Chapter 507 - Deathmatch, Attack of the Dwarven Craftsman!
Chapter 507 Deathmatch, Attack of the Dwarven Craftsman!
Outside the demon race’s main city, it was extremely desolate. There was not even a single fertile field within a radius of ten kilometers. There were not any decent defensive structures or arrangements outside as well. However, the world inside the city contrasted greatly with the outside world. With the sun shining in the sky, within the main city, the roads that were paved with black bricks and stones were bustling with endless streams of carriages and mounts.
On both sides of the street, towering houses were erected.
The smallest of the houses were three stories high, while the largest had seven to eight floors; they were everywhere the eyes could
see.
The cityscape here stood in stark contrast to the uniform and repetitive appearance of other foreign races. At first glance, Su Mo was astounded to find nothing here was repeated, regardless of whether it was the structures or the inhabitants.
The passersby were either small groups that consisted of members from different foreign races, or groups that resembled them-much like adventurers that seemed to have returned from the outside.
Occasionally, there were expeditionary groups consisting of a few humans that mingled among the crowd. The humans spoke in normal human languages, laughing and talking as they passed by. Ignoring the slight peculiarities of the buildings and the varied assortment of creatures of different appearances, this place was no different from the ancient cities of Huaxia.
Both cities possessed the same diversity in inhabitants and an extremely developed economy!
Leaving the entrance of the city behind them, they stood at the side of the gates. The sight of such development within the city temporarily dumbfounded Su Mo.
Of course, back on Earth, any modern first-tier city was ten, or even a hundred, times grander than this city.
However, on the wasteland, the capability to develop to such a degree was sufficient of a statement to describe their upcoming enemy in the New World and how truly terrifying they were!
“Yo, isn’t this our Harl? You’re back?”.
“Yesterday, we heard that you took on a loan of fifty thousand contribution points. What’s the matter? Your expression seems to be telling us that the money you’ve loaned is all lost.”
While looking around, a dissonant voice abruptly killed the mood. As long as the mark’s load limit was capable of accommodating it, a Level 5 template was equivalent to Level 5 combat power. Currently, within the main city of the demon race, there were only a handful of level fives. Previously, Harl had mortgaged his Level 5 template. It was sensational news that had caught the attention of others.
Regarding this matter, Su Mo was oblivious to
it.
However, his current dumbfounded expression, in the eyes of others, was extremely similar to a gambler that lost it all after taking on a huge loan. Nevertheless, when Su Mo turned around to look for the source of the voice, he could not help but laugh. It was ironic how one could search high and low for something, only to find it when one least expected it. In the memories transmitted by the mark, Harl harbored a deep resentment as to why he had ended up purchasing the Level 3 Dwarven craftsmen template.
Harl had never revealed the reason behind his resentment, or his aggrieved emotions, to anyone, even to Turner.
Harl’s brain was not impaired, nor off the hinge, when he decided to spend a substantial portion of their funds to purchase templates of dwarves that were more involved in production.
From Harl’s perspective, the seller had painted a fantastical picture of a prosperous dwarven territory. Subsequently, Harl had excitedly hurried over only to realize that the reality looked nothing like the depicted fantasy.
However, in Su Mo eyes, this entire thing was a scam!
It was a scam concocted by some crook who had conspired with others in the city.
Their purpose was to acquire the Level 5 card in Harl’s hands!
“Russell, our profits or losses are none of your business, you despicable extortionate merchant.” “One of these days, I, Turner, will twist off your head and let the others see how wicked and black your heart is!” Before Su Mo could speak, Turner stepped up seemingly with flames burning in his eyes. The Russell that Turner was addressing currently was not in dwarven form. Rather, Russell was now a kobold that exuded flames from his body from time to time.
In terms of combat power, the kobold was at least level three or higher. “Oh, is our little dwarven craftsman angry? Ah, I’m so scared. Why don’t we go out of the city and practice in the deathmatch arena?” Turner trembled with anger. “You…”
“Very well. Obedience is better than respect. Let’s go. I was thinking of going to the deathmatch arena to improve our relationship as well.”
A casual voice suddenly echoed from behind Turner.
They realized who the owner of the voice was.
Wah!
The atmosphere instantly became tense! On one side was a level 3 superior powerhouse using a kobold pyromancer template, whose height exceeded one hundred and seventy centimeters.
On the other side, the challenger stood at a mere eighty centimeters. Not to mention that the challenger was merely an auxiliary forging dwarven craftsman-an ordinary Level 3 dwarf. Originally, the crowd at the entrance of the city was still moving along. Catching wind of the challenge, the crowd had suddenly slowed down as well in anticipation.
The two were now seemingly poised to draw their weapons and fight there and then. At the sight of this, the scene immediately became lively.
Russell pulled on an earlobe in seeming disbelief, as he responded in astonishment, “Harl… Wait, let me confirm with you. You are saying…that you want to go with me to the deathmatch arena?” “You, a Level 3 dwarven craftsman, want to have a deathmatch with me, a Level 3 kobold pyromancer?”
“Ha ha ha, this old dog doesn’t seem to have sharp ears. I suggest you don’t call yourself Russell anymore. It would be better to call yourself Ru-dog.” “Don’t talk nonsense with me. Sorry, I don’t know you well. Either we have a deathmatch or you can piss off right now.” Standing on the axle of the carriage, Su Mo’s eyes stared directly into the kobold’s; the smile on his face remained bright.
At the same time, in the ears of others, his arrogant words were like a fierce slap on Russell’s face.
A slap that left no room for dignity!
An ordinary Level 3 had challenged the status-quo by going up against a superior Level 3.
An auxiliary profession template user had challenged a combat-oriented profession template user head-on.
Emotions flashed across Russell’s face, ranging from mockery, anger, fear, before his expression finally returned to a calm state. In the end, he glanced to the side where the crowd had begun to clamor. Then he turned around and watched the enormous confidence brimming in Su Mo’s eyes. “I don’t know what luck you stumbled on outside to possess such arrogance today.
“However, your current opponent is not me. I wish you luck!” After he finished speaking, Russell left without even turning his head; he paid no attention to the crowd at the side that booed him.
Within a few seconds, the figure of the kobold pyromancer had disappeared around the corner.
It was only then that the eighteen mercenaries reacted; they had stood dumbfounded throughout the entire incident. They raised their crude weapons to the skies and cheered.
At the sight of this, the bystanders realized that the deathmatch was not happening and became rather bored. Swifty, they dispersed from the scene. After a while, the gates were once again calm.
However, one of the so-called main characters, Turner the dwarf, was so alarmed that he had seemingly lost his soul from the encounter. He sat in the carriage and stared blankly into the distance.
Su Mo beckoned for the mercenaries to continue pulling the carriage and to head for the house that Harl had mortgaged. Su Mo returned to the carriage and sat cross-legged opposite Turner.
“What’s the matter, Turner?”
The latter whose name was called merely rubbed his lips together slowly; the words he wanted to utter could never come out. Within the span of a single night, or perhaps it would be more adequate to state that it happened within half an hour, his brother had undergone earth-shattering changes.
Changes from his character, to his style of work, and the way he carried himself too.
Turner was almost certain that this person was not the same Harl he knew from before.
Yet, weirdly enough, the mark would not lie. Turner understood things well. He understood that if the marks could be tampered with and inherited by others, what that would mean to the demon race and the consequences they would have to face.
Hence, Turner was now in a conflicted state.
“Turner, what are you worried about?”
Hearing this, Turner shook violently. “I… I…”
“Harl, you’ve changed. You’ve changed so much that you now seem unfamiliar to me.”
“Even though my feelings are telling me this is not something terrible, but…”
Su Mo coughed twice and interrupted him, “Then it would be disastrous!”
“If I were still the same as yesterday, and you were still the same as yesterday, we would still have to face this darn situation. We would still have our house robbed from us through underhanded means, and our Level 5 Thorn Ent template scammed from us.”
“Russell used lowly methods to mislead our trust. If we don’t stand up against such people, they will just continue to bully us.” “We should change. If we continue to linger in the past, we will only stagnate and deteriorate. Only by looking ahead can we see and create a brighter future!” Harl had left behind 20% of his memory before perishing. In the 20%, with regard to Turner, his brother, a total of 9% of Harl’s memories were related to regrets and guilt!
Back then, their parents were both Level 5 powerhouses of the demon race. After their accident, Harl had promised to take good care of his brother.
He wanted to be strong enough to support his brother in the demon race society.
Yet, having dreams and having strength to realize them were two completely different things.
His knowledge and mindset had limited his performance.
Now, in Su Mo’s hands, the cascading effects from Harl’s memories had quietly influenced him.
Unknowingly, Su Mo started having some thoughts that he had not possessed before; he was now eager to support his loved ones.
“What you say is correct. You are… correct.”
“We should change. If we linger in the past, we would be like that human saying, ‘rowing against the tide, never progressing but regressing instead’.”
“But…”
Once again, Su Mo interrupted Turner, who seemed a little hesitant. Su Mo spoke loudly. “No buts. You do not need fight—” “Whether it’s now, or in the future, our roles will never coincide with one another.”
“You just watch. Watch and see how I make those in the city who bullied us understand that strength reigns supreme!”
Su Mo’s eyes glimmered with enormous confidence. He walked to the back of the carriage and, for the first time, he picked up and wielded a weapon that belonged to a dwarf.
To be exact, it was more appropriate to address it as a tool.
The tool was a hammer that was around 30 centimeters long. In the hands of a human, it was nothing more than a conveniently-sized hammer.
However, in comparison to the height of a dwarf, the hammer was almost half as tall as he was and appeared extraordinarily powerful.
With the swing of the hammer, Su Mo could hear his joints crack and pop. Then, he returned to the front of the carriage and sat down; murderous intent now filled his eyes.
After his body was baptized by the semi-released usage authority, his physical constitution, converted into combat power, would sit somewhere between 5 to 7, the standard for a Level 5 powerhouse. Currently, he was limited by the blue mark and could not demonstrate any strength exceeding the combat power of 5. Even so, he was still a qualified quasi-level 5 powerhouse. This was without even considering the other close range combat capabilities he had due to the accumulation of days and months of practicing the Su Family Spear technique. Su Mo was confident. As long as the opponent was not a Level 5 powerhouse possessing extraordinary abilities, in terms of hand-to-hand combat, Su Mo was unrivaled.
Exuding this air of invincibility, Su Mo watched as the wind chimes jingled in front of the carriage. The focus in his eyes faded. Temporarily, he buried his thoughts in the back of his mind as his unfocused gaze continuously scanned through the various shopfronts that lined the streets.
There was the Qiankun Template Exchange…
The Qingfeng Materials Exchange…
The Yuan Resource Exchange…
The New World Population Exchange…
Based on the different classifications, the various exchanges that were spread all across the street had all appended the word ‘Exchange’ at the end of their shop names, and were all bustling with people. There were constantly people pushing their carts inside, or entering with their backpacks. These people purchased and exchanged items to their heart’s content and walked out in satisfaction.
Perhaps it was not appropriate to describe the main city of the demon race as a foreign race city that was heavily guarded.
Rather, it would be more appropriate to describe the vast city as a “port” or “hub” to transit goods. The demon race members were disguised as various races, as they brought in goods that had previously belonged to the other races. Those goods would eventually converge at the exchanges in the city, in which mutually beneficial barter trades would take place.
“I don’t possess any advantages. Compared with the demon race, which has been naturally blessed with resources, cities, and a complete social structure, the gap between our territories is too wide.”
“Previously, I kickstarted the self-privatization initiative, but it is merely the first step toward establishing such a system.”
“Now it seems that I can learn from the achievements of the demon race. If I could develop the basin area into a similar trade-centric city, I could make a lucrative haul from simply collecting taxes alone.” The success of the demon race was not by chance. Rather, their success was something that was guaranteed. The convenience of being able to disguise themselves with the marks naturally allowed the existence of such a social structure, as they had no worries about others infiltrating their society and stirring up chaos. In addition, they used things such as marks, contribution points, ranks and levels to entice, as well as subdue, their inferior kinsmen, thereby making it difficult for any unwanted accidents to happen. He continued observing his surroundings with every stride he took. His plans had been first realized by others. However, using their example as a reference, Su Mo also benefited from it as the thoughts in his heart grew more and more clear. “Harl, we’re almost home. Why don’t we…”
“As long as we’re alive, we can still thrive. After we think of a way to upgrade our collector to level 3, clear our debts, and purchase a better level 4 template…”
“Sooner or later, we will annihilate these animals who occupied our house!”
Su Mo glanced around the prosperous-looking area, before slowly turning his head in the direction where Turner’s gaze was pointed at. Su Mo’s eyes slightly narrowed, and there was a hint of contemplation within. Things had suddenly become interesting. The memories left behind by Harl did not include any impressions of the house he had mortgaged. The two dwarves had looked impoverished. Therefore, it was natural for Su Mo to assume that the house was either in an impoverished slum area or in a random corner, and neither option indicated that the house was of any value.
He would never have imagined that the house inherited from Harl’s parents was situated right in the heart of the city.
Even though it was not a top-tier location, it was still sufficient to be considered a mid-second tier location. If they could open up a convenience shop here, one that had a decent stock of supplies, they would never run out of customers to sell
to.
“Looking at it this way, both Harl and Turner were bona fide rich kids that inherited plenty of things from their parents.”
“However, there was a big problem with the death of Harl’s parents. This location, coupled with their decent strength, who would ever believe that such a change could happen so quickly.”
He looked at the sign dangling in front of the shop that read ‘Venomous Resources Exchange”. Then, he looked at the few female foreign races that stood at the door, yelling loudly to attract customers. With a faint smile, he extended his arm and gripped the hammer by his side as he stood up.
“Harl, don’t act rashly.” “It’s fine. I will resolve everything. Just sit and watch!”
Su Mo wiped the surface of the hammer with his clothes. Then, he turned and patted Turner’s shoulder. As the carriages arrived unhurriedly in front of the exchange, Su Mo leapt down adeptly from the carriage.
Thud!
Boom!
It was unsure whether he had accidentally slipped or whether he jumped too quickly.
The moment he touched the ground, his legs were unsteady as he slanted forward and fell to the ground.
At the same time, the hammer in his hands fell along with his body and coincidentally hit the doorframe, smashing a big hole into half of the wooden door. “Oh my, I’m terribly sorry. Despite having changed into this dwarven craftsman template for a while now, I still haven’t gotten used to it. I didn’t manage to control my movements properly.” As he spoke, Su Mo calmly pulled his hammer from the doorframe and ‘accidentally’ enlarged the gaping hole in the door. “Harl, you…are you tired of living?” Hearing the loud noise, the person responsible for the security of the lobby of the exchange immediately rushed over to inspect the damage. When he saw Su Mo, who was standing by the door, he reacted in horror. “Oh, now that you’ve mentioned it, it is indeed boring outside. Can’t I go back inside my own home to rest?”
Su Mo sat in the courtyard with his hammer on the ground. Seeing Su Mo’s hostile demeanor, the few foreign races who were still in the lobby could sense that it was the calm before the storm. They promptly picked up their backpacks and left through the front door.
r
e
Within half a minute, the Venomous Resource Exchange, which had been slightly crowded, was now virtually empty. In the street outside of the house, the scene was similar to before. The crowd had gathered to watch as they pointed their fingers in the direction of the house from time to time.
“Ah, this Harl is doomed. He’s a Level 3 dwarf craftsman coming to retrieve his inheritance. But his uncle…”
“What bastard uncle? Alec only appeared after Harl’s parents died and said that he was a sworn brother for life with Harl’s father. Only he could think of such a d*mned idea to swear brotherhood with a dead person.” “Careful, careful. Alec’s template is a Level 4 mountain giant. He’s incredibly strong. If we catch his attention…”
“Mountain giant my balls. He’s merely a bastard that robbed the inheritance of others. This kind of person is not worth worrying about.”
“Heh, Yang Ning, you’re a Level 4 rare cyborg. Naturally, you’re not afraid of him. But this Harl is an ordinary Level 3 craftsman. How can he…” “If he offered thirty thousand contribution points, I might consider swearing brotherhood with him and helping him tidy up that bastard. But, what a pity…”
“Eh, eh, he’s here, he’s here!”
Wherever there were people, there would be gangs as well.
Especially under the lax management within the demon race’s main city, and a nearly free-trade city model, the trails of gangs were even more prominent.
Those who stood here were all basically demon race members that were Level 2 or higher, with Level 3’s as their leaders.
As such, they could converse freely as they were not afraid of revenge from anyone within the house.
From a distance, Alec, who stood at a height of nearly three meters tall, was approaching them while exuding an imposing aura. At the sight of this, everyone automatically gave way and continued to watch the drama unfold.
“Harl, you imbecile. This is our property. If you continue, I will have to discipline you properly on behalf of your dead father!”
With a loud rumbling voice, Alec’s words could be heard inside the house even before he reached the front door.
However, things turned out differently from what he expected.
At the sound of the rumbling voice, under the astonished, stunned, and puzzled gazes of the security personnel, Su Mo finally opened his eyes and stared at Alec head-on.
The smile on his face indicated that he was brimming with confidence, something that the crowd had not expected.
At the same time, he lifted the hammer off the ground with his right hand.
“Old dog, you’re really shameless.”
“I’ll give you a choice. Either give me back my shop and pay the rent of fifty thousand contribution points…”
“Or meet me in the deathmatch arena. You and I will wager all that we have and we will have a duel!”