Xia's Season felt a bit awkward and sad; after all, as a chef who loved good food, she yearned to cook with better and more precious ingredients.
However, she had no purchasing channels and no paradise coins. To put it bluntly, she was poor. If you had money in Reincarnation Paradise, you could even buy a god's heart.
"The taste is very good, but the location is too remote. If the restaurant were near the main street, business would definitely be booming."
After enjoying the food, Mu Yang pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth, a hint of regret in his eyes.
The main street connects facilities arranged by Reincarnation Paradise, such as the "Attribute Enhancement Hall," and also passes by some large trading venues, so Contractors refer to it as the main street.
"Forget it, my small place can't seat many people anyway, and if too many came, I might not be able to handle it."
Hearing Mu Yang's words, Xia's Season did indeed fantasize about that scenario: no shortage of money, no shortage of business, how wonderful~
But then she thought, if business were truly booming every day, she would be constantly busy, not even having time to research new cuisines.
At this thought, her fantasy immediately shattered.
"How many paradise coins?"
"11, but 10 paradise coins will do."
Xia's Season generously rounded down for her new customer.
Mu Yang transferred 100 paradise coins to her. Facing Xia's confused gaze, he explained:
"Consider it stored here; I'll come again in the future."
"Okay."
After leaving Xia's Season, Mu Yang took out the map of Reincarnation Paradise, preparing to go to the Arena to stretch his muscles.
Half an hour later, he arrived in front of a towering building. This building was even grander than the Attribute Enhancement Hall. From its appearance, it was impossible to tell how large the Arena was, subtly reminiscent of the ancient Roman Colosseum, but only slightly so.
Contractors entered and exited the Arena in an endless stream, and many stalls were set up near the entrance.
"Latest Arena ranking changes! Come and see if your darling made the list!"
"Guide to Quickly Defeating Opponents (Mid-Range Edition)."
"Complete Guide to Taunting Poses! Guaranteed to break your opponent's defense!"
"I know the strongest one, it must be my darling's solid backing!"
"666, you little hater, just you wait! I think you're asking for trouble!"
The Arena is a very important building in Reincarnation Paradise. Major adventure groups take pride in their members' rankings in the Arena, disputes of interest are settled here, and Contractors with grudges can resolve their feuds here.
This is because when fighting here, unless both parties agree to a deathmatch, Contractors will not be in mortal danger.
The weak can gain combat experience without their lives being threatened; the strong can join better and stronger adventure groups based on their Arena rankings; adventure groups can enhance their reputation through the Arena's prestige, thereby attracting more strong individuals to join or cooperate.
Thus, the Arena became a common destination for both newcomers and the strong.
Mu Yang walked into the Arena, and a sense of transmission appeared; he instinctively clutched his head.
However, this time it was an ultra-short-distance transmission, so there was no feeling of being 'hit on the back of the head.'
[You have entered the Arena. Please select a mode.]
[Competitive Mode / Spectator Mode.]
Below followed a host of annotations to help newcomers quickly adapt to the Arena's rules and circumstances.
Spectator Mode: You can watch other Contractors' competitions. It costs 2 paradise coins per hour, and you can choose which matches to watch.
Current ongoing matches: 16539.
To watch the top 100 Arena competitions, it costs 10 paradise coins per hour.
To watch the top 10 Arena competitions, it costs 50 paradise coins per hour.
To watch the top 3 Arena competitions, it costs 100 paradise coins per hour.
...
Competitive Mode: In this mode, the Contractor personally participates in competitions. Reincarnation Paradise will rank Contractors based on whether they have participated in competitions.
Competitive Mode is divided into [Individual Combat] and [Team Combat]. Individual Combat is a 1v1 mode, and Team Combat is a 10v10 mode, with separate ranking mechanisms for each.
Note: There will be no casualties in the Arena unless a death duel agreement has been signed beforehand.
Note 2: No recovery items can be used in the Arena, with the exception of recovery-type skills.
Note 3: ...
...
"Select Competitive Mode: Individual Combat."
[Beep..., checking if the Contractor has participated in competitions. Check complete. The Contractor has never participated in any form of competition.]
[Beginning to assign a ranking for the Contractor. Current ranking: 165746 (First Tier Ranking). (This ranking is unrelated to the Contractor's strength; it is based on the Contractor's number of participations and win-loss record.)]
[Please actively participate in the Arena. The top 10 in the Arena will receive special rewards.]
[The Contractor has selected to participate in Competitive Mode: Individual Combat. Transferring to the rest cabin in three seconds.]
As his vision blurred and then returned to normal, Mu Yang found himself in a rest cabin. The rest cabin contained a seat, a table, and even a bed.
On the wall directly in front was a large display screen showing his ranking, the Contractor closest to his ranking, and various match situations around him.
Occupying the largest part of the screen were ten avatars. These avatars were bizarre and varied, most likely wearing masks, arranged in a line from top to bottom; these were the top ten in the Arena.
The rest cabin not only allowed for rest but also allowed calling for Employees in the Arena if other needs arose, which was very convenient.
[Matching opponent for Contractor... Match complete.]
[Due to this being your first battle, please choose your appearance.]
A large number of disguise appearances appeared. Most free disguises were not attractive; Mu Yang even saw a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shell decoration.
There was also a paid costume option, and he was surprised to see the complete Ultraman suit and Power Rangers outfits among them.
Generally, Contractors would alter their facial features, either making them impossibly handsome or shockingly ugly.
Mu Yang casually picked up a simple white mask to conceal his face, even though he knew his fighting style couldn't be hidden for long; as soon as a Contractor gained a bit of fame, it would spread.
For example, 'Night of Decapitation' – upon hearing this alias, Contractors could infer that the opponent likely used blade-type weapons and was a pervert who enjoyed cutting off people's heads.
How terrifying!
[Contractor has selected appearance. Beginning transmission.]
His vision blurred again, and once it returned, Mu Yang observed his surroundings.
He was in a circular Arena. The terrain of the Arena was not small, roughly three to four hundred meters, with a solid, non-slip metal floor. The edges of the Arena were surrounded by an energy shield.
Around the Arena were tiered spectator stands. The overall shape of the Arena stage was like a pit, with the flat circular stage in the middle being low and the surrounding spectator stands being high.
This made it easier to appreciate the competition, and the cheers of the audience would also encourage the combatants' morale.
It was indeed somewhat similar to the coliseum Mu Yang had imagined.