Asura in Arknights

Apart from those specified in the criminal law, only the 'Arena Knight' perfectly fits Li Ang's requirements.

Before arriving in the Great Knight Territory, Li Ang had heard some news about competitive knights. Apart from not allowing infected people to participate, the Business Federation and the Knights Association had imposed almost no restrictions on competitive knights.

As long as you submit an application to the Knights Guild, you can become the lowest-ranking competitive knight. The threshold is practically nonexistent. In addition, successful competitive knights can make money very quickly. Countless people in the villages they pass through dream of coming to the Great Knight Territory and becoming a glorious competitive knight.

Just like in the world where Li Ang lived, the career that children dream of has gradually changed from scientist to star who can make a lot of money.

Well, Pretty Cure doesn't count.

Even without being sponsored, competitive knights can win a large sum of prize money by participating in just a few matches. However, what these people see are only the winners pushed out by capital. What they don't see is that countless nameless independent knights have already fallen in pools of blood on the arena.

In the arena, only strength matters, and the only thing Li Ang can boast about right now is his own strength... Putting aside his championship in the Knights Tournament, surely he wouldn't lose in an ordinary match?

"...Why would you ask that?" Renn frowned, his expression turning serious.

“Because I want to give it a try.” Li Ang didn’t hide his thoughts and told Renn directly, “Brother Renn, aren’t you a competitive knight? I think it would be more convenient to ask you.”

"no!"

Upon hearing Li Ang's idea, Ryan's first thought was to stop him.

As an active competitive knight, although Renn's knight rank is only level five and he has not yet reached the threshold of an upper-level knight, he is already a mid-level knight who is doing quite well.

That's why he knows all too well how dangerous this industry is. Losing one or two arms is a minor matter; a slight mistake could cost him his life on the field.

Because he was afraid of losing his life, Renn's knight rank was delayed in being promoted.

Seemingly realizing that his tone had been a bit harsh, Renn adjusted his emotions and said slowly, "What I mean is, you have many safer jobs to do, there's no need to risk participating in the Knights' Tournament."

“But I need money, I need lots and lots of money,” Li Ang said calmly. “Those jobs… can’t meet my needs.”

“Brother Renn, you know that Adele and I can’t stay here forever. Investigating her parents’ affairs also requires a lot of money. Knight’s competition is the only method I can think of right now.”

Ryan was speechless for a moment.

What could he say in this situation? Their family situation wasn't very good either.

As Renn's knight rank remained stagnant, his salary gradually declined. After paying off his monthly mortgage, he and Sarah's combined income was just enough to make ends meet, but this was not a long-term solution.

Not long ago, he and Sarah had been considering whether to sell the villa and move to a cheaper place.

Unexpectedly, Leon and Adele arrived at this time, and with the little life about to be born in Sarah's womb, it made things even worse for this already poor family. Even if Renn wanted to help, he was powerless to do so.

After a period of silence, Renn let out a deep sigh.

"ok, I get it."

"But I hope you understand that although it is not as easy as the knights who guard the border, being a competitive knight is definitely not an easy job. People who are killed on the field because of 'mistakes' are completely in accordance with the rules of the game."

There is an absolute gap in strength between the lower and middle-level warrior knights and the arena knights. After all, how can a vase who grows up on the arena compare to a warrior knight who has fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood?

However, at the pinnacle of competitive knights, the titled knights, the gap between competitive knights and conquest knights is not that big. The strongest conquest knights are at most more experienced in killing and better at cooperating with their companions in group battles.

Of course, the absolute top-tier powerhouses are not included. Those people have already surpassed the realm that ordinary people can understand. They can form an army by themselves and break through a city single-handedly. Their strength is something that ordinary people simply cannot imagine.

Li Ang nodded and said, "I am quite confident in my abilities."

"My Originium Arts are better suited for combat than for daily life."

Renn simply nodded and said, "Now come with me to the training grounds. Since you really want to become a competitive knight, I need to check your abilities first."

Li Ang shrugged, got up, and followed behind Renn.

As the two walked toward the backyard of the villa, Rein said, "The tournament is about to begin, and many foreigners will come specifically to participate in it. The knightly competition during this period will be very chaotic."

After passing through the small garden, the two arrived at an open space of about 100 square meters, which was where Rein usually trained. The open space was filled with training equipment such as armor, weapons, and dummies.

"Although I am a level 5 knight, my strength is only considered average among all competitive knights. If you can't even withstand a few of my moves, you should give up on this idea as soon as possible."

As he said this, Renn picked out two one-handed wooden swords from the pile of weapons on the ground and tossed them to Leon.

Holding the wooden sword in his hand and weighing it in his hand, Li Ang found that it was actually quite heavy. It must have been equipped with additional features to simulate the center of gravity of a real sword.

While Li Ang was examining the weapon in his hand, on the other side, Renn had already assumed a fighting stance.

He said, “The competitive knights are divided into independent knights who are not contracted with the company, competitive knights who are employed by the company, and knights who have joined the knightly order.”

"Leaving aside the Knights Order, you wouldn't choose that path. Compared to independent knights, competitive knights employed by corporations may face restrictions in terms of competition schedules, but they can also receive more sponsorship fees from corporations."

"If you meet my requirements, I can ask my boss to see if we can sign a short-term contract with you."

Chapter Fifteen Test

"Thank you very much," Li Ang said sincerely.

With Renn's help, Li Ang wouldn't have to start from the lowest rank of independent knight. If Renn could persuade his boss to sign a short-term contract, it would also be of great help to him.

Having gotten used to the weight of the wooden sword in his hand, Li Ang casually pointed the tip of the sword at the ground. He had no idea how to use a sword, so he was just doing whatever felt comfortable.

Seeing Li Ang's expression, Raine couldn't help but frown.

This posture... does it mean he doesn't know how to use a sword at all?

However, since he is a top student from William University, his Originium Arts skills should be guaranteed. After all, he managed to bring Adele out of Letania while surrounded by the military police.

He estimates he needs to put in more effort in close combat.

Taking a deep breath and composing himself, Renn shouted, "What, aren't you going to attack? If you still don't move, then I'm going to make my move!"

"Um... I'm not very good at taking the initiative, so please go ahead, Brother Ren."

To be honest, Li Ang felt a little embarrassed to make the first move when facing an acquaintance, so he asked the other person to take notes first.

Raine didn't continue to refuse, and said in a deep voice, "I know you are from William University and are good at Originium Arts, but there aren't that many rules in the Knights Tournament."

"Your opponent won't be a fool and wait for you to prepare your spells before making a move."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ryan started running.

Every Sarkaz is a born warrior, possessing exceptional physical attributes from birth. Even without training, their combat prowess far surpasses that of other races, not to mention that Rein is a seasoned gladiator knight with many years of experience.

Li Ang knew that Rein's words were well-intentioned, but he still felt something was off. From the strength of the air currents that Rein created as he ran, Li Ang could roughly judge Rein's level of strength.

They far surpassed the members of the Legion of Letania, but were slightly inferior to the Tower Warlocks; they were probably among the top in the Warlock Guard.

This strength is by no means weak, but it is not enough in Li Ang's eyes. Think about what kind of demons and monsters he has faced before. Even the weakest of them, Dan, has the strength to sweep away a small mobile town head-on after making full preparations.

Every move Renn makes is now impossible for Li Ang to detect and predict. Li Ang can even predict where Renn will launch his next attack.

However, no matter how rich Li Ang's inner thoughts are, in reality they only last for a blink of an eye.

Raine had closed in on Leon's side, pointing the spine of his sword at Leon's sword-wielding arm, ready to teach him a lesson.

However, just as Raine swung his wooden sword, he seemed to see a dark shadow flash past his eyes, and an irresistible force came from the sword. With a loud bang, the wooden sword flew out of his hand and disappeared into the distance.

"Brother Renn, is this okay?" someone asked in his ear.

Looking at his right arm, which was still trembling slightly, Renn fell into deep thought.

If things had continued like that, the question wouldn't be how long Li Ang could hold out against him, but how long he could hold out against Li Ang... Are all the students at William University monsters?

"Your power... how can it be so exaggerated?"

This was the first time that Renn had been completely powerless in a physical confrontation... there was absolutely no room for him to fight back. Even if he had used all his strength just now, the outcome would not have changed.

“Because I’m from Agor. Aren’t Agor people generally very physically fit?” Li Ang replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

After hearing this, Renn couldn't help but give a wry smile. "I've met a few Agorians on the field, but their strength wasn't as exaggerated as yours..."

Just who is this kid?

His thin and weak appearance makes it impossible to tell that he possesses such power. Anyone who encounters him for the first time will surely suffer a great loss.

However... if you were hit directly in the body by that level of force, you probably wouldn't even have the strength to suffer a loss. It would be better to just call someone to collect the body.

At this point, Renn began to think of a strategy as a competitive knight, but then regretfully discovered that he seemed to have no way to deal with a player like Li Ang.

That exaggerated power should not be underestimated even with bare hands. Perhaps the only way is to avoid close combat and use magic or bows and arrows to strike it from a distance.

"Is my strength enough?"

"That's enough, that's enough. With that kind of strength alone, no one below the rank of superior knight can stand against you." Renn sighed. He didn't need to worry about Li Ang's strength at all; he should be thinking more about himself now.

A fifth-level knight... With a little more effort, he can advance to a fourth-level knight, which would be considered reaching the threshold of a high-level knight and bringing more income to his family.

“Actually, I’m more skilled in Originium Arts, but the space here is a bit small, so I’m not very good at controlling the power of my spells…” Li Ang said.

Yeah... I can't believe I forgot about that.

Raine's feelings were complicated. He had just been thinking about how to defeat Li Ang, but he had forgotten that he was also a sorcerer.

If they were to exchange spells at mid-range, it would be uncertain who would gain the upper hand.

Li Ang's strength far exceeded Renn's expectations. He can now even draft a contract on behalf of his boss without any objection from his boss.

But now Renn is hesitant, because he is not sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.

On the bright side, since Li Ang possesses this level of strength, even if he does step onto the stage of the knightly arena, there's no need to worry too much about his safety.

However, such a dazzling performance also means trouble. If Li Ang catches the eye of the senior management of the business alliance, then whether or not a contract is signed will no longer be up to him... At that time, things will become very tricky.

I've heard rumors that the business alliance has taken action against knights who refuse to cooperate. I wonder if it's true or not, those legendary knight killers...

"Come on, I'll take you to see my boss."

-------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Sarah brought Adele to a very old manor.

"We've arrived, ah... Eyjafjalla, this is Nearl's manor."

Chapter Sixteen: The Lin Guang Family

This is an old-fashioned manor. The outermost wall is covered with moss and cracks, and an old house appears and disappears in the sunlight through the gaps in the ivy.

Sarah stopped at the gate of the manor, turned to look at Adele, and said, "Are you really not going to reconsider? You can find a better job; there's no need for you to do this for me."

Adele shook her head slightly and replied, "That would cause you trouble."

Actually, it's because they didn't travel far enough. Although Casimir and Letania are not directly adjacent, they are not particularly far apart, and there is a lot of exchange between the two countries.

If they were in a faraway country like Colombia or Sargon, they wouldn't have to worry about such trivial matters.

Adele plans to find a low-profile job to save some money before considering becoming a messenger of natural disasters.

Sarah was pregnant and couldn't continue her previous work, so Adele decided to take her place and help her finish the work for the next few months.

"All right……"

Seeing Adele's determination, Sarah didn't try to persuade her any further. "Then I'll take you to see the owner of this estate, Mr. Marner. I have an appointment with him to meet today."

Unlike the exceptionally talented Adele, Sarah's talent was only average and not enough to support her admission to William University.

Like millions of ordinary people, Sarah found a very ordinary job after getting married: working as a maid at the Lightbringer family's estate.

Well... to be honest, there's no one in this manor who needs taking care of. Including the manor's owner, Marna Nearl, there are only two people living in this manor.

Although she was nominally a maid, Sarah felt that the title of 'gardener' would be more appropriate.

Aside from cleaning rooms that no one ever lived in, Sarah's most frequent task was clearing away the overgrown weeds throughout the estate. Although it wasn't easy, the estate owner treated her very well; otherwise, Sarah would never have pushed Adele into such a mess.

The manor was very large, but it was also too desolate. Adele did not see a single person along the way. After passing through the deserted courtyard, the two arrived at the house located in the very center of the manor.

Here, they met the owner of the manor—Marna Linguang.

He was a middle-aged Kuranta man with a haggard face. Although his body looked strong and powerful, he had large dark circles under his eyes, as if he might die suddenly from overworking at any moment.

His expression looked extremely indifferent, as if he didn't care about anything.

"Ms. Kuhn, is there something you need from me today?"

Seeing Sarah walk in, Marna asked.

“It’s about the upcoming work. I have something I’d like to discuss with you,” Sarah replied, then pushed Adele out from behind her. “This is my sister, Eyjafjalla. I’m afraid I won’t be able to continue working for a while, so I’d like my sister to take over the job.”

“Um… Mr. Nearl, hello, I’m Eyjafjalla,” Adele said somewhat awkwardly. Marna didn’t seem very approachable to her.

Upon hearing Adele's greeting, Marner frowned and said somewhat displeasedly, "...Just call me Marner, I'm not qualified to use that title."

“So, what exactly is the reason?” Marner looked at Sarah quietly and asked, “Ms. Kuhn, you have worked here for a long time, and I can trust you, but I still hope you can give a suitable reason for this matter.”

“Because I’m pregnant,” Sarah answered frankly.

“I see… Congratulations.” Marna seemed to accept Sarah’s explanation easily, without any doubt that Adele was capable of the job.

He sighed and said, "Let's do it your way, but Ms. Kuhn, I also know how much longer I can employ you."

"Maybe next year, maybe in a few months, I might sell this place."