Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 242

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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242
Chon merely rose to his feet, yet in that instant, silence descended upon the entire Colosseum.
Every gaze—from the spectators to all of Exos—turned toward Chon.
Three figures commanded the highest vantage points overlooking the vast circular arena. Chon occupied the supreme seat at the twelve o’clock position.
The second-highest seat at four o’clock was claimed by a figure shrouded in mask and cloak, their face obscured, yet their frame was slender and unusually tall for an Exos.
Finally, the eight o’clock position was held by an Exos whose entire body bore crimson markings.

Considering the Exos trait where elevated seating symbolized power, the masked figure had to be Os-na, and the one adorned in crimson markings was Bae-sho.
Chon relished the cascade of attention, his mouth splitting into a wide grin as he raised his fist high, then—
“Combat commences!”
He bellowed the declaration across the arena and brought his fist down upon the round creature before him, crushing it.
Unlike the typical lifeforms of Cagron, the creature burst, its bodily fluids spreading across the ground.
He licked the viscera clinging to his knuckles, while spectators in the seats directly below him lapped at the floor, desperate to claim even a single drop.
“Roooaaarrr!!!”
The roar shook the arena as Trapix, my opponent, thundered toward me, his bowling-ball fists colliding together with tremendous force.
It was a gesture devoid of tactical merit, yet it captivated the crowd’s attention masterfully.
“For Os-na! I shall crush you with a single hand!”
Trapix’s extended right arm obscured his vision, and I slipped into his blind spot.
“Huh?”
Losing sight of me, Trapix swept his right arm downward, but I had already closed the distance, now mere inches from his face.
“Wha—?!”
Startled, he swung his right fist in a wide arc, the blunt knuckles grazing past my head. True to his reputation as a swift warrior, several strands of my hair were severed by the mere passage of that crude fist.
In the same motion I evaded, I seized my blade’s hilt with both hands and drove it with tremendous force into his torso.
“Gaahhh!”
Trapix recoiled in agony, clutching his chest with both arms.
Then I hefted the massive serrated blade—more blunt instrument than sword—with both hands and brought it crashing down upon his head.
Boom!
The impact reverberated through my hands and arms, leaving them tingling, yet neither my blade nor Trapix’s carapace shattered.
That such force failed to break it—was it because I hadn’t fully recovered my strength? Or perhaps the Exos carapace possessed physical durability rivaling Adamant itself?
Yet regardless of the intact exterior, the body within the shell had not fared so well. His head caved inward from my strike.
The Exos body, resembling both starfish and rope, sat remarkably loose within the carapace. This allowed vital points like eyes and mouth to retract as far as the chest, but when such withdrawal occurred involuntarily, there was no escape from impact.
Trapix’s feet dug into the ground as his knees buckled backward, and he collapsed.
Thud.
Trapix hit the arena floor, sending dust billowing upward.
“…”
Silence fell once more upon the Colosseum—a different silence than when Chon had risen.
“Uuuaaahhhhh!!!!”
One Exos cried out, and that roar swiftly consumed the entire crowd.
“The hideous abomination from beyond! The shell-less Outer! The Outer has claimed victory!”
At the word “hideous abomination,” I fixed my gaze upon the Announcer.
“L-look at that hideous, enormous eye! I’m grateful for the greatness of Chon, who captured such a creature and bound it to the Colosseum!”
The Guard waved the net gently with one hand to show me, then beckoned with his other hand for me to return.
“Boss! You’ve worked hard!”
As I returned to the Underground Prison, O-gun and the other fighters prostrated themselves flat on the ground to welcome me.
“… Why are you all doing this?”
“I knew you were strong, but I didn’t expect you to finish it so quickly!”
“Ah, I see. But don’t lie flat like that. It’s unpleasant to look at.”
Displaying strength made prison life more comfortable. Even if it was still a musty Underground Prison.
“Then how should we greet you?”
“Hmm… In my world, it’s customary to simply bow your head.”
“Like this, Boss?”
O-gun bent at the waist ninety degrees and bowed.
With that gesture of respect and the title of boss attached to it, I seemed to have become a crime lord.
“… That works.”
That was already considerable progress.
“How do I get out of here…”
I sat down on the prison floor and rested my chin in my hand.
“No matter how strong you are, Boss, it’s impossible.”
As I muttered to myself in contemplation, O-gun spoke plainly.
“Don’t you understand empty words?”
“What is that?”
“Words spoken to sound pleasant.”
“…?”
He couldn’t grasp the concept itself.
As O-gun said, escaping while fighting in the Colosseum was impossible. The security was far too strict, and the entire Exos race was my enemy.
“In the end, I have to escape while I’m in prison…”
I looked around, but I found no way to escape from this solid prison.
“Hey.”
One Guard pointed his finger, and at its end was me.
“…? You mean me?”
“Yeah. You.”
“Fight again?”
“No. The prisoners say you’re a cook?”
“A cook? Me?”
“Well… Doesn’t food become delicious when the Boss touches it?”
O-gun muttered from behind.
“Ahem. Try doing this too.”
The Guard handed me food for them to eat. Compared to the fighters’ rations, it was slightly less murky and somewhat harder.
It wasn’t just the form. The more life force something had, the worse it was for Exos, so this food had slightly less life force than what the fighters ate.
“With bare hands?”
Absorbing life force while sitting idle without much effort would have been welcome, but in this situation, I needed to extract every last bit I could.
“Ha, what’s a slave fighter like you demanding?”
“Nothing grand. Just increase the meals for my fellow fighters.”
“…Those trash?”
From my perspective, there was little difference, but it seemed Exos had their own hierarchy.
The fighters were happy to eat more, and I was pleased to absorb more life force.
“Suit yourself if you don’t like it.”
“…Understood.”
The deal was struck, and I absorbed the life force from the provisions they brought.
“This is quite the delicacy!”
“This rivals the premium goods!”
The food I had infused with life force became popular among the guards as well.
After that, the Guard brought food for the prisoners alongside his own meals, and the amount of life force I could absorb increased further.
“Boss! Thank you!”
The fighters, who had always suffered from food scarcity, bowed deeply in gratitude.
Days passed as I continued draining life force from the provisions, but since I was human and merely surviving in Cagron consumed life force, it was like pouring water into a bottomless pit.
“When will this ever be enough….”
“Boss, are you still thinking of escaping?”
“Of course.”
“Humans truly know no surrender. Aren’t you exhausted?”
“My family is waiting for me…. I cannot die here.”
“I envy you. My family is already dead.”
“…I didn’t know that.”
“It’s commonplace in Cagron. We are all the same here. Families dead, the remaining lives and even the manner of our deaths stolen away—we are the defeated of existence itself.”
“When I escape, I’ll take you all with me.”
“We cannot escape.”
“Shut up. If I’m leaving, I’m leaving.”
“Cook, next match.”
The summons came again. Cook, boss—in the previous match I was called Outer, a derogatory term for those who occasionally crossed over from the outside world.
“Wait for me regardless.”
I told O-gun as I left the prison for the next match.
“Uuuaahhh!! Monster!”
“A monster without skin!”
We were still in the Fighter Waiting Area, yet the roars echoed through from outside.
“What….”
“Your victories have stirred up the insects.”
Beyond the iron bars of the waiting area, a figure in a mask and cloak emerged from the darkness.
“Os-na?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know me.”
“Did you come for revenge after I defeated your fighter?”
“I don’t care about insects dying. But I share the same purpose as you.”
“You know what my purpose is.”
“Getting out of here.”
“Out of prison? You don’t look like a prisoner.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
Os-na sighed with visible frustration.
“I’m talking about escaping this cursed world.”
“…You can escape from Cagron?”
“You’ve lost your power, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“How strong were you before you lost it?”
“Strong enough to slaughter every insect in this place.”
“Exactly! Finally! I can escape this place!”
“How? Will you open this and let me out?”
“No. I can’t open it now. But I can help you regain your strength.”
“Who are you talking to?! Get out of here!”
The Guard tightened his grip on my arm, and I moved forward to escape the throbbing pain in my head.
“I’ll be back soon. I’ve prepared a gift, so take it well and stay safe.”
Os-na dissolved into the shadows like mist.
The Guard neither saw nor heard Os-na. Was it some kind of sorcery?
“Uwahhhhh!!!!”
As I stepped into the Arena, the Guard released his grip and the pain vanished, though it had needlessly drained my vitality.
“Here comes the otherworldly monster who subdued Swift Trapix in a single blow! Outer! The creature without carapace!”
“I’ve been waiting!”
“I wagered on you today!”
“Kill or die! You must win!”
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
The frenzy of the Arena shook the very air.
“Against him stands Cagron’s warrior! Os-na’s pet Nijir~~!”
“…What is this thing so massive for.”
The creatures of Cagron were small, but this Nijir, resembling a ladybug, was roughly four meters long and three meters tall.
“Nijir! Nijir!”
“Dissolve it!”
Many spectators cheered for me, but many also roared for Nijir. One phrase among them grated on my ears.
“Dissolve?”
The massive Nijir approached me with heavy, thundering footsteps at a sluggish pace.
As I circled widely to assess my opponent, something shot from its straw-like mouth.
I sidestepped and glanced back to see the ground smoking and dissolving.
It had expelled its bodily fluids under tremendous pressure. The launch force itself was devastating, but the composition of the liquid was dissolving even Cagron’s hardened stone. If it could melt stone this durable, my body would dissolve in an instant.

“Nijir, who feeds on the virulent toxins seeping from the Basin, is the most vicious venomous creature in all of Cagron—one that evades even the mightiest beasts!”
“Kill it! Dissolve it!”
“If we die, we die! This abomination!”
Nijir unleashed a torrent of venom in earnest. Short bursts erupted from its maw in rapid succession, and I sidestepped each spray, circling toward its flank.
The creature’s body itself was sluggish, so evading the venom while closing the distance proved manageable.
“That foolish beast! It seems intent on striking Nijir from behind!”
The Announcer hurled another taunt.
I swore to myself that I would kill that Announcer the moment I escaped this world. But separately, I sharpened my focus further. There could be something on my back.
And the Announcer’s words were not without merit.
From the gaps between Nijir’s lateral carapace, dozens of straw-like tubes for spraying venom poked out tentatively.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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