Cheng Shuang was towed back to her room by more than a dozen small trailers. Of course, it wasn't her original room, but a specially made cell on the second floor.
The floor was so hard that even firearms could not easily penetrate it.
Therefore, this large cell, which belongs exclusively to the third gate on the second floor, cannot be divided into smaller rooms, so all the monsters and humans participating in the arena battles can only share one room.
Of course, to prevent unnecessary losses, both monsters and humans were kept like pet dogs, chained to Roman columns hanging from the ceiling. Their range of movement was limited, and as long as humans did not use tricks to break free of their restraints and thus offend the monsters' territory, their lives would not be threatened.
As for self-esteem?
What is that?!
The second-floor administrator, more like a humanoid beast than the cold-tongued Edren, wore a black eyepatch over his right eye. Most of his face looked like it had been burned with sulfuric acid, resembling a anatomical specimen in a biology classroom, revealing hideous, grotesque muscle textures. His weakened body was half atrophied and mechanically supported, while the other half reeked of a foul stench.
Soon, Cheng Shuang, who was conscious but unable to move, understood what it meant to have a face that reflects one's heart. Although this phrase was somewhat narrow-minded—it's common knowledge that good-looking people aren't necessarily good people, and ugly people aren't necessarily bad people—it was clearly a very suitable phrase for second-level managers.
The ugly man in the uniform with a medal bearing the number two pinned to his chest, facing the immobile Cheng Shuang, revealed a disgustingly fiery gaze through the only eye remaining on his face.
His first reaction was to personally inspect the area to rule out the possibility that the 'prisoner' was carrying a weapon.
All the creatures inside Gate 3, who were acting as 'prisoners,' had become numb to this kind of thing and had no interest in even glancing at their 'new companions'.
The man with the medals, seeing that Edren, who had escorted the 'prisoner' upstairs, hadn't left, impatiently suppressed his drooling expression. He put on gloves with an air of arrogance, saying, "What's wrong with your first floor? There are too few 'prisoners' who can advance. Edren, it's not that I want to lecture you, but as a colleague, I hope you'll strengthen your management and provide the Master with even more spectacular performances."
As he spoke, he immediately tried to grab the 'prisoner' by the collar, and an excited smile appeared on his lips as he spoke.
Unfortunately, when he reached out, he didn't touch smooth skin, but another rough, large hand.
The hand gripped his thin wrist, its thumb almost as thick as his skinny wrist.
Kawahara looked over in surprise.
The burly man with a thick beard and eyebrows did not leave silently as usual, but instead stared at him coldly.
"Kawahara, have you abandoned your surname and your basic human decency?" Although Edren hated the invaders, he was unwilling to associate with someone like Kawahara. He could watch Kawahara use his status to bully invaders or humans, but this was different; this was just a child!
Edren had been following Cheng Shuang's match closely and overheard Cheng Shuang's sarcastic remarks to the suicidal attacker. Although he found it naively laughable, he had to admit that the child was quite stubborn.
Killing the man at Gate Number Two would have been the best option, yet she chose the most incomprehensible path.
If she hadn't easily defeated the dragon beast, which shouldn't have had any weaknesses, using some clever tricks, making it a somewhat surprising match, the master wouldn't have readily agreed to send her up to the second floor.
Although dragon beasts are rare, their combat power is astonishing when they are raised to adulthood. In the end, they are just amusing creatures raised by the master. If they don't have the strength to survive, then they have to accept their fate.
So the young animal that had received so much attention and was so carefully nurtured was ordered by its owner to be cut into pieces and made into a delicacy the moment it collapsed, squeezing out every last bit of its value.
This is not to say that the master values Cheng Shuang. There are invading forces that can kill dragon beasts, but their fates are not good either.
Because they have lost control of their bodies and have to endure invisible pressure, even if the attackers' attributes allow them to barely survive, they will still lose the next match.
Leaving aside the collapse under the pressure of gravity, even if their bodies are as hard as steel, they cannot withstand the life force wasted day after day. As the curse dissipates over time and their bodies gradually become soft again, they may not even have time to fight back before their enemies pierce their hearts...
Ultimately, we are just mortal beings; if we don't eat or drink for a long time, we will lose even the last bit of strength to struggle.
But what the master wanted to see was bloodshed!
Edren had already foreseen the little girl's death. He had seen too many stubborn humans become delicacies in the mouths of powerful men in the name of freedom for the sake of more people. Death did not mean the failure or dissipation of their will. On the contrary, those who fought bravely became even braver, while those who were cowardly and resigned to their fate became even more cowardly.
He hated the invaders, but he also admired Cheng Shuang for not choosing shortcuts and losing her humanity. Even though she was a child, she deserved his respect.
"I advise you not to meddle in other people's business!" Kawahara sneered at Edren as if he were a vermin. "Aren't you just going to cower in the first floor with your men? Then get down there obediently. Have you forgotten that the master is watching? If he finds out that you beat up a colleague for an intruder... ha, your subordinate..."
Edren froze. He knew that the Lord wouldn't care about the internal strife among humans. As his superior, if Kawahara reported to the Lord that the First Level hadn't handed over enough people or monsters, the Lord would inevitably force the First Level staff to fill the vacancies and become 'actors' in the arena.
Cheng Shuang was under immense pressure; her entire body was so heavy she couldn't lift it, her chest felt so tight she couldn't breathe, as if her spirit was trapped inside her body, and she couldn't even open her eyelids.
Only by mobilizing all her consciousness to resist that external force could she prevent herself from being destroyed by the cursed power.
This method of relief made her clearly aware of the loss of her mental energy.
Therefore, she guessed that those who died from the curse did not die from excessive hunger and thirst, but from the collapse of their mental strength.
Cheng Shuang was fortunate that she had enough mental energy to remain conscious, and the monstrous creature hidden in her chest, disguised as a pattern on her clothes, was her 'eyes'.
Although the girl is young, it doesn't mean she doesn't know how perverse Kawahara's actions are. She also saw Edlun's initial help and his current retreat.
She didn't kill the monster impulsively; she had a plan in mind all along.
Kawahara's attempt to bully him will only hasten his demise.
Sure enough, Edren released Kawahara's wrist and said dryly, "Don't go too far. This kid is favored by the master, so he was sent to the second floor after only two matches."
Kawahara wasn't exactly a bold fellow, and he hesitated for a moment, but the cunning scoundrel immediately saw through his act, "Hehe, the master only cares about her participating in the competition, he doesn't care about anything else! So what if you want to protect her! As long as I tie her up with the wild beast, the master will get to see another entertaining informal performance, and he won't care about what I did before, hehehe..."
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