Ch.28The Arena

People with cloudy eyes waited for the door to open, and the apartment building turned on its lights and opened the entrance door at the exact time.

As the iron gate guarded by men in suits opened, people entered one by one, paying their fees, and immediately ran up the hill after passing through the door.

Next to them, I watched as cars also entered one by one after paying, and I searched my pockets.

Naturally, there was no money.

It was certain that the thief who stole my bracelet had taken my money too.

“Um? Sir? The entrance fee…”

“I don’t have any.”

“Uh, well.”

When my turn came and I boldly stated I had no money, the man looked around awkwardly.

Right beside me, a disheveled woman was being dragged away by two men.

“I-I’ll earn it and pay you back! How much is the entrance fee anyway? I’ll earn it and pay you back! Okay? Just let me in! I’ll really pay you today! Okay?”

“Get lost now! You beggar!”

“Just let me wait here for a moment! I’ll pay! There are people in there who stole my money! Once I beat them up and get my money back!”

“Hey, drag this bitch out!”

The man looked back at me, made eye contact with another man, and they both shook their heads.

Apparently, they thought it would be impossible to drag me out like that.

“Sir, I’m sorry but if you don’t have the entrance fee…”

“Inside, there’s someone who stole my money. I’ll catch him and pay you back.”

“Well…”

The men looked at each other once more and then joined forces to try pushing me away.

Of course, I didn’t budge at all and instead pushed past them to enter. The two men let go in surprise and said:

“What strength… Sir, are you a superhuman? Physical enhancement type or something?”

“I’m not a superhuman.”

“What? We’re superhumans! It doesn’t make sense for a normal person to be stronger than us.”

“You two seem weak. Are you eating properly?”

“No… what… wait, just come in for now.”

The two men let me in through the door with bewildered expressions and led me to an empty space on the side.

“Sir, if you’re a superhuman, how about participating in the arena once? Arena participants don’t need to pay entrance fees, and you could even earn money while enjoying yourself.”

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“We can’t chase this customer away anyway. Let’s just let him in without getting hurt. If we say he came to fight in the arena, the higher-ups won’t complain, right?”

“Hmm, that’s true. Whatever happens in the arena isn’t our business anyway.”

“Whatever it is, I don’t care as long as I can get inside.”

“Okay, decided. Sir, you’re for the arena. This way, please. Fight in the arena first and then spend the money you earn however you like.”

“Hmm.”

The men grabbed my arms and took me to a building next to the apartment entrance.

Inside were various clothes, cold weapons, and what appeared to be a physical enhancement-type superhuman with a fierce expression, exuding killing intent as he sat there.

“What is it?”

“Ah, yes, there’s someone who wants to participate in the arena today.”

“Find clothes that fit and… wait, what’s with this person? Why is he so tall?”

“Then… I’ll be going now.”

“Listen, we don’t have clothes that fit you, so either go as you are or take off your top, it’s up to you. Firearms are prohibited as they might hit the audience, bows are also prohibited. If you brought any, put them down and take one of the weapons here.”

“Hmm, which way should I go?”

“Hey, don’t be overconfident just because you’re physically fit. Just take a weapon when offered.”

When I turned my eyes away, showing no interest in weapons, the man spoke with a dissatisfied voice.

“Aren’t you here risking your life for money too? Increase your chances of survival while you can.”

“I’m fine.”

“Tsk… suit yourself. If you think you’re going to die, don’t hesitate to surrender. It’s annoying to clean up corpses.”

The man pointed to a corner of the building, and when I headed there, a path like a walking trail behind the apartment appeared.

Walking up the trail that reeked of blood, it led to an open space in front of the apartment.

There was a large tent, and people who seemed to be arena participants were gathered.

“Just need to catch one… just need to catch one…”

“Hoo, hoo, hoo… please a weak one, please a weak one…”

People, regardless of gender, were trembling with anxiety, clutching weapons in their hands and filled with fear.

Looking around, there were some superhumans, but also some ordinary people with good physiques mixed in.

I casually sat down on a bench inside the tent, and shortly after, the fierce-looking man who had been with the weapons entered the tent.

“We’re about to start. Who wants to go first?”

“Me, me! Me!”

“I want to go first!”

“Alright, you. You were the quickest, so come out.”

“Nngh…! Please, please…!”

“Why! Why! This is discrimination! Gender discrimination!”

People raised their hands eagerly, and the fierce man pointed at one person with an annoyed expression.

Then, the fierce man took a man who appeared to be in his twenties outside, and an amplified voice came through a loudspeaker outside the tent.

[Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for visiting Kowloon Walled City today! Shortly, we will begin today’s event! The monster arena!]

“Yeaaah! I’ve been waiting! Start already!”

“Woooooo!”

Curious about the loud noise, I poked my head out of the exit toward the sound, leaving behind the people trembling in the tent.

Outside the tent, in the open space between the U-shaped apartments surrounding the area, there was a large iron cage, with audience seats filled with people around it.

Not only that, but people were also leaning out of the apartment windows, constantly shaking their bodies.

From inside came beast-like groans; it was quite a chaotic scene overall.

[First, today’s first warrior! What is your name? Yes! Kim Ui-hwan! Let’s give a round of applause for Warrior Kim Ui-hwan!]

“What the hell! He’s so scrawny!”

“Isn’t he just a normal person? He’s going to die right away!”

“Damn! They’re deliberately sending out the weakest ones first again!”

As the first man to go out stepped onto the stage with a sword, people booed, and the man who appeared to be the MC brought something like a button.

Then, on a large screen behind the stage, a roulette appeared.

The roulette had 10 types of monsters drawn on it with their names. Two of them were weak Homicide-rank monsters that even ordinary people could catch if they tried hard enough, four were Homicide-rank monsters impossible to catch without being a superhuman, three were between Homicide and Destruction-rank, and the last one was Destruction-rank.

[Well then, without further ado, let’s begin! Warrior Kim Ui-hwan, please stop the roulette!]

“Please… please… please…!”

The MC started spinning the roulette and handed over the button. The man pressed it while praying desperately, and the rapidly spinning roulette gradually slowed down.

The needle at the very top center of the stopped roulette pointed to a monster named Blade Cat, which belonged to the weakest category among Homicide-rank monsters.

[Ah! Would you look at that! He got the weakest monster! The prize is 1 million won! Can he do it?]

“Booooo! Boring!”

“Booooo!”

“Aaaah! You bastard! You got the easiest one!”

“Damn it! I should have gone first!”

The audience booed, and the people waiting in the tent also threw down their weapons in anger when they heard the news.

[Then, let the betting begin!]

The words “Human” and “Monster” appeared on the large screen, and with a beep-beep-beep machine sound, numbers started rising.

Human 90%, Monster 10%, “Betting has ended” appeared again, and the MC pushed the man called Kim Ui-hwan on the back.

[Human 90%! Come on! Warrior Kim Ui-hwan, it’s nothing, right? Go and pick up that 1 million won!]

“Let’s gooooo!”

The man excitedly walked toward the central cage, and from the opposite side, men in suits pulled out a cage containing the monster.

The monster in the small cage was sleeping peacefully, apparently having received a considerable amount of sedative.

The suited men entered the cage where the person was and injected something into the sleeping monster’s body before quickly exiting, and the man named Kim Ui-hwan raised his sword with a tense expression.

[You know the rules, right? The match starts when the monster comes out of the cage. Attacking before that is a foul!]

Shortly after, the Blade Cat that opened its eyes stretched inside the cage like an ordinary cat.

Then, noticing the human in front of it, it licked its lips and raised the blades on its tail and claws.

“Uwaaaaah! Dieeee!”

“Kyaaang!”

As Kim Ui-hwan swung his sword, the Blade Cat quickly jumped around inside the cage, avoiding the sword.

The first effective hit came from the cat’s side. Kim Ui-hwan, whose arm was deeply cut by the Blade Cat, swung his sword wildly in panic.

Then, the cat, seizing the opening, jumped toward Kim Ui-hwan’s neck, and Kim Ui-hwan, whose carotid artery was cut, fell down clutching his neck with wide-open eyes.

[Oh no! Kim Ui-hwan is defeated! Dying to a Blade Cat! Couldn’t he even surrender?]

“Booooo! You bastards! Are you playing games from the first match?”

“This idiot! Die! Die!”

[Ah! Kim Ui-hwan is not moving! The Blade Cat is eating his neck! The result is in! Glory to those who bet on the 10%!]

“Die! Die! Die!”

“What the hell? Damn, why would someone who dies to that thing even come to the arena? Should have just done manual labor.”

The first man to go out died amid the audience’s jeers, and the fierce man who returned to the tent was irritated.

“Next!”

“Me! Me! Me!”

“Me! Me! Meeeee!”

“Please me! Please pick me! Oppa! Oppa! Hmm? I’ll do anything you want! Please!”

When the man called for the next person, everyone in the tent raised their hands, wanting to go next.

The fierce man clicked his tongue and pointed at a woman, who jumped up from her seat in joy.

“Kyaaaa! Oppa! I love you! Just wait a little bit! I’ll get the 1 million won, win big at the casino, and come back!”

“I don’t care, just go out there and catch the cat.”

The woman, afraid he might change his mind, grabbed a sword and rushed out urgently.

[Oh! The second warrior! Another pretty lady is challenging the arena today! What is your name?]

[My name is Kim Min-ji! I’ll catch that cat right away!]

[Yes! Ms. Kim Min-ji! Go and pick up that 1 million won! Betting starts now!]

The betting sound again, and this time too, the betting ended with an overwhelming ratio on the human side. Kim Min-ji easily killed the cat and came out of the cage.

[Congratulations! You’ve defeated the Blade Cat, which even some superhumans can’t catch!]

“Ahahahaha!”

“You’re beautiful, Kim Min-ji!”

[By the way, Ms. Kim Min-ji, what are you planning to do with this 1 million won?]

“I’m going to win big at the casino!”

[Yes! I hope you win big at the casino!]

“Hey, miss! If you lose all your money, come to Building 102, Room 301! I’ll take care of your pussy!”

[Ah, the person who just spoke, are you really going to take care of a cat?]

“Hahahaha!”

The audience laughed, and then the suited men dragged out the monster and the human corpse from inside the cage.

I understood how this “arena” worked.

Simple rules: catch the monster that comes out in the roulette and get money. If you die, the next person has to catch the previous monster.

In my case, I just need to catch any one monster and that’s it.

“Next…”

“Me.”

“Next is me… ah, yes, you go first…”

Thinking there was no need to sit any longer, I raised my hand, and the people in the tent made way for me, watching my reaction.

[Next, our next warrior enters! Wait… huh? Is this a person?]

“Wow, what the hell? How tall is he?”

“Kyaaa! He’s handsome!”

“Um… what is your name?”

I came out of the tent and stood on the stage, looking down at the MC who was about the height of my chest.

The MC briefly took his mouth away from the microphone and looked up at me, asking for my name, and I made up a suitable name on the spot.

“Call me Park Deun-deun.”