Underground Arena (2)

Before entering the underground arena, some preparations were necessary. As an unlicensed, illegal facility, it required a confidentiality agreement and a ‘minor promise.’ Even though it was called an agreement, it wasn’t a systematic method involving stamping documents and legal validity or anything. In this world, there existed ‘oaths’ that granted coercive power to words.

It was simpler than stamping and its performance was certain. Even if the caster died, it remained, so there was no option to run away.

“The moment you tear this paper, you will not be able to tell anyone about the underground arena. If you do, even by chance…”

“My head will explode and I’ll die. I know.”

“Haha! I like your boldness! You need that kind of guts!”

-Tssk. The sound of paper tearing spread faintly. Mana flowing from the paper enveloped my head. It was an oath spell that would react to specific statements and blow up my brain. I could undo it if I wanted to, but I decided not to bother.

“And… I’m sure you know, right?”

“…”

And.

The ‘minor promise’ applied to the arena’s fighters.

The victor had the power of life and death over the loser. There was no intervention in anything that happened during that process. An absolute covenant bound by oath. It meant they wouldn’t care what happened to me during the match.

In fact, this clause wasn’t emphasized much due to the Yellow Tiger Tribe’s characteristic of cleanly acknowledging victory and defeat and coolly giving up their lives. Everyone knew they would die if they lost… and the victor also respected the loser, trying to send them off with as little pain as possible. Performances like taking out the heart or crushing the skull were examples of this.

Of course. Only if the loser didn’t beg for their life in an unsightly manner.

From the moment the opponent ran away, it no longer became a duel between warriors fighting like beasts against beasts, but merely a predator’s game enjoying the hunt.

“I know, I do.”

“Good! I see the qualities of a Yellow Tiger Tribe member in you! Please, don’t die and survive! That way, you can participate in the next match too!”

The Yellow Tiger Tribe member, mistaking my flushed cheeks for a desire for battle, patted my shoulder and went back on his own accord.

“Haa…”

A gray-eared demi-human who was with the Yellow Tiger Tribe member sighed. He pressed his temples and said to me.

“Another cleanup job, huh? Hey, do you know the match schedule? Since you defeated Bern, you’ll do okay no matter who you face. Is there anyone you want to fight?”

“What’s the match schedule?”

“You’re participating as a fighter and you don’t even know the schedule?”

“I’m ashamed to say.”

“Tsk. Well, you’ve already taken the oath, so you can’t back out now. Today’s match is between the rookie monster Chakru and Reta, who made a name for himself at the Three-Way Intersection. Even if you’re an outsider, you must have heard of them, right?”

“…I don’t know them.”

“You don’t even know that? I’m going crazy. Well, then… that might be better.”

The gray-eared demi-human perked up his ears and pondered for a few seconds before opening his mouth again.

“Demi-humans are a race where it’s inherently difficult for mages to emerge. Even if they awaken Mana, it all manifests as Aura, so seeing a mage is as rare as gold.”

“So?”

“The winner of this match will fight you. If you say you can fight a mage, they’ll jump at the chance with fire in their eyes. The Yellow Tiger Tribe are those kinds of guys.”

I stroked my chin and fell into thought. Then, wouldn’t the winner have to fight in a weakened state? It would be more fun if we fought evenly in perfect condition and then I lost. The gray-eared demi-human seemed to read my thoughts and waved his hand, telling me not to worry.

“They’re monsters who can get up perfectly fine even after resting for thirty minutes. And any injuries can be healed with potions, so there’s no problem.”

“Hmm…”

“What’s your answer?”

I thought of Bern, the gatekeeper. He got up in five minutes even after suffering an injury that made him cough up blood. With that level of healing power, he should be able to fight perfectly fine even after a big fight. Okay. I nodded.

“Okay.”

“Alright! Then go to the waiting room and rest or whatever.”

As he said, I headed to the waiting room.

The waiting room was just a waiting room in name; it was no different from a gym. Sandbags for warming up and heavy iron lumps rolling around. It looked like a room only gym rats would use.

Of course, I wouldn’t be sweating while using those things… The only thing I liked was that I could watch the matches directly through the window.

The promised time arrived, and the match began.

The announcer was the gray-eared demi-human who had told me the match schedule. When I asked his name, it was ‘Sirek,’ and when I asked his race, it was ‘Snow Mountain Wolf.’

Many demi-humans were gathered in the underground arena. Not only the Yellow Tiger Tribe, but also the Red Wolf Tribe, and even Turtle and Bear Tribes were visible. There was even a demi-human with long ears, so it seemed like the Cat Tribe was also involved… As expected, the saying that watching a fire in your neighbor’s house is the most fun wasn’t wrong.

-Welcome, demi-human everyone!! Today’s match is between the rookie monster Chakru and…

The announcer Sirek finished his formal greetings and shouted at the top of his lungs in the overheated atmosphere.

-The winner of this match will get the right to fight the mysterious mage who defeated the gatekeeper Bern in one hit!!

“A mage?”

“Are you talking about that rude mage who doesn’t listen to anyone weaker than himself?”

“Have you heard of him?”

“Of course. From what I’ve heard…”

The audience buzzed. The rumors about me were exaggerated and inflated, and at some point, I had turned into a human mage who looked down on demi-humans. Enhancing my hearing, I heard rumors mixed in, such as demi-humans smelled like fur and were disgusting, and that I had come to personally teach magic to the uneducated and uncivilized demi-humans.

“Heh.”

Good. Exaggerate it even more. I welcome it if false information like this arises. Sirek smiled widely, showing his teeth, and shouted.

-Then! The match!! Will start!! Now!!

Two tigers kicked off the ground. The first attack was from Chakru. Chakru, who had used Frenzy from the start, aimed for the face with his long, extended claws. A sharp attack grazed the tip of my nose. But it didn’t reach.

A truly fierce exchange, where a single mistake could lead to immediate death, unfolded in an instant. As the number of each other’s wounds increased, the audience’s cheers grew louder, and smiles spread across the fighters’ faces. After that, a series of precarious offensives and defenses unfolded.

To put it simply, Chakru won. The splendid resume that the announcer had recited before the match was not just for show.

-The winner is Chakru!! Everyone, please give a round of applause to the victor and the vanquished!!

“Finish him off!!”

“Heart extraction! Are we finally going to see it!”

Against the backdrop of thunderous applause, Chakru prepared his finishing move. The difference from a normal finish was that this was a literal ‘finishing’ technique.

Reta, sensing his impending death, knelt down and offered his chest. It was a sign that he was willingly admitting defeat.

-Kwajik! Along with a violent noise tearing flesh, the smell of blood filled the air. Chakru, laughing haha and raising his hand, held a still-beating, warm heart in his hand.

“Waaaaaa!!!”

He shouted towards the audience, which was filled with madness.

“Bring the mage!!”

For a moment, I felt like our eyes met. It was a one-way glass, so they shouldn’t be able to see me from the other side. It must be my imagination.

-Knock knock!

At that moment, I heard a knock.

I guess that’s me being called.

“Come in.”

-Creak.

The person who opened the door and entered was a middle-aged Yellow Tiger Tribe member.

“Hey! The next match is starting right away! Get ready!”

“…I heard there was a break time.”

“If we did that, the excitement would die down! Stop talking nonsense and run to the stage! Isn’t Chakru himself shouting like that!”

“Haa…”

---

-The mysterious mage who defeated the gatekeeper Bern with just one hit!! Chakru has declared that he will crush her!! The next match will continue without a break!!

Squinting at the brightly colored lights, I walked towards the stage. It seemed they had even put up a protective barrier because a mage was participating. It was a terrible spell that could be broken with simple magic, but all the demi-humans here were ignorant of magic.

In other words. The magic I showed would become the magic they thought of. Everything I acted would approach them as truth, so I could lead the stage in the direction I wanted.

“Are you that mage?”

I made eye contact with Chakru. He stood proudly in front of me without even erasing the traces of the previous fight. The smell of blood stung my nose.

But.

Right now, I had to play the role of a haughty and rude mage. I pretended to cover my nose and said.

“Close your mouth, you smell like fur.”

“Haha… So the rumors were true.”

“What rumors?”

“The rumor that you look down on demi-humans. If you apologize now, I’ll end it mercifully…”

“I’m just stating facts, is there a problem? Prepare to die. I came to see what the level of demi-humans is like, so I hope you don’t get caught off guard like Bern.”

“You insolent bitch…”

-Woo!! Just kill her, Chakru!!

-Play with her as much as you can before killing her!!

The audience’s jeers were audible. I laughed inwardly and prepared my magic. I had grasped Chakru’s level from the previous fight. So I was only going to use magic that was at his eye level, magic that he could handle adequately.

-Then! The match!! Will start!! Now!!

The suffocating war of nerves ended, and Sirek’s starting declaration was heard.

“Hmph!”

The first attack was from Chakru, just like in the previous fight. He used his still-unresolved Frenzy to lash out with his claws. It was predictable, but the power and momentum were so great that it was difficult to just block the attack. I deployed a barrier to deflect the attack’s trajectory, then created a sharp earth sword and thrust it out in a straight line.

“Useless!”

In an instant, Chakru used his other hand to break the earth sword and then immediately executed a turning kick. It was a natural combo without any hesitation. I accelerated my thoughts and made a decision in the frozen world.

‘Just graze it.’

Accurately calculating the angle and trajectory, I inflicted a wound that barely grazed my neck.

“Kyaheuk?!”

I acted as if I was very flustered and took a step back. I felt a stinging pain and the scent of blood. When I touched my neck, blood was flowing from a shallow cut. I shouted in a voice filled with anger.

“You smelly beast…”

After that, I fought him moderately. I took non-serious attacks, and I didn’t just get hit, but also launched attacks appropriately. There were long exchanges that went over twenty moves, and there were also powerful single moves that shook the stage.

“You have many openings!”

“Shut up!”

I distorted my face like a demon and raised my hand high. What kind of magic would be good? Right. Ice magic would be good. Chakru, who couldn’t just let this go, provoked me as he ran towards me.

“Why? Is that all you’ve got? Hurry up and kill me!”

“…Freeze.”

I didn’t have to chant, but isn’t it an unwritten rule for mages to shout out their skill names? Honestly, I don’t know why they shout it out. Are they shouting it out for the opponent to react? I don’t know.

“…?!”

-Jjeojeok! At the same time as the stage turned into an ice rink, ice picks flew. Chakru, who tried to step aside to avoid them, had his feet tied and helplessly exposed his flank. But it wasn’t a deep wound. It was the result of calculating so that it wouldn’t hinder his movement.

“Die from being crushed to death!”

I then prepared earth magic.

A huge boulder fell on Chakru’s head. If he got hit, he would definitely die. It was a critical moment. The audience was amazed by the spectacle of magic they had never seen before, but they were also worried about Chakru, who was about to be hit.

Looking at the situation, I was the villain and Chakru was the protagonist. But that’s okay. This overheated atmosphere was just a device to increase the gap when it fell into the abyss.

Chakru, staggering, put strength into his body until his blood vessels burst-

“Heeeuuuup!!”

-And then.

He broke the ice that had tied his feet and jumped at me. Jjaenggeurang! The sound of ice breaking and the sound of kicking off the ground were heard at the same time. The boulder that missed him only smashed the stage floor. I opened my mouth wide and whispered.

“N-No way-“

“It’s over!”

Like a hero in a cartoon movie. Chakru, who had jumped high into the sky, covered the lights and fell. A dropkick with sharpened claws. I stepped back with a face filled with bewilderment, and soon, with my back against the wall and nowhere else to retreat, I screamed.

“Kyaheueueuk?!”

The area I was hit was my thigh. The skin was torn off, revealing bright yellow fat and muscle. Perhaps because it was torn by claws, the area that was directly hit was so shredded that it was unrecognizable.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaack!!!”

It hurt. It hurt like crazy. I bowed my head and groaned in pain. Tears and snot flowed incessantly. A step away, I could constantly hear an overheated snorting sound. It was Chakru’s snort.

-What’s going on!! Chakru ignored the mage’s attack and landed a finishing blow!! What a wonderful sight!!

The extremely excited announcer shouted. Certainly, even I thought it was a bit of a wonderful sight. Breaking the ice that had tied his feet and then landing the finishing blow. I might actually have a talent for directing.

The duel… was obviously Chakru’s victory to anyone who saw it.

“Aheuh, heueuk! Po, potion. Potion…”

“What are you talking about?”

“Aack, d-don’t touch me… Aah, eukkeueueuheut?!”

Chakru, who had grabbed my hair and lifted me up, raised his sharp claws and held them to my neck.

“I’ll let you choose how you die.”

“Hi, hikkeuk…”

From the audience, I heard shouts telling him to just eat me whole, or to cut me in half and kill me. They were all violent methods that didn’t fit the customs. Maybe it was because I had provoked them. The audience pointed at me with expressions of satisfaction.

“J-Just a moment…”

“Speak.”

Now, it was the climax.

I wet myself and made the most pitiful expression I could.

“I didn’t know it would be like this… I was wrong… Pl, please…”

Silence.

The announcer too. Chakru too. The audience too. Everyone fell silent.

A sound that should never be heard in the underground arena.

Was now coming from the mouth of a human bitch in this place.

“Sa, save me… I-I’ll do anything…”