Chapter 123: Pampering the Demonic Beast
Chapter 123: Pampering the Demonic Beast
The demonic beast lunged forward with its jaws snapped wide open. Solomon planted his boots against the stone floor and twisted his hips.
He evaded the acidic saliva spraying across the cage and channeled his newly awakened internal energy directly into his right fist. Keeping Eden’s Penance strapped firmly to his back, he bypassed the thick armored scales and drove an uppercut into the underside of the creature’s jaw.
The impact sent a sharp crack echoing through the subterranean enclosure. The mutated reptile crashed onto its side. It thrashed against the iron bars and whipped its spiked tail toward Solomon’s legs.
He jumped over the sweeping appendage using Basic Acrobatics. Landing squarely on the beast’s back, Solomon locked his knees around its scaly torso. He utilized Basic Grappling to pin the creature against the dirt.
Then, he infused his knuckles with a concentrated burst of aura and delivered a rapid sequence of strikes directly to the base of the monster’s skull.
The armored plating splintered under the repetitive force. The beast shrieked and convulsed twice before dissolving into a pile of gray ash.
Solomon stood up and dusted the ash from his spider-silk trousers. He rolled his shoulders to ease the tension in his joints.
[LazyCat: fist-fighting a dinosaur is peak entertainment.]
[GamerGuy: Solo Man refuses to use his new sword on a boss!]
[BloodKnight: Fusing aura with foundational martial arts maximizes damage output. A brilliant tactical choice.]
[User12: bro just finished his gym session.]
Solomon grinned and looked up at the open trapdoor.
The instructors from the Azure Dragon Sect had long since dispersed from the area above, assuming the fall into the execution pit had dealt with the intruder.
He approached the reinforced steel bars of his cage. Chaining Basic Parkour with his physical agility, he scaled the enclosure and grabbed the ledge of the opening. He hauled himself out of the pit and stepped back onto the main arena floor.
"I need to head back before sunrise," Solomon told the hovering drone. "But I don’t know the way since I was abducted and brought here against my will. What should I do?"
He sprinted through the unlit corridors and retraced his exact escape route. Navigating the winding mountain paths, he utilized Basic Stealth to slip past the roaming sect guards patrolling the outer courtyards.
He reached the side wall of the Sword Pavilion and climbed through the same narrow cellar window he had used earlier.
The owl followed closely behind him. The blue projection from its crystal eye flickered and cut to black the moment they crossed into the mysterious dead zone.
Solomon moved silently through the damp cellars and ascended the servant staircase. He reached the stone corridor housing the first-year student quarters. He slipped into his assigned room and quietly pushed the door shut.
He unstrapped Eden’s Penance and placed the relic onto the wooden floorboards. He wiped a line of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
A grin stretched across his face. He finally had a chance to lie down on the mattress and close his eyes.
Suddenly, the iron latch on his door clicked.
The wooden frame burst inward and slammed against the stone wall. Pavilion Leader Jin strode into the room with his hands clasped behind his back. Two elder instructors flanked him, their eyes locked directly on the silver-haired boy.
Jin stopped at the foot of the bed. He looked at the dust covering Solomon’s new clothes and shifted his gaze to the greatsword resting on the floor.
"Did you enjoy your midnight stroll through Tianfeng City?" Jin asked, raising an eyebrow.
Solomon blinked a few times and tilted his head. "What stroll?" he asked, rubbing his eyes to feign grogginess. "I was just sleeping. The beds here are surprisingly comfortable."
Pavilion Leader Jin crossed his arms and looked down at the boy’s trousers. "Your new spider-silk shirt is covered in arena dust," Jin pointed out. "Your boots reek of sweat and underground dirt. You literally have a bulging sack of syndicate silver sitting on your mattress, and three of my instructors chased you through the subterranean tunnels around an hour ago."
Solomon realized his innocent act was ruined. He quickly cleared his throat and shifted his posture on the bed, keeping one hand near Eden’s Penance. "Okay, fine," he began, weaving a practiced excuse together.
"I couldn’t sleep earlier because the dorm was too noisy. I went out for a quiet walk around the pavilion to clear my head. Suddenly, someone ambushed me from the shadows and knocked me out. When I finally woke up, I was locked inside a fighting pit."
[LazyCat: bro is lying through his teeth.]
[GamerGuy: abducted? you literally asked for directions!]
[User12: Oscar-worthy performance.]
Jin raised an eyebrow. He knew the boy was fabricating the story, yet he let Solomon continue talking. Elder Liang stood to Jin’s left and stroked his white beard.
"If you were abducted and thrown into an illegal gambling den, you should have escaped immediately," Elder Liang stated. "You should have returned to the academy and reported the incident to the instructors so we could handle the syndicate properly."
"How exactly was I supposed to escape?" Solomon countered, gesturing with his hands to emphasize his point. "I woke up surrounded by hundreds of criminals, syndicate thugs, and martial artists. I was outnumbered."
Elder Liang scoffed and tapped his wooden staff against the floorboards. "You possess the physical capabilities to fend them off. We watched you correct a thousand-year-old martial stance this morning, and we know exactly what you did inside the Ruined Kingdom of Eden."
’I didn’t expect them to be watching or reviewing streams. But unlike the professors back at the academy, they don’t seem to have a device.’ Solomon noted.
Fortunately, Solomon had a response prepared for that exact argument. "And I did exactly that," he replied smoothly, leaning back against his pillows. "If I had tried to run away the moment I woke up, the crowd would have rushed me at once. Participating in their tournament was the best tactical option. It forced them to fight me one by one in an organized ring."
He grabbed the pouch of silver coins and tossed it lightly into the air. "By playing along, I managed to get the crowd to cheer for me. I made some decent money on the side. My stream chat stayed entertained throughout the night, and I even got to explore some new hand-to-hand combat styles against their local champions."
Solomon flashed a bright grin at the three instructors. "Most importantly, my prolonged participation caused the exact distraction you needed. Because I kept the syndicate bosses busy, you guys were finally able to raid the facility and lock down the arena."
[GoonLord: THE GASLIGHTING IS PEAK!]
[BloodKnight: A brilliant tactical assessment disguised as a lie.]
[Skeptic: he actually spun this to make himself the hero.]