Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 625 - 623 Climbing the Tower

"The store name is... Immaculate Furnace?"

The mule read the words from the paper, his eyes lighting up. He rubbed his chin, muttering to himself, This name isn't bad at all. Immaculate means a state of tranquility and purity in both body and mind; it implies that medical surgery can restore one to a state of pristine innocence. Furnace is for melting metal, hammering, and forging; it signifies that the shop can forge equipment and also offers enhancement and modification services to temper the body and refine the will. Brilliant.

The mule nodded in approval, his gaze sharp as he looked at Li Ang, clearly signaling, What do you mean you can't name things? You're clearly just being modest.

"Uh..."

Li Ang scratched his dragon-shaped head, too embarrassed to explain that the meaning behind Immaculate Furnace was his preference for tossing all garbage into the Forging Furnace at once, burning it clean. It costs money to forge equipment in the furnace, but incinerating trash is free, making it perfectly suitable for use as a trash bin during a big clean-up. The mule's reading comprehension must be quite good.

"If the store name is set, then I'm going to log off first," the mule said. "I will send you the information within twelve hours. I might also bring some clients willing to try the surgery—if you need them. To prevent accidents, it would be better for me to sign a confidentiality agreement with you, promising not to disclose any information about the shop."

"That's fine."

Li Ang nodded, signed the contract with the mule, and then saw him out of the shop, watching his figure disappear down the street.

Li Ang closed the shop's door and stood at the entrance, muttering to himself, Alright, what to do next... Might as well take a spin in the arena.

The arena, named "Sky Fighting Arena," was located at the six o'clock position of the central plaza. From the outside, it looked like a towering skyscraper piercing the clouds, over a kilometer tall with more than two hundred floors, each floor an independent dueling stage. After entering the arena, players could start from the first floor's stage and compete with a random opponent on the same floor. The dueling stage had a maximum time limit of 30 minutes, with the option to forfeit at any time, adjudicated by a System NPC. The victory conditions were as follows: a good attack scored one point, a perfect attack two points, and knocking an opponent to the ground or out of the stage area scored five points. A player who accumulated ten points, or whose opponent completely lost the ability to fight, won and advanced to the next floor, while the loser moved back one floor.

During the duel, the competing players could not interact with the outside world. The System monitored the entire process and would terminate the match if necessary to prevent players from dying outright—at worst, they would be on the verge of death, and grievously injured players could simply pay the System for assistance to cling to life.

Participating in the tower climb was not without its benefits. Players received certain rewards after finishing a duel, which could be Game Currency, equipment, items, or Skill Scrolls, depending on how perfectly the players demonstrated their power, skill, willpower, and momentum in the arena. Most of the time, rewards were distributed by the System. However, when a match was particularly splendid, different virtual projections would appear in the sky above the stage, overseeing the competition below. At that time, either the winner or the loser (if the loser fought impressively) would receive a reward after the match.

After observing for a few days, Li Ang noted seven different projection figures that had appeared above the Dueling Field.

One was a huge, humanoid figure clad in plate armor with blood-red skin, sitting atop a bronze throne whose base was constructed from grisly remains and skulls. Mad killing, filled with rage and lost sanity, pleased this one the most.

Another was an emaciated, faceless figure sitting cross-legged with a demonic disk floating beneath it, enamored with plots, outstanding intelligence, and strategies.

Beyond those, there was a slender, golden-red metallic dragon with spears in its claws and a Halo atop its head; a bronze ancient bell spotted with patina, endowed with a single eye; a huge human silhouette draped in a yellow robe, its face veiled by gray mist; a two-headed creature with eight tentacled arms; and a figure of indeterminate gender, but of unparalleled enchanting beauty, in shades of purple and pink.

According to some, these virtual projections were probably Deities watching the matches—whether actual divine projections or false NPCs constructed by the System was unknown.

Regardless, with rewards as an incentive, a considerable number of players became keen on climbing the tower. Outside the Dueling Field, small to mid-sized organizations even started running betting operations, providing live broadcasts for important matches (with the consent of the competing players), setting betting lines, and selling recorded match videos, thus making a profit. However, with outside betting, match-fixing inevitably occurred. The live broadcast's comment sections often displayed coded language such as "took a dive," "check it out," or "good brother," leaving the clueless audience bewildered.

Li Ang had also followed the Sky Fighting Arena's matches, as it was the ultimate test of strength. At present, the highest-ranked player on the Dueling Field's leaderboard was from the Global Occult Coalition, named "Michael." He had climbed to the seventy-sixth floor, where, having no challengers left at this level, he would have to face off against a System NPC to advance.

Players could choose a special name for themselves in the Sky Fighting Arena. Members of large organizations, to flaunt their identities and advertise their organizations, often used their actual nicknames directly. Many Lone Wolf Players, eager to prove their prowess and make a name for themselves, had been immersing themselves in the Dueling Field these days, which made the nearby medical service societies very profitable.

Li Ang walked into the building and, following the signposts, went to the registration desk to sign up for a match. Over the past few days, he had been spectating for free from floors 1 to 50; for matches above the 50th floor, one had to buy tickets from the System. He signed up at the registration desk, indicating that he was ready to compete at any time, then went to the Fighting Hall on the first floor to watch the arena matches while waiting for the Dueling Field to match him with an opponent.

"HEY!"

"HA!"

"HMPH!"

In the Fighting Hall on the first floor, there were six square arenas, each with two players fiercely battling it out. Since the System safeguarded against death, the fights were extraordinarily brave and bloody.

The most entertaining and eye-catching match was between the One-armed Giant and a Swordsman. The One-armed Giant stood over two meters tall, robust and muscular, with clearly defined veins that resembled coiled dragons. He wore a burlap mask revealing only his eyes, was shirtless, and wore tattered trousers. At the end of his remaining right arm, a huge iron ball encrusted with rusty nails was attached by a chain, which generated a piercing whistling sound when swung.

Confronting the One-armed Giant was a frail-looking Swordsman. He wore sunglasses, had disheveled facial hair, was dressed in a brightly colored shirt and orange beach shorts, and held a Longsword, appearing languid as he faced his formidable opponent. It was none other than Wanli Fengdao, Little Brother Dao.