novelraw Chapter 117 : Chapter 117
Chapter 117 : Chapter 117
Chapter 117 - Nesos (3)
A total of five matches were scheduled for today at this gladiatorial arena.
The one we were assigned was the first match.
They said that the more famous fighters would appear in the later slots, so we could be considered the appetizer.
Our role was to set the mood and build excitement before the main event began in earnest.
In fact, there was no reason for expectations for us to be high.
We were newcomers whose faces were completely unknown, and we had no track record in Nesos.
Even the owner of the arena, Kals, was hoping we would die during the fight, so no one would be expecting or predicting our victory.
While waiting for our turn, I managed to expel a certain amount of poison through the Mana Breathing Technique.
Since I was doing similar work every day, the whole process was completed quite quickly.
I couldn't remove the root of the poison without an antidote, but this was enough to not be far off from my usual condition.
The problem was Min Ha-rin. She was showing anxiety about the poison that was spreading in real-time.
Although she was trying her best not to show it.
There was no choice but to find the antidote quickly.
Creak.
The iron door opened and a man who looked like a bandit entered.
From his attire and the aura he exuded, he looked like a gladiator from the arena.
The man strode over and sat on the sofa opposite us, then put his feet up on the table.
Min Ha-rin immediately frowned.
Just as she was about to lash out at him.
“You two over there. Who are you? I haven't seen you before.”
The one who spoke first was the bandit-like man.
“And who are you, sir?”
“Hah! I asked first, what a sassy young lady. Aren't you afraid of me?”
“Not at all.”
Min Ha-rin immediately shot back defiantly.
“That's because you don't know anything about me, young lady. You two, is this your first time at the arena?”
“So what if it is.”
“I knew it! I think a brief introduction of myself is necessary.”
“Not interested.”
But regardless of Min Ha-rin's reaction, the man continued to speak.
“My name is Lloyd. As for me, I'm a Class 3 gladiator who's been rolling in this business for four years already. And I'm the man who will finally become a Class 4 gladiator if I win today's match.”
With that, he showed the relaxed smile of a senior.
“Not interested. And could you please take your feet off the table?”
“What! Hey! I said I'm a Class 3 gladiator!”
“If you keep this up, I might just chop off your ankle.”
At Min Ha-rin's words, Lloyd's eyes widened.
It seemed he hadn't expected such a reaction even after finishing his self-introduction.
“Wahahahaha!”
He laughed heartily, as if genuinely amused.
And then he meekly took his feet down.
Lloyd opened his mouth again with a look of astonishment.
“This kind of fresh stimulation is really a first in a long time! I, Lloyd, am a gladiator of tolerance. I shall graciously forgive you.”
“Whatever.”
Min Ha-rin's expression showed that she was satisfied now that he had taken his feet down.
I used my Mana Eyes to gauge Lloyd's strength.
He looked like a neighborhood thug and talked like a neighborhood fool.
But for such an atmosphere, he possessed a considerable amount of mana.
In fact, this place, Nesos, was like that.
The mana level of people here was generally high.
On the other hand, I had also heard that their techniques were crude.
Since most things could be solved by overpowering with force, it was rare for them to bother honing their swordsmanship.
If they had properly learned swordsmanship, they would be considered top-tier masters in this world of Nesos, so Lloyd, who was challenging for Class 4 today, was probably not at that level.
“Judging by your aura, it seems the woman is the one fighting. Is the man a manager? Or a lover?”
“A-a lover!”
“If you're not, you're not. Why are you getting so worked up. It just makes you look more suspicious. Ke ke ke.”
“The person here is also a fellow gladiator. You've been rolling in this business for four years and you can't even tell that? You must have dead fish eyes.”
“He seems too weak in mana to be a gladiator.”
“I knew it, you do have dead fish eyes. Right, Senior?”
With that, Min Ha-rin looked at me.
But since I had nothing in particular to say, I just gave a slight smile.
“By the way, if this is your first fight, you must be a no-class. Who's your opponent?”
“They said it's a Twin-headed Tiger.”
“What? A Twin-headed Tiger? You've got to be kidding me!”
For a moment, Lloyd cursed.
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“Are you seriously asking because you don't know?”
“I told you. This is our first fight.”
“This is beyond a first fight, you don't know anything! You really don't know what a Twin-headed Tiger is?”
“No.”
“Then let me give you a piece of advice.”
“Go ahead.”
“Open that door right now and get out. And never come near a gladiatorial arena again.”
“Are you telling us to run away?”
“Yes. It's better to be on the arena's blacklist than to be dead.”
Lloyd now seemed to be genuinely worried about us.
Contrary to my first impression, he didn't seem to be just a thug.
“Thanks for the concern, but we'll take care of our own business. We need the money anyway.”
“You can't receive money after you're dead. By the way, how much did you contract for today's bonus?”
“A fight fee of 60 Lina and a victory bonus of 100 Lina.”
“I knew it. Kals, that bastard!”
Lloyd immediately cursed at the arena's owner, Kals.
“Why? Is it too little?”
“No, it's too much.”
“Is too much a problem?”
“It is a problem. He tempted you with money. Since you'll be dead anyway, he won't have to pay.”
He had a sharp side, contrary to his appearance.
This was consistent with what I had overheard from the next room by heightening my senses.
“Seeing as you're desperate for money, you two must have some kind of story.”
“If I had to say, yes.”
“I knew it. Actually, me too.”
With that, Lloyd began to reveal too much information about his own story.
I didn't want to hear it, but Lloyd continued to speak, completely disregarding our reactions.
The reason he was fighting in the arena and earning money like crazy was to save his younger sister who was sold off four years ago.
As I listened, there was a point that made my ears perk up.
The place where his sold-off sister was now was a pleasure house in the night market.
To get her back from there, he had to pay 30,000 Lina to the Lord of the Night Market, Nefaya.
“Nefaya?”
“That's right.”
Our quest was to kill the Lord of the Night Market, Nefaya.
I was well aware that he was an infamous man, but after hearing Lloyd's story, I felt even more strongly that he deserved to die.
The story was that he had framed their family and ruined them, then strangled them with usurious loans, and under the pretext of debt, made a slave contract and dragged his sister away.
For the first time, I spoke to Lloyd.
“If Nefaya is killed, will all the problems be solved?”
For a moment, Lloyd's pupils shook, and then he let out his characteristic boisterous laugh.
“Wahahahaha!”
Lloyd laughed for a long time.
“You're an even more interesting friend than this young lady here. Yes. The problem might be solved if Nefaya dies. If that tyrant dies, the entire night market will probably collapse.”
“Then, it's simple.”
“It's better not to say such things out loud anywhere. Unless you have two lives.”
Come to think of it, I did have two lives, but I didn't bother to mention it.
At that moment, a door opened and Kals and a few others appeared.
“Oh! Lloyd is here too.”
“It's the second match, so I came a little early. My promotion is on the line in today's fight, so I'm nervous too. Ke ke ke.”
“Don't feel too burdened. There's always the next chance for promotion if you can't make it today.”
“The problem is that a few months just fly by after one of those runarounds. By the way, about these newcomers here, are you really pitting them against a Twin-headed Tiger? The more I think about it, this doesn't seem right.”
At Lloyd's words, Kals's expression instantly turned cold.
“Hey, Lloyd. It seems you don't want to have any more matches scheduled at our arena.”
“No, what did I do to deserve that! I was just asking out of curiosity, can't I even talk?”
“Then, shut up.”
“Alright! I'll shut up from now on!”
Lloyd immediately backed down.
It seemed he was really desperate for the money to get his sister out of the night market.
“You two newcomers over there! Follow me. It's time for the first match to begin.”
Kals gestured for us to come.
Lloyd spoke to us in a low voice.
“Think carefully. This is your last chance.”
He was telling us to run away.
We were complete strangers, but he was a surprisingly loyal man.
***
Creak.
We followed a long corridor and finally opened an iron door.
Outside the door, an outdoor tavern unfolded.
All the tables were already packed with people.
These were not people gathered simply to drink.
What they enjoyed was a festival of slaughter and blood.
The fights here do not end simply.
You either kill your opponent or render them incapable of fighting.
In the very center stood a giant iron cage.
This must be the arena where the fight would take place.
It seemed they had no intention of wiping away the bloodstains on the iron cage.
Just by looking at the cage, one could guess how much blood had been shed inside it over the years.
Kals hurried us.
“Get inside the cage.”
Min Ha-rin and I drew our swords and immediately entered the cage.
The frenzied cheers of the audience erupted.
Kals looked at us and offered his own version of a final farewell.
“Well then, I wish you luck.”
“Likewise.”
The lock on the iron cage was immediately fastened.
Then the audience's cheers grew even louder, and the atmosphere became more heated.
I felt like a clown.
The arena's owner, Kals, shouted to the audience.
“You've waited long enough! The first match will begin right now!”
“Waaaaaah!!”
“The two, a man and a woman, who just entered the cage are nameless warriors making their debut at Kals's arena today! And their opponent is……”
Kals held up something that looked like a capsule.
What was inside that small object must be the Twin-headed Tiger.
It was a unique feature that only existed in this world.
“You've probably guessed from the locked cage, right? The monster show you all love is about to begin!”
When Kals didn't immediately reveal the opponent and dragged it out, the audience shouted for him to reveal it quickly.
“Alright! I'll reveal it right now! We've finally procured the Twin-headed Tiger you've all been looking forward to for so long!”
At the words Twin-headed Tiger, the audience once again erupted in a frenzy of shouts.
And then the betting time began.
Every single word the audience said pierced my ears.
“I'll bet 400 Lina on the Twin-headed Tiger devouring them without leaving a single piece of flesh!”
“A Twin-headed Tiger out of nowhere. Kals's arena must be going all out since its popularity has been dropping lately.”
“I'll be crazy and bet on that man and woman. 200 Lina!”
Kals had a satisfied smile on his face at the audience's heated reaction.
It wouldn't matter to him who people bet on.
All he had to do was collect his commission.
“Now! Let's begin immediately!!”
As soon as the betting time was over, Kals immediately threw the capsule into the cage.
Then, smoke billowed out.
Within it, the silhouette of a beast was taking shape.