Chapter 33: Belial’s Children

The atmosphere in the Arena turned icy.

It was a bold statement that sounded almost reckless, but the strength behind the voice was anything but ordinary.

“Haha! What a fierce rookie contestant we have here!”

The Master of the Arena tried to lighten the mood.

‘No way? What a joke.’

Pushing away the creeping doubt inside his mind, Taehoo still felt the effect of the Master’s words, as a delayed sneer rippled through the stands.

“Alright! The atmosphere’s heated enough, so no need for long speeches!”

The Master stepped back slowly and exited the stage.

Strong Iron Fist and Taehoo distanced themselves, taking positions at opposite ends of the stage.

All the basic formalities and preparations were complete.

“With a shout for the ambitious rookie’s good luck! The first round of the Arena! Sᅳᅳstart!”

Half mocking, half hyped by the crowd’s cheers, the curtain rose.

The first attack came from Strong Iron Fist, who was already confident of his victory.

Crouching low, he charged like an enraged bull straight at Taehoo.

Even seeing that, Taehoo moved forward with the light steps of someone taking a stroll.

It almost looked like a matador teasing the bull before the fight.

As soon as the distance between them closed into Strong Iron Fist’s striking range, his thick, log-like arm flared out like a hooked claw.

He was actually wearing a studded gauntlet.

His agility was surprisingly not what one would expect from a muscle-bound brute.

Yet his strength was fully intact.

‘He really is talented.’

Taehoo thought, as he moved his body through the exposed gap in Strong Iron Fist’s guard.

It was a momentary opening.

But that split second was as clear as day to Taehoo.

The difference in skill.

Strong Iron Fist’s arm thundered through the air, but he couldn’t so much as graze a single strand of Taehoo’s hair.

The punch, thrown with all his might at empty space, turned his face red with frustration.

The brief laughter from the crowd only added fuel to his fury.

“You bastard!”

Unable to contain his rage, his fist flew at Taehoo again.

The punch, like a cannonball, was undeniably threatening.

‘Kids like him would easily shatter someone’s head…’

Taehoo thought as he saw the fist whiz past his face.

But that was just from a normal kid’s perspective. For Taehoo, this was a fight he could end anytime.

‘I want to finish it right now, but…’

Taehoo’s role was to draw the crowd’s attention.

To win while being the center of all eyes, proving that the champion was from his own House.

That was Jin Tae’s plan—and a means to hold the VIP hostage.

The more captivating the fighter, the more the crowd’s focus scattered.

So Taehoo deliberately delayed the fight a little.

A battle that ends instantly robs the crowd of their catharsis.

Enough. Enough. He had to wait for the excitement to rise.

“You slippery little eel!”

A flurry of wild punches and kicks were thrown into the air.

But not once did any strike so much as brush Taehoo’s body.

What had seemed like a coincidence kept repeating, and even the Master, watching silently, grew quiet.

The battle expected to end in a one-sided stomp was now capturing everyone’s attention.

People get catharsis from situations that go as expected.

But they feel an even greater thrill when things don’t—when variables come into play. Just like now.

This moment—like the calm before a storm, like water just about to boil—was eerily still.

Now.

Taehoo moved.

Dodging the incoming punch, he grabbed the attacker’s wrist and drove his knee into Strong Iron Fist’s elbow.

Crack!

The sound of an entire arm breaking echoed. Apparently, the guy was as tough as they come, judging by the sound.

“Waaaaah!”

The crack was followed by a roar of excitement.

The mood boiled over.

Ignoring the mangled arm, Strong Iron Fist extended his other arm.

He didn’t even let out a groan.

‘Crazy. He can’t even feel the pain of a broken arm?’

It had to be the drugs.

The thought of him having fought countless battles using steroids, painkillers, and other substances sent chills down Taehoo’s spine.

It took at least five years to raise a dogfighter.

The Strong Iron Fist in front of him was one such dogfighter, who had fought here for two years.

If he used every drug imaginable during that time, his body must have already been destroyed beyond repair.

After years of this, the moment he stopped, it would be as good as dead.

‘I’ll end this quickly.’

The thought came naturally.

He’d gone too far to be spared now.

Taehoo grabbed the broken arm, swinging it like a whip.

Leaping lightly, he used the arm as a lever to spin his body around.

Crack!

The broken arm bent, emitting another grotesque sound.

Yet Strong Iron Fist didn’t even groan once.

‘Goodbye.’

Crack!

Taehoo’s heel slammed into Strong Iron Fist’s jaw.

Not only did his jaw twist, but his neck snapped completely.

That ended the fight.

Strong Iron Fist’s massive body collapsed.

“Damn it! How much money did we sink into that bastard!”

Among the cheers, a voice roared. Taehoo recognized the face of the Sponsor who had raised him just outside the stage.

“Well, that’s over, right?”

Taehoo asked the stunned glasses-wearing man.

“Ah, uh?”

The Master of the Arena barely recovered and stepped forward.

“An unexpected upset! The rookie Bel has defeated Strong Iron Fist, the five-crown champion of the Arena!”

With the announcement of the result,

The man gripping his Receipt in the stands thought,

‘It really happened. The upset!’

A small number of the audience felt an electrifying thrill run down their spines beyond just cheers.

“Ha, this is incredible!”

During the short break, Ho-sik, the Arena Master with glasses, rejoiced.

He might have lost a good cut of the betting fees, but that was no problem.

A star player who would guarantee the Arena’s future profits had been born!

Ho-sik’s quick calculations and talent had propelled him to become Arena Master.

Now, he smelled money on Taehoo for sure.

Overwhelming fighting power.

Yet, despite that, he knew how to build suspense for the crowd’s excitement—a showman’s spirit overflowing with masculine combat skill.

“Good, very good.”

Even the mask, once considered repulsive, now seemed charming when backed by such skill and mystery.

Isn’t the mystique of a skilled fighter always alluring to men?

Unaware of the Arena’s future, Ho-sik’s fantasies grew larger.

The following fights in the Arena were complete blowouts by Taehoo.

It was to be expected, as this was the round where Strong Iron Fist was predicted to become the Six-Crown Champion.

Some hopeful participants who hadn’t seen Taehoo and Strong Iron Fist’s fight tried to boast, but each was quickly knocked unconscious with a blow to the jaw.

Taehoo did not kill anyone but Strong Iron Fist.

At least, none of the other kids suffered that badly.

That alone proved the inhumanity of the Sponsor who raised Strong Iron Fist.

However, Taehoo did not forget the faces of the other Sponsors.

He was not righteous enough to save the children called dogfighters, but he was not merciful enough to spare pests that stuck in his mind.

The tournament was a long one, with 128 participants in the initial round.

Taehoo climbed the ranks one step at a time.

When the round of 32 approached,

All the remaining kids gathered on the stage.

The Arena’s tournament ran all day long. How could such a long 128-round tournament end so quickly?

Group Battle.

The highlight of the Arena in its mid-phase.

The last chance for the weak to topple the strong and the fight to determine the final eight for the ultimate round.

“Alright, last chance for a comeback! Group Battle! Fight until only eight remain on stage! Start!”

Ho-sik’s brief words signaled the start of the group battle.

On stage, the standout participant was Taehoo, wearing the Gladiator Mask.

An alien presence among the similar-aged kids.

Because of that, the remaining 31 kids formed a tight circle around Taehoo.

‘Looks like the Sponsors have already conspired.’

The last chance for the weak to beat the strong had this meaning.

All of them teaming up to eliminate the odd one out.

Someone overcoming adversity to try and win in the end.

Such storytelling was also money in the Arena.

Ho-sik designed this fighting format not to miss out on that code.

For Taehoo, this was actually good news.

Why refuse when the targets you need to knock down are gathering around you voluntarily?

Especially when he had the power to take them all on.

He intended to flip the table here.

‘Dragging this out won’t do any good.’

He had reasons for using the remaining time to hone his skills, even though he was already at a winning level.

Taehoo moved swiftly through the circle of kids.

Even without Stat or Mana usage, his movements were too fast for their eyes to follow.

By the time he reached them, their reactions were sluggish at best.

Of course, that meant it was already too late.

Flinch.

Startled.

The participants collapsed one by one, knocked out by Taehoo’s fists.

Again, and again, the same thing happened.

Even the previous Second-Place Winner who survived Strong Iron Fist’s fight lost consciousness like that.

The audience in the stands, and Ho-sik, couldn’t keep up with the speed of the kids falling one after another.

The number of participants standing on stage quickly dropped to nine.

If one more went down, this fight would be over.

“Ah! There’s never been such a quick end to a Group Battle! For the first time! Rookie Bel is making history!”

Ho-sik busied himself pushing Taehoo forward, but it meant nothing to Taehoo.

History?

Could something like history even exist here?

If it did, Taehoo was ready to add another line.

Of course, the last paragraph titled ‘The End’.

Taehoo glanced at the remaining participants.

If he knocked down the one next to him, the fight would be over.

But the frightened kids couldn’t even move a finger.

Just watching Taehoo was already too much for them.

For the first time, Taehoo drew a weapon.

The Demon Dagger, hanging at his waist, untouched until now.

“Bel draws his weapon for the first time! A reward for the last remaining participants?”

The dagger danced in Taehoo’s hand.

“Come on, thanks to me your odds just went up, right?”

Weapon use was allowed in the Arena. The kids on stage all carried weapons suited to themselves as proof.

“Ah! Once again, Bel boldly speaks to the audience!”

The dagger flew from Taehoo’s hand.

Suddenly, it changed direction mid-air and rushed forward.

Thunk!

A sound of something embedding itself.

Ho-sik, who had just been speaking, now had a hole pierced through his forehead.

“This one’s for you.”

Taehoo declared.

“That guy’s mana!”

A string of curses burst from the audience, and at this moment when all eyes were on him,

“Kyaaaah!”

Screams erupted from other sections of the crowd.

Belial’s Children, hidden among the spectators, had unknowingly pressed knives to the VIP’s throat.