Night fell over Blood Market Pavilion like a curtain of knives.
Red lanterns lit the streets.
Crowds flowed like rivers toward one place:
The arena.
A circular colosseum of black stone and iron bars, built for one purpose—
Death as entertainment.
Arjun walked with the crowd.
Hood low.
Face hidden.
Sword wrapped.
Silent like a shadow among wolves.
No one recognized him.
Not because his bounty wasn't famous…
but because nobody believed the prey would walk into the cage willingly.
Above the arena entrance hung a banner:
BLOOD ARENA — TONIGHT ONLYSPECIAL EVENT: THE DEVOURER'S HUNT
Inside, the noise was deafening.
Thousands of cultivators filled the stands.
Some were sect disciples.
Some were criminals.
Some were mercenaries.
Some were nobles who paid to watch screaming humans like theater.
The smell was worse than blood.
It was greed.
A voice thundered from the center stage.
A man in a crimson robe, his face painted with black markings, raised both arms.
This was the arena master.
Master of Blood Arena: Mako.
He shouted:
"WELCOME, BLOOD MARKET PAVILION!!"
The crowd roared.
"WOOOOOOO!!"
Mako's voice became louder.
"TONIGHT, WE HAVE A SPECIAL EVENT!"
"THE DEVOURER'S HUNT!!"
The crowd screamed like animals.
"DEVOURER!! DEVOURER!!"
Mako grinned.
"Everyone wants Arjun!"
"Everyone wants his bounty!"
"Everyone wants his bloodline!"
He laughed into the air.
"SO TONIGHT… WE GIVE YOU A CHANCE!"
The stage behind him opened.
Iron gates rose.
A massive pit was revealed below.
A pit filled with old stains and broken bones.
Mako shouted:
"ONE HUNDRED HUNTERS WILL ENTER!"
"ONLY ONE WILL LEAVE WITH THE PRIZE!"
The crowd went mad.
Then Mako raised a talisman high.
A glowing red token shaped like a fang.
"The reward!"
"A LIFE-TOKEN!"
The stands quieted slightly.
Even greedy cultivators swallowed hard.
Because a Life-Token was rare.
A treasure that could save a person from dying once.
A second life.
Mako smiled cruelly.
"If you die tonight…"
"No problem."
"Use your Life-Token…"
"And crawl away."
He laughed.
"But if you win…"
"You get wealth, fame…"
"And Arjun's body."
The crowd erupted again.
THE HUNTERS ENTER
One hundred cultivators gathered at the entrance gates of the pit.
Some looked confident.
Some looked nervous.
Some looked excited.
All looked hungry.
A spear user.
A blade dancer.
A poison master.
A beast-tamer with a chained wolf.
A muscular brute with scars.
A skinny man with a smile like a snake.
Each one had killed before.
Each one believed they could kill again.
Arjun stood among them.
Silent.
Still hooded.
Still not recognized.
A bounty hunter beside him laughed.
"Funny."
Arjun glanced slightly.
The man grinned.
"I thought Arjun would be big. Terrifying."
He leaned closer to Arjun.
"But if he's anything like you…"
"Then he'll die fast."
Arjun didn't reply.
The man continued:
"When we find him…"
"I'll cut his legs."
"You cut his arms."
"We split the bounty."
Arjun's lips curved under the hood.
"Sure."
The man laughed.
"Good."
The iron gates slammed open.
KRRRMMM!
Mako's voice thundered from above:
"BEGIN!"
All one hundred hunters jumped into the pit.
THE PIT OF SLAUGHTER
The pit was huge.
A wide killing ground with scattered rocks, broken pillars, and iron cages.
No exits.
No hiding forever.
Only survival.
The hunters spread out immediately, forming squads and alliances.
Because no one wanted to fight ninety-nine enemies alone.
Arjun moved slowly through the chaos.
He watched.
He listened.
He smelled the fear beneath arrogance.
Then the System flashed.
🔊 [BLOOD ARENA ZONE DETECTED]
✅ Kills grant bonus points x2
✅ Devour efficiency increased
⚠️ Cult Mark resonance: HIGH
📌 Cult priest presence detected (near arena)
Arjun's eyes sharpened.
So the cult was here.
Watching.
Maybe waiting for him to reveal himself.
Maybe planning to trap him.
Good.
Arjun wanted them close.
FIRST BLOOD
A scream erupted nearby.
Two hunters had already turned on each other.
A blade flashed.
Blood sprayed.
The crowd above cheered like it was a festival.
Mako laughed loudly.
"YES!! THAT'S IT!!"
Arjun watched calmly.
Then he whispered to himself:
"This is what they wanted."
"A slaughterhouse."
He took one step forward.
"And I'm the butcher."
THE TRAP SPRINGS
Suddenly a whistle echoed through the pit.
A signal.
Several squads moved in coordination.
Ten hunters. Twenty. Thirty.
They formed a wide circle—
closing in.
Their eyes were sharp.
Their movements disciplined.
Not random hunters.
A planned group.
A bounty hunter alliance.
The spear man who spoke to Arjun earlier smirked.
"Alright, friend."
He raised his spear.
"Time to catch our prey."
Arjun stopped walking.
The man leaned closer and whispered:
"Don't worry."
"We'll take Arjun's head…"
"And you'll get your share."
Arjun tilted his head slightly.
Then he asked softly:
"What if…"
"…I am Arjun?"
The spear man's smile froze.
"What?"
Arjun removed his hood.
His face was calm.
His eyes were cold.
His aura didn't explode.
It didn't need to.
Because the name alone was enough.
The spear man stumbled back.
"N-no…"
Arjun smiled faintly.
"Yes."
Instant chaos.
Several hunters screamed.
"IT'S HIM!!"
"ARJUN IS HERE!!"
"KILL HIM!!"
The alliance rushed forward all at once.
Spears.
Swords.
Poison needles.
Beast claws.
Techniques bursting like fireworks.
Arjun raised his head slowly.
Then he whispered one word:
"Devour."
🩸 CRIMSON KILLING INTENT (Intermediate)
A blood-red pressure exploded outward.
The first row of hunters froze instantly.
Some collapsed.
Some vomited.
Some couldn't even lift their weapons.
Then Arjun moved.
✨ SHADOW STEP!
He appeared inside their formation like a demon teleporting into a flock of sheep.
His fist hit one hunter's ribs—
🦴💥 BONE KING FIST!
CRACK!!
The man folded and died.
Arjun's palm touched another hunter's chest—
🩸 TRUE DEVOURING BODY — PARTIAL DEVOUR!
The hunter's cultivation drained.
His body shriveled.
Dead.
Arjun's sword flashed once—
⚫ VOID-CUT (Fragment)
Three hunters behind him split apart cleanly.
Blood sprayed.
The crowd above screamed in excitement.
"YES!!!"
"HE'S A MONSTER!!"
"THIS IS AMAZING!!"
Hunters panicked.
Their alliance collapsed instantly.
Because alliances are built on confidence…
and Arjun destroyed confidence in seconds.
A poison master threw a cloud of black mist.
Arjun inhaled.
And smiled.
🩸 TRUE DEVOURING BODY — POISON CONSUMPTION!
The poison mist disappeared into his lungs like smoke swallowed by darkness.
The poison master's face turned white.
"Impossible…!"
Arjun grabbed his face.
And slammed him into the ground.
BAM!!
Dead.
A beast-tamer screamed and released his chained wolf.
The wolf lunged like a blur.
Arjun punched it midair.
💥
Its skull shattered.
The beast-tamer froze.
Arjun looked at him.
Then whispered:
"You're next."
The beast-tamer tried to run.
Arjun shadow-stepped.
And ripped his throat out.
THE ARENA GOES INSANE
The pit became a nightmare.
The crowd screamed louder with every kill.
Some were cheering.
Some were terrified.
Some were aroused by violence.
This city was sick.
And Arjun was its medicine.
Or its punishment.
Within minutes—
twenty hunters were dead.
Thirty.
Forty.
Arjun didn't slow down.
He didn't tire.
He was feeding.
Growing.
Becoming stronger mid-fight.
The System chimed like a feast bell.
🔊 +200
🔊 +300
🔊 +500
🔊 +700
Arjun's Iron Body Stage climbed rapidly.
✅ Iron Body Stage: 7.1/10 → 8.6/10
His bones hummed louder.
His movements became sharper.
His Void-Cut grew smoother.
His killing intent became heavier.
Then—
a new voice echoed from above the arena.
Not Mako.
A quieter voice.
A colder voice.
A voice that carried cult authority.
"Enough."
The crowd quieted slightly.
Mako's face stiffened.
Because he recognized that voice too.
A figure stood in the VIP balcony.
A black robe.
A crimson eye symbol.
A priest.
He raised a hand.
And pointed at Arjun.
"You have entertained us."
"Now come."
Arjun looked up at the balcony.
His eyes narrowed.
Because he felt the cult mark on his chest burning like fire.
The priest smiled.
"Come willingly…"
"Or we will take you by force."
Arjun smiled back.
Slow.
Cruel.
"Good."
He raised his sword and spoke softly:
"Bring your force."