Chapter 74: Awakening (4) Underground Arena.
In the first battle, 800 monsters fought against each other with only half surviving.
This meant that fights would constantly break out and Muyoung knew the method for winning.
‘Show 70 percent and hide the 30.’
The main point of this was to make 70 percent look like it was his full strength.
It was important to make his opponents not complete disregard him and also think that ‘if they fought, he would win’.
It was Muyoung’s secret from becoming the final survivor of the assassin lessons.
‘If it is that strong, it would have held quite a high position in the devil’s army.’
Muyoung looked at the surrounding monsters.
Only a few monsters were truly strong. Especially, the slave devil, its fighting power was greater than he had imagined.
The black nails ripped monsters apart. Even the thick skins of ogres were of no use. They ripped apart like tofu the moment they touched.
The 3rd seat, Vassago.
Although there were countless devils that served him, but with that much power, it had to be at least a mid-rank devil.
Not all devils were strong.
That was why the stronger the devil, the more likely it was for them to be exempted from the sins they had committed.
There was no way for Muyoung to find out what it did wrong to be thrown into an Underground Arena like this.
‘It seems best to not run into it for now.’
In an arena, there was always a chance that they would fight.
For that possibility, Muyoung didn’t show off his true skills.
Only, he was successful in giving off the impression that he was someone ‘they shouldn’t annoy’ to the point others couldn’t disregard him.
Monsters only reasoned with their strength.
You would be attacked if you looked weak.
“Save me, grrrk!”
An orc cried out loud.
Smash!
However, Muyoung swung Anguish and smashed its head.
With a cynical smile and a sword that even absorbed the blood vomiting out of its mouth, Muyoung could only be called a monster.
It was a perfect act to show others.
The weak monsters avoided him on their own.
The strong ones couldn’t easily approach him.
“Active, Screen, Active. A bit stronger. Eaaack, shit!”
On the other hand, Bug who was spectating from a far had no choice but to move his cane frantically.
Avoiding the strong, including Muyoung, the weak monsters all went to Bug.
Reasoning with strength.
It was the difference between those who figured it out and those who didn’t.
Instead, standing still invited the attacks of other monsters.
“Ha, ha…. damn it. Do I really look that weak to you, you fuckers!”
Bug yelled out loud after finishing off about 20 monsters by himself.
At that moment.
The fight ended.
Clank.
The huge steel door in the middle of the Arena opened and, from there, huge armors appeared.
‘Living armor.’
Muyoung instantly realized what those armors were.
Specters in empty armor. They were high rank magical equipment that possessed souls.
“Stop fighting and follow us.”
About 20 armors stopped the fight. They quickly controlled the adrenaline-filled monsters.
The red eyed slave devil that was devouring a monster’s flesh meekly stopped as the living armors appeared.
‘It seems like it has lots of experience with arenas.’
There was nothing bad in following the experienced.
Muyoung shook Anguish before sheathing it on his waist.
Afterwards, as they moved towards the location the living armors appeared, extremely loud shouts could be heard.
“Wheet! Whewet!”
“The ones that entered this time don’t seem to have much guts!”
“Fight! Kill!”
Behind the arena, there seemed to be another arena.
However, the size was incomparable.
An overwhelming size. At least a few tens of thousands of monsters of different varieties filled up the seats.
They weren’t just simply monsters but there were also other species.
Dwarves, elves, werewolves and even vampires.
‘It’s the gathering of all the species.’
He chuckled.
And at the same time realized.
‘These are the ones unable to escape the trial.’
It was impossible for so many different species to be gathered in one place.
However, it was possible if they were forced to stay in this Underground Arena.
That meant…
‘If I don’t satisfy the condition, I can’t leave.’
And that condition seemed to be quite a particular one.
As if it wasn’t, there was no way this many would still remain here.
When the slave devil appeared showed up last, the crowd became even rowdier.
“Tenacious Oloness!”
“Not the civilian slaughterer Oloness? How many times is this?”
“Get lost! I’m sick of looking at your face!”
Numerous of species jeered at it.
As Muyoung expected, the slave devil, Oloness seemed to be experienced and participated in these types of arenas quite a few times.
However, Oloness completely ignored their jeers.
It quietly moved and left the arena.
Afterwards, red arrows appeared in front of his eyes.
Muyoung nodded his head and started to move.
The room was shabby.
It was so small that you could touch the walls if you stretched out your legs and smell of piss emanated from everywhere.
“Gak, I’d rather sleep outside.”
“Kwaak!”
As if the rooms were assigned according to their body sizes, his surroundings were filled with screams.
However, Muyoung lied down quite comfortably.
‘It’s comfortable.’
It was good that he could at least spread his legs.
While attempting to assassinate a target, he sometimes had to spend time in a much more cramped place for months.
The fact that he could spread his legs were good enough that Muyoung thought it was very comfortable.
On the other hand, monsters were creatures that roamed the vast plains.
Of course, they wouldn’t be satisfied with a cramped room.
‘It said that it would notify us automatically when an opponent is decided.’
That meant that before that time, it was free time.
Muyoung momentarily caught his breath and then stood up from his spot.
On the end of the narrow path, he found four signs.
Each, , , and were written.
‘Slave?’
For there to be slaves above everything else.
Muyoung walked towards the direction the sign directed him towards.
Not long after, he arrived in a large room and he was able to witness numerous monsters locked up in cages with their hands and feet tied up.
There were gnolls, orcs, wyverns which were known as the kings of the sky and even mermaid lamias.
Though they weren’t top rank monsters, it was amazing nonetheless.
As he entered the room, words appeared as if they were a warning.
Quite a few monsters were looking at slaves or purchasing them and the method of purchasing them was simple.
If you pay the appropriate onz written on their cages, you can buy them as your slave.
“I chose this one.”
“Grrr! No. I was first.”
A troll and an orc warchief were fighting against each other.
It wasn’t odd to see a dispute occur with different types of species.
Since there wasn’t a restriction on the purchaser, there were times when they talked with their bodies than through words.
“It’s forbidden to fight outside of battles.”
And whenever this happened, out of nowhere, living armors appeared and attacked the two until they were beaten into pulps.
Muyoung rubbed his chin as he watched the unconscious troll and orc warchief being dragged to their rooms.
‘All the economy is run by onz in this arena.’
Instead of feeling like a trial, it felt like someone had compressed a whole world.
Muyoung looked around the whole place and before stopping.
‘Dwarf!’
An old dwarf was locked up in a cage.
The number ‘50,000’ was written in front of the cage. Compared to other slaves, he was quite expensive.
However, dwarves were very rare in nature. They did possess exquisite craftsmanship so it was understandable.
Muyoung slowly approached the cage the dwarf was in.
The old dwarf didn’t even look at him.
“Don’t just loiter around and get lost.”
“Do you know the Three Pickaxe Sack Alliance?”
Since it didn’t seem like he could have a long conversation with it, he instantly went to the point.
Three Pickaxe Sack Alliance.
It was the name of an alliance made by few dwarf groups.
They were hiding in the other side of the world and if the dwarf in front of him was from that alliance, he was willing to help free it.
‘It will make it easier for me to make equipment.’
Even if he found the Three Pickaxe Sack Alliance, whether they were willing to make Muyoung equipment was a different matter.
He needed to move their hearts in order to use the Heart of the Phoenix and the dragon bones.
However, dwarves were the type of creatures who always repaid debts.
It seemed possible for them to accept a favor from Muyoung if he freed a dwarf from their alliance.
“…That place, I don’t know of it. Get lost!”
His body flinched. His response was also late.
‘He knows.’
Muyoung went closer to the cage and quiet down.
“If you’re part of that alliance, I will get you out.”
Not right away. But, Muyoung said it as if it was decided.
The veins of the old dwarf immediate bulged.
“Nonsense. As a dokkaebi, what can you do? And even if you had that much onz, I would rather die by biting my own tongue than become a slave.”
“Then, what’s your reason for not killing yourself right now?”
“What?”
“It was already decided that you were to become someone’s slave. There is no point in living, is there?”
There was no point in living but he was still alive?
This was also a lie.
The old dwarf clenched his teeth as Muyoung spat out words sharp as daggers.
“That bastard… I will not die until I see Oloness die.”
“Are you talking about that slave devil?”
“That’s right. That bastard had already collected enough onz to escape this place but he’s continuously repeating the arena. My son, my son, also died by that bastard’s hands.”
Thump! Thump!
The old dwarf smacked his head on the cage a few times.
Blood dripped from his forehead and Muyoung could feel the madness in his eyes.
“You want to buy me and use me? Then, kill that bastard. If you make that happen, I will even lick your asshole. It will be impossible though.”
The old dwarf mocked.
“Kekekekekeke! Kehahahahahah!”
And he laughed strangely before breaking out into tears.
He wasn’t himself.
It was certain, he was crazy.
He was certain as the specters in Asura Path were reacting to him.
‘Oloness, huh?’
He was planning to not bump into that slave devil if he could.
It was because, though he couldn’t understand why a devil was in this type of arena but from just watching it fight once, Muyong was able to tell it was quite strong.
It would be difficult right now.
“Wait for me.”
However, it wasn’t impossible.
Woohee boasted how this place would be very helpful to Muyoung.
If Woohee who was familiar with Muyoung’s fighting abilities said this, then it probably meant there were quite a few methods to increase his strength.
If he found them and awakened, he felt it was enough to have a decent fight with Oloness.
Muyoung turned his body.
Proper fights started the next day.
*
Muyoung warmed up before stepping onto the arena.
A werewolf appeared on the other side soon after.
By simply looking at the odds, most placed their bets on the werewolf.
There were some who trusted in the beginner’s luck and betted on Muyoung but they were a small minority.
‘Many matches are progressing at the same time.’
And there were many matches that were occurring besides Muyoung and the werewolf.
Since there were so many, it seemed like they were happening at that same time.
Anyways, Muyoung placed his remaining 500 onz on himself.
He didn’t think he would lose.
He was just concerned about how he was going to win.
‘Win after an intense fight.’
He needed to maintain this kind of betting level so that he could fight more advantageously.
If he was to win overwhelmingly, the odds would obviously lower.
If he wanted to make a clear profit with high odds, he obviously needed to show himself winning by a narrow margin.
As the odds were dependent on who placed their onz on who.
“Just withdraw. I don’t want to kill a beginner.”
The werewolf flat out disregarded Muyoung.
Instead, Muyoung took out Anguish.
The werewolf clicked his tongue when it saw this.
“A dokkaebi can’t beat me.”
Muyoung smiled slightly at this remark.
Normally, a dokkaebi was unable to win against a werewolf.
Normally.
However, would the werewolf know?
That Muyoung was ‘Oom’, the ruler of all the dokkaebis.
That he was an exception that lied outside the box.
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