Chapter 84: King of the Blessed Land

Episode 84

[…The participants who survived as Thieves will be given a bye in the first round of the three-round one-on-one matches in the third preliminary round.]

Kim Jinsung’s eyes widened at Baek Jun’s words. A bye? Could it be?

[The participants who survived as Thieves will be given a bye in the first round of the three-round one-on-one matches in the third preliminary round. They will skip the first round and directly proceed to the second round.]

“Wow…!”

“What, this is too good to be true…?”

The participants’ gazes naturally turned to Kim Jinsung, the only Thief left on the plane. Kim Jinsung, the person involved, was also looking at the screen with a bright expression.

‘This is a great reward. It reduces the number of life-or-death battles from three to two.’

If he could manage the second round, things would be perfect. If he could win the second round without any major problems, he could use all his points and fight with full power against anyone in the third round.

[Finally, I have an announcement for the viewers.]

Baek Jun continued speaking, even as the plane was filled with murmurs.

[Reservations for the Jamsil Colosseum Arena, where the third preliminary round will be held, will be available starting at 8 PM today.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to meet the stars of the Colosseum in person!

This concludes my announcement. This is President Baek Jun of Colosseum Survival. Thank you.]

Baek Jun bowed politely, ending the live broadcast. The advertisement followed, and a Colosseum staff member stood up to turn off the TV.

A nearby agent casually stopped him.

“Do we really need to turn it off? We have nothing to do until we arrive. Let’s just keep watching TV.”

“Ah… Well, okay?”

The staff member nodded and sat back down.

The passengers on the plane were divided into two groups. Those who continued to watch TV and those who had been sleep-deprived during the second preliminary round and immediately closed their eyes to sleep.

Kim Jinsung belonged to the first group. He kept his eyes on the TV, thinking about the upcoming third round.

‘So, we’ll be fighting in front of an audience…’

The Jamsil Colosseum Arena was a massive stadium that could accommodate over 100,000 spectators. Considering the popularity of Colosseum, the program’s biggest in South Korea, it would easily sell out.

‘I wonder what it’ll be like to fight in front of so many people?’

The underground fight club he was once trapped in had a capacity of just over 1,000 people. Even with 1,000 people cheering, Kim Jinsung had felt his blood boiling during the fights.

But 100,000 people? That was 100 times the capacity of the fight club. He couldn’t even imagine what it would be like.

Then, a familiar voice came from the TV.

[Yes! We’ve just heard the President’s announcement.]

It was the Colosseum caster’s voice.

On the screen, the advertisement had ended, and the two commentators were now sitting behind the desk.

[As you heard, the third preliminary round will be held at the Jamsil Colosseum Arena, in a one-on-one match!]

[I think I understand why the President announced the rules for the third round so early.]

[Why?]

[Wouldn’t it attract more viewers if they announce it now?]

[That’s right! So, let me reiterate. Reservations for the third round seats will be available starting at 8 PM today through the Colosseum website or app!]

[This might be your first and last chance. It’s very rare for events to be held in front of an audience.]

It had been quite a while since they held preliminary rounds and finals in front of an audience for safety reasons. The last time they had held a preliminary round in front of an audience was in Season 7, over two years ago.

[This is your chance to watch the event live for the first time in two years since Season 7! Don’t miss out!]

After promoting the event again, the caster changed the topic.

[Now, let’s get back to the final results of the second preliminary round, which I was about to announce earlier.]

The TV screen changed, displaying a table with the results.

—

– Total participants in the second preliminary round: 1200

(1193 participants who passed the first preliminary round + 57 supplementary participants)

– Casualties in the second preliminary round: 741

(712 Seekers + 29 Thieves)

– Participants who passed the second preliminary round: 459

(438 Seekers + 21 Thieves)

– Group A participants: 162

(161 Seekers + 1 Thief)

– Group B participants: 88

(83 Seekers + 5 Thieves)

– Group C participants: 10

(0 Seekers + 10 Thieves)

– Group D participants: 76

(72 Seekers + 4 Thieves)

– Group E participants: 144

(142 Seekers + 2 Thieves)

—

[Out of 1200 participants, 459 survived and advanced to the third preliminary round! Among them, 21 are Thieves.

And, if you look at the number of participants who passed from each group… one group stands out.]

[That’s right. We can’t ignore Group C.]

The passengers on the transport plane started murmuring, looking at the data for Group C.

“…What? Zero Seekers? They all died?”

“But all the Thieves survived?”

“Did the Thieves kill all the Seekers? Without a single casualty?”

“Is that even possible? It was 240 vs 10!”

As the participants and even the agents murmured in surprise, the commentator’s voice echoed from the TV.

[Honestly, even when we watched the Group C footage, we couldn’t believe our eyes.]

[That’s right! Even now, it gives me goosebumps… Ah! The production team says they have prepared a highlight reel for Group C!]

[I wonder if there’s anything worth highlighting… ]

[Let’s watch the highlight reel and discuss it.]

As soon as the commentator finished speaking, the screen changed, and the Group C highlight reel began to play.

“…What?”

“No…!”

“My god…!”

The passengers on the transport plane were shocked, their voices filled with disbelief. It was no different for Kim Jinsung.

‘Shin Woong? That guy, did he…?’

Kim Jinsung stared at the bloodied man on the TV screen, his eyes wide. The man was Shin Woong, the famous 7-49 defense soldier.

Kim Jinsung couldn’t take his eyes off Shin Woong on the screen.

* * *

When the second preliminary round for Group C began, Shin Woong burst through the open door. He swiftly beheaded several Seekers, prompting the 240 Seekers to react.

“It’s Shin Woong!”

“He’s crazy! He’s attacking alone?”

“Surround him! We’ll pass if we kill him!”

The 240 Seekers surrounded Shin Woong and unleashed their combined firepower. But within an hour, the result was the complete opposite of what they had expected. Most of the Seekers were dead, and Shin Woong, the lone attacker, was still standing.

“He’s a monster. He’s not human! No one can defeat him…!”

The last surviving Seeker stared at Shin Woong with trembling eyes. It was his final word.

Shin Woong moved his right arm, which held a longsword, and cleanly beheaded him.

* * *

[You’ve just watched the Group C highlight reel!]

[It’s still shocking…]

[By the way, the Group C highlight reel is currently the most viewed video on Itube out of all the second preliminary round videos!]

[Wow… It’s number one, even beating Kim Jinsung, right?]

[That’s right! This is the first time a video other than Kim Jinsung’s has topped the Itube charts!]

[This means Shin Woong’s popularity will rise as high as Kim Jinsung’s. He was already a popular participant.]

[That’s right!]

Jang Seungwook, listening to the commentators, asked the main PD.

“Is it true that Shin Woong’s video is number one?”

“Yes, it is, but…”

The PD trailed off and continued.

“It’s also because Shin Woong only has this one video, so the views are concentrated. Kim Jinsung has uploaded so many videos that the views are spread out.”

“Ah, I see.”

There were so many videos of Kim Jinsung’s performance in the second preliminary round. There were over ten highlight reels uploaded.

Jang Seungwook took out his phone and checked the list of Kim Jinsung’s videos on the Colosseum channel.

– Scene of him hunting Quagmires.

– Scene of him transformed into a Quagmire, rampaging against the Seekers.

– Scenes of his battles against Yang Jung-geun, the reinforcements, and Seol Daun.

– Scenes of him kidnapping the Seekers in the main castle using the Warp Hole.

– Scene of him using Lee Deokgu as a spy.

‘…We’ve really milked Kim Jinsung for all he’s worth.’

Jang Seungwook chuckled.

There were already several videos of Kim Jinsung in the top rankings. It was no wonder they said his views were spread out. It was impossible to beat the viewership of the Group C highlight reel, which was the only video uploaded. The concentration of views was significantly different.

“Regardless, Shin Woong’s popularity will rise. Many of the stars who emerged in the first preliminary round died this time.”

“That’s true.”

“Shall we head to the second preliminary round wrap-up meeting now?”

“Ah, are you leading the meeting today, Deputy Director?”

Jang Seungwook nodded at the PD’s question.

“Yes. The President is currently busy with a schedule he can’t refuse.”

Jang Seungwook couldn’t honestly say that Baek Jun had gone to meet with the Hunter Bureau Minister. It was a top secret.

Only Jang Seungwook, the deputy director, knew about it.

* * *

At that moment, Baek Jun was in the Hunter Bureau Minister’s office, looking at him with wide eyes.

“…Bin Nasir is… coming to Korea?”

Tak Namgyu nodded, his expression serious, and took a sip of water.

“Now you understand why I overreacted?”

Baek Jun nodded in response.

Muhammad bin Nasir Al Saud. The current King of Saudi Arabia and the richest man in the world. After research revealed that ‘Ilmensium,’ an essential material for creating magic stones, was contained in large quantities in oil, the already wealthy Saudi royal family had accumulated wealth beyond comparison.

The person who held that wealth was coming to Korea to watch the third preliminary round. It was a situation where the government had to intervene to protect the participants.

“You know Muhammad likes your program, right?”

“The Minister told me about it.”

“His visit to Korea is not just for watching the event. I heard he wants to host the next season of Colosseum in Saudi Arabia.”

“That’s not possible.”

Baek Jun answered firmly.

“Safety is the most important thing when running the Colosseum Survival event. Korea has a well-established infrastructure, so we can hold the event anywhere, anytime. But holding it in the Middle East, which hasn’t been tested, is too risky. And Colosseum is a Korean program, isn’t it?”

“We have to do it.”

Tak Namgyu’s tone was also firm.

“Do you know how much money they offered when they proposed it?”

Tak Namgyu whispered the amount into Baek Jun’s ear.

Baek Jun’s eyes widened again.

Tak Namgyu smirked.

“What do you think? We have to do it, right?”

“…We have to.”

“That’s right. Too much money to refuse, right? Hahaha.”

Baek Jun had no response to Tak Namgyu’s words and remained silent.

—