Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100

Chapter 1342  Cruel World

With those words, the new arrivals were guided toward the side of the arena, their footsteps echoing faintly against the stone floor as they emerged into the open space. Several veterans followed behind them, some stretching their arms, others wearing relaxed smiles that carried an unmistakable sense of anticipation.

To them, this was entertainment. Newcomers always arrived filled with hope and confidence, and just as reliably, most of them would be crushed before the day ended. The thought alone seemed to amuse the seasoned fighters as they took their places near the edge of the arena, already judging which of the fresh faces would fall first.

The Divine Colosseum itself was overflowing with life. Every tier of seating rose high into the air, packed tightly with spectators whose voices blended into a roaring tide of sound. Some shouted the names of favored fighters, others argued loudly over bets, while a few simply watched in silence with sharp and experienced eyes.

Divine Essence drifted through the air like a faint mist, reacting subtly to the emotions of the crowd. The arena floor below was vast and scarred, its surface etched with countless marks left behind by past battles, each one a silent testament to bloodshed and survival.

In one of the elevated seating stands, two women sat side by side, their presence commanding an unspoken authority. One had deep crimson hair that flowed down her back like liquid fire, while the other possessed hair shaded in warm orange hues that shimmered faintly under the light of the arena.

Their beauty was striking, but what stood out even more was the empty space surrounding them. Three or four seats in every direction remained conspicuously vacant, despite the colosseum being completely full.

No one dared to sit near them. Some avoided looking in their direction altogether, while others cast quick glances before turning away as if fearful of drawing attention.

"Jaden, your chosen warrior must win today," Lucia said, her crimson eyes fixed on the arena as a faint smile curved her lips. "He won three battles yesterday, and because of that we won the bet and earned a decent amount. Today I placed even more on his victory. I would really like to see him win again."

"Lucia, you worry too much," Jaden replied with an easy smile, her posture relaxed as she leaned back slightly. "The warriors I choose rarely disappoint me. Even on a bad day, he will win at least one match. That much I can guarantee."

"I hope you are right," Lucia said with a grin, her gaze sharp and calculating. "If that happens, I can place even more bets later and walk away with an even better profit."

"Honestly, Lucia," Jaden said, glancing sideways at her companion with mild disbelief. "You train harder than most people here, yet your obsession with betting only keeps growing."

"Hehe, do not worry about that," Lucia replied lightly, her smile widening just a little.

"If you say so," Jaden said, turning her attention back toward the arena as the first fighters began to step forward, her expression calm and expectant.

At the edges of the arena, the fighters gathered in loose lines, veterans and newcomers alike standing beneath the towering walls that enclosed the battlefield. The air was thick with Divine Essence and tension, and the distant roar of the crowd washed over them in relentless waves.

The newcomers stood more rigidly, their gazes drifting toward the arena floor and then up to the stands, where countless spectators waited impatiently for blood to be spilled.

Max observed everything in silence for a while before his curiosity finally pushed him to speak. Turning toward a group of veterans nearby, he asked calmly, "Who will we actually be fighting in the colosseum?"

A middle aged man among the veterans laughed loudly at the question, his voice carrying a rough edge as he looked Max up and down. "Kid, since you asked so nicely, I might as well tell you," he said with a grin that held neither kindness nor malice, only familiarity with cruelty. "We ascenders fight each other here. That means when your turn comes, if luck is not on your side, you might end up facing me."

He chuckled again, clearly amused by the thought. "That is how the colosseum works. We are thrown against one another until someone falls or gives up."

He then lifted his chin toward the stands, where the noise of the crowd surged even louder as fighters began stepping onto the arena floor. "Look at them," he said, his tone turning colder as he gestured toward the sea of faces packed into the seating areas. "They do not care whether we live or die, whether we are crippled or torn apart. To them, this is just entertainment. We are nothing more than pieces on a board they gamble on, cheer for, and forget once the next fight begins."

Max nodded calmly at the veteran's words, his expression unchanged as if none of it truly mattered to him. Fighting other ascenders who were merely at the peak of Divine Rank did not concern him in the slightest.

Compared to what he had faced on Acaris, such opponents could hardly be called a challenge. To him, these battles would be nothing more than a brief interruption, an easy breeze he would walk through without effort.

What truly occupied his thoughts was something else entirely. Instructor Virelia. His gaze drifted briefly toward the upper stands of the colosseum, not searching for an opponent but for a familiar presence that had yet to appear.

He had expected her to find him quickly once he ascended, and the longer she did not show herself, the more that absence weighed on his mind.

"Am I depending too much on her here?" Max wondered silently, shaking his head as if to dismiss the thought.

Perhaps he was, yet he could not deny the reality of his situation. In this unfamiliar world, surrounded by forces far stronger and more ruthless than those of the mortal realm, there was no one else he could rely on with certainty. Instructor Virelia was the only higher ranked existence he trusted, the only one who had extended a hand to him without hidden malice.

She had invested in him back in Obsidian Dragon City, seeing value in him when he was still struggling to rise, and Max knew such people did not simply abandon their investments. There was no reason for her to ignore him now that he had finally ascended to the Divine Realm.

With that thought steadying his resolve, Max returned his attention to the arena, waiting patiently for the first battle to begin.