The Arena of the Empty Tower (Gladiator) Chapter Fifty-Five: Duel

On the opposite side stood a burly man, his intelligence only five, but his physical prowess reached eleven, with a mystique of four. He appeared the quintessential brute, fists clad in boxing gloves, face twisted in a ferocious scowl, resembling the professional thugs of old tales.

His name was Lu Fu—a common name, born from his parents’ hope for his prosperity. Now, having become a player, he was wealthy in theory, though that hardly mattered. What mattered to Lu Fu was the enjoyment he found in this game, especially its battles.

Impetuous by nature, he loathed wasting time.

Wu Hui, lost in contemplation of the future back in the rest area, had indeed lingered a bit too long. Lu Fu took this as evidence that Wu Hui required ages to dispatch his opponents.

“Riding a wolf, carrying all that gear, looks impressive enough, but he even took forever to climb up from the first floor.” Lu Fu inwardly scorned Wu Hui as he swung his fists and charged.

Light shimmered around Lu Fu’s fists, forming a shield at his side. Wu Hui dismounted the wolf, fired his gun, and observing the bullets blocked by the shield, removed his glasses and drew the Queen’s Blade.

The Little King state activated, Wu Hui’s form took on a grayish hue.

Lu Fu’s fists moved with astonishing speed; even with Wu Hui’s enhancement, they were only evenly matched. Wu Hui’s physique was currently at nine, two points below Lu Fu’s, and even with the Little King’s boost, the gap remained considerable.

A single point difference meant lesser stamina, vitality, strength, and agility across the board; a two-point gap was significant.

The gray state mainly increased agility and strength. Wu Hui could now match Lu Fu’s speed, though his strength was still lacking.

But Wu Hui had his wolf.

And he had the Queen’s Blade.

A wolf’s howl reverberated. Gray-hued Wu Hui took a step back, unleashing the Beast Soul with his blade, thrusting toward Lu Fu’s throat.

Lu Fu’s reflexes were formidable; though the wolf’s roar had nearly disoriented him, he responded swiftly—one fist struck the wolf, the other swept to guard his throat, intercepting Wu Hui’s blade.

Wu Hui, pressing the knife forward with his right hand, drew a handgun from his pocket with his left.

In close combat, what weapon reigns supreme?

A pistol, of course.

As the saying goes: beyond seven steps, the gun is fast; within seven steps, it is both fast and accurate.

By now, Lu Fu’s shield had vanished—most likely it only appeared when he punched. Wu Hui’s shot had nothing to stop it; he pulled the trigger.

The bullet struck Lu Fu’s abdomen at near point-blank range, whirling inside and tearing through his organs.

Pain jolted Lu Fu to his senses. Withdrawing the fist aimed at the wolf, he swung at Wu Hui, but another gunshot rang out.

Bang!

The second bullet tore into him, sapping his strength. In the early stages, firearms and grenades were indeed far more practical than any other tool.

Lu Fu’s punch landed weakly on Wu Hui—on red armor, no less—doing no harm at all.

Though the armor slightly hindered Wu Hui’s movement, its bulletproof defense was reassuring.

A flash of light burst forth; Lu Fu seemed to crush something in his mouth, and his wounds rapidly healed. But Wu Hui, undeterred, tossed a chess piece—a peasant armed with a pitchfork appeared.

Another piece—the peasant vanished in smoke and bones, replaced by a black knight. Hooves and lance struck Lu Fu, while the white wolf lunged with open jaws.

Lu Fu tried to counterattack, but an octopus emerged, its tentacles ensnaring him from every direction.

“So, it’s a summoner’s path?” Lu Fu muttered, clearly an experienced gamer. Wu Hui hadn’t focused on that direction, but now he truly resembled a summoner—wolf, knight, octopus, three summons already.

The peasant hardly counted.

This suited Wu Hui: multi-line command, chesslike tactics—well within his strengths. He had begun by exploring the game, but now he could choose his path forward.

Surrounded and beset, Lu Fu had no hope of survival. Before he could surrender, Wu Hui ended it with a blade between his eyes.

Two consecutive victories—not bad at all.

After spending a few points to restore his mana, Wu Hui prepared to move on. As for Lu Fu, if he had enough points left, he would likely be demoted a level to fight again.

This round, the rest area’s gear had improved: some special-effect bullets and a very fine-looking handgun. After consideration, Wu Hui decided he wasn’t suited to such a weapon and passed on it.

He hoped to see more Nightmare chess pieces or pet cards instead.

Though his own combat ability was respectable, letting his summons do the fighting greatly improved his safety. The only issue: summons consumed a lot of mental energy.

Just now, a knight and a peasant had drained nearly half his mana bar.

The mana bar, visible via his phone after reaching level two, was just as awkward as HP and stamina—who had time to glance at their phone mid-battle? Still, even without checking, he could generally sense his own state.

Not entirely useless, but not very helpful either.

Time to head to the next floor.

Elsewhere, where Li Xiaojing was located.

She wielded a baseball bat, working with her shadow to surround her foe.

Her Shadow Split had improved; now the shadow could not only scout, but also attack, and its form was almost indistinguishable from her own—whatever weapon she wielded, her shadow mirrored.

The only problem: maintaining the shadow constantly drained her mental energy, and Li Xiaojing was starting to struggle.

Her sister’s voice occasionally echoed in her mind, confirming this game’s time ran parallel to reality. If she lingered in the game for days, she would be missing from reality for just as long.

She’d probably have to spend points on “aftermath services.”

Hopefully, Mom wouldn’t call the police too soon. Who knew how many days this would take? Wu Hui had spent a full eleven days in the game last time...

Damn, she was getting distracted.

Li Xiaojing snapped back to focus—

Only to find she had already knocked her opponent out, who then yielded in panic and vanished before her eyes.

She dispelled her shadow and sat to rest in the lounge. Wu Hui seemed to have just entered a game as well, so she decided to wait a while longer before moving on—just in case she ran into him in the next round.

“You’re hopeless,” came Li Xiaoyue’s voice in her mind. “Nine of your ten sentences have something to do with Wu Hui. You’ve completely turned into a lovesick fool!”

“Tch!” Li Xiaojing flushed at her sister’s remark. “You’re one to talk! You like Wu Hui too—I saw it in your dreams last time!”

“That’s only because I share some of your feelings!” Li Xiaoyue retorted. “You have some nerve! Besides, what good does it do for me to like Wu Hui? You idiot!”

The sisters bickered endlessly in their minds. At least, Li Xiaojing’s goal of waiting a bit longer before heading to the next floor was accomplished.

PS: First update of the day. I’m sick and feeling unwell... Please vote and add to your favorites.