke authority in order to feel superior among their peers... but in the end, they only faced two possible outcomes.
Standing alive on the battlefield, or barely crawling out of the barracks.
Before long, three cups of drinks and a fruit salad were served. Ignoring Black Duncan's objections, Dostodoro reached for Deep Blue Dream, skillfully took a sip, and then let out a satisfied breath.
At that moment, the surrounding lights suddenly dimmed. Several pale beams of light shone down on the Arena, and cheers erupted from the guests around; the tavern seemed to come alive.
"The Arena Match is about to begin!"
Black Duncan noticed Garen's confusion and explained, "Iron Fist Tavern holds an Arena battle every week, featuring warriors under the employ of wealthy merchants. It's a special event to entertain the Drinkers!"
Garen nodded in understanding; he had encountered similar events back in Valoran Continent.
These Arena Matches create an illusion of easy wealth through betting on the fighters' battles. However, due to the high casualty rates and the risk of losing everything, such activities are banned in Demacia.
"Black Scorpion!"
"Saya!"
"Black Scorpion!"
"Saya!"
...
The cheers around them rose sharply as two men stepped into the spotlight: one was a lean brown-haired man, while the other was a burly middle-aged man with a black scorpion tattoo on his head.
"Hey, Saya! Long time no see!" Black Scorpion grinned.
"Today, you won't walk out of this door alive," Saya said coldly.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, looks like you're still angry, my brother!" Black Scorpion made an exaggerated expression, feigning helplessness. "It's just your woman, why are you so mad?"
"Shut up!" Saya snapped, furious. "How dare you even bring that up? I considered you a brother, yet you wanted to sleep with my wife! Black Scorpion! Today, I will kill you!"
"Ah, this puts me in quite a predicament," Black Scorpion scratched his head. "How about I lend you my mother for a night? She really admires you!"
...
Due to the noise in the tavern, no one could hear the commotion on stage.
"Saya was last year's Iron Fist Overlord, and Black Scorpion is practically his disciple," Black Duncan explained with a chuckle as he took a sip of Wheat Beer. "Last summer, when Saya went to the city on business, Black Scorpion secretly climbed into his wife's bed..."
Black Duncan continued, "This is actually common knowledge now. Poor Saya was kept in the dark until a couple of days ago when he found his wife's panties on Black Scorpion."
Garen looked confused for a moment.
"They were being worn by Black Scorpion," Black Duncan shrugged.
"..." Garen.
No wonder Saya looked at Black Scorpion as if he were a sworn enemy... No, even more detestable than a sworn enemy! Garen shook his head, indicating he wasn't interested in such gossip.
About three minutes later, the sound of gongs and drums echoed through the Arena.
As the deafening echoes lingered, Saya transformed into a blur and charged at Black Scorpion at lightning speed, enveloping his fist with Level 4 Fighting Spirit and striking down like a Heavy Hammer towards Black Scorpion!
With a swift "whoosh," the Black Scorpion, despite its bulky size, displayed remarkable agility, dodging to the side. It then swung its arms wide, aiming for Saya's head with powerful strikes. However, Saya stood his ground, eyes blazing with fury, determined to take the hit and retaliate with a punch aimed at the Black Scorpion.
"Bang! Bang!" The dull thuds echoed as both Saya and the Black Scorpion were sent reeling backward.
As the two clashed, the tavern erupted in cheers and shouts, the noise rising like a tidal wave.
"Sir Garen, who do you think will win?" Black Duncan, clearly an Arena enthusiast, watched the fight intently, occasionally shouting in excitement.
To Garen, however, both fighters appeared pitifully weak. This wasn’t due to a lack of fighting spirit; rather, their stances, angles, and techniques looked flashy but were riddled with flaws.
"I think the Black Scorpion will win," Garen replied.
A look of surprise crossed Black Duncan's face, but before he could respond, Dostodoro burst into laughter.
"Come on! Do you even understand?" Dostodoro mocked. "The Black Scorpion is Saya's disciple, just a newly minted fighter this year! Saya is the true reigning champion!"
At that moment, a wave of boos and jeers erupted from the crowd.
With a resounding thud, the Black Scorpion lifted Saya off the ground and executed a back slam. Saya's face turned pale as several ribs cracked. Before he could react, the Black Scorpion lunged forward again, striking down on his knee with hands like axes. The sound of cracking echoed as Saya let out a piercing scream before collapsing unconscious.
"I forgot to mention that Mr. Edward gave me a special potion," the Black Scorpion said with a cold smirk as he crouched down. "Admit it; your time has passed. You’ve been abandoned by Mr. Edward!"
The Black Scorpion slowly rose to his feet and looked at the lively crowd below, pounding its chest and roaring in triumph.
"This... how is this possible?!" Dostodoro exclaimed in disbelief.
Black Duncan wore an expression of shock, unable to comprehend what he had just witnessed.
Garen took a sip of Wheat Beer.
In fact, from the very beginning, Garen had felt a peculiar wave emanating from the abdomen of Black Scorpion, stimulating his muscles and Fighting Spirit like a venomous snake, unleashing tremendous potential within him. Under such circumstances, it was no surprise that Saya, also at level four, would inevitably lose.
It was easy to imagine that Black Scorpion must have taken some sort of banned substance.
After a round of battles in the Arena, the atmosphere in the tavern felt frozen. Just as Garen understood about the Arena, these events only led participants to squander their fortunes. In just a short moment, six or seven men had been stripped of their clothes and thrown out the door, some even with glaring IOUs stuck to their bodies.
At that moment, another person stepped out from the left side of the Arena.
According to the basic rules of Arena battles, the victor usually could not leave immediately; they had to defeat all challengers before they could truly claim victory.
As that person approached, the atmosphere in the tavern grew tense once more, even Black Scorpion couldn't help but show respect.
At the table, Dostodoro suddenly let out an exclamation.
Garen looked at Black Duncan, whose expression was complicated, and asked, "Who is he?"
Black Duncan gritted his teeth and forced out a breath.
"Volikov."
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