Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1732 1732: Beginning of the Risks and a Scheme from Above

Adam struck first, but in the end, it was he who took the hit, not Zin. The palm strike to his stomach was painful, and a slight cut remained on his left ear.

Moreover, only now was Adam beginning to realize just how lucky he was that the Silver Weaver had warned him in time, allowing him to dodge.

In different territories, simple objects like rocks or trees had varying levels of durability. This depended directly on the energy density and, more often than not, accurately reflected how dangerous a given area was.

Thus, the simple pebble in Adamʼs hand turned out to be one of the most durable things he had ever held.

”I canʼt even make it crack!” Adam exclaimed inwardly as he turned toward the wall to examine the damage once more. ”Still, it took him just a single flick to do that!”

If Zinʼs sound bullet had hit Adam directly, in the head, neck, or heart, their fight would have ended right then and there.

It seemed like a complete failure on Adamʼs part, but that wasnʼt quite the case.

Kaerno smirked, resting his hand on his hip.

”Hah, so thatʼs how he decided to play it.”

Then, he raised his arm as his energy formed three white cubes with transparent walls.

”Iʼm placing three land cubes on Adam Vinterʼs victory!” Kaerno proclaimed, his voice echoing throughout the arena.

Silence.

There was a moment of silence until Leernaʼs first assistant, the girl to her left, nodded and added his name to the list. To do so, she merely needed a few strokes of her pen across the stone board.

”W-What? He bet on that Phantom?” the young man muttered, taken aback.

The woman sitting next to him smirked. ”Huh, he believes in him too much! Though I donʼt mind, itʼs a good chance to get more land!”

She raised her hand as a white cube identical to the one above Kaerno formed above her, though there was only one. For Kaerno, even three land cubes werenʼt significant, but he was a Finger. Others didnʼt have as many resources as he did.

”Iʼm putting one land cube on Zinʼs victory, Silence of the Abyss!”

”Me too!”

”Me too! Two land cubes on Zin!”

”Donʼt forget about me! Iʼm betting my land cube on the second fighter!”

Leerna, as the judge, watched the proceedings, which brought a slight smirk to her face. Her assistants hurriedly filled out the stone boards, recording the names of everyone who had placed a bet.

The emerald clock showed that the spectators had three minutes left to place their bets.

ʼWell, well,ʼ Leerna muttered to herself, turning her gaze to Zin. ʼSo it looks like the first round goes to your opponent, right?ʼ

Kaerno and many others shared her thoughts.

Sure, Adam had been wounded in two places, one missed strike and a light cut, but the issue now wasnʼt about wounds.

Zin didnʼt want anyone but himself to profit from their fight, but Adam had a different opinion. He didnʼt care what others got as long as he achieved his goal, in this case, securing a bit of land for himself in the Hollow Lands.

Because of Kaernoʼs first bet, the others decided this was their chance to make some good money.

They bet on Zin because they decided to take a risk and didnʼt believe in Adamʼs victory. On the one hand, this was foolish and illogical since it was the first clash between the fighters, but if they turned out to be right, then Kaernoʼs land cubes and many others from future bets would go to them.

The land cubes, as the name implied, were land, a cubic meter in size, and could be located anywhere, next to the pillar, at the Bone Lakes, or inside the pillar.

After all the bets were settled, the judgeʼs assistants, the winners, and the losers would decide who would receive which specific territory. For now, the bets were only on the space. This system allowed for quick, flexible betting and helped avoid disputes during the fight, given that spectators had only five minutes while the fight was in progress.

These were unusual bets, but the rules werenʼt standard either. At the Citadel, everyone always placed bets before the fight began. That was a common rule, but the Grim Court operated differently.

Kaerno narrowed his eyes, watching Zinʼs expression. Zin was trying to hide it, but the muscles in his face betrayed his inner irritation.

ʼEverything went exactly as Adam wanted, not as he did. Still, that wasnʼt enough to make Zin lose his composure.ʼ

For a moment, Kaernoʼs smirk turned into a wide grin.

ʼIn the end, heʼll have to fight, brutally and bloodily, if he wants to hear the blood of Queen Elisa flow!ʼ

Esʼaha noticed Zinʼs expression as well, and Kaernoʼs reaction frightened her.

ʼB-Bastard! Why the hell is your grin so wide? Zin is one of us! You should be cheering for him, not for that human!ʼ

Esʼaha clenched the fabric of her robe tightly, but she didnʼt place a bet.

”Ghah.”

Suddenly, a deep growl sounded a few rows behind her, causing her to turn around.

The man with crimson hair set his beer bottle aside and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Although he wore nothing but a loose black shirt and brown pants, he sat in the large stone chair reserved for the Fingers, and unlike Kaerno and Sarka, who had switched places, he sat exactly where he was supposed to.

”Alright, I think I understand whatʼs going on here.” The man raised his hand as a bright flash of light illuminated his row.

The six white cubes hovered above him as his voice boomed:

”Iʼm betting six land cubes on Adam Vinterʼs victory. Record my bet.”

The first assistant nodded, silently going about her work.

”GARZO!!!”

Esʼaha exclaimed, rising from her seat.

”What the hell are you doing? How can you place such a big bet on that... on that fighter!!!”

In response, Garzo leaned forward, his amber eyes flashing.

”What do you mean? Iʼm doing the same thing he is.”

He looked at Adam, who caught his glare across the arena.

”Iʼm going to win. Am I right, Adam?”