The battle had begun.
The massive Shadow Eater charged forward on all fours, its colossal frame tearing across the arena floor toward the group of slaves. Its speed was unbelievable—unnatural even—as it closed the distance between itself and the nearest human in the blink of an eye.
Its first target was a skinny man in his thirties, clad in a complete set of heavy armor. In his trembling hands, he wielded a warhammer. He had clearly prioritized protection and raw damage over speed—an error in judgment he instantly came to regret.
The man gritted his teeth and cried out, his face twisted with paralyzing fear, as he swung the warhammer with all his might at the charging Shadow Eater. The attack was slow. Predictable. Pathetic.
The beast reacted effortlessly.
With a brutal swipe of its massive claws, it struck the hammer aside, disarming the man completely. Golden embers erupted into the air as metal scraped violently against metal. Before the man could even scream again, the Shadow Eater closed in.
Its claws plunged into the armor and flesh beneath as though cutting through softened butter, tearing through steel and bone alike. The creature opened its grotesque maw and sank several rows of razor-sharp teeth into the man's neck. With a violent jerk, it tore his head clean from his body.
Blood sprayed.
The corpse collapsed.
It was a grotesque sight—one that only seemed to excite the crowd further. Cheers erupted from the stands, rising in deafening approval at the savage display. But among the slaves, gnawing terror spread like a disease, clutching at their hearts and freezing their limbs.
The other man, who had witnessed the entire massacre, dropped his wooden spear. His body trembled uncontrollably as he realized he was next.
After seeing armor ripped apart like dried leaves… after seeing a man erased in seconds… his mind shattered.
His legs quivered. His eyes went hollow. Tears poured freely down his face as panic seized him completely.
He turned to run.
"Run! Run! Escape!" his mind screamed at him.
His gaze locked onto the metal wall from which they had entered. He pushed his legs harder, desperate, frantic—until suddenly his vision swayed.
Wait… a minute—
Thud!
"What the—"
The man's voice died before the sentence could finish. His eyes slowly lowered, weakly narrowing as he looked down at his body—or rather, where his body was supposed to be.
From the chest down, there was nothing. Blood spewed uncontrollably from the severed halves as realization struck too late.
The Dreadling had sliced him clean in half.
Both portions of his body crashed lifelessly to the ground.
Now, only the newly formed cohort of Marked remained.
They had instinctively kept their distance from the beast and naturally fallen into formation. The blond-haired man and the girl wielding twin katanas stood at the front. Steven positioned himself slightly behind them as backup, while the final girl—dressed like a mage—remained at the rear.
Steven tensed as he took in the benevolent massacre he had just witnessed.
The speed.
The strength.
The sheer brutality of the Shadow Eater.
It was something to be revered—and feared.
For the first time since entering the arena, Steven felt a flicker of relief at his decision to join forces with the blond man. Even if they stood no chance in the end, it was far better to die together than to be slaughtered one by one like the first two.
{Ding}
{No abilities to be copied}
{No abilities to be copied}
Steven frowned at the notifications. His hands slid onto the hilts of his daggers, fingers tightening as he unsheathed them. He took a side stance, muscles coiled, ready for what was coming.
"I and Lin will attack—you protect Favour while she supports!" the blond-haired man shouted as he drew his sword, eyes locked onto the snarling Dreadling as it charged once more.
Lin, the girl with the twin katanas, mirrored his readiness. She unsheathed both blades in a smooth motion, adopting a stance that immediately told Steven she was well-trained.
Steven stepped backward deliberately until his heel stopped just a foot away from Favour. With the monster's speed, creating too much distance between himself and her would be suicide.
Then the monster reached them.
It lunged forward, claws swinging straight for the blond man.
It was fast—too fast for Steven to properly track—but by some miracle, the blond man managed to block the attack with the flat of his blade. The impact sent shockwaves through the air as steel screamed in protest.
He took the full brunt of the creature's attack and still managed to remain standing.
"Now, Lin!" he roared.
Lin did not hesitate.
She swung both katanas from a distance—far too far for a physical strike. But as the blades cut through the air, two crescent-shaped beams of pink energy erupted from her swings, slicing into the side of the Shadow Eater and carving deep wounds into its flesh.
The beast roared in pain, its attention shifting hungrily toward the source of its suffering—Lin.
It withdrew its claws from the blond man's sword and lunged forward, jaws opening wide. Dozens of rows of razor-sharp teeth glinted as it aimed to tear Lin's head clean off.
But this was expected.
The blond man moved with insane precision. Using his entire body weight, he slammed into the side of the Dreadling in a brutal shoulder charge. The impact was thunderous, knocking the creature off course and forcing it to miss Lin by barely a foot.
Lin didn't flinch, She swung again, another pair of crescent beams tore toward the Shadow Eater.
This time, it was prepared.
The beast raised its claws and shattered the energy midair, breaking it into dozens of flickering pink lights that dispersed harmlessly.
But that attack had never been meant to land.
A blast of swirling, high-pressured water erupted from behind Steven, striking the beast's arm with explosive force. The impact tore deeply into its flesh, ripping muscle apart and sending blood spraying across the arena floor.
"KRRIIIIEEEK!"
The Shadow Eater shrieked, staggering backward under the accumulated damage.
Steven stared, impressed.
The synergy between the group was terrifying. They moved like a unit that had fought together for months—efficient, ruthless, seamless.
And Favour… The water mage standing right behind him had inflicted the most damage with a single attack.
'They don't even need me to begin with… I hate to admit it, but I'm lucky the blond fatso ever approached me.'
{Ding}
{You have received a buff from the Water Mage in your party}
{Physique: 10/20}
Steven's eyes widened slightly. He twisted his neck to glance at Favour, who was deeply focused, a condensed sphere of water spinning violently in her palms as she prepared another attack.
Not only could she unleash devastating offense—she could buff her allies by an absurd margin.
Now he understood why the blond man had assigned him to protect her.
Steven steadied himself.
His body felt lighter. Stronger. His muscles surged with power, his senses sharpened to an unnatural degree. It felt as though his entire physique had evolved in a single second.
And now, only one thing mattered.
Landing the final blow.
{Talent: Gain x5 upgrade from every undead. Copy skills from the dead and make them yours.}
'Maybe… just maybe—if I land the last strike—I'll gain a skill.'