Chapter 56: Ch 56: Faker Is Taker
Making his way back to the stands, he could hear the name "Sunshine" echoing through the coliseum like wildfire. Chloe had achieved overnight fame.
Though her match was finished, her overwhelming victory had shifted the local perspective on "Foreign Adventurers." The crowd that had once mocked them was now looking upon them with favorable eyes.
Down in the blood-stained sands, the next match was already beginning. A challenger named "Oracle" was up against a vicious, Level 25 Arena Hound.
Because if Chloe’s recent victory, the crowd looked favorably of the Foreign Adventurers.
The betting odds plummeted to a staggering 1.02x for Oracle and 4.1x for the Hound. Only a fool out of their right mind would bet on the beast for that 4.1x payout.
After all, Oracle wasn’t a nobody. Just yesterday, he had torn through a five-win streak. A single Arena Hound was little more than a warm-up exercise.
At least, that was the general consensus in the stands.
Only few individuals betted on the Hound to win, hoping to het rich overnight.
Then again, the chance of winning was very low.
Regardless of the odds, Oracle drew his staff, determined to win at all cost.
"A Level 25 Hound?
Five wins yesterday. The crowd loves me. The odds are completely skewed in my favor... and yet, the Arena management threw a basic mid-tier beast at me?
No. The house doesn’t like losing money.
They’re setting me up. Either this thing has a hidden passive skill, or it’s been fed a berserk potion. The crowd thinks this is a slaughter, but if I drop my guard for even a second, that mutt is going to tear out my throat. Fine. Let them underestimate me. I’ll end this in one strike before it even has the chance to mutate."
Just then, a notification rang in his mind.
Ding!
[ You have received a new quest from "Master Verde". ]
[ Quest Title: Faker Is The Taker ]
[ Objective: Lose the ongoing match without raising any suspicion. ]
[ Time Limit: None ]
[ Difficulty: Super Hard ]
[ Rewards: 500 Gold Coins + 2,000 EXP ]
His mind raced like a galloping warhorse, rapidly weighing his potential gains and losses.
"If I win, my payout from the arena is only going to be around 200 Gold Coins. But this system prompt... 500 Gold Coins and 2,000 EXP. The experience alone is worth a week of grinding. Taking a dive ruins my win streak, but the system’s compensation is just too good to ignore."
Making his decision, Oracle mentally selected "Yes".
Ding!
[ Quest ’Faker Is The Taker’ Accepted. ]
Now came the hard part.
Across the sunbaked sands, the Level 25 Hound let out a guttural snarl and lunged. It was fast, but to Oracle’s eyes, it looked like it was moving in slow motion.
"Hmm, If I’m going to lose to a mutt, I have to make it look like I choked on my own arrogance, The crowd needs to believe I underestimated it."
So Instead of adopting his usual flawless guard, Oracle let out a theatrical scoff and dropped his shoulders.
He then raised his staff, preparing for a wide, flashy strike, the kind of attack a show-off uses to entertain the stands.
As the beast leaped for his throat, Oracle swung horizontally. It was a terrifying strike, but purposely aimed just a few inches too high.
The Hound’s instincts kicked in. It ducked under the terrifying staff.
"Perfect mutt," Oracle thought smugly.
Mid-strike, Oracle expertly slid on his back heel, driving his boot into a patch of loose, sand.
As a result, his ankle gave out.
To the thousands of watching eyes, it looked like the rising star had overextended a cocky attack and tragically slipped.
And then, Oracle’s body was struck bluntly by the hound’s paws.
Bang!
Oracle’s body was flung out from the battle circle.
[ Match Over! Winner: Arena Hound! ]
For a while, there was just silence.
Then, pandemonium broke loose.
"What?! He slipped?!"
"The one above, are you blind?! He missed a basic swing!"
"Oh no! My money! My life savings were on that 1.02 multiplier! Nooooo!"
Howling in fury, the spectators threw cups, rotten fruit, and half-eaten meat skewers into the arena.
Oracle lay in the dirt, feigning absolute humiliation as he hid a satisfied smirk behind his helm.
[ Objective Complete. You have lost the match without raising suspicion of foul play. ]
[ Awaiting Rewards distribution... ]
As he was carried away by a few arena attendants, all of a sudden a shadowy silhouette dropped a thick sack of gold coins into his tattered robes.
Feeling the heavy weight of the gold coins and seeing the following notification, Oracle was filled with glee.
[ Rewards Distributed: 2,000 EXP + 500 Gold Coins ]
With this sum of money, he could easily buy some much-needed gear.
He didn’t know who this Master Verde was, but he was incredibly happy with their cooperation.
Meanwhile, Raidan checked his own system interface.
He had successfully triggered a massive 20x multiplier on his hidden quest.
[ Rewards Distributed: 10,000 Gold Coins, 40,000 EXP ]
Raidan smiled after seeing this.
When he combined this new system reward with the 18,760 gold coins he had just discreetly collected from the arena’s betting section, his total wealth skyrocketed to a staggering 28,760 gold coins.
In this world, a fortune of that size would normally require a heavy iron chest and a team of armed guards to transport. A physical sack of nearly thirty thousand coins would have instantly made him a walking target.
Fortunately, Raidan possessed a system inventory. With a mere thought, the massive lump sum vanished into thin air and settled safely into his system storage.
Still, wealth of that magnitude always left a trail. Even though the gold was physically hidden away, the ripple of his betting transaction had drawn unwanted attention.
As Raidan turned away from the counter, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He could feel several overly curious eyes locked onto his back.
Some people were watching his every move.
Their gazes were filled with blatant greed and silent calculation. They clearly thought they had found an easy mark.
Raidan kept his expression completely blank. He casually adjusted his robe and continued walking toward the exit at a steady pace.
’Let them look. If any of those greedy fools actually decided to follow him out into the dark alleyways of the city, they would quickly learn that his newfound wealth was the least dangerous thing about him.’
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