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chapter 160
Lee Hyun stared at the suspicious Ramon Marques and seriously considered whether this might be a trap set by the Gijeo Cult.
After all, that man could have eaten the human-intelligence of Lee Gun-san and be impersonating him.
But—
“No, they wouldn’t. Never. ‘Gwiry’ hasn’t been at odds with the Gijeo Cult. His relationship with the Colonel has never been revealed.”
Above all, the food items Gwiry had sent to Lee Hyun were all encoded with secret cipher—information the Gijeo Cult could never have discovered.
So something was definitely going on between him and Lee Gun-san… but that didn’t mean Lee Hyun could trust someone who smelled like the Gijeo Cult.
As far as Lee Hyun knew, every cultist in the Gijeo Cult was an unhinged fanatic incapable of normal thought or behavior.
“Besides, at that level he’s at least a bishop. If he’s an executive, he won’t be something you can easily handle.”
In the end Lee Hyun organized his thoughts and rang the bell on the table.
Ding.
A server appeared and bowed politely.
“May I help you, sir?”
“Can I put in a bet too?”
“Of course. For our VVIPs we have several special betting options. Would you like me to guide you?”
“I want to do an order bet.”
An order bet: a betting rule that lets you demand something on the spot depending on the result of the match.
“Yes. Please tell me.”
“I’ll put this seawater gem up as the final prize.”
Lee Hyun took a palm-sized blue jewel from his inventory and placed it on the table.
It had a black pupil at the center, like an animal’s eye.
The server’s eyes lit up.
It was an exceedingly rare magic stone even across the Two-Man Strip—no, even including the Hagathia Black Zone.
[Supreme Seawater Stone]
A supreme magic stone crafted from the eye of the Kraken, a sea monster and symbol of chaos. It draws in surrounding moisture and mana to emit a blue glow. Its absorption and mana-amplifying power is over ten times greater than ordinary magic stones, making it an essential material for crafting top-tier equipment.
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Type: Crafting material.
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Origin: Epic “Saga of Yeurvar Oz”
“This is… isn’t that the seawater stone that was on display at Cielo Casino?”
“You have a good eye. Yes, that’s where it came from.”
The server swallowed dryly without realizing it. He tensed up, forgetting for a moment that he was there to serve.
“Putting this up as the final prize means…?”
“I find plain melees boring. If we’re going to enjoy it, the stakes should be bigger. What, is that insufficient?”
“Of course not! On the contrary, every gladiator will be ecstatic!”
The server hurriedly called for subordinates, anxious that Lee Hyun might change his mind. They fussed, fetching a silk-padded box to carefully hold the seawater stone.
Among wealthy VVIPs, changing the rules like this happened sometimes. The audience often got more excited by these variants than by plain fight matches—rewards were clear and the prize pool ballooned.
“What kind of game would you like?”
“Make it a group brawl.”
“You mean a battle royale format? You’ll be able to see a fast, more thrilling spectacle. There are thirty gamers remaining… that should be sufficient. If you’d like, we’ll prepare it.”
“And one condition.”
“Please, state it.”
For a moment the server felt a chill from the eyes that showed through Lee Hyun’s mask.
“I will participate as well.”
“…What do you—”
Before the server could blurt out his shocked question,
Pazzzzt!!
Lee Hyun drew the rune staff and struck it to the floor.
A white electric current exploded outward and shattered the glass that had been isolating the lounge from the outside.
Crash!
“Eek!”
“What—what is this!?”
“That’s the VVIP room! Why—!? Is this a terrorist attack!?”
Spectators screamed in alarm.
Someone shouted.
“It’s Gwiry! Gwiry’s here!”
“What? Gwiry? The one who’s been selectively destroying City Cartel establishments today…?”
“Yeah! That mad dog!!”
“Why is he there…!? Huh! He’s—he’s flying!”
―ᚱ.
[Transporting via the ‘Trail of Radiance’!]
The amethyst on the rune staff began to spin; the white currents coalesced, opening a path from the lounge railing through to the arena.
Lee Hyun slid along it and landed silently.
Thud!
Pazzzzt!!
Of course, what followed was anything but quiet.
A pillar of white energy burst up around Lee Hyun, hitting the ceiling and flowing along the walls, heating the air inside.
“…Gwiry, sir? Haha. What sort of event is this?”
Ramon, startled by Lee Hyun’s sudden intrusion, tried to act casual and asked with a playful tone.
Through his in-ear he seemed to be frantically listening to the servers for exact information.
Meanwhile, the winner who’d held the audience’s attention glared at Lee Hyun openly.
“I thought we could enjoy a more interesting game. What, is that a problem?”
Behind the mask, Lee Hyun’s two eyes drew a thin line.
He had pricked the pride of the Two-Man Strip’s greatest showman.
“Hah… hahahaha! Of course not! Then it can’t be helped. If you want to spice up the feast like this, I’ll stoke it to the end. As it happens, other gladiators have declared they want to join as well.”
Clack!
Ramon grinned and grabbed the microphone, turning toward the crowd.
“Señores, Señoras!! Tonight, our Carnarium has welcomed a myth!”
Ramon theatrically used the momentary silence as part of the show and shouted.
Instantly the crowd’s tension burst into cheers.
Ramon pointed at Lee Hyun with exaggerated posture.
“Behold! This hero who hides his name has put his treasure on the line, declaring he will throw himself onto the bloody stage with thirty gladiators!”
Whirr!!
Suddenly the ceiling opened left and right and something descended.
A transparent glass case.
The crowd gasped when they saw what was inside.
“That treasure is the one they only talk about—the City Cartel’s treasure! The symbol of Cielo, reduced to ash today: the Kraken’s Eye!!”
Waaaah!
The crowd exploded with shouts; bundles of cash and drinking glasses flew up. Some screamed in disbelief that such a precious item was offered as a reward.
Drumroll!
At the same moment, the outer doors of the arena flew open and thirty gladiators appeared.
Each of them wore fierce expressions and exuded threatening auras.
“This isn’t a simple fight or game! It’s a feast of blood and offerings permitted only by the gods!!”
Ramon snapped his fingers to declare the start.
“Tonight! The history of the Carnarium will be written! Everyone, bear witness!”
The iron cages that protected the arena swung back. The circular ring was fully exposed.
Flash!
Flash!!
At once the warriors opened their power and rushed into the central arena.
They were all rankers or displayed comparable violent surges of mana.
It was a terribly unfavorable position for the Lee Hyun standing at the center, but—
“Interesting. Just moths dancing without knowing the fire they court.”
Lee Hyun sneered and struck the rune staff to the floor again.
―ᚦ.
[Chains of Thunder are unleashed!]
From the concentric white currents dozens of chains sprung up.
“Huff…!”
“Block him! Stop him and deal with him!”
The gladiators had agreed in the waiting room: take out Lee Hyun first, then decide the final winner. They knew how much havoc he had wrecked against the City Cartel today, and they wanted to remove the potential threat first.
The problem was their intent was all readable to Lee Hyun.
“Of course… there are fighters who smell like the Gijeo Cult. Ramon’s pawns, perhaps?”
It seemed these were planted men Ramon had secretly embedded to rig the betting. He’d likely been manipulating odds through them.
“Everyone’s got a clever plan until they get punched.”
Lee Hyun had zero intention of leaving it be.
Whether these were Lee Gun-san’s contacts or puppets of the Gijeo Cult—when the match failed, their true faces would be exposed.
Pazzzzt!
Shrrrkkk!!
Amid the jagged sparks, Lee Hyun saw Ramon retreating out of the arena. A cold smile touched Lee Hyun’s mouth.
“Ahem! This will be fine, right?”
Ramon Marques watched the arena with anxious eyes.
When he had learned that Gwiry and “that person” had some relation—and that this fact had made this Guam more restless than anything recently—he was both shocked and somewhat relieved. If the mysterious figure could be as enigmatic as rumors suggested, perhaps such behavior could be acceptable.
So Ramon had intended to accommodate Gwiry’s convenience as much as possible—out of respect for that person.
“Why would he suddenly behave this way? Does he have some other motive?”
He could have gotten the information he wanted and left. Why the sudden stunt? He doubted it was a simple impulse.
With the match already in motion, he’d had to ramp things up, but the slight unease gnawed at him.
“Did he catch even the scent of the cult from me…? No. That can’t be. It’s a trace no one’s been able to read in the past ten years. Even those sent from the Holy See didn’t know. No matter Gwiry…”
Still, why the persistent nagging worry?
Perhaps because it was a mission entrusted by that person—whose name, age, nationality, and identity Ramon did not know—who had once helped him escape from the cult and become independent. Ramon had never even told his closest people about that benefactor; he was fiercely loyal.
“I’ll try to make sure the match finishes at a reasonable point.”
Ramon glanced at the upper floor and exchanged looks with his staff. They gave him the OK sign—meaning they would signal the gladiators Ramon had previously planted whenever necessary.
It was much easier to rig a group match.
“No matter how strong Gwiry is… he won’t be able to handle all of our guys. He’s tired from long fights since morning and our kids were once the ones the cult counted on. In individual combat they may be weaker than Gwiry, but in group fighting they shouldn’t be underestimated.”
“The crowd’s reaction is very good, too…”
If Gwiry lost, the City Cartel’s fame would be dragged into the slaughterhouse. If Gwiry won, it would become a legendary match to be talked about for years. Business with only upside.
“So let’s just stage a decent-looking outcome. There’s money to be made…!”
Ramon’s eyes began to shine—when—
Whoosh!
“…!?”
Ramon suddenly felt a heatwave sweep outward from around Lee Hyun and widened his eyes.
Though he had given up religious life, he had once been a bishop-level ranker. He sensed something was gravely wrong.
The Chains of Thunder had stiffened into rigid ends.
They looked like they could pierce the gladiators’ hearts in an instant.
―ᚨ.
[Arrow of Disruption (Parma) has been loaded!]
A new rune character appeared. It radiated a Parma energy that would make any fanatic of the Gijeo Cult shiver.
Thunder had soon become Parma in nature—maximized.
And the gladiators’ mana light? It was weak—firefly small.
If it hit them full force…
“Damn!!”
Ramon hurriedly raised a hand in a signal: stop the match immediately.
The staff, confused by the sudden order, did as told and shut off all the lights at once.
The arena sank into darkness.
“What the hell is this?”
“Turn on the lights! What are you doing? It was just getting interesting!!”
Spectators dropped glasses and cursed, panicked.
But regardless—
Snap! Snap!
Ramon quickly flattened himself on the floor in front of Lee Hyun, taking advantage of the dark.
“P-please spare my ch-children…!!”
“……”
A brief silence.
And then—
“If you’d been a moment later, I would’ve thought you were cult-minded and killed every one of you. Fortunately, that person’s eyes were not wrong.”
Lee Hyun’s low voice.
Through the crackling sparks, golden eyes winked sharply.
Ramon’s spine went cold.
