Chapter 35 – Day 35

Day 35

“Where could this be?”

After parting ways with Kang Taeshin, Cheon Seoa, who had been wandering aimlessly, tilted her head.

Somehow, although it was still Seoul, Cheon Seoa had arrived at a strangely eerie place.
Looking around, all that could be seen were low-quality thugs or villains eagerly proclaiming ‘I’m a dangerous person’.

Usually, in comics or web novels, these kinds of places are defined as back alleys or villain-only areas.

“Could this be such a place?”

It was highly likely that it was.

Just then, as Cheon Seoa was once again aimlessly wandering around what appeared to be a ‘back alley’.

Swish-.

Five thugs blocked Cheon Seoa’s path.
They were looking at Cheon Seoa, who had an innocent expression, with lewd smiles. At the appearance of these five thugs.

“Even for me, this kind of classic cliché is a bit much.”

Cheon Seoa frowned at the appearance of these thugs, who were so classic they were practically fossils, using a cliché that no one would use nowadays.

However, the thugs, still wearing their lewd smiles for some reason, pointed their knives at Cheon Seoa.

No, it was the moment they were about to point them.

“Pressure.”

Crack-!

The space compresses before the thugs brandishing knives can even open their mouths.

The compressed area is the thugs’ two legs.

As a result, the thugs who instantly lost their legs in the compressed space scream and roll on the ground.

“You know, you appearing to save me is too much of a classic cliché, right?”

“Haha-.”

As Cheon Seoa says this, an awkward laugh echoes in the air, and a man reveals himself.

A man with a burly, muscular body.
The man, with various scars engraved like medals all over his body, soon spoke as if embarrassed.

“Well, I thought you were some lost girl from somewhere, but it turns out you’re one of us?”

One of us.
One of us.

Cheon Seoa mulled over the words ‘one of us’ that the man had uttered.

Perhaps the ‘one of us’ that man spoke of means ‘villain’.

The possibility of a man exuding such a strong smell of blood being a hero is close to zero.

Also, did that man think of her as one of them because she compressed those thugs’ legs without hesitation?

“By the way, why are you lingering here?”

….

Cheon Seoa remained silent at the man’s question.

To be honest, as the man mentioned first, she had indeed taken a wrong turn and was wandering around here.

Of course, the appearance of the thugs and the appearance of that man trying to save her from being surrounded by such thugs was unexpected.

Just as Cheon Seoa, who had been silent for a moment, was about to tell the truth.

“Ah, I see. You’re a ‘participant’ too? Well, that explains why a monster like you is wandering around here.”

Participant?
What’s that?

As she pondered these thoughts for a moment, Cheon Seoa soon nodded her head.

From the word ‘participant’ that the man had uttered, Cheon Seoa felt like she might encounter an interesting situation.

“I thought so. But why are you still here?”

“I got lost.”

“Huh…?”

The man showed a dumbfounded expression at Cheon Seoa’s answer.

Wait, so you were really wandering around here because you got lost?
No, more importantly, if you’re a ‘participant’, you should have had a guide.

“Where’s your guide?”

“I don’t have one.”

“What a mess of a situation.”

At Cheon Seoa’s quick response, the man muttered something and then nodded as if he had come to understand.

“Alright, then come with me. I’m a participant too.”

“That would be great, thank you.”

Cheon Seoa said with a bright smile.
At Cheon Seoa’s response, the man laughed and started moving.

* * *

The place they arrived at under the man’s guidance was an abandoned building.
Although the exterior of the building looked like it had been abandoned for over 10 years, the interior was quite different.

The first floor was set up like a kind of pub, with numerous people walking around or sitting in their own spots, drinking and conversing.

However, the attire of these people seemed quite wealthy, and furthermore, judging by their faces and the atmosphere they exuded, they were definitely not people from the light side of society.

“It’s bustling today as well.”

“Who are those people?”

“Huh? You’re a participant and you don’t know that?”

“It’s my first time participating today. I haven’t received any explanation.”

“Is that even possible…?”

The man tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand.
However, soon the man said, ‘Well, what can you expect from those villain bastards to do anything properly,’ as if convincing himself.

“They’re a kind of audience. They’re here to watch ‘participants’ like us.”

“So they’re the audience.”

“That’s right. But in reality, you might as well consider them gamblers. They bet money on the wins and losses of participants like us.”

Participant. Audience. And wins, losses, and money.

Cheon Seoa could figure out where this place was by combining these words.

This place could be called a kind of underground UFC.

Of course, compared to the real UFC, it could only be seen as lawless, but that’s why even more people would flock here.

Without any rules, blood and flesh flying everywhere. Moreover, there aren’t many humans who dislike such violence where people fight as if they’re trying to kill each other.

However, because of this, the identity of the people who could come here was certain.

The man who guided Cheon Seoa simply described them as ‘gamblers’ and belittled them, but.

Honestly, the humans gathered here now are just the dregs of low-life who could be called ‘gamblers’ without any objection.
The kind who live day by day. The kind of vermin who squander their wealth on this type of gambling.
However, those who can be called such ‘insects’ are only the humans who come here directly to watch the matches.
Like company presidents or chairmen, gang or organization bosses. Those who can be called ‘real’ in the literal sense enjoy this match in their own way.
In other words, the audience enjoying the participants’ ‘fight’ can be divided into two types.

It was when Cheon Seoa was looking at such ‘audience’ members as if they were curious.

“Let’s go now. It’s about time to start, and we need to get ready too.”

“Ah, I’m fine.”

“Huh?”

The man shows a dumbfounded expression at Cheon Seoa’s answer.
Cheon Seoa meets the man’s eyes and.

“Thank you for guiding me to such an interesting place.”

She smiles and expresses her gratitude.
At the same time, the man’s eyes briefly become hazy before regaining their original light.

“Huh? When did I come here?”

Cheon Seoa, who was in front of the man just a moment ago, had disappeared without a trace.
The man showed a puzzled expression, as if he didn’t know why he was here, and was bewildered.

Meanwhile, Cheon Seoa, who had erased all memories related to herself from the man’s memory.

“Hello. I’d like to register as a player.”

Cheon Seoa, who had arrived on the third floor, said so.

There are mainly two types of matches that take place here.

One is for players whose skills have already been verified and who have been invited through their own invitation process.

The man who guided Cheon Seoa here belonged to that category.

The other is a match that is held by accepting applications on-site.

In this case, although the skills may not have been verified, there is an advantage of being able to discover hidden strong players, often referred to as ‘pearls in the mud’.

Of course, the ‘audience’ tends to be more interested in the former.

Meanwhile, the young man waiting for registration looked at Cheon Seoa, who said she would register as a ‘player’, with disbelief.

She looked to be in her late teens at best.
No, even if you look at her generously, she seems to be just in her mid-teens.

How did this kid know about this place and come here?
Does she know what it means to register as a player?

Maybe she’s the child of some audience member.
Perhaps that child is saying she wants to register as a player out of simple curiosity.

The young man tried to put on a gentle smile and said,

“I’m sorry, but the registration time is already over.”

If he accepts her registration and this kid gets hurt while competing as a player, he would be a dead man.

The importance of each audience member is on a different level compared to a low-ranking staff member like himself.

Hearing the young man’s words, Cheon Seoa tilted her head.

“That’s strange. There should still be time left for registration.”

Flinch-.

Cheon Seoa’s response made the young man tremble.
Nevertheless, the young man’s eyes burned with determination to refuse Cheon Seoa’s registration by any means necessary.

‘I don’t want to die yet.’

In response to the young man’s resolve, Cheon Seoa smiled brightly.

“Of course, as a human, you should prioritize your own life above all else. However.”

‘I prioritize my own enjoyment above all else.’

As Cheon Seoa said this, a gloomy light leaked from her eyes, and the young man’s eyes became hazy.

“You’ll accept my registration, won’t you?”

“Of course.”

At Cheon Seoa’s question, the young man nodded weakly.

“Thank you. My name is Cheon Seoa.”

“Cheon… Seoa. Your registration… is… complete.”

The young man answered while scribbling a few times on the tablet in his hand.
At the same time, as soon as the original light returned to the young man’s hazy eyes.

“Thank you.”

Cheon Seoa smiled again and turned to walk away.
The young man, staring blankly at her retreating figure….

“Aaaaargh-!”

He screamed as he realized that Cheon Seoa’s registration had been completed on the tablet in his hand.

Meanwhile, this Mugwan-ok taking place in Korea.
The person in charge of overseeing the competition where numerous villains gather to kill each other.

“Wh-What-!”

He was shocked to see that the name of the participant who had just finished registering was ‘Cheon Seoa’.

Could it really be that ‘Cheon Seoa’?
No, it couldn’t be. That doesn’t make sense no matter how you look at it.

But.

“What if it’s really the young lady…?”

If it’s really the young lady who has entered as a participant, not a spectator, in this Muganok he’s been put in charge of?

“Shit, we’re screwed.”

The man shuddered.

If it’s really true. If the young lady has really entered Muganok as a participant.
Furthermore, if she gets even the slightest injury in that competition, a hellish life where he’d wish for death but couldn’t die would await him.

Having thought that far, the man moved urgently.

For now…

“I guess… I should report this.”

It’s better to take the beating first, as they say.
Rather than trying to hide this fact out of fear and getting caught, confessing first would slightly increase his chances of survival.

So, the man hurriedly contacted ‘someone’.