Underground Wrestling Match
Passing through a rusty metal door, Leylin entered a large underground arena.
There were cheers, howls, even berserk roars sounding incessantly. At times one could hear the sound of weapons clashing, at others the sound of a body being pierced.
The atmosphere was insane. The audience, who were composed of multiple races, waved pieces of paper in their hands as they yelled towards the middle of the arena.
“This…” Leylin looked down towards the centre with interest, and immediately made a discovery.
In a large cage made of steel was a were-lion with golden fur. It was matched against several large monsters.
These monsters looked like eight-legged crocodiles with mouths full of sharp teeth.
Their mouths actually looked like saws with all the sharp teeth, boasting a viciousness and frightening power that would cause weaker beings to faint.
Their opponent, the were-lion, was unarmed, and could only fight these monsters with its own fists. Heaps of muscles bulged on its body, holding in store its formidable strength.
Just as Leylin glanced over, it mercilessly grabbed onto one of the crocodiles’ tails and ruthlessly flung it onto a metal bad. A large number of metallic thorns stabbed into the creature’s body, and blood gushed out. The injury looked fatal.
In exchange, the were-lion’s back now had several bloody scratches that were dripping with blood.
“A place for underground wrestling, with bets and alcohol?” Leylin nodded, beginning to have some expectations towards Old Jake.
The heads of such underground organisations were usually the people who acquired intel the most effectively. He would definitely have a huge network.
After all, selling information was very profitable, and he would definitely not let this opportunity go.
“Come with me!” The ox-head limped as he led the way, guiding Leylin through several bar counters where many were raising their wine cups and roaring madly. He then opened a small wooden door.
This door truly was tiny. Leylin’s physique would be considered slender among the races of this world, and even he had to lower his head, half bowing before he could enter.
*Boom!* The sturdy wooden door closed, isolating the room from the clamour outside.
The moment before the door closed, Leylin vaguely saw the were-lion successfully taking care of two other monster crocodiles. Though it had paid a large price, it had still managed to keep its life.
Large numbers of bets failed, and those who had lost their money bellowed, the cacophony almost overturning the entire arena.
And still, when the wooden door closed, it was as if everything outside had no relation to this place.
“Serenity and insanity are only separated by a single door. Isn’t that feeling amazing, Mister Ley from the one-horned race’s territory?”
A dwarf that was around a metre tall walked out. It had on a long silver robe, the bottom dragging on the ground. It held the same wine cup as the rest, an excited blush on its face.
Its eyes, however, were cold. They were like a mass of ice, not a single ripple within them.
‘A rational lunatic!’ That was Leylin’s first impression if this dwarf. For it to be able to take control of such a large organisation, it was evidently not a simple character.
“You know me?” Leylin had arrived at the Lava World a few days ago, and he had only made contact with the one-horned race. The knowledge that the other party had found information on him so quickly caused him to be delighted. In this case, there was a higher chance of his plans being realised.
“Of course! There are few who can defeat the summoner, Klito. A Sky ranked master is definitely worthy of my respect!” The dwarf bowed slightly, and Leylin was moved.
It must have been a member of the ant race with its brown skin and two little antennae. For some reason, it had broken away from its community and formed a large underground organisation in Woking City.
“Was it the merchants of the one-horned city?” Leylin pondered over it for a moment and immediately answered. Pretty much the only ones who knew him in the entirety of Woking City was that lot.
“Indeed, it was them! Since they were escorted by Mister Ley, I’ve already sent down orders that all their goods will be sold off at 10% higher than the market price!”
The dwarf of the ant race invited Leylin to take a seat, and personally poured a glass of something similar to red wine for him slowly.
The slight smell of alcohol, mixed with all kinds of fermented items that had anaesthetic effects immediately surrounded Leylin’s nostrils.
“The alcohol of other races is really terrifying. They aren’t even afraid of harming their bodies…”
Leylin shook his head, a little speechless. Though he was not afraid of these with the quality of his body, his tastes were well-developed. Such a crudely-made thing was not worthy of his attention, even if this alcohol was the best out of this dwarf’s collection.
“Alright, respected guest! May I know your purpose in seeking out pitiful old Jake?” Seeing Leylin putting the wine cup down without taking a sip, Jake’s expression did not change. He’d taken the initiative to bring up the topic, his eyes smiling.
“Everything!” Leylin chuckled lightly.
“Everything?!” Jake cried out involuntarily. “What do you mean by everything?”
“All the intelligence you have. Everything you know. That includes this region, as well as other areas. Whether it’s a big or small issue, I want everything as long as it’s valuable…” Leylin’s voice was low, and had a unique charm to it.
“Hehe… Mr Ley, do you know how much this information will cost?” Jake laughed, but his voice turned cold.
“I know, but I can definitely afford it!” Leylin answered without hesitation.
“What are you going to use to pay for it?” Jake had already assumed he’d met a lunatic, or someone with a screw loose.
“Your life. Is that enough?” Leylin spoke coldly.
“Crap!” Upon hearing Leylin’s words, Jake immediately bowed and retreated, throwing himself behind a study table with a jump. With a push of some mechanism, a defensive layer of energy appeared instantly.
Its movements were fluid, as if it had trained for this countless of times.
Only after the layer rose did its expression become calm. A sneer raised on its lips, “Mr Ley, don’t you think you’re going too far for a mere guest?”
“I’ve never felt that way towards the weak!” Leylin’s voice was dull, and that caused Jake’s face to flush.
As if Leylin’s words had touched on some nerve, Jake instantly grew furious.
“Get him!” It called out suddenly, and a pink mist filled the room. Two figures rushed out from within, emanating powerful energy undulations.
“The two mice finally dare show themselves. You’re only at the Sky rank, is that so amazing?” Leylin laughed slightly, a dark green layer of energy appearing from his body as a large hand grabbed forwards.
*Boom!* Space itself seemed to freeze in place, and the two fierce black figures halted abruptly. Leylin held each of them by the neck.
What appeared in his hands were two other dwarves that looked very similar to Jake. Energy undulations similar to that of a rank 3 Magus were continually emitted from them, but to Leylin this was far too weak. They were like a candle in a hurricane, a random wisp of wind enough to destroy them.
“Is this all you have to depend on? Any others?” Leylin opened his mouth, and a vortex appeared in the air. The pink mist that had pervaded the air was sucked into Leylin’s stomach.
One of those that Leylin was holding suddenly seemed to recall something, and even began to stutter, “This powerful? You– You’re a Star rank…”
He sent the two flying, and they fell with a thud, fainting from their injuries.
*Swish!* Seeing Leylin unravelling his trap and defeating two Sky ranks so easily, Jake, who was within the defensive layer, could only grit his teeth and remove it, kneeling before him.
“Revered Master Ley, please forgive the petty me for offending you unknowingly. Jake is willing to hand over all power and information to you…”
“You’re smart and understand the situation. Good, I like people like you!” A smile appeared on Leylin’s face, but to Jake it looked like that of a devil.
“I don’t want your organisation or anything like that. I just need some information from you. Because you’re tactful, I’ll only purge a portion of your memories. Don’t worry…”
Hearing Leylin’s words, Jake immediately knelt in gratitude, while forcing a laugh inside.
Just a Star rank was enough to destroy Woking City, and he had no means of fighting back.
……
A few hours later, Leylin who had obtained what he wanted, left the Underground Wrestling Arena, satisfied.
The atmosphere in the arena was still very heated. Now, however, there were great battles between various races. Leylin even saw a few one-horned clansmen who were mere cannon fodder.
The soundproofing effects of the wooden door were superb. There seemed to be some spell formation, and even though Leylin had caused a mess inside, nobody outside found out.
Even that ox-headed person would not know that over the course of the past few hours, the leader of their organisation had thoroughly bowed down at the hands of this young being of a different race.
Of course, Leylin spurned the head of an underground organisation. After using methods of psychological hints to confirm that it had handed over all the information, he had immediately modified its memories and even created a fake experience. This completely concealed the happenings of the day.
After leaving the arena, Leylin found a random inn and, after paying with precious gems, received a large house.
Of course, this wealth had been obtained with the generous sponsorship of Old Jake.