Asura in Arknights

Individual skill can only determine the lower limit of skill, but if you want to achieve good results in knightly competitions, you absolutely cannot do without the help of good equipment.

Li Ang's armor... it wasn't exactly unusable, but it was still quite inferior to that of the people on the central battlefield.

The people engaged in fierce fighting over there didn't even glance in this direction. They didn't need to bother with such reckless people; someone else would handle them.

Several knights located at the edge of the battlefield noticed Li Ang and stopped in unison, surrounding him from the opposite direction. They planned to first collect the points from Li Ang before continuing their internal struggle.

By failing to surround Li Ang immediately, they missed their last chance.

“Look, some of the contestants have already noticed him. They seem to be planning to deal with this reckless little guy first before continuing their duel.”

"It's really unfortunate. I wonder how long our warrior can last against these people. Based on your old friend Donnie's rich experience, it definitely won't last more than thirty seconds."

According to this commentator, it seemed as if Li Ang was about to be killed in the next second, and most people thought so too.

Several sword lights slashed towards Li Ang from different directions, blocking all his paths forward. He only had two options: either stop and face the siege of several knights, or be decapitated by these sword lights.

This kind of manslaughter... is very common in knightly competitions.

However, Li Ang's actions exceeded everyone's expectations. He acted as if he hadn't seen the sword lights at all, and continued to charge forward without dodging or avoiding them.

"Has this contestant been blinded by courage? His armor can't withstand that much courage. I think it's time to call the emergency medical team. If we're lucky, contestant Li might be able to save his life... Wait! He actually blocked it?"

Doni's words were filled with disbelief. In the footage captured by the drone, four weapons struck Li Ang's body almost simultaneously, with one rapier even viciously stabbing towards Li Ang's neck.

Even so, the drone's scoring system did not detect that Li Ang had lost points, and he acted as if nothing had happened, leaving the somewhat stunned knights far behind.

"Wait, let's slow it down and see what just happened." Donnie quickly pulled up the video of that moment, and in ten times the slow speed, they finally saw what had happened.

When the weapons struck Li Ang's armor, it was as if they hit an invisible barrier. The weapons slid to the sides, still a short distance from actually hitting Li Ang's armor. This is why the scoring system did not deduct points from Li Ang's score.

"...It seems that our contestant Li Ang is not as simple as he appears. He actually possesses considerable magical skills. The following developments will be quite interesting. Let's wait and see what impact Li Ang's strong intervention will have on the current situation."

While Doni was explaining, Leon didn't stop. He shook off the knights who were eyeing him and came to the center of the battlefield.

At this moment, the outer perimeter of the battlefield had been completely cleared, and all the surviving knights had gathered in this small area... It was the perfect opportunity to wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

This is the moment Li Ang has been waiting for.

A massive amount of Originium energy gathered on Li Ang's body, and propelled by this immense power, he even lifted his feet off the ground, hovering slightly in the air.

During the same period, Li Ang also lost his ability to move.

But that was enough; by the time the other contestants realized what was happening, it was too late.

When the Originium energy on Li Ang's body reached its peak, the air suddenly contracted around him, and the whole world seemed to stop. When time began to flow again, the violent air currents surged outwards from Li Ang, lifting rocks into the sky, uprooting trees, and obscuring most of people's vision with flying sand and stones.

Even some drones high in the sky were caught in the crossfire, being hit by flying rocks and exploding into dazzling sparks in mid-air.

"you……"

The promising player, on whom the Rachel Knights had placed high hopes, only managed to utter a single word before being slammed against the wall by a massive blast of air, nearly knocking him unconscious.

The knights who had been fighting him earlier fared even worse; in this apocalyptic storm, they were immediately half-dead from being hit by various debris.

On the leaderboard, Li Ang's name started jumping wildly, soaring straight to the top like a rocket.

When everything calmed down, a huge crater appeared in the arena, surrounded by chaos. The only person still standing in the arena supported himself with his sword in the center of the crater, his chest heaving.

The stands were completely silent; even the commentators forgot to announce the result of the match.

A few moments later, the drone's referee system automatically ended the match.

"Match over!!"

The winner is—

"Li Ang!"

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Showdown

Back in the athletes' lounge, Li Ang took off his helmet and wiped away his sweat; his racing heartbeat had gradually calmed down.

That was the largest energy surge Li Ang had ever unleashed, covering an area exceeding a city block, which was no easy feat for him.

Wave Burst is not a spell known for its wide range, but the other spells that Li Ang knows are even less suitable for that situation. If he were to burn someone to death on the spot, he might be disqualified from the competition. He can only make do with Wave Burst.

Although what just happened looked terrifying, the power of the shockwave was dispersed over such a large area, so the power was not much left. At worst, the unluckiest guy would only break one or two bones. For these tough knights, it was not a serious injury.

However, according to the rules of the Knights' Tournament, if Li Ang wins, a portion of the points from these players will be transferred to Li Ang's account.

After the battle just now, Li Ang also had a clear understanding of his current strength.

In the chaotic battle just now, apart from Li Ang and a few other newcomers without any combat record, the other contestants were all competitive knights with considerable strength, which is not considered weak in the Terra world.

As for Li Ang's strength... although it can't compare to those humanoid natural disasters who can destroy a town with a wave of their hand, he is already on a different level from these ordinary knights. Those who are qualified to be Li Ang's opponents are the elites secretly trained by those great powers, or figures at the level of military leaders.

If Li Ang plays it safe and doesn't reveal his weaknesses, he should have no problem making it into the main draw of the Special Championship.

After resting for a while, Li Ang sensed the situation outside the players' rest room and gave up the idea of ​​leaving.

A large crowd had gathered outside the lounge, and Marna was struggling to deal with them. At least for the time being, Leon would not be able to leave from here.

The moment the results were announced, the entire Arena 7 erupted in cheers. The audience was delighted to have enjoyed a match of this caliber for such a low price, while the reporters and sponsors were even more excited, as no one wanted to miss the opportunity to meet Li Ang.

The supplies dropped by the support drones rained down from the sky, startling Li Ang so much that he fled from the competition venue back to the players' lounge. Li Ang had always kept his distance from these fervent fans.

It's obvious to anyone with eyes that Li Ang has the qualifications to enter the main draw of the Major.

In a short period of time, all the footage related to Li Ang in the previous match was pulled up and studied repeatedly by a group of people more than a dozen times.

It's clear that Li Ang isn't as experienced in close combat as the other knights, but the problem is... he's not a proper knight, is he? Did you see that spell that ended the match? Lack of experience isn't a problem at all; if he could get some good equipment, he might even make it into the top sixteen.

The information Li Ang filled out when registering was also unearthed. He had just arrived in the Great Knight Territory half a month ago, seemingly to participate in the Knights' Championship.

While it's rare for foreigners to achieve rankings in the Major, it's not entirely unheard of. For example, a few years ago, the Major champion known as the Black Knight was a Caprini from Letania.

The Black Knight has defended his title in the Major three times in a row and has become a legendary figure in Letania.

After a while, the noise outside the door gradually subsided, and Marner walked in looking exhausted. He was also quite tired from dealing with the reporters who had taken stimulants.

"You've had a tough time," Li Ang tossed a bottle of water over and asked, "How are those people outside?"

After drinking the water that Li Ang threw to him, Marna took a deep breath and said, "It's almost all taken care of."

“As per your request, I’ve turned down those interviews with reporters and some collaborations with small manufacturers. Now, there are a few offers from large companies that you need to consider,” Marna said.

In fact, Marner had already made a mistake.

Warlocks are inherently difficult to judge by their appearance. Marna knew that Leon had some strength, but he didn't expect him to cause such a commotion. Now the situation is starting to slip out of his control.

With such strength, are you really worried about not being able to make money? Marna was already considering whether the chips he had were enough to make a deal with this person.

Moreover, if it were to come into the sights of a business alliance ahead of time... just thinking about it gave Marner an immense headache.

"First, there's the Howling Guardians. They're going to give you a set of their company's latest model of armor for free. If there's any intention to cooperate later, they can provide the latest armor developed in-house."

"Then there's Brilliant Shield Industries. They're quite interested in your performance, and after signing a contract, they can provide a complete set of equipment, as well as subsequent maintenance and upgrades."

"Currently, only these two weapon manufacturers are interested in you. Apart from that, there are other companies offering promotional contracts. Although the Business Federation and the Association do not prohibit Knights from signing multiple contracts at the same time, I suggest you go back and ask your boss for his opinion before proceeding."

“I understand,” Leon nodded and replied, “What are the next steps in the contracts for Howling Guard and Brilliant Shield? Did he give you a draft?”

“Yes, here they are.” Marna handed two draft contracts to Li Ang.

After a quick glance, Li Ang immediately ruled out Brilliant Shield Industries' contract.

Although there is still room for further negotiation, this contract is simply too harsh, almost equivalent to selling oneself to this company. However, it is understandable, as Glorious Shield Industries is a leading company in Kazimierz, with its own trained knightly order, while Li Ang is just an unknown nobody who has just won a battle, so the contract is naturally not going to be very generous.

In comparison, the contract for Howling Guards is much more lucrative.

At this time, the Howling Guardians were not particularly famous, their products were rather niche and only suitable for a small number of people, and their subordinate knightly orders were always hovering between second- and third-rate. Based on Li Ang's performance just now, he was also a pillar in the Howling Knights, and his treatment was naturally very generous.

As Li Ang looked at the contract in his hand, the lounge gradually quieted down.

Marna sat to the side, still somewhat hesitant, unsure whether to propose a collaboration.

Suddenly, he felt a very faint Originium fluctuation enveloping the two of them, and the source of the spell was Li Ang sitting opposite him.

Sometime later, Li Ang had already placed the draft contract on the table and calmly spoke to Marna.

“Mr. Marner, I know you’ve been hiding some things from yourself.”

"Now, let's talk openly and frankly."

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Transaction

This is the Originium Arts of Letania...

Marna recognized the spell's origin at a glance, as he also possessed a spell with a similar effect.

The spell's effect is quite simple: it conceals movement within a certain range. During the spell's duration, most sounds cannot penetrate this magical barrier. Unless someone breaks in directly, no one can hear their conversation.

"What do you think I'm hiding?" Marna asked calmly, without panicking.

“For example, your own strength, identity, and so on,” Leon shrugged. “With your strength, Mr. Marner, why would you hide in a small company with no reputation? Let me guess… is it related to a business alliance?”

"Also, Mr. Marna, what you want to talk to me about should be related to the competitive knights, right?"

If someone possessed the strength of Manna, they could live a very comfortable life in most parts of Terra. However, according to Leon's observation, Manna's life was anything but comfortable.

Being an employee in a small company is bad enough, but he also has to endure being bossed around by that fat pig boss every day. Not everyone can tolerate that.

Therefore, Li Ang deduced that Marna was probably using self-deprecation to lower the guard of some people.

In Kazimierz, how many forces could suppress a powerful knight in this way? Only one of the four major powers that jointly govern Kazimierz.

With the National Assembly, a puppet state, ruled out first, and the Knights Association having maintained neutrality, Li Ang felt that the Business Alliance was more likely among the two options: the Supervisory Council and the Business Alliance.

“…Hmph.” Marna snorted, which was tantamount to acknowledging Li Ang’s guess.

After being exposed, Marna didn't waste any words and said directly, "How about we make a deal? Aren't you in dire need of money right now? As long as you fulfill my requirements, I'll give you more money than you can spend in a lifetime."

"Tell me your requirements first," Li Ang asked cautiously.

After all, Marna's statement... made Li Ang feel somewhat uneasy, as if she were making empty promises to fool a sucker.

He has more money than he could ever spend in a lifetime. Let's not even talk about whether he can come up with it. Even if Marna could come up with that much money, it's still a question of whether Li Ang could earn it.

There are no free lunches in the world. Returns are usually proportional to risks. Money that you can never spend in a lifetime... does he mean to attack the Securities and Futures Commission?

“I need you to help me investigate some intelligence,” Marna said.

“You should have heard of Pol Pharmaceuticals. They are testing a new drug among the equestrian knights. It’s not convenient for me to get involved, so I need you to help me get a sample of this drug, and preferably detailed information about it.”

"With your ability, if you can win a few more games, Pol Pharmaceuticals should send someone to contact you soon."

Li Ang couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, thinking to himself that this money was indeed not easy to earn.

Bohr Pharmaceuticals... Li Ang had indeed heard about this company in the news not long ago. It's the leading company in the pharmaceutical industry, and it won't be easy to find out anything from them.

However, why investigate Pol Pharmaceuticals? Could it be related to the recent intrusion into Pol Pharmaceuticals' laboratory? And who is behind Manner?

Li Ang rested one hand on his chin, while the knuckles of his other hand gently tapped the armrest of the sofa, producing a rhythmic clicking sound.

After a long silence, Li Ang finally asked, "Can I know who is supporting you behind the scenes? Investigating Bohr Pharmaceuticals... this is not a good job. If things come to light, it might alarm the Business Alliance, and I can't withstand their retaliation."

“That’s not your concern,” Marna said calmly. “You just need to know that even if something unexpected happens, we have the ability to get you, the Kuhns, and the little girl who came here with you out of here.”

"...Is that considered a threat?"

"I'm just telling the truth. Before we talk about terms, we always need to find out a person's background first."

The atmosphere in the lounge suddenly turned cold. Marna didn't offer any explanation, but simply sat there quietly waiting for Li Ang's reply.

In fact, at this point, the power behind Marna is quite clear. Apart from the Securities and Futures Commission, what other power in Kazimierz can rival such a massive business consortium?

In other words, Marner's commission is merely a microcosm of the conflict between the Securities and Futures Commission and the Business Alliance.

So, should we accept this commission?

After thinking for a while, Li Ang decided to hear the other party's offer first. "So, what are the specific details of the compensation?"

"After this is done, how about a large manor in the Great Knight Territory? If you don't want the manor, you can exchange it for an equivalent amount of Kazimierz gold coins."

Upon hearing Marner's offer, Li Ang had to admit that he was somewhat tempted.

If the prize money from entering the Major tournament is enough for Li Ang to repay the money Professor Valcke lent them and travel to the next country, the price of a manor in the Grand Knights Territory could be ten times higher, and he wouldn't have to worry about money for a long time to come.

Whether he can still earn so much money after leaving Kasimir, a country corrupted to the core by capitalism, remains to be seen.

Let's do it! At worst, we can run away with the men. Anyway, practice makes perfect, this isn't the first time he's run away.

“Then, I need to know the specific details, such as the relevant information about Bohr Pharmaceuticals, how you will ensure that your actions are not discovered by the Business Alliance, how you will ensure that the reward is delivered to me after the mission is completed, and how you will ensure our safe withdrawal in case the matter is exposed.” Li Ang pointed out the most critical issues in this transaction.

"Looks like you've agreed? Good." Marna nodded slightly, then reminded her, "But we can discuss these things later; we've been here for a while now."

Spending some time in the lounge could be excused as considering those contracts, but staying too long would inevitably arouse suspicion, and these are details that might expose the truth later.