After leaving the Skill Reinforcement Hall, Mu Bei jogged all the way to a tall building. This was the Paradise Arena.
Compared to the Attribute Reinforcement Hall and the Skill Reinforcement Hall, this building appeared even more grand and magnificent, its size even exceeding the combined size of the other two.
The entrance of the arena was bustling, with many Contractors coming and going, and the atmosphere was lively.
Near the entrance, there were also quite a few Contractors setting up stalls and hawking goods, attracting passersby.
Mu Bei felt curious, paused for a moment, and casually flipped through some books and pamphlets being sold at the stalls:
《Tier 1 Paradise Arena Ranking》
《How to Quickly Defeat Your Opponent》
《Complete Guide to Taunting Techniques》
《How to Defeat the Top of the Tier 1 Arena—Blade of Space·Eggs
《Arena Goddess Photo Collection》
World Child Zhong Li Yi's Harem Appreciation Record》
...
Mu Bei quickly scanned them, found that most of these things were not of much practical use, and walked directly into the arena's entrance.
Feeling a blur before his eyes, Mu Bei was teleported into a lounge.
It was spacious and comfortable, equipped with facilities such as seats and beds.
A huge display screen was hung on the wall in front of Mu Bei, showing two selectable modes:
【You have entered the Paradise Arena. Please select a mode: Arena Mode / Spectator Mode】
Below were brief descriptions of the two modes:
1. Spectator Mode
Watch competitive matches between other Contractors, costing 1 paradise coin per hour. You can select any match.
Number of matches currently in progress: 20240810
Fee standard: Watching matches of Contractors ranked in the top 1000/100/10 costs 10/20/30 paradise coins per hour respectively.
2. Arena Mode
The Contractor personally participates in the arena. Order Paradise will match opponents based on the average arena points of the Contractor or their team. This mode is divided into four types: 【1vs1】, 【3vs3】, 【5vs5】, and 【10vs10】.
(Contractor's current arena points: 0)
Note 1: Recovery items cannot be used in the arena, but recovery skills are effective.
Note 2: Death in the arena is not real death. Please participate boldly.
Note 3: Contractors ranked in the top ten in Tier 1 arena points will receive special rewards from Order Paradise.
...
Mu Bei decisively chose Arena Mode.
【Detected that the Contractor has never participated in the arena. Assigning your rank...】
【Contractor's current arena point rank: 187625493rd (Tier 1 Paradise Arena point rank).】
The rank was quickly generated. Mu Bei glanced at the display screen:
Besides his own rank, it also listed some nearby Contractors with the same points, all with 0 points.
The most prominent things on the screen were ten avatars—
These were the avatars of the top ten Contractors in the Paradise Arena. The disguises of these Contractors were bizarre; some wore strange masks, while others weren't even recognizable as humanoids.
【Since the Contractor is participating in the arena for the first time, please disguise your appearance first.】
A large number of disguise options appeared on the screen, such as:
Godrick Soldier Set, Banished Knight Set, Crucible Knight Set, Sailor Moon Set...
Most of these disguises cost money, but they do not change character attributes, only visual effects.
In addition, there was a free facial adjustment function, allowing Contractors to temporarily modify their features.
Whether devastatingly handsome or monstrous like an ancient god, you could do as you pleased.
Mu Bei didn't overthink it and directly chose a free disguise—
A large jar completely covered Mu Bei's head, concealing his entire face.
"Match an opponent for me."
【Matching an opponent for you... Match successful!】
With another blur before his eyes, Mu Bei was teleported to the arena's combat area.
The venue was an open circular arena, with a radius of about 200 meters. Underfoot was a solid, non-slip metal floor, and a transparent energy shield surrounded the area, isolating the combat zone.
Outside the energy shield were tiered spectator seats, with the overall style resembling an ancient Roman gladiatorial arena.
Because Mu Bei's rank was too low, there were hardly any people in the vast spectator seats.
But among the few people present, some were actually cheering for Mu Bei's opponent.
"Go, Tom!" A young man with a clear face stood up and shouted.
"Tom, kill this naked guy with a big jar on his head! If you win, Uncle will buy you a drink!" A middle-aged Contractor also cheered loudly.
Mu Bei's opponent, Tom, was a young male Contractor with delicate features, wearing a Japanese male high school uniform, holding a golden Desert Eagle in his hand, and possessing a rather flamboyant demeanor.
Before the fight began, Tom boasted to Mu Bei:
"I'm a genius who got an A overall evaluation in the trial world! The future King of the Arena! And you will be the first stepping stone on my path to the top! Mortal, feel honored by this, hahahaha!"
Mu Bei couldn't be bothered to pay attention to this arrogant little fool.
【Five, four, three, two, one. Combat begins!】
The two were about 300 meters apart when the fight began.
The instant the countdown ended, Mu Bei charged directly at Tom, moving so fast that a faint sonic boom could be heard in the air.
In less than 1 second, the distance between the two shortened to within 10 meters.
At the same time, Mu Bei consumed 30 mana points and activated the skill "Ground Shatter".
A shockwave spread forward centered on Mu Bei. Tom didn't even have time to react. Just as he pulled the trigger and fired a shot, he was shattered into pieces of minced meat!
【You received 215 damage (214 Kinetic Damage + 1 High Temperature Damage).】
【Because you received High Temperature Damage, "Adaptable Evolution" was triggered, and you gained the derivative ability of this skill: "High Temperature Resistance".】
【This match has ended. You are victorious!】
【Detected that you took less than three seconds in this match, you receive a large amount of extra arena points.】
【Arena points +23 (5+18)】
【Your arena rank has increased from 187625493rd to 71625943rd.】
【You have returned to the rest pod.】
After returning to the rest pod, Mu Bei began to review the battle that just took place:
In the battle just now, although Tom was instantly killed, the shot he fired before dying still hit Mu Bei.
The Desert Eagle in his hand used .50 AE ammunition, which has immense kinetic energy at close range.
Although Mu Bei's Constitution attribute provided strong defense, he still took over 200 damage.
This made Mu Bei realize how significant the disadvantage of not being able to wear armor was.
"The restriction on not being able to wear equipment is really troublesome... I must strengthen my defense!"
Mu Bei opened his personal interface and found the derivative ability 1 of "Adaptable Evolution": "Physical Resistance (Narrow Sense)".
After consuming 10 negative entropy points, Mu Bei's physical damage defense increased by 100 points, reaching the upper limit of his current Constitution attribute.
But even so, Mu Bei still felt a lack of security—there were many, many thermal weapons more powerful than the Desert Eagle, and being naked was still too disadvantageous.
The next moment, Mu Bei recalled the Tyrant's exoskeleton when he fought against World Child Zhong Li Yi, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind:
"Perhaps, I can also use my own bones to create armor?"
...
