Ch. 50 The Path of a Hero (2)
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 50 – The Path of a Hero (2)
“Please don’t view this place too negatively. Many rankers visit here to find the value of struggle.”
“If you wanted good reviews, you shouldn’t have made people fight for bets.”
The manager of the underground arena in Lexion, the entertainment district of the 40th floor, was an orc warrior named Kalson.
When he visited the hotel where I was staying, the first thing he said was to ask me not to hate the underground arena too much.
Of course, I already knew that orcs from Floria were a warrior race that enjoyed combat and respected the strong.
In fact, orc rankers had no hesitation in dueling and testing their strength against others.
For them, it was a cultural norm and a natural behavior.
But there was a flaw in Kalson’s argument.
Even if there were those who came here seeking to stimulate themselves and enjoy bloody battles, the core of the facility’s operation relied on those who bet on gladiatorial fights.
Orcs, humans, elves, beastmen—the visitors who came here for entertainment were diverse in race and origin.
‘This part is always the same.’
While tower residents, whether challengers or inhabitants, often clashed due to differing cultures and customs, they strangely aligned well in this aspect.
Desire was something so intense and hard to resist for beings with emotions.
“Sometimes, the rewards that shimmer before your eyes can draw out dramatic fighting spirit.”
“No need to sugarcoat it. We just negotiated.”
“…Very well. Then let’s discuss the details.”
He bowed his head after being shut down by me.
He didn’t seem too pleased, but I didn’t care much about his feelings either.
“The date has been set. It’s the largest event in years, so preparations won’t be an issue.”
“That’s not important. What matters is who I’m fighting. So, who is it? The one who wants to fight me.”
“Garvat. A challenger from the Lacno Mercenary Group with a record of 51 wins and 0 losses over three years in the arena.”
He showed me a photo of the person. A large wolf beastman covered in scars, exuding raw savagery.
This gray-maned wolf, snarling and baring his teeth while trampling someone, was the one who had challenged me despite knowing who I was.
“He insisted strongly. He said only someone of his caliber wouldn’t be a nuisance to you.”
“Quite confident.”
He was so dominant that the betting odds were low, making it hard to earn much money from fighting him.
Given that he regularly visited the arena to fight while climbing the tower, it seemed he wasn’t being manipulated by any constellation.
He was just a warrior who loved and enjoyed fighting.
“Do as you please. It doesn’t matter who it is.”
“But that’s not all. Garvat dared to request that you allow him to propose a Blood Oath Duel, a sacred wolf tradition.”
“Why so many conditions?”
From my perspective, I just wanted to get it over with, but for others, it was an event they needed to milk for all it was worth.
I smirked, but when I heard about the Blood Oath Duel proposed by Garvat, I couldn’t help but scoff.
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[Isn’t that guy being too arrogant? Does he think he’s in a position to make demands of Reina?]
ㄴ“Who’s the constellation contracted to that wolf? Does he have a personal gallery?”
ㄴ“There’s almost no info. He’s just a common low-tier ranker.”
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After Kalson left, I took a short nap and then checked the gallery.
As expected, the gallery users were annoyed with Lexion and Garvat.
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ㄴ“Why did Reina even accept such an arrogant demand?”
ㄴ“Dude, put yourself in Reina’s shoes. She’s probably annoyed and just wants to get it over with.”
ㄴ“Fr, the whole point is to provide a spectacle with Reina’s victory guaranteed. Whether the loser becomes a slave or not doesn’t matter.”
ㄴ“This is it. Given Reina’s personality, she probably just wants to finish it quickly and move on. And she has to consider her image too—it’s not good to be too nitpicky when she’s the overwhelming favorite.”
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Of course, some users accurately grasped my intentions.
I wanted to wrap up the negotiations quickly because there was no need to drag it out.
No matter how dominant Garvat was in the arena or how boldly he proposed a slave duel, it didn’t really matter to me.
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ㄴ“Then why did he propose such a duel?”
ㄴ“Maybe he just wants to voluntarily become Reina’s slave.”
ㄴ“Lol, seriously? That’s plausible.”
ㄴ“This actually makes more sense lol.”
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Neither I nor the gallery users expected me to lose. That’s why the reactions weren’t too heated.
Even if my stats were reduced due to being on a lower floor, the reality didn’t change.
There was already a significant gap between me and Garvat, who had only reached the 125th floor.
‘A slave? I’ll strip him bare and kick him out.’
I was genuinely disgusted by the joking comments suggesting he might lose on purpose to become my slave.
This was the tower, after all, where all sorts of people existed.
The thought that it might actually be true sent shivers down my spine.
I didn’t need such a slave. I planned to take everything I could from him as punishment for daring to challenge me.
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[Hey, these guys are probably planning to pull something on the day of the fight.]
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But just as I was about to close the forum and rest.
An excited user uploaded a video they had taken, claiming it was insider info from the arena.
“Do you think Moonlight Sword Radiance will refuse? It’s not part of the pre-negotiated terms.”
“In the past 10 years, there hasn’t been an event that drew this much attention. This is a kind of exhibition match, and we plan to broadcast it live in front of countless spectators. Do you think she can really refuse?”
In the video, Kalson shook his head and fiddled with a chain in his hand as an orc employee spoke.
The chain, engraved with special runes, glowed with intricate patterns.
“I’ve heard the rumors about Moonlight Sword Radiance. Meeting her in person, she’s exactly as described—arrogant and cynical. But someone with such strong pride won’t be able to refuse once the atmosphere is set.”
“If we make her wear this chain and fight…”
“Honestly, even with this, I’m not sure if Garvat can win. Top rankers are all monsters.”
Kalson sighed and shook his head.
Though it was a short video of their conversation, it was enough to understand their scheme.
They planned to suddenly impose an unannounced handicap on me in front of countless spectators on the day of the duel to boost Garvat’s chances of winning.
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ㄴ“These guys are cute, huh?”
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The first comment that caught my eye after the video ended was this.
It perfectly matched my thoughts.
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ㄴ“It’s a plausible plan. If they set the stage and push it in Reina’s face, given her personality, she probably won’t refuse.”
ㄴ“She’s the type to suffer in silence, after all. She’ll just endure it all frustratingly.”
ㄴ“But even I’d find it hard to refuse in that situation.”
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Some gallery users were starting to worry.
They pointed out that if their scheme succeeded, it would be hard for me to refuse the handicap on the day of the fight.
I had already declared I wouldn’t use any equipment.
If I were to fight while wearing a chain that further reduced my stats, the gap between me and my opponent would narrow even more.
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ㄴ“Calm down. I’ll give a warning.”
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As the hype started to overheat, Serpina stepped in to calm things down.
But what they were worried about probably wouldn’t happen.
Even if I hadn’t heard Serpina’s warning, I already knew everything.
‘Actually, this is good. I was already annoyed. Should I just smash everything?’
If they gave me a reason, I’d have the justification to do so.
Since they started it, it was my right to thoroughly crush and destroy them.
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ㄴ“I can tell just by looking. It’s not about stat reduction. It’s more about sensory confusion.”
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A user who seemed knowledgeable about magic and alchemy figured out the true nature of the chain they planned to put on me.
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ㄴ“They probably know curses don’t work on Reina. Messing with her senses would be much easier than affecting her stats.”
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The chain would cause sensory confusion the moment it was worn.
It would interfere with vision, hearing, balance, and reflexes—senses that could be fatal if even slightly disrupted.
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ㄴ“So how should Reina counter it?”
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I directly replied to the user, asking for the answer. Even if I wrote it like this, others wouldn’t think I was the one asking.
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ㄴ“There are many ways, but the easiest for Reina is to immediately channel her mana to suppress the magic. If she resists properly from the start, it won’t be hard to neutralize.”
ㄴ“Oh, you know your stuff. Sometimes, just overwhelming force is the easiest solution.
ㄴ“Thanks for the answer.”
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Hearing such a confident answer, verified by other users, made me smile.
Since I already knew how to counter it, their trap would backfire on them
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ㄴ“But more importantly, what will Reina wear for the fight?! Will she go for the female gladiator look!?”
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Of course, the constellations quickly devolved into their usual perverted discussions, but by now, I could watch such behavior without much thought.
‘How could I wear something like that?’
I shook my head as I looked at the users posting bikini armor pictures and drooling over them.
Of course, I’d just fight in my usual workout clothes.
Author Note
A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading.
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
Now I’m no genius, but isn’t sensory stuff also considered curses?Well, it’s debuffs I suppose… What a noob trait, smh.
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