"I was actually looking forward to this, but I didn't expect it to be this kind of gimmick. Feels like those two Spirit Crystals were a waste."

  "Don't be like that. For the Boss to produce something like this is impressive. It’s likely a very sophisticated alchemical artifact."

  Hearing Blood Wolf’s banter, the squad members couldn't help but chuckle. While Blood Wolf aspired to be a Protection Knight, when it came to martial techniques, he was the undisputed number one within the Blood Wolf Squad.

  "Boss, if you're trying to stump me with martial arts, you're being far too naive," Blood Wolf said, flashing a grin at Kael.

  "Oh? Is that so?" Kael shrugged noncommittally.

  "Boss, if I win, how about a discount on my shopping later?" Blood Wolf began to haggle. After all, the amount he intended to spend later was no small sum; a discount would save him a mountain of crystals.

  "No. No discounts, no haggling," Kael rejected him without a second thought.

  "Sigh, fine. I’ll just play around for a bit then, and then go buy some weapons," Blood Wolf muttered. Even without a discount, the items in the old shop were still essential.

  "You lot pay attention," Blood Wolf educated his men while observing the arena. "Stop thinking that martial techniques aren't important just because you're obsessed with leveling up."

  "Yes, yes, Captain. Everyone knows your technique is legendary."

  "Come on, show us what you've got!"

  "Go for it, Captain! Show the Boss what real skill looks like!"

  Naturally, the members of the Blood Wolf Squad were all cheering for their leader.

  "Select Swordmaster!" Blood Wolf shouted. He chose a round shield and a shortsword—the standard loadout for a Protection Knight.

  "Boss, keep your eyes peeled. Watch me perform for you!" Blood Wolf hefted the shield and sword, even momentarily pulling his consciousness back to shout a challenge at Kael.

  [Battle Start!]

  The synthesized voice echoed in Blood Wolf’s mind.

  The Swordmaster moved at the sound, turning into a streak of white light that instantly appeared before Blood Wolf. The rapier was like the wind, the strike like a bolt of lightning.

  A flash of sword-light followed. Blood Wolf felt a sudden chill at his throat, and on the crystal ball's display, blood sprayed across the arena.

  Blood Wolf was already flying backward off the stage.

  At that exact moment, Kael had only just stood up from behind the counter. He looked toward Blood Wolf’s booth and asked in his usual slow pace, "What was that?"

  For a moment, the atmosphere was agonizingly awkward.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  The mercenaries standing behind Blood Wolf’s booth were completely dumbstruck. Blood Wolf himself sat frozen, hands still on the crystal base, seemingly forgetting what he had even intended to say.

  "Oh? How did you lose so fast?" Kael walked out from behind the counter and glanced at the crystal ball.

  Blood Wolf’s face turned bright red with shame. He wished he could find a crack in the floor to crawl into. He had just bragged so loudly, only to be slapped in the face by reality before he could even react.

  Fortunately, this was the Combat Strength Arena. As the rules had stated, combat here only involved the sensation of pain; no actual physical damage was dealt. Had this been a real battlefield, he would already be a corpse.

  It was only now that Blood Wolf truly began to respect the value of "technique."

  "Captain, that guy definitely used Class-rank power, right?"

  "Yeah, he’s cheating! That doesn't count!"

  "Exactly! Boss, you're cheating by making the opponent impossibly strong!"

  "Our Captain’s loss was a fluke! We don't accept this!"

  The mercenaries, unable to believe their eyes, frantically scrambled to find excuses for their leader.

  "Shut up!" Blood Wolf barked.

  The men fell silent immediately, looking at him in confusion.

  "That Swordmaster... he... he only used Level 20 stats," Blood Wolf said through gritted teeth.

  Though he hated to admit it, he had to speak the truth: the Swordmaster had used only half of his own attributes and had still achieved an instant kill.

  "That's impossible!" was the squad's first reaction.

  But on second thought, Blood Wolf wouldn't intentionally downplay the opponent's strength—that would only make his own defeat look even more pathetic.

  "Cap... Captain, are you... are you sure you didn't misread it?"

  "You bastards are doubting me now? If you don't believe it, try it yourselves! I'll pay for the crystals!" Blood Wolf snapped, his pride wounded.

  Kael listened from the side and grasped the situation. The Tier 1 Training Room not only had twenty booths, but the "Combat Strength Arena" crystal balls were also only Tier 1. Currently, there were only four options, and they were in their most basic state.

  In simple terms, the strength of the user projected into the arena was a 1:1 replica of their real-world self. However, their opponents were calibrated to use only half of the user’s base attributes.

  This meant the Arena was purely a tool to force users to improve their combat skills through a massive disadvantage.

  The System really is running a brilliant chain of businesses, Kael thought as he yawned, reclining in his deck chair behind the counter.

  The general store sold weapons, armor, and pills, while the Training Room focused on combat techniques. From the outside in, it was a comprehensive system for boosting a customer’s power—and emptying their pockets.

  Burning with shame and fury, Blood Wolf decided to try again. On the stage, a new figure condensed according to his will.

  "I’m picking the Swordmaster again. I refuse to believe this!" Blood Wolf gripped his shield and shortsword tightly.

  [Battle Start!]

  The Swordmaster flickered and appeared before him without hesitation.

  Having learned his lesson, Blood Wolf raised his shield to block. The rapier clinked against the shield with a light "ding," and the figure vanished.

  Blood Wolf’s face lit up with joy, ready to counter-attack. Then, he felt a chill at the back of his neck, his vision went black, and he collapsed on the stage once more.

  "I'LL KILL YOU, YOU PIECE OF [CENSORED]!" Blood Wolf’s furious roar echoed through the shop.

  Kael, lying on his chair, dug a finger into his ear. "Keep the swearing down. While I don't prohibit foul language, anything too loud gets automatically censored by the shop."

  He mused to himself that it was no wonder the System had installed a noise-canceling/censorship system in the new store.

  "I will endure..." Blood Wolf hissed, starting his third match.

  The squad members behind him exchanged glances, then carefully backed away a few steps toward the counter.

  "Boss, open a few more for us."

  "Two Spirit Crystals per hour. Pay up, find a seat," Kael said, standing up instantly at the sound of incoming revenue.

  "We’ll all take an hour for now," a man who looked like a sub-captain said, placing a pile of crystals on the counter. It was exactly enough for one hour each.

  "Go ahead, go ahead," Kael said, sweeping the crystals away.

  With the System monitoring everything, there was no way they could shortchange him. Fortunately, there weren't too many of them, so the twenty booths weren't even full yet.