Chapter Twelve: The Arena

“Cooperation, now that’s a rather good idea.”
The red-haired woman beside Mu Rongxun smiled, her lips curved with amusement.
“Oh, lovely lady, your combat style is… no need for details, just close-range or long-range?”
The man with glasses spoke softly, his voice imbued with an unusual magnetism. Combined with his handsome features, he exuded a potent charm.
“Well… actually, I’m support too!”
The woman straightened her posture, as if announcing her profession to everyone.
“Ahem!”
Dark Night glanced away a bit awkwardly.
“Well, let’s help each other out!”
His expression remained as gentle as ever, showing no disdain despite the woman’s role as a healer.
“I’ll join as well!”
A weathered man spoke up.
“With support buffs and healing, that’s quite advantageous!”
“This…”
Dark Night’s smile was warm, but his tone was unequivocally firm.
“Brother, I see you’re decisive and carry an aura of iron-blooded ferocity. You’re not the easiest to get along with, and I tend to speak directly, so please don’t take offense. Though it may sound harsh and impolite, I must ask you to find another group!”
“You’re simply too unattractive to join us!”
The red-haired woman chuckled lightly.
The weathered man’s face stiffened, his expression dark, but he said nothing more.
“Over there, may I join you? I’m support as well.”
From the other side, an elderly man, bound and frail, spoke in a hoarse voice.
“That’s wonderful!”
Dark Night welcomed him without hesitation.
“We… we’re support too, please accept us.”
Two people to Mu Rongxun’s right also spoke up.

“Young man, you look so dignified—surely a dragon among men. Would you like to join us?”
The man with glasses fixed his gaze on Mu Rongxun.
Earlier, when the green-skinned giant was eating, he’d noticed clearly that this youth was among the few who remained unmoved.
Though everyone now claimed to be support, he knew the truth.
For instance, Dark Night’s words carried a subtle mental allure, each sentence laced with hints—not as simple as the “support” he pretended to be.
The red-haired woman, while certainly possessing impressive healing abilities and assets, faced bloodshed without flinching. Claiming to be a healer—well, who would believe that?
Dark Night seemed to be recruiting teammates, but in reality, he was sowing division among them.
After all, the true situation in this war-torn world was still unknown, and someone would have to scout ahead.
“Me?”
Mu Rongxun’s eyes narrowed, his face lighting up with a radiant smile.
“I’m just a lifestyle player. I’m good at cooking.”
Upon hearing this, Qiqige, from the other side, finally took notice of him and couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
A man who draws his sword at the slightest disagreement, daring to call himself a lifestyle player?

“That’s wonderful!”
Dark Night smiled meaningfully.

“What’s going on?”
Suddenly, the cell erupted in noisy commotion.
“Hey, hey, you can’t do this!”
The person at the very edge of the cell struggled violently.
At that moment, dozens of sharp blades extended from the walls on either side of their cells, pressing inward like the two sides of a sandwich.
Though the walls moved slowly, they were all bound—despite their superior physical strength, they weren’t invulnerable.

[The Seal of Demon Suppression has been lifted. Players may now use their own methods to break free from the anti-magic chains!]

The Magic Tower’s prompt appeared. Mu Rongxun distinctly felt a mysterious force binding him dissipate. Previously, his attempts to struggle had been futile, as some power absorbed his efforts, prompting him to stop wasting energy.
Now, with the mysterious force gone and a life-or-death crisis looming, everyone began to display their unique talents.
For example, a fat man’s body rippled with moving fat. Though he seemed overweight, he was the first to break free from the chains.

Dark Night, employing some unknown method, slipped out with ease.
The woman beside Mu Rongxun transformed directly into a leopard, escaping effortlessly.
Meanwhile, some unlucky souls at the edges failed to break free and were sliced into pieces by the blades.
Qiqige’s temporary team helped each other, using their respective abilities, and soon escaped their restraints.
The elderly man exhaled a plume of smoke, and, unhurriedly, walked free.
The weathered man’s gaze was icy; he relied solely on brute force to shatter his chains.
The two people on Mu Rongxun’s right shrank their wrists by a size, slipping out of their bonds.

After regaining her freedom, the red-haired woman reverted to human form. She didn't hurry to leave. Instead, she watched Mu Rongxun with keen interest, curious about how he would escape.
Mu Rongxun produced a fork from his hand, deftly unlocked the chains binding his wrists, tossed off the chains enveloping his body, and regained his freedom with ease and comfort.
The woman paused in surprise.
Compared to the others’ displays of skill, Mu Rongxun’s method was by far the simplest.

Yet now was not the time for such concerns—the walls continued to close in, making this place unfit for lingering.
Once freed, everyone rushed toward the hole in the doorway left by the green-skinned giant’s earlier collision.
Though the passage was pitch-black, resembling a gaping maw ready to devour, they had no other choice.
Once the first person dashed through, the rest followed without hesitation, all choosing to flee through the opening.

Mu Rongxun walked to the threshold and found only darkness, unable to see clearly, though he sensed no immediate danger.
As he stepped into the opening, instead of entering a corridor as expected, he was enveloped by a mysterious force. The next moment, as if teleported by the Magic Tower, his form shifted, and he arrived at another place.

Immediately, Mu Rongxun began to observe his surroundings, assessing his safety before noting the presence of others.
Before they could make sense of their situation, a creature with a wolf’s head and a human body appeared atop a high platform, looking down upon them.
Mu Rongxun saw that they were standing on flat ground, enclosed in a circular space sealed on all sides, with no doors—escape was possible only by flying.
It resembled the Western coliseums he had once seen.