"Damn! Why does he only kill people who say he's bald?" Hector glared at the king with furrowed, unintelligible brows.
Everyone turned toward the king with expressions like Hector's. They didn't expect him to have cruel, inhumane actions like that.
At that moment, the king gave no one in the arena time to think further. The cane in his hand suddenly lightly sparked with bright lightning—then the glow vanished just as fast.
Silence.
No one dared to speak until a subtle tremor began to ripple beneath their feet.
The arena floor started to shudder lightly, just enough for anyone to notice it, if they had an ability about sensory perception.
"What's going on?" Hector muttered, steadying himself while scanning the surroundings with sharp caution.
From within the concealed wall of the arena, a steel gate creaked open amid a cloud of fading smoke.
"Grrrrraok!"
A terrifying roar thundered through the dim chamber, causing several nearby to clutch their ears in pain.
Moments later, an enormous lion emerged slowly through the dense fog.
It was far larger than any normal lion—its frame rivaled that of a truck, and its build was immensely muscular. Its elongated maw rang out into an uncomfortable snarl, eager to devour anyone within reach. Still, it was bound tightly by rusty, ancient chains, though Hector doubted their strength, able to break at any time.
"So... it really begins now," Hector whispered, drawing a knife from his small pouch, getting ready for the challenge that he had to face.
He was ready to strike at any moment.
Above the towering wall, the king smirked, sweeping his gaze across the arena, then bellowed with unrestrained excitement:
"Start!"
He was ready to fight at any moment.
Now, above the towering wall, the king smirked, sweeping his gaze across the arena below, then shouted with barely contained excitement:
"Start!"
Tick!
Instantly, the chains on the beast's neck and legs snapped loose, released by crackling bolts of energy spiraling around its body.
"Grekk!" the monster bellowed, then charged madly into the nearest crowd, wild and uncontrollable.
It looked as though the creature had been starved for days—this hunger had pushed it into sheer frenzy.
From afar, a short goblin with a sly grin darted ahead, avoiding the rampaging beast. He glanced back with a mocking smirk.
"Hehe! Only idiots rush in headfirst."
His strategy was clear. He wouldn't fight—death was certain if he took on that thing. Instead, he'd wait until the creature had nearly wiped everyone out.
The goblin grinned maniacally, already imagining countless glorious outcomes in the near future.
But there was just one problem—that winner wouldn't be him.
"I'll be the one—"
Suddenly, the goblin couldn't finish his sentence. All he felt was—
A sharp sting beneath his throat, then nothing.
His awareness vanished almost instantly.
Thud!
He crumpled to the ground, lifeless, while the killer stood next to his corpse.
"Don't worry. My skill's just that precise," Hector muttered coldly, eyes scanning the fallen body without a hint of mercy. His knowledge of anatomy had proven useful again.
As long as the monster's structure resembled a human's, he could apply techniques from the old world.
With swift, practiced precision, he had severed both main arteries feeding the brain—requiring mere seconds for the goblin to black out.
Six seconds. That was all it took. It remained his most efficient killing method.
Though perhaps that goblin was the only one he could dispatch this way.
The metallic stench of blood poured from the creature's neck, staining the earth and tainting the surrounding air.
The scent of monster blood was always potent.
And naturally, the other creatures nearby quickly caught the scent—and noticed Hector's silent strike.
Another goblin—larger, muscular—let out a furious roar.
"Hey! Fucking human! What did you just do to my partner?!"
At that moment, Hector heard the roar and immediately sprinted toward a nearby group of humans. He knew full well he was too weak to face any of the monsters here—he needed allies.
Fortunately, humans always shared one trait: they were weaker than monsters. Now, he had found the perfect shield.
By now, the muscular goblin had seized his chance.
"My brothers! One of ours has been killed! Fight for honor!"
He bellowed again, but his tone was oddly thrilled—more exhilarated than angry about his fallen comrade.
It was obvious that the monsters had only one goal: to wipe out all humans. Whether Hector had truly killed the short goblin or not no longer mattered. In this arena, death came without fairness.
"What the hell?! Look what he's done!" a young man shouted in furious disbelief.
Another pale youth grimaced faintly—but his anger wasn't directed at Hector. It burned inward.
"No… it's happening. He's already begun something. He's too clever for this to be random."
"He's definitely aiming to impress the king."
The first young man clenched his teeth, then turned toward the pale one.
"Then what should we do now?"
The pale youth smirked, glancing back at him with cold, disdainful eyes.
"This."
In a blink, he unsheathed and re-sheathed his blade.
Silence.
The headless corpse of the young man slumped forward. Blood streamed from his neck like a river.
The pale youth stared at the fallen body without a flicker of emotion. Then he spat on the severed head, disgust in his eyes.
"Do something different than him."
"Idiot."
"But… this is just a bad imitation."
Without another word, he scanned his surroundings, eyes sharp, then quickly blended into a nearby crowd, executing what he believed was the correct strategy.
Of course, killing humans was acceptable—so long as it pleased the king. Still, he wouldn't go overboard. If he did, the other humans might target him too. The monsters were already more than enough.
Besides, the arena was filled with unpredictable variables he couldn't control by brute force alone.
Hours passed.
The arena had become pure chaos.
Monsters slaughtered humans.
Humans fought back against monsters.
And the beast devoured both without mercy.
Many had already fallen.
But this...It was only the beginning of the massacre.