The Bronze Chest could wait.
The gate on the far side of the ring opened, and Holden had enough time to get ready before the first beast came through.
Then the second.
Then seven more after that.
Feral Hounds. These beasts were skinny, looking like dogs that were built for fighting. Each one was the size of a big wolf with glowing fur. They ran into the ring together, but then they all stopped at the same time and stared at him.
They had nine pairs of eyes and teeth.
Holden exhaled slowly.
Outside the ring, he could hear the crowd reacting.
Holden looked at the Feral Hounds. Each one of them was worth ten kill points, and he didn't see that as a punishment.
He saw ninety KP.
The nearest hound attacked.
Whoosh.
Holden moved to the side smoothly. He spun around and swung his blade in a wide circle. The hound crashed to the ground and stayed down.
[+10 KP. Total: 20 KP.]
The pack rushed to attack.
They were much faster than the boar and smarter too. Instead of running straight at him, they spread out and surrounded him.
One faked its attack from the left while two others moved in low from the right.
But his footwork was Master tier now.
His feet just knew where to be. That was the only way to describe it.
CLANG.
A hound's claws scraped off his sword as he deflected it mid-leap.
Another hound hit the cage wall behind him, having misjudged where he'd be by the time it attacked him.
Whoosh.
[+10 KP. Total: 30 KP.]
His boot slipped on a damp spot and he went down on one knee. He had to roll sideways to avoid the hound's jaws snapping at his shoulder.
But he kept moving.
[+10 KP. Total: 50 KP.]
Four down. Five to go.
[+10 KP. Total: 60 KP.]
[+10 KP. Total: 70 KP.]
Only three were left. They stopped attacking him one by one and moved to surround him in a triangle. Each one was waiting for another to make the first move.
Holden turned slowly in place, keeping all three beasts in his sight so none of them could surprise him.
Come on, he thought. I need thirty more points.
The one directly ahead of him made the decision for him. It snarled and ran out of the group, and the other two attacked just a second later.
He took the one in front first, stepped into it, and put it down clean. Then he spun fast to the left, blocked the second one with the armor on his arm, and hit it with his sword in one smooth move.
[+10 KP. Total: 80 KP.]
[+10 KP. Total: 90 KP.]
One left.
The last hound had stopped. It stood about six meters away, watching him.
Holden rolled the sword and looked at the system screen.
[Current KP: 90]
[System Notice: 100x Multiplier Upgrade available at 100 KP.]
He needed ten more to hit one hundred.
He looked at the hound.
"Come on then," he said quietly.
It came.
And the moment it began its run, Holden gave the command in his mind.
Upgrade the multiplier.
The system responded instantly.
[Confirm Upgrade: Spend 100 KP to unlock 100x Multiplier?]
Yes.
The hound was four meters away.
[Upgrade Queued. Awaiting sufficient Kill Points.]
Three meters.
Two.
Holden struck.
Whoosh.
His sword went deep into its throat, ending the beast's life in a spray of blood.
[+10 KP. Total: 100 KP.]
[Condition Met. Multiplier upgraded to: 100x.]
Because the system processed everything in a split second, the 100x multiplier he just unlocked was added to the experience he earned from that deadly swing.
And something inside his head broke.
A hundred years of sword theory.
Not the whole history of every swordsman who'd ever lived. Just the foundation. He understood the timing and the weight of a sword perfectly. The information was put together in his head until it became an instinct, as natural as taking a breath.
The hound was already on the ground.
Holden stood in the middle of the arena, surrounded by nine dead hounds.
The arena was silent.
He gradually became aware of the crowd outside the cage.
[System Stats]
[KP: 0 (Spent: 100)]
| Multiplier: 100x |
Fighter Rank: Rank 1 (1-Star)
He'd spent all of his kill points on the upgrade.
The Bronze Chest from earlier was still floating over the Gore-Boar's body, waiting.
Now nine more small lights were gathering above each dead hound. They were smaller chests, more copper-toned than bronze.
Holden took a breath.
He turned back toward the examiner's stand.
And then a sound came from the side gate of the arena.
It was a loud, scratching noise, like something was broken. It sounded like the lock had failed or someone had opened it too soon. For some reason, the third cage on the wall was opening all by itself.
The crowd noise changed again, but this time it didn't sound like surprise.