Chapter 83: The Reward for Survival

Episode 83

As the announcement of the end of the second preliminary round echoed, Kim Jinsung was still hunting Quagmires in his underground chamber.

‘It’s over now.’

Hearing the announcement, Kim Jinsung casually extended his hand towards the remaining Quagmires.

**Poof! Poof! Poof! Bang!**

The Quagmires exploded, scattering into pieces. The slime fragments quickly began to melt in the flames engulfing the chamber floor.

Having swiftly eliminated the remaining Quagmires, Kim Jinsung looked around with a newfound appreciation.

‘This ability is definitely overpowered.’

Seol Daun’s ability was truly overwhelming. Before, he had to use dark energy to attack, then convert it into fire mana, and then spread it across the floor to eliminate them. But now, the surrounding mana was taking care of it automatically. It was a convenient ability.

‘Thanks to this, I’ve gathered many more points than before.’

(TLN: Mc is playing minecraft with mods)

His work efficiency had increased significantly, leading to a noticeable increase in points earned within the same amount of time. As a result, Kim Jinsung had earned double the points in the same amount of time compared to before he killed Seol Daun.

‘I was going to kill the Seekers and reduce the competition, but… it’s better to gather points beforehand.’

He wasn’t sure if he could get anything better than Seol Daun’s abilities even if he killed the remaining Seekers. It was better to hunt the familiar Quagmires and gather points than risk his life in a potentially dangerous battle with the Seekers.

He couldn’t predict the rules for the third preliminary round. In the past, there had been rounds with no monsters at all.

‘And gathering points was the right decision.’

Kim Jinsung checked the notification that had appeared in front of him.

—

▶ You have surpassed 10,000 Beast Karma points.

▶ You can use your Beast Karma points to enhance one skill or trait further.

▶ ‘Skill Enhancement’ will consume 10,000 Beast Karma points. Do you want to proceed?

—

‘Skill Enhancement,’ a new feature that appeared after reaching 10,000 points. It hadn’t been particularly appealing to Kim Jinsung initially.

‘Skill Fusion’ already doubled the power of existing skills using half the points, so he wondered if it was worth investing double the points.

‘But… it’s not just a slight enhancement.’

Kim Jinsung selected ‘Skill Enhancement’ and then chose ‘Animal Transformation.’ A new notification appeared.

—

▶ Enhancing ‘Animal Transformation.’ The changes after enhancement are as follows:

– Skill name will be enhanced from ‘Animal Transformation’ to ‘Lifeform Transformation.’

– The transformable beings will expand from animals to all living beings.

– The number of the same lifeform required to transform into it will be reduced from 10 to 1.

– When transforming into a lifeform, you will only gain stat buffs. Debuffs will disappear.

– The existing stat buff effects will be significantly enhanced.

▶ Do you want to enhance the ‘Animal Transformation’ skill?

—

It was clear that enhancing the skill would be like getting a new skill altogether. And out of all his abilities, ‘Animal Transformation’ had the least potential for enhancement. Some skills had potential for enhancements that made Kim Jinsung question his sanity.

‘I’ll save this for the third preliminary round. The skill that needs enhancement might change depending on the situation.’

Kim Jinsung decided to save the points and closed the notification. Like ‘Skill Fusion,’ which had been used effectively in the second preliminary round, ‘Skill Enhancement’ would also be used strategically in the third round.

‘…Huh?’

At that moment, Kim Jinsung raised his head, sensing a strange energy. From the surface, he felt a powerful energy approaching him rapidly.

Simultaneously, an announcement reached his ears.

[Hunter Bureau personnel will now escort all surviving participants to the airfield. Participants are to refrain from resistance and comply with the agents’ instructions.]

‘…Hunter Bureau agents? Not staff?’

As Kim Jinsung was confused by the announcement, the door to his chamber burst open, revealing Hunter Bureau agents, fully armed from head to toe.

“Don’t move! Hands above your head!”

The agents slowly approached, ready to attack. Kim Jinsung raised his hands without resisting.

‘…Hunter Bureau agents are different.’

Kim Jinsung was impressed by their aura. Each of them exuded an aura that couldn’t be taken lightly. They were far more powerful than the Colosseum staff he had encountered.

‘This… This is the level of South Korea’s elite hunters.’

Moreover, their equipment was extraordinary. It was obvious that their combat power would be significantly enhanced. Kim Jinsung remembered the significant difference in strength between Kang Myung-gu when he was equipped and when he wasn’t during their training.

As he scanned them, Kim Jinsung chuckled wryly.

‘I would have been in trouble if I had tried to escape.’

If he had shown any signs of trying to escape, he would have been forced into a difficult fight with these agents.

At this moment, Kim Jinsung instinctively knew.

It wasn’t the right time yet.

* * *

Kim Jinsung, wearing Hunter bracelets and anklets, was escorted to the airfield under the watchful eyes of the Hunter Bureau agents.

‘…It’s a transport plane?’

Kim Jinsung realized that the type of aircraft he would be boarding had changed. The passenger plane that had brought him and the other participants was gone, replaced by several military transport planes.

“Board in groups of 30!”

“Move quickly!”

The survivors boarded the transport planes in small groups, following the agents’ instructions. Kim Jinsung was the last to board.

As soon as he entered the plane, the Seekers who were already inside turned their attention to him, but Kim Jinsung ignored them. He focused on the magic stones lining the interior of the transport plane.

‘The aura emanating from each magic stone is incredible.’

Even a rough estimate showed that it was far beyond the aura he had felt from the magic circle on the helicopter he had boarded during the first preliminary round.

As soon as Kim Jinsung boarded, the transport plane began to ascend vertically. After a while, it started heading towards South Korea.

The flight speed was faster than he expected, and the island quickly shrank in the window as they flew away.

“Attention, everyone.”

A man sitting in the front row stood up and addressed the participants. He was a Colosseum staff member, not a Hunter Bureau agent, as indicated by the ‘CSS’ on his armor.

“President Baek Jun of the Colosseum Survival program will be making a major announcement shortly. This is important information that you all need to hear, so please pay attention.”

After finishing his explanation, he pressed the power button on the large screen next to him. As the screen lit up, Baek Jun, in a suit, appeared in the center of a news desk-like studio.

[Greetings to all viewers who love the Colosseum Survival program. This is President Baek Jun.]

Baek Jun bowed politely, starting his live broadcast announcement.

[The reason I’m appearing in front of you right after the second preliminary round is to inform you about the rules and schedule for the third preliminary round.]

‘Now?’

Kim Jinsung and everyone else on the plane focused on the TV screen.

[Our program is called ‘Colosseum.’ It’s the name of the largest arena in ancient Rome, where gladiators fought to the death.

Incidentally, there’s an arena in Korea that also bears the name Colosseum.]

‘The Jamsil Colosseum Arena?’

[That’s right. It’s the ‘Jamsil Colosseum Arena’ that you all know.]

The ‘Jamsil Colosseum Arena,’ built on the site of the former Jamsil Main Stadium, is owned by Colosseum Productions, where Baek Jun is the president. After the arena was destroyed by a monster attack, many companies had requested and bribed the government to build their buildings there.

But the government, steadfastly rejecting all requests, made an exception and allowed Colosseum Productions to build the arena. There were some dealings between Minister Tak Namgyu and Baek Jun, but only a few people in the world know the secret.

[For the third preliminary round, we’re returning to the original rules of our survival program, ‘Colosseum.’]

‘Could it be?’

Baek Jun on the TV screen said exactly what Kim Jinsung had expected.

[The third preliminary round will be held at the Jamsil Colosseum Arena, in a one-on-one match.]

“Oh!”

“Ah…!”

“This is bad…”

The participants on the plane reacted in various ways. Combat specialists who were confident in one-on-one battles were relieved, while other participants’ faces turned serious.

Baek Jun continued.

[Each participant will fight three one-on-one matches in the third preliminary round.]

‘Three times?’

[The third preliminary round will be a tournament format. The winners of each group will face each other in one-on-one matches.

The participants who win all three matches will qualify for the grand finals.]

Kim Jinsung pondered.

‘If I have to fight three times, there could be variables.’

It was true that there were practically no participants who could confidently defeat him in a one-on-one battle. But the fact that he couldn’t earn points during the three rounds was a significant variable.

If he faced a difficult situation in the first two rounds and had to use skill fusion or enhancement, he might run out of points and lose to an unexpected strong opponent in the third round.

It was a low probability, but he had to consider the worst-case scenario. That way, he wouldn’t be caught off guard if it happened.

‘I hope I don’t face a strong opponent in those battles.’

As Kim Jinsung thought this, Baek Jun’s voice on the TV continued to reach his ears.

[And as mentioned earlier, the participants who played the role of Thief and overcame the significantly disadvantageous conditions to survive until the end will receive a great reward in the third preliminary round.]

‘Oh.’

Kim Jinsung remembered what Kim Bongman had said about the reward in the waiting room before the second preliminary round began.

[I’ll announce the reward now. The benefit for the surviving Thieves in the third preliminary round is…]

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