Chapter 24: Hedgehog
Referee: "Next, let us welcome Hacker and Hedgehog to bring us a spectacular duel!"
Su Ke said, "It's finally my turn. Hedgehog? Is he the person who was competing when we first arrived?" Lin Ning nodded and explained that, based on available information, his Supernatural Ability was Hedgehog Beast Transformation.
She said he could release a large number of sharp quills to attack, and they were extremely fast. The quills embedded in the person carried away earlier were not very deep, so their individual power was limited, but the sheer number of them had struck vital areas like the brain and throat, leading to death, so Su Ke needed to be careful.
Su Ke smiled and said, "Don't worry. No matter how fast he is, can he be faster than my XLR8?" With that, he arrived at the entrance of the arena.
After signing the life-and-death waiver and paying the deposit, Su Ke stepped onto the arena. On the stage, a man with brown Shamate hair and a sinister expression immediately hurled insults at him.
"Hey, kid, I advise you to admit defeat obediently. Otherwise, the quills on my body won't have eyes." Su Ke retorted, "A half-filled bottle makes the most noise!"
Hedgehog shouted angrily, "What did you say!" Su Ke replied coldly, "I'm saying you're a half-wit who only knows how to scare people."
Hearing this provocation, Hedgehog's anger flared, his face contorting with rage. It was obvious that he was someone who lacked emotional control.
"Very well, kid. You've successfully provoked me. I won't give you a chance to admit defeat next!" Su Ke calmly asked, "What if I admit defeat before the match starts?"
Hedgehog was momentarily stunned, then grew even angrier. Afraid Su Ke might really do it, he hurriedly shouted at the referee, "Hey, hurry up and start! How long are we going to delay this?"
Referee: "I announce, the match begins!"
Hedgehog instantly activated his Beast Transformation Ability, sharp quills bursting from his back as his body rapidly took on the form of a Hedgehog. But even then, he was slower than Su Ke.
Su Ke hid his hand in his sleeve, pressed the Omnitrix, and instantly transformed into XLR8, flashing in front of Hedgehog and kicking him away. The forced interruption of the transformation caused his Spiritual Qi to surge chaotically, and Hedgehog spat out a mouthful of blood.
Su Ke grabbed his leg, intending to throw him out of the arena, but Hedgehog suddenly opened his eyes. His hair transformed into a mass of sharp quills that shot toward Su Ke.
Su Ke lowered his visor to protect his face, but the quills targeted his entire body, not just his head. Left with no choice, he released his grip and flashed away to a distance.
Hedgehog stood up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. At this moment, his head was completely bald, his scalp smooth and shiny enough to reflect light.
"Damn it, I almost got screwed over by you, kid. Fortunately, my skills are superior," he sneered. Su Ke laughed and said, "Pfft! Sorry, I didn't mean to. If you'd always been bald, it would be fine, but you just had a full head of hair, and now… pfft!"
Hedgehog's face flushed with anger, his fists clenching tightly. "You damned piece of trash, how dare you mock me!"
This time, regardless of the cost, he forcibly circulated his spiritual power and completed his Beast Transformation in an instant. After transforming, he curled into a ball on the ground, exposing countless sharp quills.
He then activated a Spirit Skill, and the quills on his body fired toward Su Ke like a Gatling gun. Seeing this, Su Ke could only dodge in all directions.
Although his speed was high, the quills were far too dense for him to approach. Instead, he stayed farther away, where the gaps between the quills were larger and gave him room to evade.
While dodging, Su Ke observed that the number of quills on Hedgehog's body did not seem to decrease at all. It appeared that every quill fired would automatically regenerate.
"Alright, let's just stall it out," Su Ke said calmly. "I'll keep running around and see where you get the spiritual power to keep regenerating those Earthen Quills."
Sure enough, after about 3 minutes, the number of quills being fired visibly decreased. Under normal circumstances, Hedgehog could have lasted longer, but the earlier interruption had caused internal injuries, and the forced instant transformation had rapidly drained his strength.
Su Ke laughed softly. "Heh heh, next, it's my turn."
He erupted with spiritual power, his speed instantly rising to another level. Weaving through the gaps between the quills, he closed the distance to Hedgehog.
Though the gaps were narrow, Su Ke's attack speed was astonishing. He brought his sharp claws together and rapidly swatted away the quills he could not dodge, arriving right beside his opponent.
Although Hedgehog's body was covered in quills, XLR8's bone claws were not afraid. Su Ke grabbed him directly, lifted him up, and rolled him away like a bowling ball.
"Holy crap! You little piece of trash, just you wait!" Hedgehog cursed as the high-speed rotation left him completely helpless.
He could only watch as he was flung off the stage. The referee announced, "In this match, Hacker wins!"
The electronic screen displayed Su Ke's record: 2 matches, 2 wins, 0 losses. Familiar exclamations rang out from the stands once more.
Some spectators cheered because they had made money, while others collapsed in despair after losing everything. Su Ke ignored them and went below the arena to collect his prize money.
The base reward was 50,000 yuan, plus 40,000 yuan from the 30% betting pool. Since he had not bet on himself this time, his total earnings were 90,000 yuan.
Even so, it was still a considerable sum. Without purchasing cultivation resources, it would be enough to spend freely for quite some time.
After Su Ke's match ended, the next event was the tag team battle featuring Wang Zhong and Lin Ning. Their opponents this time were rather special.
One wielded a saber and the other a sword, and it appeared that both possessed Metal-element Supernatural Abilities. The referee announced the start of the match.
Wang Zhong activated Muscle Reinforcement, while Lin Ning cast Defense Aura and Panshi Armor on him. She also cast a set on herself for protection, as maintaining two sets simultaneously was already her limit.
The two opponents rushed toward Wang Zhong, brandishing the saber and sword manifested from their abilities. Not to be outdone, Wang Zhong charged forward as well, carefully observing their footwork to see if either intended to flank them.
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