"Dear ladies! And the dispensable lowly men! Rejoice to your heart's content! Today! Soth from the city of Eredlin has brought us a wonderful slaughter.
But this is just the beginning! Next, he will challenge the two-headed giant! The Horror Claw! The Troll! The Prince of Kuo-Toa! The Eye Demon! And a Berserker that is powerful enough to make any dark elf tremble! No matter what the final result is, I believe you should be able to see the scene you desire most in your heart.
Yes!
Today's arena is destined to be a river of blood! May the great goddess Rose bless every brave and fearless dark elf warrior!
Now, let the fun begin!"
Along with the tavern owner's impassioned roar, the iron door connected to the arena cage finally opened slowly.
A giant over four meters tall with two heads on his neck came out, being driven by a whip covered with barbs.
He has very obvious male features, is shirtless without any protective gear or clothes, and the only weapon in his hand is a thick and long wooden stick.
But no one would doubt that once this thing fell down, it could turn a living person into a bloody meat filling or meat patty in minutes.
You should know that although the two-headed giant of Faerun is not very smart, and is dirty and smelly, its fighting power is absolutely unquestionable.
If someone could outfit a two-headed giant with full body plate armor, this behemoth could single-handedly destroy a fully armed human army, even the most powerful heavy cavalry.
Because even the charging horses and knights would still be as fragile as a newborn baby in front of them.
Most importantly, the two-headed giant does not have a lifespan and growth cycle of hundreds of years like other giants.
They grow very fast, almost indistinguishable from humans, and their lifespan is roughly around seventy-five years.
Especially between eight and ten months in the first year after birth, they will quickly grow to more than two meters and have the ability to live independently.
Yes!
You read that right!
In just eight to ten months, a two-headed giant baby will become a terrifying hunter in the wild.
The strength attribute of an adult two-headed giant can usually reach an astonishing twenty-three points. When they raise the thick wooden stick in their hands, the best option is to turn around and run out of their attack range.
Otherwise, any action such as blocking or parrying would be no different from seeking death.
Even if you hold a sturdy shield, you are very likely to be beaten to death by a stick.
However, just when everyone thought that this two-headed giant was the first monster that Zuo Si needed to challenge, a group of monsters with vulture heads and giant beetle-like bodies were also driven out from the dark passage.
You don't need to ask to know that this is the most distinctive monster in the Underdark and also the most easily encountered monster in the wild - the Horrorclaw.
Just like the name suggests, their most powerful weapon is the curled sharp claws at the front of their upper limbs.
If you were walking in a pitch-dark tunnel and accidentally got ambushed by a Terrorclaw, even a dark elf warrior as strong as he could be ripped open instantly.
There is no doubt that six claw monsters plus a two-headed giant are the first of the next four battles.
Facing so many monsters at once, even a veteran like the legendary ranger Drizzt couldn't help but worry for Zuo Si.
However, Zuo Si himself did not react much to this. He threw away the broken half of the two-handed sword, bent down to pick up the magic giant sword left behind by Jordi after his death, turned around and hooked his finger at Vinar outside the cage.
The latter hurried to the side of the cage and asked in a slightly nervous tone: "Do you have any instructions?"
"What are the odds of the bet now?"
Zuo Si glanced with interest at the tavern owner who was trying to please Mistress Keyo not far away and asked.
"If you can survive the first game, the odds are 1 to 1, if you can survive the second game, 3 to 1, if you can survive the third game, 5 to 1, and if you can survive four games and win the final victory, 20 to 1." Vinar stated the odds of the bet without hesitation.
Hearing this answer, Zuo Si instantly revealed an extremely cold and cruel smile: "Very good! Bet all the money and things we can mortgage on me to win the final victory. Dare to use me as a tool to make money, and even want to control my life and death? You will pay the price for this."
Obviously, Zuo Si had already seen through the other party's intention when the tavern owner showed his courtesy to Mistress Keyo.
This guy didn't even want him to walk out of the arena alive, so he spared no expense and took out so many hidden monsters at once, just wanting to make a huge sum of money from them.
Of course, the tavern owner was not the only one who had similar ideas. There were also a large number of gamblers who bet that Zuo Si would lose.
After all, this is the city of Menzoberranzan, home to 20,000 extremely chaotic and evil dark elves.
They didn't care about the life or death of a mere outsider, even if this outsider killed the martial arts master of the third-ranked family and attracted the attention of a matron and several high-level priestesses.
They just want to see scenes of cruelty, blood and death, and make a lot of money from gambling.
"As you wish!"
Vinar undoubtedly sensed the displeasure in Zuo Si's eyes and tone, and without saying a word he walked towards the bar where the staff was busy counting gambling money and accepting bets from customers.
After a while, she successfully persuaded the other party to convert the entire caravan's goods and slaves into 100,000 gold coins, and then added some miscellaneous magic items, scrolls and cash, and finally completed the largest bet in the history of the entire tavern at the price of 170,000 gold coins.
This action made the tavern owner, who was still feeling proud of having seized the opportunity to get rich overnight, sweat profusely the next second.
Because he was not a fool and knew what Vinal's high bet meant.
This means that Zuo Si is absolutely confident in his own abilities!
He was so confident that even when facing terrifying monsters like the Eye Demon, the Kuo-Toa Murloc Prince, and the Berserker, he was sure of winning the final victory.
Similarly, this was also extremely terrible news for him.
Because in his arrangement and calculation, Zuo Si could only make it through the second round at best, and then would die in the third round.
This is also why the odds for winning the fourth game are so exaggerated as 20 to 1.
If you don't offer a higher price, how can you attract the suckers to take out all the money in their pockets?
But the problem now is that if Zuo Si really walked out of the arena alive, then given the current betting situation, even if the tavern owner lost everything and sold himself as a slave, he would not be able to pay the millions of gold coins to the bettors.
According to the laws of Menzoberranzan, those who cannot repay their debts are likely to suffer a fate worse than slavery.
"Boss, do you want to..."
Another dark elf man nearby made a throat-cutting gesture with a very obscure movement.
As representatives of chaotic evil, the dark elves believe that as long as there is no evidence, it is equivalent to nothing happening.
So expecting them to behave themselves is simply a daydream.
Take the arena in this tavern as an example. It is very common to manipulate the outcome of the battle through some small tricks.
In fact, many times before the game starts, a glass of wine or a bottle of healing potion used to recover from injuries is added with something, such as some mushroom powder that can produce hallucinations, or al poisonchemical that makes people's senses and reactions dull.
In short, when it comes to poisoning and plotting against others, the dark elves possess terrifying talents that outsiders cannot imagine.
Many of them had successfully poisoned their brothers and sisters when they were still children.
Of course, if the target is very cautious and refuses to drink anything handed to him by a stranger, there are a large number of mechanisms hidden under the ground of the arena that can spray out toxic smoke at any time, or kerosene and flames that are enough to burn a person to death.
The tavern owner only needs to find a random reason, such as to increase the fun of the battle, to activate these mechanisms to cause trouble to the people inside, or even kill them directly.
Anyway, what most guests want to see is just blood and killing that are full of sensory stimulation.
As for who killed whom, they don't care.
"Don't act rashly! At least wait until the first battle is over. The matriarch and eldest daughter of the Obroza family are watching the battle. I'm worried that playing those tricks in front of several high-level priestesses will backfire."
The tavern owner hesitated for a long time, but finally gave up the tempting offer from his men.
Because he didn't dare to bet that the powerful Lady Keyo would suddenly turn against him after noticing what was going on.
However, what the tavern owner didn't know was that the conversation he had just had with his men was heard clearly by another dark elf girl hiding in an inconspicuous corner.
This girl not only has a stunningly beautiful face, but also wears a badge on her chest that symbolizes her membership in the "Banrui" family.
Most importantly, unlike most of the dark elf noble women, she did not wear a snake-headed whip, a weapon that symbolized her identity as a priestess of Lolth.
Instead, he carried with him a spellbook used to copy arcane magic, as well as several valuable magical items.
"Conspiracy, betrayal, poisoning, assassination, life in Menzoberranzan is really monotonous." The dark elf girl said sarcastically with a slightly contemptuous tone.
Just as she was about to get up and leave, she suddenly noticed a burst of shrill screams and cheers erupting from around the arena not far away.
Zuo Si, standing in the middle of the iron cage, was surrounded by a two-headed giant and six claw monsters, but he completed a magic ring [Grease] in a flash with a calmness and elegance that cannot be described in words.
As a result, when the monsters were about to rush forward, they all slipped and fell heavily to the ground.
Especially the two-headed giant weighing more than two tons, when it fell, it directly crushed one of the claw monsters into a meat patty.
The latter's hard outer shell did not provide any protection at all. Instead, the flesh and internal organs were squeezed out under the huge external pressure, making a muffled bang.
One of the kidneys flew out from the gap in the shell and landed on the ground less than one meter away from the girl, then bounced high up.
As a very rare user of arcane magic among dark elf women, the girl was completely shocked by the perfect timing of the magic in front of her. Not only did she stop subconsciously, but she also stared with wide eyes at the man in the cage who looked younger than herself.
The next second...
Zuo Si then used an even more horrifying way to kill five claw monsters and a two-headed giant.
He first raised his finger, aimed at the two-headed giant's eyes and shot out a large cloud of hot and deadly white steam.
First-ring magic [Steam Jet]! This is a magic with very similar power and range to [Burning Hands], which can affect all creatures within a fan-shaped range of about ten meters in front.
When the horrific high-temperature steam sprayed into the two-headed giant's eyes, the behemoth immediately went crazy because of the unbearable pain, and swung the deadly stick in his hand and smashed it wildly.
The two closer Deinocrats had their heads blown up by thick wooden sticks that fell from the sky before they could react.
When the other three Deinonychus discovered that their companion had been killed, they did not bother to pay attention to Zuo Si who was hiding far away, and turned around to attack the two-headed giant.
Due to the influence of grease on the ground, they were unable to stand up from the ground in a short period of time. They could only lie on the ground and wrestle with each other in an extremely ugly and brutal way.
Among them, the Devil's Claw waved its sharp claws and left horrible and hideous wounds on the giant's body. The giant could not see anything because his eyes were burned by the steam. When he felt that he was attacked somewhere, he immediately swung the stick in his hand to hit it.
As the battle went on, both sides suffered more and more injuries and bled more and more.
Finally, when they were all exhausted and could no longer move, Zuo Si walked over with the giant sword in his hand and ended their miserable lives one by one.
With just two first-ring magic spells, they easily dealt with the two-headed giant and the terrifying claw monster that would have required an entire dark elf patrol to deal with.
Not to mention the ordinary dark elf audiences who were stunned, even Mistress Keyo, who had always maintained a superior attitude, couldn't help but stand up from her seat, her face full of disbelief.
There is no doubt that this fighting style, which is full of skills and wisdom, is completely different from the performance of killing Jody with pure swordsmanship and brute force just now.
What's more, Zuo Si also demonstrated his arcane spellcasting ability for the first time.
Thump! Thump! Thump! The dark elf girl could only feel her heart beating wildly, and her brain was completely filled with an indescribable excitement and excitement.
Because she discovered that the spellcasting skills displayed by the young man in the iron cage in the battle just now were exactly what her father, a great wizard, often emphasized: "being able to adapt to circumstances."
Don't stick to the level and power of the spell, just look at whether it is suitable for the current environment and situation, and decide what kind of spell is most effective through observation, understanding and analysis.
Thinking of this, the dark elf girl immediately rushed to the iron cage of the arena like crazy, and shouted at Zuo Si who was wiping the blood off the sword: "Hey! Outsider! How did you do that just now?"
"Hmm? How did you do that?"
Zuo Si was slightly stunned for a moment, then raised his head and stared at the dark elf girl, who was still very beautiful even by modern human standards.
"Magic! The timing of your use of magic just now!" the girl quickly added.
"Ah! That's just the result of long-term combat experience. After all, neither the two-headed giant nor the claw monster are smart creatures, and their weight is very amazing. When such monsters fall, they will inevitably produce very violent impacts, so the grease technique will have a good effect. As for [Steam Jet], it is simply to make the two-headed giant crazy, thereby inducing the two groups of monsters to kill each other." Zuo Si explained with a smile.
Because he suddenly discovered that the girl in front of him was different from the other chaotic, evil, and bloodthirsty dark elves around her. She not only had a pair of very bright and clear eyes, but was also full of curiosity and a strong desire to learn about magic.
"I see!"
The dark elf girl nodded thoughtfully.
"If you don't mind, could you tell me your name?" Zuo Si asked calmly.
"Lirael Baenre? Are you the daughter of Archmage Gongfu?" Zuo Si raised his eyebrows in surprise.
He obviously didn't expect that on the first day of arriving in Menzoberranzan, he would meet this dark elf woman who had a rebellious character and legendary color almost as good as Drizzt.
But compared to Drizzt's growing experience full of darkness, pain, betrayal and death, Lirael's childhood was obviously much happier.
Because the girl's father is one of the few people in the entire city of Menzoberranzan who is truly qualified to control his own destiny, a legendary wizard whose spellcasting level exceeds LV20.
Even the current matriarch of the first family, Banrui, did not dare to call this brother a lowly man when facing him, but had to talk to him with an equal attitude and status.
Therefore, Gongfu Banrui has a very special status in this city, so special that as a man he even has the right to choose his own spouse and treat the other party as a tool and doll to vent his desires.
When the great wizard learned that one of his mistresses was pregnant and had given birth to a daughter with magical talents, he immediately killed her without hesitation.
After all, the dark elves are a matriarchal society, so the primary ownership of a child always belongs to the mother.
Only by killing the mother can he legally and legitimately take over the custody of his daughter.
Afterwards, Lirael, doted on by her biological father Gromph, lived a free life that other dark elf children could hardly even imagine.
She didn't have to worry about being whipped by the high priestess for making mistakes. She had her own mansion, a large number of servants and slaves around her, and even a small zoo to raise animals that interested her.
When young Drizzt was suffering under the abuse and torture of his sisters, Lirael could leave home at any time, go to the tavern to drink and throw darts with those rude mercenaries, learn the common language from the human slaves from the surface world, and even make friends with them, sneak out of Menzoberranzan and explore the Underdark.
It can be said that any dark elf's childhood would seem extremely dark, painful and desperate compared to Lirael's.
It is precisely this unrestrained and free life that makes the dark elf girl not as evil as her compatriots. Instead, she is a bit like a spoiled rich lady and willful.
If there is no external interference, she will soon embark on the journey to the surface world and become a follower of the Dark Maiden Eilistraee.
But now, Lirael should still be forced by the current matriarch of the Baenre family, Trill, to enter the Spider Academy to study religious knowledge and prepare to become a traditional high-level priestess in the future.
"Do you know me?"
A look of doubt appeared on the dark elf girl's face.
After all, her fame is limited to the city of Menzoberranzan, and outsiders like Zuo Si should not know her.
Zuo Si smiled and replied, "Of course! As a woman, it's a bit unconventional to carry a spell book instead of a snake-headed whip in the city of dark elves, don't you think?"
"Hahaha! You are very funny! At least you are much better than those guys who show awe when they hear my father's name and family surname. If you can walk out of there alive, I will invite you to my house for a drink, how about it?" Lirael winked playfully.
"It's my honor." Zuo Si agreed without hesitation.
Just as the two were talking in a low voice, the tightly closed iron door at the back of the arena finally opened again, and a large group of goblin slaves rushed out from inside, hooked the corpse on the ground with iron hooks, and struggled to drag it into the sewer next to it that led to an unknown place.
However, considering the relative scarcity of food in the Underdark, the Dark Elves have the habit of never wasting food.
Most of these corpses would undergo some simple processing and then be fed to slaves or raised carnivorous monsters.
After the bodies were cleaned up, the tavern owner, looking a little grim, walked up to the front again, forced a smile, and shouted to everyone, "Look! Soth from Eredlin City!
The most courageous and fearless warrior of the great goddess Lolth! Killed a two-headed giant and six terrible claws without any effort! What a glorious achievement! Next, in order to make the battle more challenging, I decided to let the most terrible beholder in the underdark play.
Rejoice! People of Menzoberranzan! You are about to see a spectacular fight. "
Hearing the word "beholder", many dark elves present couldn't help but gasp.
Although their dark skin gave them strong resistance to magic, they could not withstand a few rounds of the endless rays of the Eye Demon and would be charmed, petrified, disintegrated, or even directly killed by the powerful negative energy rays.
Soon, at the signal of the tavern owner, a huge brown ball of flesh slowly flew out from behind the iron gate.
Coming out with it were four underground trolls controlled by charm rays.
"Wow! Is this an adult Eye Demon? It looks a bit scary!"
Lirael subconsciously took two steps back.
Because she knew very well that the anti-magic force field emitted by the Eye Demon's main eye was an absolute nightmare for spellcasters.
With my current pitiful spellcasting level, I simply don't have the ability to fight against it.
But Zuo Si smiled and shrugged his shoulders, saying, "Don't be afraid! It's just a beholder. In fact, this creature is not as difficult to deal with as you think. Especially for beholders who have lived in dark underground environments for a long time, they actually have a very fatal flaw."
"Oh? What's the defect?" Lirael asked with interest.
“It’s… Light!”
Just as the last word came out of his mouth, Zuo Si raised his hand and released a flash of light strong enough to blind everyone around him.
First-ring magic [Dawn Burst]! This is a typical energy spell, which creates a light source thousands of times brighter than sunlight within a few meters.
Although it does not cause any substantial harm itself, for those underground creatures that are accustomed to the dark environment, it can cause complete blindness in the eyes for a short period of time, accompanied by strong stinging and burning sensations.
Strictly speaking, [Dawn Burst] should be considered a super-enhanced version of the zero-ring [Flash].
When the spell took effect, the entire hall was suddenly filled with painful wails and screams. Many people covered their eyes, crying and cursing hysterically.
Obviously, Zuo Si's indiscriminate attack caused all the dark elves to suffer.
certainly!
As a direct victim, the Eye Demon completely lost its perception of its surroundings within just a few seconds of its appearance.
Whether it was the huge main eye or the eye stalks growing around the fleshy ball, they all closed after the strong light flashed.
It is well known that when all of a beholder's eyes are forced closed, it is at its most vulnerable.
Zuo Si raised his hands without hesitation and began to chant spells loudly, completing a series of spells before the audience had time to regain their vision.
He first forcibly reduced the Eye Demon's magic resistance.
Then a fireball and an ice storm killed this terrifying monster in the Underdark, along with the trolls controlled by it.
The whole process takes less than a minute!
When the dark elves in the tavern regained their sight, the only things left in the arena were corpses that were half-burned and then frozen in ice.
"Damn it! What happened just now?" A dark elf warrior asked his companion in an uncertain tone.
"It seems to be magic! The outsider used magic to kill the beholder and the troll controlled by it!"
Another male warrior nearby responded in an uncertain tone.
"But...but isn't he a warrior?"
"Warrior? Stop kidding! Have you ever seen a warrior who can use arcane magic above the fourth level? This guy is basically a mage!"
"No! That's not right! I think this guy is a warrior and a mage!"
"No wonder he didn't wear armor! It turns out that it was so that he could cast spells at any time!"
It was obvious that the dark elves were not as ignorant and stupid as the ordinary residents of the surface world. They quickly judged some of Zuo Si's strength from the battle just now.
Although the warrior-mage profession combination is not very common, it is not completely non-existent.
However, there are very few people who can bring out the advantages of the integration of these two professions.
Most of the "tactics" are basically either forgetting to use spells in battle and just focusing on swinging the sword to chop people, or being afraid to confront the enemy head-on and only knowing how to hide behind teammates to release spells, failing to bring out the advantages of a part-time warrior at all.
Seeing that the beholder he had carefully prepared was killed so easily, the tavern owner finally panicked. He immediately grabbed his subordinate by the collar and asked in a stern voice: "The only monsters we have left are a Kou Tao fishman prince and a berserker, right?"
The latter nodded vigorously and said, "No... That's right! Boss! There are exactly two battles left, and we can only send one each time. As for the remaining orcs, orcs, and slave cannon fodders among the bugbears, they should not be a threat to the outsider at all."
"Damn it! Send these two monsters into the next game! Remember! At all costs! Absolutely! Absolutely! Never allow that guy to walk out of the arena alive! Otherwise, I will twist your head off!" The tavern owner threatened viciously.
"At any cost?"
The dark elf's subordinate raised his head, with a vicious gleam in his eyes.
"That's right! Just go for it! I'll take all the consequences!"
After saying that, the tavern owner raised his glass and drank the liquor in it, his face full of madness, just like a gambler who has bet all his chips.
On the other side, Madam Keyo was sitting in the VIP seat specially prepared for her. She kept licking her dark purple lips with her tongue and commented in a slightly excited voice: "What an excellent young man, isn't he? Now I understand why he dared to speak to me in that tone."
"Madam, do you want to invite him to join our family and replace Jodie's position?" the eldest daughter asked cautiously.
Madam Keyo smiled and asked, "Why not? I just haven't decided yet whether to give him the title of father servant or the title of martial arts master."
"Serve father? Sorry, mistress, I doubt whether he is capable of fulfilling this responsibility at his current age." The eldest daughter glanced at Zuo Si not far away with a slightly playful look.
"Haha, it doesn't matter. I have enough patience to wait for him to grow up slowly and train him into my favorite shape. And... don't you think this is a very interesting and tasteful game?" Mistress Keyo said meaningfully.
"Your mood and appetite are as good as ever. Got it, I will contact him in person after the battle." The eldest daughter bowed gracefully.
Madam Keyo stood up and stretched her numb legs a little, then she reached out her hand to hold her eldest daughter's chin, and said in a slightly joking tone: "Don't worry, my dear daughter, I won't monopolize this outstanding young man for too long. After you have tasted his tenderness, I will allow you to share him with your sisters, just like I shared Jody before. Because I found that maintaining this kind of relationship can ease the conflicts within the family and make us more united."
“I am touched by your kindness and generosity.”
The eldest daughter bent down and kissed the back of her mother's hand deeply.
Just as the mistress was about to say something, a male warrior wearing a noble badge walked over from a distance, lowered his head and reported in an emotionless tone: "Madam, I found that the owner of this tavern is trying to manipulate the results of the game.
One of his men had just injected the Kuo-Tao fishman prince with a terrible alchemical potion that could maximize his potential.
However, the price is that within ten minutes at most, this Kou Tao murloc prince will die instantly.
Not only that, he also ordered his men to send the drugged Kou Tao Murloc Prince and the Berserker into the field together in the next battle.
It seems that he wants to kill the foreigner named Soth.
In addition, several others attempted to poison the stranger's drinks and potions."
"Oh? He shouldn't have been hit, right?" A half-smile appeared on the mistress's face.
The male warrior immediately shook his head. "No! Quite the opposite! He drank all the problematic potions and drinks without leaving a drop. But what surprised me was that after drinking them, he not only accurately told me the ingredients of each additional poison, but also had a very precise estimate of the dosage and possible effects."
"You mean... he drank it on purpose?" The eldest daughter widened her eyes in disbelief.
"Yes. What's more interesting is that he himself did not have any adverse reactions. Instead, all the guys who sent him potions and drinks were poisoned by the poison they personally sent within the next few minutes. Their deaths can be said to be quite miserable."
As he said this, the male warrior raised his head and smiled sinisterly and evilly.
Needless to say, he admired Zuo Si's unique way of revenge, and could even be said to worship it.
"Hahahaha! This drama is really becoming more and more interesting. Now that Soth already knows who wants to harm him, let's see what this outstanding young man will do."
The mistress laughed and sat back in her seat, looking at the arena below with expectant eyes.
At the same time, when Lao Bian, the innkeeper, learned that all the men he sent to poison the food were killed, and all of them died from the poison he had given, beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.
If it weren't for his dark skin that never changes his complexion, his entire face would probably be pale now.
Obviously, anyone who is not a fool knows that this is a means of revenge by the other party who has seen through his tricks.
What really frightened him was that these guys who died of poisoning had no scars from head to toe, and there was no sign of poison in their mouths or noses. It was as if someone had injected poison into their bodies out of thin air, and the dose was hundreds of times higher than before.
"Boss! What should we do now?" A dark elf man revealed strong fear in his eyes.
"Now? Now we can only hope that the drugged Kuo-Tao Murloc Prince and the Berserker can perform better."
The tavern owner instantly sat down on the ground like a deflated ball, gasping for breath.
(End of this chapter)
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