Arena of the Empty Tower (Gladiator) Chapter Fifty-Six: Zhao Xingluan

"Actually, I'm not someone who likes to fight." The man in white smiled, his eyes narrowed to slits, as he tightened a strip of cloth around Lufu’s neck.

Lufu struggled desperately, his hands flailing in the air as if in surrender, but he saw the man in white apply a little more force.

That was the end of his consciousness. When he came to again, he was back on the first floor.

"Damn it! Why is everyone so strong?" Lufu realized this game was full of hidden masters, and the combat prowess he had always prided himself on might not be anything to boast about after all.

If he kept losing, he’d be done for! He needed to be more careful from now on.

But to be honest, those last two opponents weren’t the kind that caution alone could overcome.

In the end, it all depended on the strength of the opponents he encountered.

Actually, in the earlier rounds, running into a level-three player or a particularly strong level-two like Wu Hui wasn’t all that probable.

But Lufu had simply been unlucky, so there was nothing he could do about it.

The man in white, his eyes perpetually narrowed, turned the cloth in his hand into a bandage and wrapped it around his palm. Stretching lazily, he headed down to the next floor. "Sigh, hopefully I won’t run into anyone even stronger. Honestly, what I hate most are gladiators and the Black Death. No, wait, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a Black Death game before."

But just from the descriptions, he already disliked it.

The Black Death games were the kind most people prayed never to see. Each time they appeared, it meant mass casualties—tasks like killing a certain number of people within a time limit to survive, or causing large-scale disasters, or competitions in murder.

It was on par with the atrocities of invading armies.

By comparison, although the gladiator games also required fighting and killing, they were more acceptable—at least with these rules, even if people died, they’d be revived, so there was no psychological burden.

He started climbing upward.

At his waist hung a talisman, inscribed with the character Zhao.

However, the character appeared dim, as though not fully activated.

This was something akin to an emblem or a chess piece, called a Command Token. Usually only players of level five and above could obtain them. Command Tokens grew stronger over time.

Each Command Token represented a famous general.

Their strength was judged by their historical reputation, both in China and around the world.

Zhao referred to Zhao Yun. Many said that in real history, Zhao Yun was just a bodyguard, but that wasn't true. He had been captain of the guards, served as an intelligence officer, helped Liu Bei recruit soldiers, rescued Liu Bei’s family at Changban, drove off Cao Cao at Han River, and, during Zhuge Liang’s first northern campaign, was the only one who didn’t lose. He ranked among the top five generals of Shu Han.

Overall, his abilities weren’t at the absolute top in the Three Kingdoms era; compared with all of history, he seemed quite ordinary, but not weak either.

Currently, the attributes of this Command Token were:

Agility +3, Strength +2, Horsemanship +2, Melee Combat +1. Comes with the skill Dragon Soul (sealed), losing 5% of health, stamina, and spirit per second. Each kill fully restores your state.

Slitted Eyes looked forward to the day when the Command Token would reach its full potential.

For a level-three player, it was an excellent reward. At least for now, even Wu Hui didn’t have anything better than this.

At the moment, there were few level-three players inside the empty tower.

Only three in total, and two were in the middle of a duel.

So this round, Wu Hui encountered only a level-two player.

Among level-two players, Wu Hui didn’t have an overwhelming advantage. However, his mindset was far stronger than most.

Unfortunately, his opponent surrendered when things looked grim, so Wu Hui didn’t earn the full two hundred points.

He still had plenty of points, though, and the prize on this floor was a Nightmare Chess Piece: Firebearer.

He bought it.

Nightmare Chess Piece: Firebearer

Faction: Ember, Wanderers of the Wild

Type: Human/Intelligent Life/Scout

Health: 3

Mobility: 5

Attack: 3

Range: 1

Cost: 5

Ability: Illumination (provides light for surrounding units; under illumination, producers gain +1 output; creatures of the Dark Faction lose 1 health per turn; loses this skill when attacked; burns 1 health per turn to maintain illumination)

Story: They carry the flame through the wilderness, helping villages rekindle their fire before it dies out. No one knows how long these days will last, or how much longer they can hold on.

These were its attributes as a chess piece, but in battle, it simply meant summoning a Firebearer.

It didn’t pair especially well with his Black Knight, since the Firebearer harmed dark creatures. Of course, on the board, boosting peasant productivity was a formidable effect.

It just wasn’t of much use to him right now. Maybe later.

Once Wu Hui summoned the Firebearer, he would discover that its light could restore mental energy. But to keep the flame burning, the Firebearer consumed itself and couldn’t last long.

Nightmare Chess Pieces had three primary factions: Ember, Light, and Darkness, each with its own sub-factions.

Wu Hui didn’t care much about the lore—he only cared about winning with his pieces.

Now, it was time for his fourth opponent.

Wu Hui adjusted his glasses, mounted his dire wolf, and headed toward the new long bridge.

He looked at the towering spires around him, then up at the sky. He still couldn’t tell how many floors there were in total. Moreover, there might not be as many players in this game as he’d imagined; the higher he climbed, the longer the wait before matches.

—

“Hey, girl! Don’t push your luck!” The player, cornered by Li Xiaojing and her Shadow, brandished his knife. “I’m going all out!”

Li Xiaojing hesitated.

This guy had threatened to go all out several times already, but she and her Shadow kept beating him down. He must be an intelligence-type player, she thought.

Clearly, not every smart person could fight like Wu Hui.

She knocked the knife from his hand with a baseball bat, the Shadow finished him off, and the fight was over. At this moment, Li Xiaojing had a gun slung over her back, grenades and bullets strapped around her waist. Her short sleeves and face were splattered with blood. She looked like she’d just returned from battling zombies in some ruined wasteland.

The vibe felt off—she was supposed to be a sunny, sporty girl, paired with a top student and bespectacled academic...

Li Xiaoyue piped up, “Are you in heat or something? I’m about to puke. Can you stop thinking about Wu Hui every second?”

“Then stop eavesdropping!” Li Xiaojing shot back, annoyed. Having a big sister who was always nearby and could read her every thought was actually pretty exhausting.

“I wish I could, but I don’t know how to stop,” Li Xiaoyue replied, equally aggrieved.

Ever since Wu Hui had met her before the game started, her sister had been completely lovestruck, leaving Li Xiaoyue at a loss for words.

It was understandable, though—her sister had secretly liked Wu Hui for a long time, and had avoided him out of fear they’d end up enemies in the game. Then, suddenly, they met and realized this round’s rules wouldn’t force them into a deadly showdown, so she was naturally overjoyed.

But honestly, it was a bit much.

ps: This is the second chapter today. I need to grab some medicine... Please vote and add to your collections.