It was hard to imagine that in Haevon, a city nearly devoid of life, there was still a place bustling with such vitality.Stealthbane had already reserved a spot.Inside the iron cage in the arena, two legends were locked in combat, landing blows with raw, unfiltered power. They were shirtless, sweat flying, engaged in an intensely fierce battle.Ruth pinched her nose. "It's so disgusting seeing them all half-naked."Stealthbane chuckled. "You'll get used to it. Would you like to give it a try? Each victory comes with a generous reward, and the prize money accumulates."I heard the organizers brought several tons of gold this time. If you can beat everyone, you could take all that gold home!"No matter the era, gold remained the ultimate hard currency. Even in the apocalypse, its value stayed high. When the financial system collapsed, gold’s value stayed unshakable."Are you looking for a beating?" Ruth raised her fist at Stealthbane. "I couldn't care less about that gold!"Eri
The ascetic monk raised his hand to block the royal guard's heavy punch, but his hand broke. He shot out like a rocket with a busted thruster and slammed hard into the metal cage.Cheers erupted like a tidal wave.At that moment, it seemed every man's testosterone had peaked. Destruction and violence were ingrained in their bones, an unchangeable part of their nature."Heh, impressive!" Even Stealthbane couldn't help but praise. His martial arts skills were quite advanced, but he preferred assassination and sneak attacks. Still, he found this kind of direct confrontation immensely entertaining.The royal guard was supremely confident.After sending the ascetic monk flying with a single punch, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Weakling, this is not your stage! Go back to where you came from! Hahaha!"Everyone laughed. It seemed this wasn't the first time such a scene had occurred.Ruth scanned the crowd, displeased. "Who gave these bastards their sense of superiority?"Stealt
"Has he always been this arrogant?"Eric glanced at the grandmaster lying on the ground, his gaze sweeping across the entire arena.Instantly, the crowd erupted into a frenzy. A Naturian expert was calling someone else arrogant? How audacious!Stealthbane smiled and said, "This is exactly how Mr. Johnson should be. The heirs from those big families are much more arrogant than Mr. Johnson at this age."Ruth snorted. "Those heirs don't have such skills. Arrogance requires strength. Without it, they'll just be trampled underfoot."The grandmaster on the ground was carried away. After coughing up several mouthfuls of blood, his head lolled to the side, dead. He couldn't withstand a single punch from Eric.Eric left the arena as well. With his performance, the upcoming matches seemed lackluster in comparison. Everyone was eagerly anticipating how many matches this fighter, nicknamed Grim Reaper, could win. If he lost the next match, it would be a colossal joke.The fight had only jus
The opponent's combat skills were formidable, nearly legendary. The royal guard stood tall with muscles that seemed ready to burst. Even just standing there, he towered over Eric by several centimeters, exuding an overwhelming sense of intimidation.To Eric, this brute was all brawn and no brains.Despite that, his impact was undeniable. As he stepped forward, the entire arena quivered, unable to bear his weight. This fighter resembled a wild beast, giving the impression that he could easily take down a fully-grown lion.He showcased human strength to its fullest potential!Seeing the opponent's fierce momentum, Eric lightly pivoted on his foot, dodged to the side, and delivered a punch straight to the opponent's waist.The terrifying power of the punch penetrated the skin and struck directly at the opponent's internal organs.In a split second, the two fighters passed each other, and the terrifying opponent stood frozen in place. No one could see how Eric had moved. They only sa
Stealthbane stared at the door, ready for action. In his mind, the intruders would likely kick the door open and burst in. That was when he would strike, taking them all down in one swift move.However, the expected chaos didn't come.Instead, there was a knock on the door. Three knocks, to be exact, followed by a voice from outside. "Grim Reaper, we apologize for the sudden intrusion, but we come from Naturia and wish to discuss important matters with you."Stealthbane was taken aback and chuckled. "Quite polite, aren't they?"He glanced at Eric, who nodded in response. Taking the cue, Stealthbane opened the door.Standing there were several ascetic monks, along with the men Stealthbane had sent earlier. The ascetic monks had subdued them but hadn't made things difficult. With a wave, the ascetic monks released them.The men approached Stealthbane. "Boss, these ascetic monks are incredibly skilled!"They had suffered a loss. Initially sent to deal with the ascetic monks, they f
The ascetic monk spoke with utmost sincerity, revealing everything he needed to say.Seeing everyone's serious expressions, Stealthbane swallowed nervously and asked, "Are there really... zombies?"Ruth nodded slightly, saying, "In this vast world, nothing is impossible. Theoretically, zombies could exist, although the probability is extremely low. However, given a large enough sample size, even rare events can occur."She added, "If the ascetic monks' exorcizing techniques have no effect on these so-called zombies, then they probably aren't zombies."Eric chimed in, "Genetic weapons, maybe even biochemical weapons... Haevon is going to get very lively."He suddenly realized that beneath the apparent crisis in Haevon, there was an even greater danger lurking.If it weren't for these ascetic monks discussing it here, he wouldn't have believed that corpses could actually attack people. Although there were related cases recorded within the Combat Department, Eric had never witnessed
Eric was still engaged in underground fighting.It wasn't just out of boredom—the hefty rewards of gold per kilogram were extremely enticing. Winning each match brought in more gold, leaving no reason not to fight.Apart from a few ascetic monks who wanted to collaborate with Eric, other factions in Haevon had also taken notice of him. They too sought to form alliances, given Eric's terrifying combat prowess.After his first punch defeated a legend on the first day, none of his subsequent opponents stood a chance against him. Some even speculated that the combined strength of all the fighters in the underground arena wouldn't be enough to challenge Eric.Allying with Eric was not straightforward. A few ascetic monks had managed to track him to his residence, demonstrating some skill on their part. However, subsequent groups of pursuers were all taken care of by Stealthbane's men. In Haevon, acts of murder and robbery were common, and nobody paid attention to these incidents.For E
Stealthbane narrowed his eyes, focusing on the monstrous figure before him. Its chest had been pierced by a bullet, leaving a gaping hole over 20 centimeters wide.Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Stealthbane muttered with lingering fear, "Fucking thing, let's see you die now!"He believed the creature was dead. Yet, in the next moment, the colossal figure began to move again. Despite the gaping hole in its chest, it seemed unaffected.Just as Stealthbane prepared to act, he felt a sudden gust of wind beside him.Eric had made his move.Summoning his immense power, Eric swiftly reached the giant figure. Compared to the creature, Eric seemed tiny, barely reaching its chest in height. But this did not deter him. As he approached, he delivered a powerful punch.The force was so immense that even Stealthbane felt the terrifying power behind it. Any legend would have met their end with such a blow.With a thunderous impact, Eric's punch sent the three-meter-tall zombie flying, l