System's POV
chapter-106

Percival's anger showed on his face.

He didn't know what to do with his anger, so when the boy asked Raldo to let him fight a second time, the Tigerkin was more than happy to oblige.

The Ogre he had been up against earlier was a difficult opponent, but he believed that if he had taken his time to weaken it with his quick and relentless attacks, he would have won the battle.

If only he had known that Thirteen placed a higher bet on his opponent, he would have taken his time to win the battle!

"I will bet this red coin on the next match, Raldo," Thirteen said in a volume that he thought only Raldo could hear. "I choose this Ogre named Grug. His name sounds strong. I'll place my bet on this guy."

"Understood." Raldo nodded as he waved his hand so that his subordinates would take Percival towards the arena.

The moment the Tigerkin left the room, a sneer appeared on his face.

'You fooled me once, but it will not happen again,' Percival thought. 'Bastard, I'll make sure you suffer a loss this time!'

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Meanwhile, inside Raldo's office…

"Are you fine with this arrangement?" Thirteen asked.

"Yes." Raldo nodded. "I pity your slave. You're one evil kid."

Thirteen smiled, but he no longer made any comments. Since this was a high-level transaction, Raldo personally took care of it.

As the manager of the Arena, he had the authority to handle these kinds of transactions.

Also, the boy told him that if he agreed with his condition, he would bring greater profit to the Arena, which was a good thing.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Raldo stated as he reached out to shake Thirteen's hand.

"Same," Thirteen replied before leaving Raldo's office to head to the stands.

Rianna's slave would be fighting shortly, and he wanted to see just how good the teenage boy was.

'Rufus, was it?' Thirteen thought. 'I'm guessing he might be a retainer from one of the Prestigious Families, or possibly from the Monarch Clans.'

The boy had seen how Rufus carried himself, and a single glance was enough for him to tell that the boy was an expert despite his age.

He believed that as long as the slave was going to fight against a Rank 1 Monster, Rufus' chances of winning were high.

Rianna had placed a fifty silver bet on the boy, hoping that he would win.

Thirteen could only praise the young lady for not placing all of her eggs in one basket.

That way, even if Rufus lost, there was still a chance for her to make a comeback.

Duel Arena…

Rufus stood in the arena and observed the Troll in front of him.

The Monster was at least twice his size, and yet, the teenage boy remained calm.

The Troll on the other hand wasn't as calm as his opponent.

It was growling at Rufus because it didn't like the look that the Human boy was giving it.

"Killing is not allowed," the Referee shouted. "Everything else is allowed. If you fall from the arena, lose consciousness, or surrender, you lose. Now fight!"

After the signal to fight was given, the Troll didn't hesitate to attack the boy who had also taken a fighting stance.

'A monk fighting style,' Thirteen mused as he looked at the teenage boy with short brown hair and eyes. 'This will be interesting.'

When the Troll was only a few meters away from him, Rufus stomped his foot forward, propelling himself in the air.

A moment later, he unleashed a kick on the Troll's jaw, making the latter grunt as it took a step back.

The moment he landed on the ground, Rufus kicked the Troll's balls, making it curl its body.

The Barbarians laughed after seeing this scene.

This was a very common tactic in the Dueling Arena. And since most Monsters were bigger than the Human Slaves, they would often target their crotch in order to deal as much damage as they could to their opponents, who were physically stronger than them.

The moment the Troll lowered its head, Rufus unleashed four straight punches, aimed at the monster's jaw in rapid succession.

After that, he ended it with a turning sidekick, which was still aimed at the monster's jaw, rattling its brain, and causing it to lose consciousness.

"Winner, Rufus!" the Referee shouted.

Rianna subconsciously clenched her fist in happiness from Rufus' win.

She also gained 250 silvers. The odds were only five to one, but she was still very happy with the results.

Thirteen smiled from inside his mask before whispering something in Rianna's ears.

"Let the two other boys we brought here fight as well," Thirteen whispered. "Let's see what they are capable of. Observe their battle style as well because they will become the core of your hunting party."

Rianna nodded in understanding.

She then went to register the two other boys, whose names were Eren and Jeane.

Just like Rufus, Thirteen could tell that both of them were properly trained in Martial Arts.

Since there weren't many challengers today, the two of them were able to fight right away.

Percival's opponent had still not arrived because the owner of the Ogre that he was about to fight decided to have lunch before he returned to the Dueling Arena.

This worked in Thirteen's favor because it bought him time to witness the battles of Eren and Jeane, who seemed to have suddenly formed a rivalry with one another.

Eren and Jeane had seen how happy Rianna was when Rufus won, so the two of them decided to do their best in battle as well.

The seven-year-old couldn't help but feel amused due to this sudden turn of events.

It was very obvious to him that the two teenage boys were trying to impress the young lady who had saved them from slavery.

When Thirteen first saw Rianna, she looked very timid and seemed like someone who could not even hurt a fly.

But after getting to know her, he understood that she had only acted that way in order to keep a low profile.

While she might not be the kind of beauty that could cause the downfall of a nation, she was, in fact, very pretty.

Since that was the case, it was only natural for the three boys to develop a crush on her, and thus, do their best to make them look dependable in her eyes.