The stands were packed with lavishly dressed people. Among them were graceful noblewomen and pot-bellied merchants, excitement etched on every face. Their features twisted as they screamed, their eyes glinting with a red light that seemed to want to devour people.
Below the stands was a huge iron cage, stained with something that could have been rust or blood. A faint, foul odor seemed to emanate from it.
Inside the iron cage, a small, thin figure and a sturdy, tall figure faced each other. A moment later, they launched attacks at each other again. The small person was agile and nimble; the tall person's punches were powerful and heavy, with a wide range, almost engulfing half the space. Fist met flesh; blood and gore flew.
The more brutal and bloody the scene, the more it incited excited cries from the people in the stands. Those contorted faces displayed naked human nature—ugly and filthy.
Wilder watched for a few moments, then averted his gaze and walked further inside. His appearance attracted the attention of some people in the exchange. Curious, thoughtful, or perhaps sneering eyes focused on Wilder.
"A newbie? Looks quite special." The red demon mask on his face piqued some people's interest.
Wilder, as if oblivious to the gazes directed at him, walked towards a dim little shop at the back. A worn, yellowish-white cloth curtain hung over the doorway, obscuring the upper half. Below the curtain, connected to the wall, was a counter. Behind the counter, in a small space, sat a person completely wrapped in bandages.
Wilder walked up, lifted the curtain, and stood before the counter.
"Newbie?" The bandaged person's voice was somewhat shrill, their gaze gloomy as they sized up Wilder.
"Yes."
"Entry fee, eight hundred thousand Beli," they said, retracting their gaze, not even looking up.
Wilder took out the paper slip the old man had given him, placed it on the counter, and pushed it forward slightly. The sound of paper scraping against the counter made the bandaged person look up. Their gaze lingered on the paper for a moment, then they looked up at Wilder and said slowly, their voice calm and emotionless, "Entry fee, eight hundred thousand."
The tall figure remained standing, his expression unreadable beneath the red demon mask. He stared at the bandaged person without speaking. The bandaged person was equally expressionless. Perhaps feeling a slight explanation was due, they looked at Wilder, picked up the paper from the counter, and continued in that same calm, emotionless tone, "This thing is useless."
"Is that so…" The voice from under the mask was low, betraying no emotion, though the surrounding temperature seemed to drop a few degrees.
"Yes," the bandaged person replied flatly.
Wilder said nothing more. He took out a wad of Beli from his robe, removed two-tenths of it, and placed the rest on the counter. The bandaged person collected the money. Wilder saw a hint of a smile in their bandaged eyes, and his own lips curved downwards slightly, but he said nothing.
"Profession?" the bandaged person asked.
"Assassin."
They nodded and said, "Turn right, inside there's a bounty and mission wall. You can take any mission on it. Once you've chosen one, tear it off the wall and register it here. After completing the mission, return here to collect the payment." As they spoke, they wrote Wilder's information on a form and, at the same time, picked up a camera and took a photo of Wilder.
"This is a necessary procedure. Of course, you can also choose to remove your mask," they said, having already filled out the form and placed it in a drawer behind them. "Naturally, I have some special missions here, ones that don't really distinguish between bounty hunters or assassins. They are quite difficult to complete, and they won't be quick. If you're interested, you can also take these missions directly from me."
Perhaps having made a tidy sum, their mood was somewhat better than when Wilder had first entered. After speaking, they walked out from behind the counter, passed by Wilder's side, and led the way to the right. "Come with me, I'll show you around."
Wilder followed him forward without a word.
Soon, at the end of the passage, a horizontal corridor appeared. Arrows were painted on the wall at the front, pointing in two directions, with signs above them reading: "Assassin Applicable" and "Bounty Hunter Applicable." The assassin section was to the left. Wilder followed the bandaged person inside.
Inside was a vast space formed by six walls, divided into various sections. The walls of each section were, without exception, plastered with mission description slips.
"These are all of them, pick as you please. Some of these missions have been here for several years, and some have never even been touched. You can judge for yourself. They are marked with star ratings, from one to five. Basically, my advice to newbies is to start from level one. After all, life is more important, isn't it? Of course… no one will stop those who want to court death. In short… choose for yourself. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving. Take your time choosing." After saying this, the bandaged person left on their own.
Wilder walked to one of the walls and looked up at the mission slips. His gaze was primarily drawn to the slips at the very top. One of them read: "Kill the former King of Dressrosa, King Riku. Mission payment: 500 million Beli." The star rating was five stars, meaning level five, one of the highest-level missions here. The mission slip was also distinct from those below five stars, with gold trim around the edges, looking more premium.
Wilder also glanced briefly at the other five-star mission slips. One of them was to kill Jack the Drought, with a payment of 1.5 billion Beli—half again as much as the Marines' bounty on him. And this was the amount offered by the exchange; including the cut the exchange would take secretly, the total amount was likely at least one or two hundred million more. Another five-star mission slip also required the assassination of a country's leader, with a payment of 200 million Beli. Unfortunately, these five-star missions all had one thing in common: no one had taken them, or if they had, they had all failed without exception.
Wilder shifted his gaze to mission slips of other star ratings, finally choosing a three-star mission: assassinate a noble of a certain country. The payment was 58 million Beli, a relatively high reward for a three-star mission. There was some basic information on it, such as the target's name: Kisaro Vassalo, location: Polu Kingdom, identity: a noble and minister of the kingdom. There was also some related basic information, but it wasn't very useful, and there was no telling how old it was. Much intelligence wasn't necessarily accurate; after all, people and things change over time. Below this mission slip were fifteen red dots painted on with ink, indicating that this mission had been taken fifteen times already, and all fifteen attempts had ended in failure. Whether the assassins who took the missions had died or given up, no one knew.
Wilder tore it from the mission wall and turned to walk out. When he returned to the counter, the bandaged person was already there. They took the mission slip Wilder handed over, glanced at it, then shot a glance at Wilder briefly before showing no further reaction. They clipped the mission slip together with Wilder's file and put it into another drawer inside.
"I have some intelligence regarding this mission. To obtain it, you need to pay five hundred thousand Beli. You can also choose to refuse; we never force anyone." They paused after speaking, then continued, "Of course, to avoid misunderstandings, there's one point I must clarify beforehand: the intelligence is not one hundred percent accurate. As long as the margin of error does not exceed fifty percent, then… we do not accept any refunds or complaints."
"I understand. In that case, I'll take the intelligence." Wilder took out five hundred thousand Beli and placed it on the counter, but his hand did not move away from the stack of money.
Meeting the bandaged person's faintly puzzled and gradually sharpening gaze, Wilder spoke in an extremely calm and low tone, "What do you need so much money for?"
"I like it," they said.
Wilder removed his hand, allowing the bandaged person to collect the money. This five hundred thousand Beli was a normal transaction; he naturally wouldn't react in any particular way. However, that previous eight hundred thousand… Wilder's eyes glinted obscurely a few times.
"What's going on over there?" Before leaving, Wilder's gaze shifted to the large iron cage, and he asked.
"Oh." The bandaged person followed Wilder's gaze and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "The company needs to make money. Such a large space, if we don't host one or two entertainment facilities to earn some side cash, it wouldn't make sense, would it? Don't you agree, Mr. Red Demon newbie?" They seemed to have already taken the liberty of deciding Wilder's name, or rather, codename, and had even written it into his file.
"Alright, then… goodbye." Wilder said no more and strolled towards the exit.
Thump! A black shadow slammed down in front of Wilder, kicking up a cloud of dust. Numerous gazes, eager for a show, turned towards them. Wilder's tall figure stood motionless, the red demon mask making his true expression unreadable. He stared straight ahead quietly, as if he hadn't seen the bloodied corpse that had been thrown before him like a piece of cargo.
"Newcomer! Care for a fight?" The iron cage door opened, and a small, thin figure stood by the entrance, looking towards Wilder, a ferocious, bloodthirsty grin on his face. The corpse on the ground was the tall man from the previous fight when Wilder had entered. His entire head was now twisted around one hundred and eighty degrees; clearly, this was the result of the battle.
The gaze from beneath the mask shifted slightly downwards, settling on the corpse at his feet. Wilder's expression was cold and calm. He didn't reply.
The bandaged person had followed him over at some point and now stood behind Wilder, stating as if narrating, "By stepping onto the stage as an assassin or bounty hunter and defeating a challenger, not only can you win a handsome sum of Beli, but you can also obtain a mysterious intelligence treasure box provided by the exchange." "No one knows what intelligence is in the treasure box. Opening it might reveal what someone had for lunch yesterday, or it might be that the legendary Jack the Drought is lying half-dead somewhere, waiting for you to kill him." After speaking, the bandaged person stood quietly in place.
"Is that so…" Wilder's hoarse voice sounded. He turned his head slightly and looked towards the iron cage. The small, thin figure was bathed in blood. Seeing Wilder look over, he grinned, revealing a set of chillingly white fangs, his smile sinister.
The stands quickly erupted into a clamor. Excitement and madness seemed contagious. On the contorted faces, pairs of crimson eyes stared at the scene inside the giant iron cage. Inside the cage, two figures stood opposite each other, about ten meters apart. The small man appeared even smaller in front of Wilder. Like… a child compared to an adult. There was no referee, only a bronze bell hanging from the top of the iron cage.
"Hey… your mask is really ugly. Later, I'm going to take it off and tear your face apart," the small man, resembling an ugly monkey, said, his voice surprisingly deep and sonorous. He looked at Wilder, his eyes radiating bloodlust, a savage grin on his face.
Clang, clang, clang…! The bronze bell rang!
And then…
The scene seemed to freeze. Everyone only saw Wilder's figure, at the instant the sound rang out, vanish completely as if he were a gust of wind. Afterward, the tall figure had already appeared behind the small man. A broad palm opened, enveloping the small man's head. His body twisted slightly and ducked, the muscles in his arm bulging, and then he fiercely plunged it into the hard floor of the iron cage. In an instant, stone fragments shot out, rubble flew, and dust filled the air! Beneath his palm, the head was deeply embedded in the crater that had formed, blood slowly flowing out. The entire stands fell silent.
Everyone was desperately trying to recall what had just happened. A stunned expression remained on every face, unresponsive for a long time.
Only when Wilder opened the iron gate of the cage and walked out did an uproar finally erupt! "One move…! He actually only used one move to…"
An expression of disbelief quietly crept onto the faces of the people in the stands. Coming back to their senses, they recalled the scene from a moment ago, and their hearts couldn't help but stop beating for an instant. Then came even more excited, contorted shouts. A crowd of frenzied people roared.
"Red Demon!" "Red Demon!" "Red Demon!"
Only one sound remained in the entire exchange, as if welcoming a new king, or perhaps the novelty brought by the death of an old one. The unprecedented scene and turn of events were like a stimulant injected into their veins; the excitement was unparalleled.
The bandaged person was completely frozen, standing rooted to the spot. They watched Wilder walk towards them, their heart seeming to skip a beat, then feeling as if a large iron hammer had slammed into their chest. Sudden realization! They calmed their ragged breathing, trying to appear more composed. The money had already been taken; regrets were useless now.
They nodded slightly at the approaching Wilder, clapped their hands, and turned their head to a server who was walking over. "Go to the warehouse and bring out an intelligence treasure box. Also, get ten million Beli." As they spoke, they handed the server a brass-colored key. The server took it and left.
"Red Demon, you don't mind if I call you that, do you?"
"Of course not." Wilder's voice betrayed no fluctuation or emotion; he had deliberately lowered his voice, making it hoarse.
"The prize money for defeating Skinny Monkey is eight million. Additionally, there's an intelligence treasure box. It's all here. The total amount is ten million; the extra two million is a token of my respect for you. You truly gave me a surprise, Mr. Red Demon."
After the server returned, the bandaged person took the items he brought and placed them before Wilder. Wilder stared at him deeply for a moment, then didn't expose him. Taking what was his, he turned and, ignoring the crowd madly surging from the stands, strode out of the exchange.
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