Underground Arena

The city, which was once part of the Western Region, has now become a desolate, undiscovered city—a city that seems as if it never existed. This is because a certain Devourer Destiny was born there, and as punishment, the gods cursed the land with eternal barrenness and branded all its inhabitants as sinners. That place is now called Northwest City.

As for those who enter Northwest City, everyone considers them to be newly lost sinners. However, no one knows if this is true because the punishment has been in effect for thousands of years. But when Mahendra arrives, he is immediately thought to be someone born in this city.

They say Mahendra is a Devourer Destiny, but a Devourer Destiny from thousands of years ago. Yet, he has only been alive for 20 years in the Sky World. This alone doesn’t make sense, and their explanation is confusing. Most other people simply say that Mahendra is a Devourer Destiny.

"Is the Devourer Destiny from thousands of years ago one of the cursed people who came before me? Or is it really me?" Mahendra wonders.

During his winding journey to find the Wandering King, he never expected to uncover several secrets about the "Devourer Destiny." The ancient spell written in the language of his birthplace remains a profound mystery.

"The person in Night City said there were dozens of cursed people who have long been dead. Cursed people are Devourer Destiny targeted by the gods and goddesses. And the person outside the tavern just now said a Devourer Destiny, who was also a cursed person, was born in Northwest City. That’s a fact."

By comparing what different people said, he came to this conclusion. However, one thing still makes Mahendra curious. It's still about the Devourer Destiny, if the gods and goddesses are targeting them for harming the world, then why do the people in settlements in the human realm hope for them?

Mahendra sighs, tilting his head upwards. He wishes he could be free from all this because he just wants to go home and see his younger sister.

"Ningsih… I hope you’re still doing well," Mahendra murmurs.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" the tavern owner asks.

"Oh… what was that?"

The tavern owner sighs for a moment before repeating it, "That girl doesn't look like a sinner. Why is she here, and with someone like you?"

"You're a truly sarcastic person, aren't you? Besides, I didn't bring that girl. She followed me on her own," Mahendra explains.

"Oh, the girl came here of her own accord? Or did you force her?"

"You’re crazy," Mahendra retorts irritably.

"Haha, come on, I'm just kidding. I see you're a very stiff person." The man has the audacity to laugh. "Alright, first, answer my question. Who are you and where are you from?"

"I'm just a person passing through. I'm from the Western Region. Does that answer your question?" It's a complete lie.

"Yes, I didn't expect you to be from the Western Region. What about the girl who looks like a nun?"

"I don't know. She suddenly appeared after I was drowning in a deep river. Maybe she saved me," he says, this time being honest.

"Oh, rather than nun... she’s like a goddess, just appearing and saving people."

"Hey, are all gods and goddesses good?"

"They were all created from the hearts of their peers. I mean, they were initially just humans who later became legends and then ascended to the Upper Realm to become gods and goddesses. But of course, they didn't ascend up there easily."

"This sounds like a Xianxia story I once heard from someone," Mahendra says.

"Xianxia? Hm… it seems there was someone like that, but I can't remember. Why are you so interested?"

"No, I’m just curious if the four strongest legends could become one of them? I mean, become gods?"

"Oh, so the legends still exist. I didn't expect that."

"Why not?"

"Well, you know this city has been isolated for thousands of years, more or less 2,000 years after the death of the Devourer Destiny. At that time, the four strongest legends had been around for a long time."

"Huh?! You mean they’ve been alive for thousands of years?!" Mahendra exclaims, very surprised.

"What do you mean? Didn't they all die a long time ago? There was no news of them after their brief fame. I'm sure that even if their legend has persisted for 4,000 years until now, they must all have grown old and died. None of them became gods."

Mahendra thinks to himself, "He's dead? That’s impossible."

"I guess I put too much hope in them. Anyway, never mind. Thanks for the water... we’ll be going."

"Hey, wait!" The man stops Mahendra, who is genuinely intending to leave the tavern. "You think that because this city is isolated, we don't know anything about the world, right?"

"Half right, half wrong. I do think you don't know anything about this world after being confined for 2,000 years, but I'm sure some of your nonsense can be believed," Mahendra thinks.

"What?! You're too blunt! But alright, we can't get any information because of it."

"In that case, I'll go."

"Go? It seems you’re the one who forgot. Northwest City is abandoned, considered nonexistent, isolated from the outside world. And you think you can just enter and leave as you please?"

"Ah, that’s right." His voice lowers in disappointment, and he clicks his tongue in annoyance.

"I can't believe you fell for that so easily."

"So... you were lying?"

"How could? It’s all fact."

"I just feel that the land, air, and atmosphere in this city are so different from the Western Region, so I immediately understood that I’m indeed trapped in this city." And strangely, Mahendra doesn't show a deeply disappointed expression, just annoyance.

"You're a unique person. Alright, just come with me. Our ancestor who is still alive is there. Maybe he knows something you want to know because he was the one who told the stories of the four strongest legends."

The golden-eyed girl, realizing Mahendra is about to leave, follows him. The man, who is the owner of the tavern in the middle of this barren land, leads them into an underground passage. Several candles are mounted on the walls, lighting up dozens of stairs that lead them down into a rather spacious room. It's even larger than the tavern above.

There are dozens of men and a handful of beautiful women, all of whom have their attention fixed on an arena in the center of the room. The arena is elevated from the floor and enclosed by iron wire fences. Two large-bodied men are fighting inside. Compared to a normal arena, this place seems to also be a site for an unusual occupation.

The fight inside the arena seemed ordinary at a glance, but it was a no-holds-barred match. Many people were simply risking their lives for a "prize," at least that's what the tavern owner explained so casually. He was probably used to this atmosphere. Mahendra, however, still found it hard to believe that something like this existed in such a barren land.

"Food and water are hard to find, and your tavern can only provide a small amount of water. Why do they fight so fiercely just for a prize? Is it because the prize is water or something similar?" Mahendra wondered.

"You're not wrong, but it's a little different from what you think."

The tavern owner, who hadn't introduced himself at all, suddenly stopped walking. He then gave a wide smile, glancing at Mahendra, who seemed very curious about the arena and whose gaze didn't leave it until the fight was over.

"How about you give it a try?" After saying that, he turned around and pushed Mahendra towards the door, accidentally making him enter the arena.