Chapter 52: vs CSS

Chapter 52

[Greetings to all viewers of Colosseum Survival from around the world! The final day of the first preliminary round of Season 12, Group A, has finally arrived!]

It was 8 AM. As usual, the morning caster started the opening with a bright voice.

[Good morning! And as always, my trusty partner, commentator Kim Jincheol, is here with me. Hello!]

[Hello, I’m Kim Jincheol.]

[The final day has arrived! After a long week, the time to determine the final survivors is almost here!]

[Indeed. The number of participants, which was so large at first, has now dwindled to the point where we can count them at a glance.]

[Let’s show the status board. This will be the last time we do so!]

—

Survivors as of Day 5: 69 (20 original players, 49 former defensive soldiers)

Survivors as of Day 6: 61 (18 original players, 43 former defensive soldiers)

—

[What are your thoughts, commentator?]

[Well… It’s clear that the number of deaths has significantly decreased over the past two days. Many participants have focused more on survival rather than hunting or fighting over the past two days.]

[That’s right! Some participants haven’t left their initial hiding spots even though they haven’t eaten for three days!]

[I think it’s a wise decision. Some participants went missing because they got greedy.]

[Are you referring to Kim Jinsung?]

The caster quickly caught on and asked the commentator, who answered indirectly.

[Once again, let me remind you that Colosseum is a survival program. Survival is the top priority.]

[It sounds like you’re targeting Kim Jinsung.]

[Haha… That’s not it. There’s still a chance that Kim Jinsung is alive. Although the probability is very low.]

[You’re right. Many fans are still hoping for Kim Jinsung’s safe return!]

As soon as the caster finished speaking, the chat in the official internet broadcast room sped up.

—

– That’s me

– Did you call me?

– Please be alive ㅠㅠ

– Are Kim Jinsung fans still holding onto hope? Everyone knows he’s already dead, just give up ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

{User ‘KangMinhyukForever’ has been forcibly removed.}

– Good

– Troll cut ㅋㅋ

– Admin doing a good job ㅋㅋ

—

[Looking at the chat, there are still many fans cheering him on. Everyone! Keep hoping, just in case! There’s a famous saying in Colosseum, right, commentator?]

[‘If a body hasn’t been found, it’s not over until the preliminaries are over,’ right?]

[Exactly!]

The staff in the monitoring room watched the well-coordinated commentary on the monitor. Then, a female PD spoke up.

“The staff has entered the secret passage.”

The main PD turned to the monitor showing the secret passage. Four Colosseum staff members, fully equipped with high-tech gear, were each carrying a large drum-like container on their backs as they walked through the secret passage. The main PD gave instructions through the microphone.

“Let me know when you reach the sinkhole.”

– We’re right in front of it.

One of the staff members responded through the earpiece in the main PD’s ear.

“Once you arrive, unseal the drums but don’t pour them yet.”

– Understood.

The four staff members placed the drums down and began unsealing them.

“What’s inside those drums?”

The female PD pointed to the red liquid inside the drum.

“You know Repente?”

“Repente…? Oh, the rabid monsters?”

“Yeah. It’s ‘Berserk Liquid’ made from their blood.”

“Oh… So you’re going to pour that to make Forghinae go berserk?”

“Exactly. It will destroy everything up to the edge of the mountain ridge. The research team ran many simulations, and there’s less than a 1% chance it won’t go berserk.”

“Why does that 1% make me feel uneasy?”

“…What do you mean?”

“You know how many times Colosseum has defied 1% odds.”

“Please don’t jinx it.”

As they finished talking, the voice of the staff member in front of the sinkhole came through the earpiece.

– We’re ready.

“Okay. Hold on. Switch to the Forghinae camera.”

He gave instructions to the female PD. The main monitor showed Forghinae.

“…Huh?”

The main PD noticed something strange. Forghinae looked different from the past few days. He soon realized the difference.

“Why does it look so weak? This isn’t the Forghinae I know.”

It looked like a dying octopus, a stark contrast to the overly vibrant Forghinae that had faced Kim Jinsung the previous day. The female PD spoke with a worried expression.

“That makes me even more uneasy…”

“…No, it’ll be fine.”

The main PD reassured her and instructed the staff at the sinkhole.

“Listen carefully. We’re about to pour the ‘Berserk Liquid.’ As soon as you pour it, Forghinae will go berserk, and the area you’re standing on might collapse. Be ready to escape the secret passage as practiced…”

As he was explaining,

**Roar…!!**

Forghinae suddenly opened its mouth and let out its characteristic eerie roar, a sound that made the listener feel immense pain.

“…What?”

The main PD stopped in shock and stared at the monitor. The female PD, other staff, Baek Jun, and Jang Seungwook also turned to the monitor. Forghinae continued to scream in agony and began to wither at a rapid pace.

“Oh?!”

“What’s happening?!”

“Why is it doing that?!”

Everyone in the monitoring room was shocked by the sight of Forghinae dying. Even Baek Jun and Jang Seungwook stood up in surprise. Forghinae, which had shocked everyone, soon withered completely and stopped moving.

“…It looks dead.”

Jang Seungwook’s quiet comment left Baek Jun speechless, his mouth slightly open. At that moment, a thought crossed Baek Jun’s mind.

“Could it be… Kim Jinsung?”

At that moment, the staff above the sinkhole were standing still, holding the drums and waiting for instructions.

“…PD? Hello? …What’s going on? Is it broken?”

The team leader, who had been communicating with the PD, checked his earpiece again after the instructions suddenly stopped. A colleague next to him spoke up.

“Something must have happened to Forghinae. We just heard that strange roar from below, didn’t we?”

“Yeah. And since then, I haven’t felt any movement from below.”

“Right? So it wasn’t just me.”

As they conversed, they suddenly fell silent, instinctively dropping the drums and drawing their mana guns from their belts. They aimed at the center of the sinkhole and began firing mana bullets.

**Tat-tat-tat-tat!**

The sound of mana bullets hitting something echoed, but it wasn’t what they expected.

“A straw scarecrow?”

The team leader’s eyebrow twitched as he identified the target. Just then, a colleague shouted urgently.

“It’s coming towards you, team leader!”

“I know!”

The team leader raised his other wrist in front of him and infused it with mana, deploying a thick mana shield. At the same time,

**Clang!**

The sound of a steel sword clashing with the shield echoed through the sinkhole. The team leader saw the attacker and widened his eyes.

“…Kim Jinsung?”

It was a face recognizable to anyone associated with Colosseum. Kim Jinsung was trying to enter the shadows of the side wall. The team leader instinctively raised his mana gun again, but then,

– Cease fire!!

A loud command echoed through the earpieces of the staff. It was unmistakably Baek Jun’s voice. Without his command, all four staff members would have fired at Kim Jinsung.

– No attacking participants before the preliminaries end! Lower your guns and call him over!

Following the instructions, the team leader lowered his mana gun and shouted towards the exit of the secret passage.

“Mr. Kim Jinsung! We are Colosseum staff! Please come over here for a moment!”

There was no response. No sound of anyone approaching. But the staff, who were looking towards the exit, suddenly turned their gaze to the team leader’s feet.

“Hey, it’s really him?”

Kim Jinsung emerged from the shadows and spoke. His gaze was fixed on the large CSS letters on the front of the staff’s high-tech armor, indicating Colosseum Security Staff.

—

“What?!”

“It’s Kim Jinsung!”

“He’s alive!”

“How did he survive down there?!”

“Did Kim Jinsung defeat Forghinae?!”

“Amazing… Amazing!!”

The staff in the monitoring room erupted in a mix of shock and cheers upon seeing Kim Jinsung.

“Quiet!!”

As the room grew noisy, Baek Jun’s shout silenced everyone. Standing by the microphone, Baek Jun asked the main PD.

“You haven’t broadcasted this on TV yet, right?”

“No. There’s a rule against showing staff on the program…”

“Good.”

Baek Jun fixed his gaze on the main PD and began giving instructions.

“Do not broadcast Kim Jinsung’s appearance until I say so.”

“Absolutely?”

“Absolutely! I want to surprise the viewers when the helicopter arrives at the end. Understand?”

“Got it. Should we inform the commentators?”

“No. Don’t give them any hints. They’re experienced enough to figure it out with just a hint.”

“Understood. Everyone, listen up! Kim Jinsung’s survival is top secret for now! Be careful not to let any information leak!”

The main PD announced loudly to all the staff. Meanwhile, Baek Jun turned on the microphone and addressed the staff.

“Cancel the previous plan. Everyone, return to the preliminaries site.”

—

“…Understood.”

The team leader, having heard Baek Jun’s instructions, responded without hesitation and spoke to Kim Jinsung.

“We’re leaving. According to the rules, please wait here for about five minutes before moving. Goodbye.”

The four staff members turned and began to exit the secret passage. Watching them disappear quickly, Kim Jinsung thought.

“I heard Colosseum only hires top-tier hunters, and it’s true.”

Kim Jinsung recalled his surprise when he emerged from the sinkhole. The mana bullets fired by the staff contained a significant amount of mana, not to be underestimated.

“No wonder I didn’t even think of fighting them and tried to escape first.”

Experiencing the staff’s firepower firsthand, Kim Jinsung instinctively knew. Even a one-on-one fight would be tough, and a coordinated attack from four of them was unwinnable. Despite gaining the ‘Demon Physique’ trait and becoming at least twice as strong, he still felt this way. Just how strong were the staff?

“No wonder no player has ever escaped Colosseum alive.”

Kim Jinsung finally understood why the Colosseum program had run smoothly for twelve seasons without any issues.

“Anyway…”

Kim Jinsung turned his gaze to the notification floating before him.

“Amazing. This is why it’s called the ‘Largest Man-Eating Plant.'”

He read the notification again.

—

▶ You have defeated a monster.

▶ You have earned 500 Beast Karma points.

▶ You have acquired the composite trait ‘Largest Man-Eating Plant.’

▷ Largest Man-Eating Plant: Grants the following traits and permanently stored skills:

– Blinding Powder: Sprays red blinding powder on the opponent, causing blindness for 10 seconds. Consumes 100 mana.

– Sleep Powder: Sprays sky-blue sleep powder on the opponent, causing sleep for 30 seconds. Consumes 200 mana.

– Blindness Immunity: Permanently immune to the ‘Blindness’ status condition.

– Sleep Immunity: Permanently immune to the ‘Sleep’ status condition.

– Soil Nutrient Absorption: Absorbs soil nutrients without moving. HP and MP recovery speed increases tenfold. This trait is inactive without soil nutrients.

– All stats permanently increase by 75.

—

Not only did he acquire the ‘Sleep Powder’ mental status skill, but he also gained two immunity traits and a recovery speed increase trait.

“Soil Nutrient Absorption is the best. I’ve always lacked mana during fights.”

With this new MP recovery trait, he wouldn’t need to rely on potions as much anymore.

“I’ve unlocked all ten skill slots and gathered nearly 5000 points… Perfect.”

By absorbing as much dark energy as possible from Forghinae’s roots, Kim Jinsung had accumulated over 7000 Beast Karma points. He used 3000 of them to unlock skill slots as soon as he had enough. He wanted to unlock more, but the maximum number of slots was ten.

“Now, let’s go fill the remaining three skill slots before escaping.”

Confirming that about five minutes had passed, Kim Jinsung hid in the shadows of the cave once more.