Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1400: Red Eye Arena (Part 2)

The guard received the initial payment from Helasa and registered Adam as a new fighter. At that point, neither he nor anyone else knew what the A. V. stood for.

The guard didn’t worry about it. New people showed up either to watch the fights or to participate in the Red Eye Arena every day. He couldn’t spend hours on each person.

Despite being underground, there was enough space for something big, and Adam soon found this out for himself.

Crack.

The door opened, and they saw a girl standing behind the counter, like a hotel manager ready to welcome guests.

Behind her were floor-to-ceiling windows offering a view of countless red seats and a deep arena with high dark walls.

“Ms. Helasa!” The receptionist exclaimed cheerfully, waving her hand and keeping a smile on her face. “You haven’t been here in a while. Has something special happened?”

Helasa nodded as she jerked her head in Adam’s direction.

“He happened. As you can see, he’s my fighter. I’ve already paid for him and registered him. Can you tell me when the next fight will be? Also, can you make us some coffee, strong for me and sweet for him?”

“Of course!” The girl replied energetically and immediately headed for the coffee machine.

While she was making coffee, Adam had the opportunity to see the Red Eye Arena in detail as he stood in front of the window.

Right now, two fighters were entering the arena, each of them clearly a monster, a man and a girl with long red hair.

Although there were more than a thousand seats, almost all of them were occupied, with less than 10% of the seats available. But these were ordinary seats.

‘So, are these for someone special?’ Adam said to himself as he looked at the open chambers in the walls. They were located above the red seats and offered a more open and comfortable view.

Each chamber had a different number of seats, but all had a table, drinks, and even waiting staff, just like in a luxurious theater in the Citadel. These were clearly seats that only rich and influential monsters could afford.

‘Hah,’ Adam smiled bitterly. ‘If you’re originally an Awakened Monster and live in Izardo, then you’re not much different from a simple person trying to survive in capitalism, right? Tsk, it almost makes me feel nostalgic.’

As with the red seats, only a small portion of the chambers were empty, reserved for important guests.

The arena itself was circular and located dozens of meters below, creating the effect of an abyss from which there was no escape except through victory.

The final detail was a red dome-shaped lamp the size of the arena that covered the ceiling and directed its light directly at the fighters, leaving the spectators in the shadows. A large eye was painted on the lamp, as if it were always watching the fighters.

‘Hah, so that’s why it’s called the Red Eye Arena? Well, what can I say? It’s impressive. I don’t think there’s anything like this anywhere else in the Citadel.’

Sure, Adam had fought at the Moon Colosseum, which was essentially one of the two most significant arenas in the Citadel, but he understood that the Red Eye Arena was on another level.

Tap!

Two cups of hot coffee appeared on the counter.

“Your coffee!” the girl exclaimed. “If your fighter is ready, he can go right after the current fight. I think it’s about 10-15 minutes.”

Helasa took her first sip of coffee. “Great.”

The girl looked at Adam, who had joined them. He had seen everything he wanted to see in the arena.

“Since your fighter is here for the first time, should I explain the rules to him?”

“The rules?” Adam raised an eyebrow.

Helasa nodded. “Sure.”

“There are only a few rules, but each one is important.” The girl raised her hand. “First: killing your opponent is prohibited, all other injuries of any degree are allowed as long as the fighter can continue the fight or does not admit defeat.

“Second: a fighter cannot bet on himself or his opponent. Third: the use of abilities or weapons is prohibited, only energy, bare fists, and pure physical power.”

Confusion was reflected on Adam’s face. He did not expect something like this to be in the rules.

‘On the other hand… Isn’t that for the best?’ He glanced at the arena where two fighters were clashing. ‘This rule allows you to see what a fighter is capable of in his pure form. Also, I’m sure some abilities would leave too much destruction in the arena.’

Sure, the Red Eye Arena was protected by a strong barrier, but anyone who had seen even a few fights understood that it wasn’t enough.

“Do you understand everything?” The girl asked, looking intently at Adam.

After a few moments, Adam nodded as he pointed to the girl and the man.

“Can I bet on them?”

“Agh?” The girl blinked several times in confusion. “The fight has already started, but…”

She pointed to the lights burning above the last row of red seats.

“As long as the lights are on, bets can be placed. Each fight is supervised by one of the appointed judges. They also decide when betting closes. Usually, betting closes when one of the fighters receives the first wound.”

“I see…”

Then, Adam pointed at the girl with long hair and said, “Helasa, bet 1,000 on her to win.”

“Hm? Are you sure?” Helasa frowned. “A thousand is a lot of money, you know?” She glanced at the girl. “What are the odds on her?”

The girl quickly checked the chart. “3 to 1! If you bet 1,000 on her, you’ll get 3,000 if she wins.”

Helasa rolled her eyes. “Seriously? You want me to lose all my money?”

However, Adam didn’t even look in her direction. He just continued to watch the fight.

“Just do it and don’t whine.”

Helasa’s eyebrow twitched, but in the end, she pulled out one four-scar coin and placed her bet.

BAM!

Less than ten seconds after placing her bet, the girl knocked the man to the ground and jumped on him like a wild animal.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

A hail of precise blows rained down on the man, each one as heavy as a cannonball, ready to crush his skull.

Blood flew in all directions amid the cheers of the crowd and the cold gaze of the girl, who had no intention of stopping until she won.

“Good. Looks like this will be my first money.” Adam grinned, sensing that their bet was about to pay off.