Chapter 229: “Don’t Let It Be Your Last.”

The moment Jacob stepped into the arena, he was instantly surrounded by the vivid sounds of chattering, whistling, clapping, and distinct murmurs. The crowd was somewhat distant in a way that allowed Jacob to only see glimpses of moving shadows. This was unlike the Wutherhorn gladiator arena, where there was an announcer and a timer.

Here, the only rule was that there were no weapons. Other than that, the contestants could fight to the death.

Jacob stepped through the door floating in space, Uga not far behind him. The door instantly dematerialized as soon as they passed the threshold. The crowd was not as loud as he expected, but it was not quiet either.

That was why he could still hear Uga when it spoke.

"I’m afraid I’ll have to leave you now, Jacob Ironfell. As your guardian, I wish you all the... how do your people say it... good luck."

Uga vanished, leaving a dark cloud of mist in its wake, and reappeared in a seat somewhere in the crowd. The Meereen’s job was to lead the warrior in any way they could, but once it was time to fight, their assistance was no longer needed.

The rest-time rule of the Tower was that each player would get to choose how much time they wanted to rest between fights. If a person was up to it, they could be allowed to scale through fifty floors in quick succession, but some weren’t here to break any records or prove to anyone that they were the strongest. Some were even doing it to save their loved ones or families.

Each person had their reason for coming here, so they would be given the autonomy to choose when to fight and when to rest. It was a test that, although mandatory, would not be imposed on anyone.

The only rule that the Tower had was that once a warrior had fought once, forfeiting the Tower was not allowed in any way. They would have to fight until they lost the battle or were killed. This was why the Meereens always asked at the door if they were ready to embark on the trial. That was their only chance to turn back.

...

Jacob turned his head slowly, impressed by the architectural structure of the battle arena. In the middle was an extremely wide slab of stone laid out on the ground. He immediately assumed that that was the arena.

It resembled a stadium with the way the crowd was spread out in a circle around the arena. There was a large, floating, circular, black glider hovering above the arena in a single spot. Atop this glider was a chair made entirely of gold and thoroughly designed with red, shiny rubies.

On top of this chair was a Meereen, or what certainly looked like one, but it was much smaller than all the ones he had seen. It looked exactly like Uga, but a huge golden crown rested lazily atop its head, and its huge abdomen protruded out as it sat back, visibly bored.

’That must be the Grand Regent. How ironic that he’s the smallest among all of them.’ Jacob mused inwardly and cracked a small, imperceptible smile. It spoke to him of the fact that true power did not always reside with the strongest or tallest. True power resided with whoever had the willpower to command it.

Just as he was thinking about the meaning of true power and the Grand Regent, he barely even realized when he stepped onto the slab of stone. The crowd grew louder, muttering indistinctly. He could hear only a few things from them, but for the most part, he could not make out what they were saying.

"Ohh, he’s handsome~"

"I hope he’s as strong as he is good-looking~"

"Can they start the battle already? I’m dying of boredom here!"

"I have my money on the one with the white hair. He looks strong."

Jacob was only able to pick up faint sentences from the beings in the crowd. He wasn’t surprised to find out that some of them were gambling on fights. After all, it was difficult to see any fighting arena where gambling did not take place.

A door finally appeared on the opposite side of him, the same rectangular black door that he had walked through. For a few seconds, nothing notable happened, but then a leg came through, then another, and an arm, then another arm. Finally, Jacob could see his opponent clearly, and a Meereen standing right beside him with a knowing smile on its face as it floated a few inches above the ground.

The man standing across from Jacob had bright red hair and dark red scars all over his body. He was also shirtless like Jacob and wore a pair of trousers and sandals. He had a sinister smile on his face. Jacob could immediately tell what his name and power were.

Landrey Farre. That was the warrior’s name. Jacob smiled back at him. This was not a place to get to know people, so there was no need for anyone to announce their names or where they were from.

"Welcome, fighters. I trust you’ve had a very arduous journey here, and you are about to begin another very tedious journey..." The voice came from above. It was the Grand Regent, sitting on its chair and speaking with a voice that boomed all over the arena while everyone else remained silent. "However, you are here for one purpose, a purpose that you keep very close to you. This is your first battle, but it may be your last. Don’t let it be your last."

Jacob turned his gaze back to Landrey. The man was around the same height as him, but very well built. His muscles were very apparent, suggesting that he was really strong. The man cracked his knuckles and his neck, his Meereen guardian already gone from his side.

"I urge you to give it your all and not lose sight of what is most important. This is the last time you will hear this from me, so keep it in your mind." A visible grin flashed across the Grand Regent’s dark, starry face. "With that said... begin!"