Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer
Chapter 91: Trial And Deception (2)

Chapter 91: Trial And Deception (2)

The rounds that followed ended similarly. Let it be a ratling or a kobold, Adrian killed them all just when things supposedly were going wrong for him.

He even took a calculated risk, allowing himself to be wounded in the face by the kobold. The blood on his face would serve as a disguise, making it harder for the Nexarians, who had begun to take an interest in him, to identify him.

Although the wound healed, thanks to the troll’s healing, the blood remained on his face, making it difficult for anyone to recognise him from a distance.

It was crucial because if he hadn’t done it, those curious about him would have learned his identity. And if that happened, the Church would find out, too, considering Tulkas were essentially an extension of the Church’s expansive schemes in the wilderness.

However, the growing attention also brought a new challenge. Adrian had to be careful not to win too many matches. Any more victories, and he would risk exposing himself.

’Besides, they had started betting on me now,’ Adrian thought, staring at the Nexarians eagerly betting all their winnings on him. ’If I lose now, it’ll be a big slap in their faces.’

Unlike before, Adrian wasn’t all that fond of the Nexarians. Since he couldn’t mess with them physically, he decided to get creative and make them lose their money instead.

But Adrian couldn’t lose to a weaker opponent than he had faced till then as it would once again raise suspicion. Thankfully, his worries were unfound as an Ograthian appeared before him.

Ogres were a weird bunch, and when in heat, they’d breed with anyone and anything in sight, regardless of their gender and species. Usually, the unfortunate captive of their lust doesn’t make it alive after they are done with them.

But in those rare occurrences when the female survives, she births a creature widely known as an Ograthian or Ogrelings. The abilities of these Ograthians morphed depending on the partner species, but one fact remained unchanged... they were a formidable adversary to face.

Adrian observed the creature before him, an Ogrethian, still young. He guessed the Tulkas might have raised it in the settlement specifically for challenges like this.

Judging by its facial structure and short stature, the creature had some goblin blood in it. Probably the feature of the mother. Adrian quickly peeked at the creature’s stats, and they were nothing special.

’Nothing I can’t handle,’ he thought. ’but it’s time to end this charade.’

Adrian flexed his muscles, slowly pointing the sword he stole from the kobold he faced in the last round towards the Ograthian, taunting it. The creature snarled, its nasty, uncleaned teeth bared towards the human.

But Adrian’s mind was elsewhere. He needed to make this fight convincing to solidify his position, even if he was going to lose eventually.

As the Ograthian lunged forward, Adrian dodged its attack with ease. But he pretended to struggle when the Ograthian kept attacking him, allowing the creature to land a few blows here and there.

The fight prompted cheers from the crowd as they finally witnessed a match worthy of their attention.

Suddenly, the creature hit him in the chest. With a grunt, Adrian stumbled backwards, pretending to be hurt. The Ograthian seized the opportunity, advancing on him with renewed ferocity as its opponent was now in a vulnerable state.

Adrian let it overpower him as planned, taking hits and falls that he could have easily avoided. The crowd roared with excitement at first, but they grew anxious when the beating didn’t stop.

After all, their bets rode on the outcome of the fight, and most of them had put their money on Adrian after losing money by putting it against him.

The spectators hoped for his win to recuperate the losses, but Adrian had a different outcome in mind. As the Ograthian raised its fist for the final blow, Adrian executed his plan.

While trying to defend himself, he ’accidentally’ let the sword slip from his hands. The crowd gasped as they realised what was about to happen.

"No!" someone shouted from the stands. "Fight back!"

"Fuck! I should have placed my money on the Ograthian! Oi! Let me change my bet!"

He could hear countless people cursing and begging him to fight, but Adrian ignored the pleas. Instead, he allowed the Ograthian to deliver a final, devastating blow, sending him crashing to the cage’s wall before slipping to the ground. Blood trickled from his wounds as he lay there, motionless.

The crowd erupted into chaos. Their cheers turned to boos as they realised they had been deceived. Adrian’s plan had worked. He had intentionally lost the fight, sabotaging the match and costing the spectators their money, which brought him pleasure.

Angry shouts filled the air as the people demanded their refunds. The organisers hurriedly intervened, sending the Ograthian away and dragging Adrian out of the cage. He winced as pain shot through his body, but he remained silent, knowing he had achieved his hidden goal.

As Adrian was escorted from the arena, the crowd continued to yell and boo, their disappointment evident. But Adrian paid them no mind. He had accomplished what he set out to do, and nothing else mattered.

Adrian pretended to be knocked out while the Tulkas dragged him to a shed behind the arena. There, they forced the cheapest healing potion into his mouth and then tossed him among a bunch of others who had fought in the arena earlier.

Adrian slowly opened his eyes and saw several Tulkas standing before him and the rest, discussing the fate of new slaves, evaluating their worth and where they’d be sent to work.

’No Nexarians or heroes here,’ Adrian thought while looking at those around him. ’It seems Sara isn’t the only one selecting the slaves because, according to her, I was the first guy in a week that showed up there. So it won’t make sense for this many people to be here.’

While the information was new, it didn’t surprise Adrian. The Tulka tribe was big, so they probably needed lots of slaves. Having only Sara choose the slaves seemed unlikely.

Especially since they only sent a handful of people to her every month. They’d need more help if they were picking dozens of slaves every month. It also meant there could be more secondary settlements that Adrian wasn’t aware of at the moment.

’Things keep getting interesting...’

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