[CH200+ Continued] Dungeon Diver: Stealing A Monster's Power

Chapter 343

​​The announcer calls for a 30-minute intermission as the next fighter gets ready in the ring.

In the meantime, I make my way toward the registration desk at the far side of the arena. There are two separate booths in the vicinity. One has [Bidders] in bold letters above it, and the other says [Fighters].

I walk up to the fighters' booth in full disguise to meet a blond man in a white suit smiling brightly as I approach.

"The name's Mr. Wright. How can I help you today? Would you be interested in joining the event tonight? We still have time slots open."

I nod slowly before replying.

"Nice to meet you. I'm new to town. Could you run me through the numbers? How does the event work in terms of fighters' pay?"

He glances at my golden wristband, then looks up to me to reply with a bright expression.

"Well, as I'm sure you've already guessed, the city takes a percent of all bids in the arena. This facility and the auction house in the platinum district are the two main income sources for the Valor City Government. It's what allows business in the city to run tax-free."

I raise an eyebrow at his remark but decide not to question it too much. As he said, I already did the math and know 10% of all bids don't get paid out to the bidders. So that money has to go somewhere.

"As I assume you watched at least some of the previous event, Stone Breaker walks away with a few gold coins every showing, I'm sure of it. Stages 1-3 are what we call the beginner stages. If you pass stage 1, the arena will pay you 1 silver coin. For passing stage 2, you'll receive 10 silver, and for stage 3, you're awarded 30."

I tighten my lips and give him a confused look, but he replies, catching onto my disappointment.

"I can see you're already a gold rank guest to Valor City, so these silver rewards may not be very enticing to you. Stage 4, the level 300 monster threshold is where things get interesting. If you win your fight in stages 4, 5, or 6, you earn 1% of all bids on the show. Just a single stage 4 victory on a busy night can set up hunters for life. What do you think?"

I smirk.

"What about the higher stages? How far up can it go?"

This seems like a good money opportunity, but also a controlled environment to farm levels and skills.

The man behind the counter lets out a laugh.

"Yeah right. If you make it past stage 7, 5% of the biddings go straight to your credit account, but no one other than one of our top fighters and members of the royal guard can beat monsters like that. Here, walk this way with me, let's do the registration test to see if you're even strong enough for the nighttime event."

He exits the booth and we walk around its right side.

Against a stone wall, there's a rubber-like padding that I can feel mana seeping out from. It's almost as dense as the shielding dome that covers the arena. At first, I thought it was just a protective measure for the people behind the booth, but now upon closer inspection, it seems to be some kind of testing device.

The man in the white suit points up at the digital screen above the large black square on the wall.

"I'll need proof of any elemental abilities you claim, then I need a punch or a kick on this device to break 300 points. The use of strength-boosting items or buffs is allowed, use everything you've got. That's the baseline for late-night hunters, we want to make sure everyone can at least make it to stage 4."

I step forward with a nod, putting a finger in the air and lighting it with a dark red flame before putting it out a moment later and squaring up against the testing device.