Chapter 25

Chapter 25 Chapter 25 The underground arena had stationed some staff to monitor the fake addresses generated by signal interference, specifically to deal with any official investigations.

Occasionally, unsuspecting people like Nyx would send gifts to someone in the arena, and if those gifts got delivered to one of these fake addresses, they would typically be destroyed.

Luckily for Nyx, one of the staff working that shift was a friend of Kian’s, so her gesture hadn’t gone to waste.

Kian was momentarily confused as he took the thermal box from his friend, but when he saw what was inside, he straightened up with surprise. His dull eyes suddenly lit up with life.

It was like watching a dead man come back to life. The fighters around him, waiting for their own turn in the arena, couldn’t help but peek over, their curiosity piqued.

Someone asked, “Who ordered you takeout? That looks fancy as hell!”

“Doesn’t look like takeout, though. The packaging’s way too nice,” another male corrected the first one.

“That thermal box... Hold up, let me check. I swear, that brand’s expensive! Damn, you know someone so generous? What the hell are you doing here fighting in this dump? You should be out there getting in with the big shot!” another guy shouted in excitement.

These guys, living on the edge every day, envied Kian’s good fortune but couldn’t understand why he’d still throw himself into a death pit like the underground arena. If someone cared about him enough to send him gifts, why the hell was he here risking his life?

Kian didn’t respond. He lowered his head, opened the thermal box, and gently pulled out a big sandwich. Around him, the sound of swallowing saliva could be heard.

“That smells amazing! What the heck is it, man?” asked someone.

Another male echoed, “Yeah, bro, throw me one of those!”

Someone recognized it and gasped, “Wait, isn’t this a sandwich from Nyx’s livestream giveaway?”

“That’s a sandwich? I’ve never seen anything like it,” a male said.

“Who the hell is Nyx?” asked another guy.

The male who recognized the sandwich was a fan of Nyx. He quickly pulled up a screenshot from her livestream and showed it around, saying, “Nyx is this super cute female, my dream matron!”

The screenshot was from Nyx’s live stream this morning. Her blond hair, pale skin, and round almond eyes were fixed seriously on the camera, looking adorably precious.

A crowd gathered around, all of them impressed.

A male gasped, “They’re from such a stunning female. No wonder the box is so damn fancy.”

“Man, you’re damn lucky,” added another male.

“You seem like such an ice–cold guy, but I didn’t think you’d be into Nyx’s live streams,” someone else yelped.

09:34 e, 11 Feb Kiss Chapter 25 “Of course he is!” Kian’s friend, nicknamed Bear, let out a loud laugh as he slapped Kian on the back. “You guys don’t know the half of it. That female even touched his beast form with her own hands!”

The whole group froze and turned to stare at Kian.

The fan who had been showing off the photos was practically shaking now. He quickly dug up the infamous video of Kian losing control and compared it to Kian’s face. It was indeed Kian.

That fan had been too distracted watching Nyx to pay attention to the black mamba’s human form, but now he was piecing it all together.

Seeing the black mamba curl up beside Nyx in the video and now the young male holding the sandwiches, the fan felt like all the luck had fallen on Kian alone. Jealousy was palpable in the air.

Bear wasn’t done stirring the pot. He raised his eyebrows at Kian, winking and saying, “Look at you, bro. You were soft as hell in Nyx’s hands, and your tail’s practically wrapped around her already, huh?”

The room full of young, bloodthirsty males erupted into whistles.

The teasing and jeering got louder and more intense. Kian’s face instantly turned grim. His fists slowly clenched, veins popping on his forehead.

Bear, still not letting up, asked with a grin, “You still remember what it felt like, don’t you? Are her hands soft? How good did her touch feel...”

Before he could finish the sentence, Kian’s fist flew like lightning, smashing into Bear’s face with a sickening thud.

Almost no one saw the punch coming. All they heard was a sharp whoosh of air. Bear, who was built like a mountain, crashed to the ground with a heavy, muffled thud.

The silence that followed was brief. Then, the roar of excitement from the others exploded.

“Damn! That was a good one!”

“Don’t stop! Hit him again!”

“Get up, you useless piece of trash! Fight back!”

Just moments before, they’d been joking around about Nyx, but that camaraderie was nothing but a thin veil. The true atmosphere of the underground arena had now revealed itself.

This place was a violent hellhole–a lawless world where no one would stand up to stop the chaos. Everyone was a desperate outlaw, and no one cared for peace. They just wanted the fight to get even louder.

Kian stared coldly at Bear, who was wiping the blood from his nose, his eyes filled with frost.

Surprisingly, Bear wasn’t angry. He spat out a mouthful of blood and teased, “Still as fierce as ever, huh? Good job, man.”

Bear had once been a fighter in the arena himself, getting wrecked by Kian’in the past and barely surviving. After that, he quit and became a clerk at the underground arena.

They weren’t just enemies–they’d built a strange kind of friendship through their fights. Thus, a single punch from Kian wasn’t a big deal to Bear.

Bear raised his eyebrows and grinned. He then pointed at Kian and said to the crowd, “You guys see that? This kid’s got feelings now.”

2/4 +13)

Dreame–Read Romance...

Open 09:34 Tae, 11 Feb Chapter 25 ., 92%

Bear knew Kian well enough to understand that the guy had an insane amount of self–control. Even when he was angry, he usually swallowed it down, keeping it all inside. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have endured years of pressure from his mother, silently taking it until he finally snapped.

But now, just because Bear made a couple of light jokes about Nyx, Kian suddenly threw a punch at him.

Bear slapped Kian on the shoulder in a knowing way and commented, “You’re still too young, man.”

“Who hasn’t been young?” Bear sighed, shaking his head. “I used to like a female and chased after her for like eight years.”

Back then, he wasn’t stuck in the mess, and Bear almost had the kind of life he’d dreamed of–a normal, happy one.

“Then things went south. I started fighting here to pay off some debts, and I never dared go back to her,” Bear said with a grin, even though his words had a bitter edge. “Guys like us, staying at the bottom of the world, don’t deserve someone like that.”

Kian just stared blankly at Bear. He shoved Bear’s hand off his shoulder without a word and turned back to his seat.

Kian hugged the thermal box to his chest again, grabbing a sandwich and biting into it with mechanical force. He grabbed another, chewing through it like a machine and swallowing hard with a determined look in his eyes.

His slightly long hair and lowered eyelashes hid any emotions on his face, but it couldn’t hide the overwhelming inferiority that filled his every movement.

It was hard enough just trying to survive. He wasn’t in any position to ask for anything more.

Before his turn, Kian stuffed his mouth with every sandwich, neatly packed up the empty thermal box, and then stood up to head for the arena.

His back was straight, and his frame was slim and fragile, showing a feeling that looked between a teenager and a man. But as soon as he stepped onto the arena, that fragile look disappeared, replaced by the sharp, focused presence like a blade.

This match didn’t take long. Kian was ruthless and quick to defeat his opponent. His strikes were brutal, as if he was venting all his pent–up frustration.

But the moment his opponent fell, Kian pulled back, his fury retreating back into his chest.

Just like every time before, he spared his opponent’s life.

He earned half the money that the others made, but Kian left the underground arena with only the empty thermal box in hand, like a ghost drifting through the place.

Outside, it was the middle of the day, and the sun was shining brightly.

The streets were crowded with people talking about the brave female who had stopped the out–of–control black mamba from hurting anyone, yet no one even noticed the male who’d been part of that story walking down the same street.

A little jewelry shop had just opened, with the shopkeeper cheerfully calling out to the young males walking by, trying to convince them to buy something nice for their favorite females.

Kian walked up, wiped the blood off his hands, and carefully picked up a necklace with a blue iris design.

+13 Pae, 11 Feb