Chapter 88 – Preliminary Round 3 – D-Day

Episode 88

A short while later, the two moved to a secluded corner of the party. Park Jinwoong, with a stern expression, stopped walking when they reached a table with few people around.

Some people glanced at Kim Jinsung as he stood with Park Jinwoong, but they didn’t approach, sensing the strange atmosphere between them.

“I found out about my brother joining the fight club after his first match. A company employee found out and told me.”

Park Jinwoong mainly spoke, while Kim Jinsung listened silently.

“I was shocked when I investigated the fight club. They were recruiting fighters by kidnapping forced laborers through brokers, and my brother was sold that way.”

“…”

Kim Jinsung recalled the time he was dragged to the fight club. He had been forced to fight without knowing what was going on.

“I did everything I could to save my brother. But I failed. I didn’t have enough money to solve it, and when I reported it to the government, they just said they were investigating.”

Park Jinwoong glanced at the unmanned camera in the distance, then whispered softly.

“I heard rumors that Baek Jun personally invested in the fight club during that time.”

“……!”

“But I couldn’t find any evidence. So I just dismissed it as a rumor… Anyway.”

Park Jinwoong tried to change the subject.

But Kim Jinsung didn’t dismiss his statement lightly.

‘Considering that Baek Jun bought me, a champion, right away, it’s not an impossible story.’

He could still hear the furious voice of CEO Jo, when it was confirmed that he was being sold to Baek Jun.

After that, Kim Jinsung was certain that CEO Jo hadn’t sold him because he wanted to.

“In the end, I couldn’t save my brother before his final match.”

Park Jinwoong bowed his head and spoke with a somber expression.

“I watched Seongtae’s final match live. Seeing him get beaten to a pulp… It was…”

Park Jinwoong choked up, unable to continue. He took a moment to regain his composure before continuing.

“A few days after that match, the police conducted a large-scale investigation. You might know about it.”

Kim Jinsung knew what happened next. He had been there when the underground fight club was raided and had watched it on TV after moving to the Colosseum dormitory.

Dream Gold, who had raided the fight club, became the main target of the police investigation. From then on, the Dream Gold Clan began a steep decline.

“After the investigation, I went to look for my brother, hoping he might be alive. But he wasn’t among the many boys. I later found out that he had already died and been cremated…”

“…”

“That was the most painful thing. Even if I had his remains… No, even if I had one of his belongings, it wouldn’t have been so painful…”

Park Jinwoong struggled to speak, his voice trembling with emotion.

Kim Jinsung listened, his eyes filled with thought.

Park Jinwoong glanced at him and thought to himself.

‘Good. The emotional appeal seems to be working.’

He continued his planned dialogue.

(TLN: holly what trash)

“Still, I’m glad I can share these memories with you, someone who was also in the fight club, and with my brother. It feels like the feelings from that time are starting to fade…”

“…”

“And most importantly, Kim Jinsung, I’m glad you managed to escape the fight club safely.”

He stood up and bowed politely.

“This is fate. If you remember me after passing the Colosseum, please contact me. For my brother’s sake, I’ll find some information for you for free a few times.”

Kim Jinsung stared at Park Jinwoong silently, his face expressionless. It was a stark contrast to his usual demeanor, where he would cut people off abruptly.

‘I think it worked. I succeeded!’

Park Jinwoong rejoiced inwardly, wiping his eyes.

‘Park Seongtae, you piece of trash. You caused me so much trouble your whole life, but finally, you’re actually helping me…!’

The image of Park Seongtae, his youngest brother who was always getting into trouble, flashed through his mind before disappearing. He felt like he was finally being rewarded for the years of heartache he had endured because of him.

“Take this.”

Kim Jinsung’s voice made Park Jinwoong look up. In his extended hand was a familiar necklace.

‘This is…’

Park Jinwoong took the necklace and opened the circular photo album attached to it.

“……!”

Park Jinwoong’s eyes widened as he saw the childhood photo of the three brothers inside.

“Park Seongtae asked me to give this to you before he died.”

Kim Jinsung’s voice reached his ears.

“He also asked me to tell you that he’s sorry for always disappointing you.”

“……!!”

Kim Jinsung continued, watching Park Jinwoong’s eyes widen even more.

“Park Seongtae was my closest friend in the fight club.”

It was true that Park Seongtae had always been a nuisance, but if he had to choose one close friend from the waiting room, it would have to be Park Seongtae, his fellow trainee.

“I’m glad I can deliver his last words and belongings.”

Kim Jinsung finished speaking and turned to leave. Park Jinwoong watched his back, dazed, then naturally looked down at the photo in the necklace.

‘We have a photo of the three of us together… ‘

This was the only photo of the three brothers together. And Park Seongtae had kept it all this time.

‘You piece of trash… You always made my heart ache, even in death…’

Park Jinwoong couldn’t take his eyes off Park Seongtae’s face in the photo for a long time.

* * *

The party was in full swing.

Kim Jinsung, who had been too busy greeting guests to eat, was now seated at a table with other participants, quietly focusing on his meal.

Of course, many guests were still watching him.

Hong Hyeonjin was one of them.

‘I want to try to charm him more, but I’ll probably get the same answer…’

That was the main reason why other guests stopped approaching Kim Jinsung. Whenever they tried to engage him in a conversation, he would cut them off abruptly and walk away, making them hesitant to approach him again.

‘Nawaf, that guy must have been rejected at least five times by now.’

Hong Hyeonjin looked at Nawaf, who was standing in the distance, with a smirk. He was clearly looking at Kim Jinsung with disapproval.

Nawaf’s heart was sinking.

‘How dare that forced laborer… Even S-rank hunters drooled at the amount of money I offered…’

Hong Hyeonjin chuckled, amused by Nawaf’s broken poker face.

‘Unfortunately, someone like Kim Jinsung isn’t swayed by money alone.’

Hong Hyeonjin looked back at Kim Jinsung and thought to herself.

People with such strong convictions always had a clear goal. And they wouldn’t be swayed by worldly temptations like money until they achieved that goal.

‘That’s why he’s the hardest type to recruit. How did he become like this at such a young age?’

For some reason, Hong Hyeonjin saw a reflection of Yoo Junho, the former top prospect in South Korea, in Kim Jinsung.

Yoo Junho had also been indifferent to the recruitment offers from various clans, as Hong Hyeonjin remembered.

‘…That’s why he’s even more tempting.’

Hong Hyeonjin’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Kim Jinsung.

‘If I can recruit just one hunter like him, the clan’s momentum will change.’

He had the potential to grow to S-rank or higher, and he was the youngest. He also had leadership qualities, as seen on the broadcast, and he was dedicated, never missing training.

He was also a man of conviction, not swayed by the massive salary offered by the Al Saud Clan.

Recruiting such a talent would be a massive success. He might even single-handedly elevate the entire clan to a new level.

‘I need to win his favor before the third preliminary round ends.’

With that thought, Hong Hyeonjin turned and walked towards the exit of the party. There was nothing more for her to gain here.

She planned to return to the company immediately and hold an emergency meeting with the executives to discuss how to charm Kim Jinsung.

She still had plenty of opportunities to contact Kim Jinsung before the third preliminary round ended.

* * *

A week flew by after the party.

The day of the third preliminary round had arrived.

The participants gathered early in the morning.

“Maintain a certain distance! The Blue Team, enter the left waiting room! The Red Team, enter the right waiting room!”

Following the Hunter Bureau agents’ instructions, the participants were divided into two teams and walked towards opposite sides of the arena through the underground passage.

The Colosseum staff only started letting in the audience after all the participants had entered the waiting rooms. They wanted to prevent any accidents.

The audience had finished entering before 1 PM. The third preliminary round was about to begin in ten minutes.

At that moment, a group of participants headed towards the VIP elevator in the arena, under the watchful eyes of Hunter Bureau agents.

It was the 21 participants who had survived as Thieves in the second preliminary round. They had a bye in the first round, so they would be watching the matches today.

“Wow! It’s Kim Jinsung!”

“Look at me, oppa!”

“I bet all my money on you! If you don’t win and die, I’ll kill you in hell!”

“Wow, look at Shin Woong’s eyes… I got scared just looking at him…”

Some of the audience members who spotted them in the corridor rushed towards them, cheering. If the corridor hadn’t been protected by reinforced glass, they would have charged towards them.

“Board quickly!”

The Hunter Bureau agents, anticipating any accidents, quickly ushered the participants into the elevator.

The elevator door closed and reopened on the fourth floor, where the VIP seats were located.

As soon as they entered, the first thing Kim Jinsung saw was…

‘Wow…!’

The Jamsil Colosseum Arena, with its over 100,000 seats filled with spectators.

Kim Jinsung was mesmerized by the overwhelming sight.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Someone knocked on the reinforced glass next to him, making him turn his head.

Hong Hyeonjin.

The vice-master of the Baekdu Clan was standing on the other side of the reinforced glass, in the VIP seats, waving with a beautiful smile.

He bowed his head in response, a bit taken aback. Then, he looked around the VIP seats.

‘…I’m seeing the same people I met a week ago.’

Kim Jinsung saw familiar faces waving or gesturing hello from the VIP seats.

He briefly nodded at them, acknowledging their greetings, and continued to follow the agent.

Soon, Kim Jinsung and the other 21 participants entered a specific area in the center of the VIP seats and sat down.

‘…Only this area has reinforced glass.’

Kim Jinsung looked at the reinforced glass next to him. It was at least five layers thick, and on the other side, numerous Hunter Bureau agents were watching the participants, keeping a close eye on them.

Just as all 21 participants were seated, a familiar voice echoed throughout the arena through the speakers.

[Welcome, everyone! We’ve been waiting for you!]

It was the main caster of Colosseum Survival.

[We will now begin the third preliminary round of Colosseum Survival Season 12!]

“Woooaaaah!!”

The cheers of over 100,000 spectators filled the entire arena.

“Wow!”

“This is insane…!”

Some of the participants near Kim Jinsung were overwhelmed and exclaimed in awe. The pressure of 100,000 people cheering was truly something else.

[As announced last week, the third preliminary round will be a one-on-one match, consisting of three rounds!

But if we just showed you two people fighting, it wouldn’t be much different from a regular fighting tournament, right?]

Kim Jinsung reacted as if he had expected the caster’s words.

‘Of course. They wouldn’t do it normally.’

Kim Jinsung knew that the one-on-one matches in Colosseum Survival had never been ordinary.

[Before we move on to the third preliminary round, let me explain the new rules, including the ‘Sponsorship System’! ]

Kim Jinsung’s eyes widened.

‘Sponsorship System?’

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