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Awakening a 10,000x Skill Proficiency Multiplier in the Apocalypse

Chapter 9: [9]: Smog and Steel, The Ironhold Arena · Nov 03, 2026

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Chapter List (314)

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1 Chapter 1: [1]: The One-Year Warning, The Nexus Glitch 2026-11-03
2 Chapter 2: [2]: The Drifter, Forbidden Alchemy 2026-11-03
3 Chapter 3: [3]: Solar Flare, The Glass Crater 2026-11-03
4 Chapter 4: [4]: The Old Beggar’s Vice, A Shortcut to Shadows 2026-11-03
5 Chapter 5: [5]: Stepping Through The Void, God-Slayer’s Edge 2026-11-03
6 Chapter 6: [6]: The Alchemy of Riches, Preparing for the End 2026-11-03
7 Chapter 7: [7]:Blood on the Bridge, The Crimson Skull 2026-11-03
8 Chapter 8: [8]: A Sun in the Abyss, The Grind 2026-11-03
9 Chapter 9: [9]: Smog and Steel, The Ironhold Arena 2026-11-03
10 Chapter 10: [10]: One-Second Kill, The Absolute Severance 2026-11-03
11 Chapter 11: [11]: Madame Thorne, The Void Residue 2026-11-03
12 Chapter 12: [12]: The Berserker King, Thunder God’s Judgment 2026-11-03
13 Chapter 13: [13]: The Rusty Iron Shard, Bidding War 2026-11-03
14 Chapter 14: [14]: Real World Tremors 2026-11-03
15 Chapter 15: [15]: The Heiress 2026-11-03
16 Chapter 16: [16]: The Hidden Dungeon, Mercenary Grog 2026-11-03
17 Chapter 17: [17]: The Crypt Lord, Army of One 2026-11-03
18 Chapter 18: [18]: Baron_K’s Revenge, The Gravity Well 2026-11-03
19 Chapter 19: [19]: The Global Announcement, The Guild Token 2026-11-03
20 Chapter 20: [20]: Convergence, The Blue Rose 2026-11-03
21 Chapter 21: [21] : The Wolf King, A Walk in the Void 2026-11-03
22 Chapter 22: [22] : One Man Army, The Bare-Handed Catch 2026-11-03
23 Chapter 23: [23]: Public Enemy No. 1, Death From Above 2026-11-03
24 Chapter 24: [24]: The Crimson Moon, A Real-World Call 2026-11-03
25 Chapter 25: [25] : The First Wave, A Knock at the Door 2026-11-03
26 Chapter 26: [26] : Synchronization, The Flesh and the Code 2026-11-03
27 Chapter 27: [27]: The Convergence, A Walk in the Rain 2026-11-03
28 Chapter 28: [28] :Penthouse Carnage; The Touch of Decay 2026-11-03
29 Chapter 29: [29]: The Vanguard; Mirrors and Madness 2026-11-03
30 Chapter 30: [30]: The Stronghold; Fortress Architecture 2026-11-03
31 Chapter 31: [31]: Forced Log-In, The Countdown Begins 2026-11-03
32 Chapter 32: [32]: Sanctuary Founded, The Valley of Cinders 2026-11-03
33 Chapter 33: [33]: The Recruit, A Dwarf and a Railgun 2026-11-03
34 Chapter 34: [34]: The Leyline Leak, An Army of Idiots 2026-11-03
35 Chapter 35: [35]: The Meat Grinder, 100 Gs of Agony 2026-11-03
36 Chapter 36: [36]: The Shadow, A Deal in the Dark 2026-11-03
37 Chapter 37: [37]: The Prototype Railgun, Extortion 101 2026-11-03
38 Chapter 38: [38]: The Invitation, A New Target 2026-11-03
39 Chapter 39: [39]: Enrollment, The Special Auditor 2026-11-03
40 Chapter 40: [40]: The Arrogant Senior, Water Mirror 2026-11-03
41 Chapter 41: [41]: Midnight Heist, Chrono-Stasis 2026-11-03
42 Chapter 42: [42]: The Monster in the Basement, Acidic Bile 2026-11-03
43 Chapter 43: [43]: The Second Wave, Invisible Jaws 2026-11-03
44 Chapter 44: [44]: Pocket Dimension Royale, Hunting Games 2026-11-03
45 Chapter 45: [45]: Admin Privileges, The Blood Ritual 2026-11-03
46 Chapter 46: [46]: Event Horizon, Spaghettification 2026-11-03
47 Chapter 47: [47]: The Drifter’s Blade, Ripping the Void 2026-11-03
48 Chapter 48: [48]: The True City Core, Biological Rewrite 2026-11-03
49 Chapter 49: [49]: The Merge Begins, Welcome to Sanctuary 2026-11-03
50 Chapter 50: [50]: Day Zero, The Golden Meat Grinder 2026-11-03

The teleportation process was violently disorienting.

Sebastian was ripped through the digital ether and slammed back into physical reality with the grace of a brick thrown through a stained glass window.

He staggered forward, his boots hitting cold and damp cobblestones, his lungs instantly protesting as he inhaled.

The air didn’t taste like the crisp and pine scented breeze of the tutorial village.

It tasted like rust, burning coal, and evaporated blood.

He had arrived in Ironhold!

Towering above him were massive and Gothic structures of blackened steel and dark stone.

Gigantic smokestacks spewed thick and noxious grey clouds into a sky that was permanently stained the color of an old bruise.

Neon magical signs flickered through the smog, casting harsh and colored shadows over the twisting streets.

The city was a sprawling nightmare of industrial machinery and dark fantasy architecture, built entirely inside a massive cavern deep beneath the earth.

It was a city of mercenaries, smugglers, and cutthroats. It was perfect.

Sebastian stepped off the teleportation dais, pulling his ragged Drifter cloak tighter around his shoulders.

The streets were packed with high level NPCs and a sparse handful of beta testers who had managed to rush out of the tutorial zones.

Heavily armored Orc enforcers patrolled the corners, while shady Goblin merchants whispered from the dark alleyways, offering illegal buffs and stolen loot.

He didn’t stop to admire the oppressive scenery. He had a specific destination in mind.

His five Divine potions were sitting in the auction house, but auctions took time to clear.

He needed immediate and liquid cash to start buying up the real world properties and bulk supplies that would keep him alive when the Great Merge hit.

He navigated the twisting and smog choked streets with the practiced ease of a local.

A pair of grimy and low level NPC thugs tried to corner him near a steaming exhaust vent.

One of them reached out to grab Sebastian’s coin purse.

Sebastian didn’t even break his stride.

He simply grabbed the thug’s wrist, applied a fraction of his newly minted Level 10 strength, and bent the fingers backward until the bone snapped with a wet crunch!

The thug collapsed and began screaming, while his partner fled into the fog.

Sebastian kept walking, wiping his hands on his cloak. He was in no mood for street encounters.

He finally reached the Black Market sector.

It was a subterranean layer of the city accessible only through a heavily guarded and rusted iron gate hidden behind a slaughterhouse.

He flashed the twelve silver coins he had looted from Viper to the heavily armed minotaur guarding the door.

The beast grunted, stepping aside to let him pass.

Sebastian descended a long and spiraling stone staircase that smelled strongly of cheap ale and sweat.

The ambient noise grew louder with every step.

It was a deafening roar of shouting voices, clashing steel, and the heavy thud of flesh hitting stone.

He emerged into the Underground Arena.

It was a massive and circular colosseum carved directly into the bedrock.

The stands were packed with degenerate NPCs and a few early access players, all waving betting slips and screaming themselves hoarse.

In the center of the arena, separated from the crowd by a shimmering magical barrier, two heavily armored gladiators were currently hacking each other to pieces in a shower of sparks and blood.

This was the economic beating heart of Ironhold’s underbelly!

Here, players could bet gold on NPC fights, or step into the ring themselves to win massive purses.

It was entirely unregulated, brutally violent, and completely bypasses the game’s standard questing economy.

Sebastian ignored the spectacle in the ring and made a beeline for the registration desk.

It was a reinforced iron cage tucked into the corner of the cavern.

Inside sat a fat and scarred half orc chomping on a foul smelling cigar, a massive ledger open in front of him.

”I want to bleed.” Sebastian said, slapping his hand against the iron bars.

The half orc slowly looked up, exhaling a cloud of thick and acrid smoke directly into Sebastian’s face.

He looked at the ragged cloth tunic, the utter lack of armor, and the rusty dagger hanging from Sebastian’s belt.

He burst into a raspy and phlegm filled laugh!

”You want to bleed, twig? You look like a stiff breeze would snap your spine.” The half orc mocked, tapping a massive ringed finger on his ledger.

”This ain’t a sparring ring for noobs. This is the meat grinder.”

”Death here costs you a full level and drops your inventory. You sure you want to throw your life away, boy?”

”I asked for a fight, not a lecture.” Sebastian replied, his voice chillingly calm. ”Sign me up.”

The half orc shrugged, clearly used to suicidal idiots throwing their lives away for a chance at glory.

”Your funeral. What’s the name, and what’s the class?”

”The Drifter.” Sebastian said.

The half orc paused, his pen hovering over the parchment.

He looked back up, his single good eye narrowing in confusion.

”Drifter? That’s a joke class. You don’t have any defensive perks. You’re gonna get turned into paste in the lowest bracket.”

”Just write the name down, pig.” Sebastian said, his eyes going dead and flat.

The half orc bristled at the insult, a low growl rumbling in his chest, but he furiously scribbled the name onto the ledger.

”Fine. You’re in the Bronze Bracket. You fight in ten minutes. Waiting room is down the hall to the left. Try not to piss yourself before you get in the ring.”

Sebastian didn’t reply.

He turned and walked down the dimly lit stone corridor toward the gladiator staging area.

He pushed open the heavy oak door and stepped into the waiting room.

It was a bleak and blood stained chamber filled with weapon racks and wooden benches.

A dozen heavily muscled and heavily scarred combatants were already inside, sharpening axes, adjusting heavy iron breastplates, and wrapping their knuckles in leather.

They all stopped and turned to look at the newcomer.

Seeing a man in starter clothes, armed with a rusted knife, walking into the arena’s waiting room was like watching a lamb stroll into a den of starved wolves.

A collective and cruel smile spread across the room!

They saw fresh meat. They saw an easy win.

Sebastian found an empty spot on a wooden bench in the corner.

He sat down, pulled out his rusty dagger, and began to casually clean his fingernails with the tip of the blade, completely ignoring the murderous glares of the men he was about to surgically dismantle.

Let them laugh, he thought, a dark and genuine smile touching the corner of his lips.

In ten minutes, the real slaughter begins!

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