Chapter 39: The Arena (2)

Participating in the arena wasn’t difficult.

All it took was registering through the guard captain.

“Hahaha! A fine warrior has come!”

Felix had won the captain’s favor, which helped a lot.

“Two participants? You’re registering two?”

“Yes. There’s no rule saying only humans can participate, is there?”

“Well, that’s true… but who’s the other one?”

“This friend here.”

“Oh, a small, cute little guy. Looks like a magical beast. Be careful not to lose it.”

Fortunately, No. 5 was cheerfully approved to join as well.

This should be enough!

“…Is there something on my face?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

The Oracle stared intently at Evan.

Her gaze was almost overwhelming.

Thankfully, her staring didn’t last long.

I thought she was going to bore a hole through me.

Evan rubbed his cheeks absentmindedly.

The Oracle then approached Felix.

“You, the strong one. You mentioned walking the [Pilgrimage Path] earlier. Could you tell me more?”

“Hmm?”

“What? Is there a problem?”

Aegis asked with a curious tone.

The Oracle shook her head.

“It’s not a problem. Just… personal curiosity.”

“Curiosity about what?”

“The Pilgrimage Path is a grand ritual of fate, a form of Celestial Magic. It’s been forgotten, so I was wondering how you’re practicing it…”

“Oh, that’s what you meant.”

Felix nodded.

“I don’t use magic.”

The Oracle fell silent for a moment.

Then she voiced her confusion.

“Pardon?”

“I just walk. It’s a path to strengthen myself. Seeking out the strong or the enlightened, gaining insight to reach Swordmaster. That’s my Pilgrimage Path. It’s about overcoming barriers.”

“If I may ask… what’s your current level?”

“Mid-tier Expert.”

A level far from reaching Master.

The Oracle was at a loss for words.

Normally, those who spoke of walking the Pilgrimage Path or overcoming barriers were at least Upper-tier Experts.

Mid-tier?

Not even Top-tier?

An awkward silence hung over the group.

Lapis, who had been munching on vegetables skewered from their earlier purchases, suddenly pointed with wide eyes.

“Oh! Felix is escaping to some weird place!”

“Huh?”

Sure enough, Felix was already wandering down another path.

As if realizing something was off, he turned his head and scratched it sheepishly.

“Ah, my mistake. I’m a bit directionally challenged.”

The Oracle stared at Felix in shock.

What kind of guy is this?

Evan nodded in understanding.

***

“The rewards seem pretty good, don’t they?”

Having tethered Felix with thread to keep him from straying, they arrived at the Colosseum.

Inside a nearby diner, Aegis looked at the catalog with a surprised expression.

“This place isn’t just an arena, is it?”

“Correct.”

Evan grimaced at the bitter taste of his drink, pulling a potion from his pocket and downing it.

This is much better.

What kind of prototype is this garbage?

Soothing his stinging mouth with the potion, he spoke.

“The Colosseum doubles as a gambling den and auction house.”

“The empire allows this kind of thing?”

“Yes.”

The Oracle answered Lapis’s question.

“To stay competitive, they have to do at least this much.”

“Competitive?”

“Compared to the Empire, the Knight Kingdom of Demisia doesn’t have much going for it.”

A soundproof enchantment ensured their conversation wouldn’t leak.

Thanks to that, the Oracle spoke candidly.

“The Knight Kingdom of Demisia sits in the middle of the Desia Desert, so the land is barren. It survives on ancient ruins and rivers, but life here is harsh. The only thing they have left are individuals with great strength, like knights. They stay because they were born here.”

The kingdom’s conservative nature played a big role too.

The Empire embraced all sorts of innovations to advance, which was why magic, swordsmanship, alchemy, spirit arts, and astrology flourished there.

In contrast, Demisia?

As the atmosphere suggested, they rejected new ideas and revered only their martial prowess.

A tendency to cling to the present.

It wasn’t for nothing that they couldn’t withstand the demonic invasions in the future and collapsed.

“That’s also why they always need a strong leader to guide them.”

“A strong leader?”

“Have you ever heard of Gyeonbaek?”

Lapis shook her head side to side.

Well, she only read books about the Empire, not other kingdoms.

She thought it wasn’t time for that yet.

Frey, being sharper, had already read up on everything.

Not that Evan kept Lapis around for her brains.

“Gyeonbaek is the current leader and ruler of Demisia, the strongest knight. In terms of sheer martial prowess, they say he surpasses even the Emperor.”

“…Really?”

“It’s a rumor, so it’s hard to verify, but if the rumor’s that big, it’s probably true.”

In terms of raw combat ability, it was true.

Though, there was a significant flaw.

The Oracle continued in a soft, storytelling tone, as if reading a fairy tale to a child.

“It’s because of such a strong leader that this kingdom can function. A barren land naturally gives rise to heroes.”

“What if no hero shows up?”

“With a population this large, surely one would emerge, no?”

“What if no noble steps up?”

“Oh, that’s what you meant? Here, ability matters more than bloodline.”

“So there are no nobles?”

“Pretty much.”

There were nobles, but if the next generation couldn’t prove themselves, that was the end of it.

Only the strong survived in this country.

Ironically, it was also a country that could only survive with the strong.

Warriors shouting about honor and strength thrived here, but others had it rough.

“In that sense, the arena is the most popular place for knights to prove themselves, and it’s also a hub for commerce.”

“It’s not strange to have an auction house and gambling den where money flows and people find joy.”

“Wow… that’s fascinating.”

Lapis seemed genuinely shocked.

To think a single arena played such a significant role.

It wasn’t Evan’s concern.

Just do the job well.

Stay as unnoticed as possible.

Even if it was tough, Evan’s personality leaned toward quietly making money.

It absolutely wasn’t because he was a pushover.

“Oh!”

At that moment, Aegis let out an exclamation.

She pointed to an item in the catalog.

“Look at this! They’ve got elixirs too!”

“Sandworm elixirs?”

“No, a mixed elixir, it says.”

A mixed elixir.

It mainly boosted mana and cleansed bodily impurities.

The grade was random, but it was relatively cheap, so both novices and veterans favored it.

“Tch, a bit disappointing. This is the most expensive thing they’ve got?”

Aegis smacked her lips, unable to find anything better in the catalog.

Then she stared at Evan.

“Maybe you should learn Refinement Arts instead?”

“Refinement Arts?”

“Yeah, a branch of alchemy that lets you make pills or elixirs and regenerate the human body. It’s hard to come by, like golems. It’s been lost.”

“Not even in the underworld?”

“Nope. Nothing’s been found so far.”

Refinement Arts would only appear in the future.

Even then, it was a brief Easter egg, appearing and vanishing quickly.

It was indeed hard to find.

If you got lucky, great. 

If not, too bad.

Both of them are alchemists, huh.

The Oracle spoke up.

“Yes, that’s right. Can’t you tell from the golems?”

“I… thought you were a mage.”

“You don’t know Evan? He’s super famous on the continent. If you don’t know him, you’re a spy.”

“!”

The Oracle’s eyes wavered.

“I… I’m a bit slow on rumors…”

“Evan said you should at least know this much.”

“W-who said that?”

“Evan.”

The Oracle’s eyes shook even more.

At that moment—

WHOOSH! CLATTER!

A sandstorm blew in from outside.

It slipped through the poorly sealed door.

Ugh, sand in my mouth.

Evan grimaced instinctively.

Do they not maintain this place properly?

He considered complaining but backed off after seeing the owner’s imposing figure.

Well, everyone here’s pretty big.

Maybe I’ll let it slide.

“Evan, should I go complain?”

“It’s fine.”

I’m a forgiving guy.

Gotta endure.

Evan let out a small cough.

The sandstorm.

His Living Armor blocked most of it, but it couldn’t stop the sand from getting into his airways.

Gotta make a mask later.

His mouth felt gritty.

Cough!

“Oh.”

A bit of blood came up.

His throat stung slightly, probably scratched.

Did I inhale too much sand?

He hadn’t even left the carriage much.

Ugh, dizzy.

Did I use up all the blood in my health ring already?

Or maybe it was the scorching heat getting to him.

He felt a bit lightheaded.

Drip.

“Oh.”

“Evan!”

Blood trickled from his nose.

It had been fine until now, so why suddenly?

Did the health ring run out of blood?

Tch, just a bit left.

At least I didn’t cough up blood.

His body was frail enough that even a lack of sleep could make him ill.

He’d have to bear with it.

Ugh, I hate being sick.

“Don’t move. Sniff!”

“I can handle it.”

“Hurry. Sniff!”

Lapis firmly handed him a handkerchief.

Reluctantly, Evan carefully wiped the nosebleed.

No. 5 nudged him, offering a potion.

Evan nodded and drank it.

“Oh, you said your body’s weak. You okay?”

“Yes, this happens often.”

Evan nodded at Aegis’s concern.

Well, this much is…

Now that I’m a man among men, I shouldn’t make a fuss.

CRASH!

“Ugh, agh!”

The sound of someone, likely the owner, “accidentally” tripping echoed, but Evan let it pass.

“You…”

“?”

The Oracle stared at Evan.

Something seemed to flicker in her eyes, but her lips, which had been about to speak, closed tightly.

“…It’s nothing.”

Her expression was complex and subtle.

Evan was certain of one thing.

Whatever you’re imagining, it’s not that.

Just then—

“Oh? Evan!”

Lapis, who had been manipulating her mana threads, pointed to a line at the bottom of the catalog.

[Beginner’s Refinement Arts Book]

[Bidding Condition: Achieve 3rd Place or Higher.]

“Isn’t this what you were looking for?”

“Beginner’s Refinement Arts Book?!”

Aegis shot to her feet.

“Why’s something this rare here?!”

Seriously.

This… is actually here?

Evan was so shocked he couldn’t speak.

Is this luck?

Hiding his astonishment, Evan examined the catalog.

As expected of something rare, it came with a bidding condition.

Achieve 3rd place or higher.

In other words, you needed skill to obtain it.

Likely a way for high-ranking warriors to make money.

Bid low, sell high.

The deadline was two days from now.

“Planning to aim for the top 10?”

Felix, who had been meditating quietly, spoke hesitantly.

“The warriors from 10th place and above are all undefeated legends. Even I can’t guarantee a win.”

“It’s fine.”

Evan shook his head.

He hadn’t relied on Felix from the start.

Mid-tier Expert.

Not bad, but not exactly strong either.

So what could he do?

Trust someone else.

“No. 5.”

Rustle.

Evan pulled the heart of a sand golem from his subspace.

“Let’s do a little upgrade.”

[Decompose], [Reconstruct].

A blue light burst from Evan’s hands.

***

That night.

[No. 88, Felix. Prove yourself as a warrior.]

Felix quietly polished his sword.

The blade passed down from his father, Elim.

Worn from his time as a wandering knight, but not yet broken.

This was Felix’s conviction.

The “Pilgrimage Path” was a grand name for his journey, but it wasn’t yet complete as a belief.

I will become a Swordmaster, no matter what.

A dream his father couldn’t achieve.

Felix would fulfill it in his place.

That was his goal.

Though he hadn’t seen his father recently…

The Oracle… maybe I can ask her.

She seemed kind.

He could tell.

Even if he was so directionally challenged he got lost constantly, he was never wrong about people.

She’d probably know where his father was.

Lately, he’d felt lost, unsure of how to move forward.

Still young, he yearned for the path ahead.

It gave him the courage to keep going.

Father, show me the way.

[Warrior Felix, it’s time to prove your strength.]

The knight managing the waiting room spoke.

Felix nodded and stepped outside.

Through the iron bars, he could see the ongoing match.

At that moment, Felix doubted his eyes.

What?

BANG!

ROOOOAAARRRR!

A golem twice Felix’s size felled a powerful warrior with a single punch.

The 23rd-ranked warrior.

A legend writing a new myth with an unbroken streak, knocked out with one hit.

“WOOOOH! Teddy Bear—no, Dead Bear! The rookie has toppled our undefeated legend!!!”

“WAAAAAHHHH!”

A golem… can achieve such feats?

Unbelievable strength.

It could probably take Felix down in one hit too.

He prepared something like that?

It was too meticulous to be a coincidence.

Felix slowly looked up.

Across the arena, in the VIP seats.

Seats only the wealthy could afford.

Evan sat there, watching them with an eerily blank expression.

What is he thinking? 

I can’t tell at all.

Cold sweat dripped down Felix’s forehead.

Meanwhile, Evan—

Under the alias [Dead Bear], Evan watched No. 5 defeat its opponent and thought,

Ugh, my back’s itchy.

Should I ask Lapis to scratch it?

Maybe I’ll just head to a nearby inn and sleep.

He was seriously contemplating it when—

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the VIP section’s door.

Lapis, seasoning vegetables with salt, turned her head.

“Pardon me. I heard the scion of the Alkart family is here and came to meet him.”

“Evan, what should we do?”

Aegis yawned as she asked.

A refined, cold face.

It made one wonder what she was thinking.

Evan thought,

…Should I just say I’m not here?