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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter 106: Underground Arena (3)
What was the most dangerous moment of your life?
If someone asked him that, Kwon Hudon could answer without hesitation.
“Aaaagh…”
Kwon Hudon crouched behind a pile of debris, clutching his head.
“Hahaha! I see you over there!”
“I'll kill every last one of you with my own hands!”
Outside the wreckage, dozens of people were engaged in a brutal, bloody battle.
The Colosseum in the East Wing, where Kwon Hudon was participating, was built for team battles.
In an arena themed after a ruined wasteland, over fifty people were frantically trying to kill each other.
“My arm! Aaaagh!”
“Hahaha! You dumb bastard! You're as good as dead… guh! Ugh—!”
Afraid of being spotted, Kwon Hudon shrank down even further, making his already small frame as compact as possible.
“How the hell am I supposed to win this without using the Blackscale Armor…?”
Kwon Hudon might be a coward, but he wasn’t the kind to hide right in front of his enemies—normally.
But this time was different. He had been given a strict order from Kwon Myung-woo: Do not use the Blackscale Armor.
That wasn’t all. Since his identity as a descendant of the Black Dragon Bloodline couldn’t be revealed, he was also restricted from using the other abilities and skills tied to the Black Dragon’s Bloodline.
And now he was expected to survive a bloodbath like this?
Impossible.
BOOM!
An explosion erupted nearby, and a man—charred black—collapsed to the ground.
Kwon Hudon's face turned even more ashen.
“Hiiiiek!”
Then, a shriek pierced the air.
Kwon Hudon froze. It hadn’t come from him.
That’s when he spotted a woman not far from him.
Like him, she wore a mask over her face.
Just as he noticed her, she noticed him.
“Aaaahhh!”
“Eeeek!”
They both shrieked at the same time, panicking and preparing to bolt in opposite directions.
After several minutes of frozen, mutual distrust—
“…Y-You’re not going to fight me?”
“I… I was about to ask you the same thing…”
Only then did they realize—they were on the same side.
The moment they saw the other wasn't hostile, they relaxed in unison.
“W-What’s your name?”
“I’m Larisa San—no, just Larisa is fine.”
Clearly, the mask wasn’t just for show. She was hiding her identity.
That suited Kwon Hudon just fine. He didn’t press further.
“And you?”
“Uh… Just call me Hu.”
He adjusted his mask as he answered.
“Larisa, why did you enter this battle?”
“I need the winner’s prize.”
“Same here.”
After a bit of small talk, Kwon Hudon began to feel a strange kinship with her.
Their personalities, their situations—so many things about them were similar.
“You’ve been through a lot too, huh, Larisa…”
“You as well, Hu…”
They exchanged sympathetic looks.
And then—
A man suddenly leapt onto the debris where Larisa was hiding and aimed a spear at her head.
“Look out!”
Kwon Hudon lunged forward, pulling Larisa out of the way just in time.
The man’s spear stabbed into the ground, missing her.
“Huh, you move better than I expected from a nobody.”
He yanked the spear back out with ease.
“So, you two thinking of teaming up?”
“I-Is that… not allowed?” Hoo asked, voice trembling.
The man shook his head.
“There’s no rule against it. Others are already doing it, anyway.”
With that, he blew a sharp whistle through his fingers.
Moments later, half a dozen people appeared and surrounded them.
“So of course, I am too.”
Hu and Larisa both went pale.
* * *
-Go let off some steam.
When Mei Hong first heard that, she was deeply disappointed. She barely managed to keep her face from giving away her frustration.
She’d followed eagerly, thinking someone like The Strongest Fist of Hyukcheon would train her. But what she got instead?
“Killing things like this won’t blow off any steam.”
She muttered irritably, flicking blood off her blade.
A massive monster lay slain at her feet, its head severed clean.
It had taken her just 47 seconds to bring it down.
-Wooooaaahhh!
-Aaaahhh!
The crowd roared with excitement at her swordsmanship, regardless of her mood.
But Mei Hong didn’t even glance their way. She just waited for her score to appear on the scoreboard.
The West Wing, where she was competing, featured one-on-one fights between monsters and humans.
The rules were twisted: the crowd judged the performance, and the highest scorer won.
<91 points>
Not amazing, but not bad either. Mei Hong turned around and headed back to the waiting room.
Inside, competitors sat around awaiting their turn.
As soon as she entered, the room fell silent.
Even those who’d been flirting with her earlier couldn’t meet her eyes.
She dropped into a chair.
“That swordplay of yours was impressive.”
She opened her eyes to see a masked woman standing in front of her.
Dark-skinned, massive frame, bulging muscles.
“Cutting through that thick bastard’s neck in one stroke—damn impressive.”
“You’re loud. Leave.”
Arms crossed, eyes shut—Mei Hong was nothing like how she acted with Kwon Hanul and the rest of her team.
Still, the woman didn’t back off.
“You know something? There’s a flaw in your sword.”
Mei Hong had planned to ignore whatever nonsense this woman spouted.
But that one sentence stopped her.
“…What did you just say?”
“Haha! Now you react.”
The woman grinned like she’d been waiting for this.
“Don’t get too worked up. I’ll show you what I mean, not just say it.”
At that moment, a voice called out:
<Next up, ‘Valkyrie,’ please enter the arena.>
The woman waved goodbye and left for the field.
Moments later, she stood center stage.
Mei Hong watched from the window, annoyed but curious.
“Let’s see what’s so special about her.”
“Raaaghhh!”
The woman, Valkyrie, stretched her clasped hands above her head. Muscles rippled visibly from forearm to shoulder.
The iron gate across the arena began to rise.
A massive beast emerged.
Twin-Headed Ogre.
Twice the size of a regular ogre, with two heads—and said to be twice as strong and smart.
-GRRRRAAAAHH!
It charged at Valkyrie, shaking the ground with every step.
But she didn’t flinch. She opened a spatial rift and reached inside.
Then pulled something out.
“…What the hell is that?”
Mei Hong couldn’t help but mutter.
Valkyrie drew a massive sword.
No, not just massive—absurdly gigantic.
About 10 meters long, 2 meters wide.
It looked more like she was wielding a bus.
She raised the blade high.
Its shadow covered half the arena.
-GRRRRAAAAHHH!
The Twin-Headed Ogre was just 3 meters away.
Valkyrie swung.
The ground split in two.
The ogre didn’t just break—it was pulverized.
Silence fell.
Then, the arena erupted.
-Wooooaaaahhh!
-Amazing!!
The scoreboard lit up:
<96 points>
Valkyrie laughed heartily and bowed to the crowd.
Then turned toward the waiting room.
And locked eyes with Mei Hong.
“Get it now?”
Her lips moved silently.
“What you lack is boldness. Your sword has no flair.”
Mei Hong’s lips twisted into a grimace.
* * *
Gael Garcia had entered the South Wing Colosseum under Kwon Hanul’s orders.
The competition here?
In short: a deadly footrace.
Whoever crossed the finish line first won. Simple.
The catch?
The entire course was littered with traps.
Stepping on the wrong tile would trigger poison darts from the ceiling and walls—and that was the easy part.
There were invisible barriers that paralyzed the body upon contact, and heat rays so intense they could melt stone in an instant.
But this was Gael Garcia we’re talking about.
A man with the blood of sacred beast—able to mimic the senses and physical prowess of other creatures—and a seasoned dungeon guide with extensive field experience.
He tore through every trap and seized the lead in a single charge.
At this rate, victory was as good as his.
“Wahahah! Stop right there!”
That is, if it weren’t for the man who suddenly surged into second place.
“I said stop!”
Shockingly, the way the man caught up wasn’t through skillful dodging or deactivating traps—
He just charged straight through them.
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
Gael clicked his tongue in disbelief.
The man was tanking traps designed to kill, sprinting headlong through the mayhem.
There was no way a normal human could survive that.
“First place is mine!”
Even now, the man was charging through the traps without hesitation.
The shocking part? Not a single scratch on his body.
A grin crept across Gael’s face.
As a child, Gael had always wondered about the world beyond the island.
He had wanted to experience the vast unknown, overflowing with things he didn’t yet understand.
Though he’d put that dream on hold to pursue his family’s revenge, it was thanks to Kwon Hanul that he could finally face the world head-on.
“The world really is entertaining.”
Still, the situation was dangerous.
The man’s raw speed was faster than Gael, who was carefully navigating each trap.
At this rate, Gael would lose the race.
“I can’t afford to lose.”
The man who saved his life had commanded him to win.
And so, no matter the cost, he had to fulfill that command.
“Sacred.”
Gael murmured the word under his breath.
Moments later, his figure began to blur.
* * *
<The True Superhuman Bloodline senses the presence of the Pure Superhuman Bloodline.>
<It erupts in fury at the disrespectful behavior of this lower bloodline!>
Along with the messages, a change surged through Kwon Hanul.
A scorching wave of emotion burned through his entire body—fury from the True Superhuman Bloodline, directed at the audacity of a lower bloodline’s defiance.
‘What the hell is up with this thing?’
Even Kwon Hanul was rattled. He had known vaguely that the bloodline had a will of its own—but never had its emotions felt this intense before.
Just then—
“Where should I start?”
Maria Sanchez was poking at the air with her fingers as if making a selection.
“What… are you doing?”
“Huh? Oh, don’t mind me. Just deciding which bone to break first.”
“You can’t just say stuff like that—”
<Unable to tolerate this insult, the True Superhuman Bloodline flies into a frenzy!>
Another burst exploded from within his body. Kwon Hanul could barely keep control anymore.
“Alright then, let’s go with the neck.”
Maria Sanchez sprang forward.
Though she was small in frame, the force with which she charged felt like a war machine rolling in. She wasn’t fast—but the pressure was terrifying.
She aimed a knifehand strike straight at Kwon Hanul’s throat.
He moved first.
Blocking her strike with his forearm, flesh met flesh—yet the impact rang out like steel clashing.
“Wow. You’re tougher than I thought.”
A look of surprise flickered across Maria’s face.
“If I’m going to kill you, I’d better go all in.”
Before she even finished the sentence, her waist twisted, unleashing a barrage of strikes all over Kwon Hanul’s body.
‘This woman is insane!’
There was no technique or finesse in Maria’s attacks.
To put it kindly: direct. To put it harshly: brutishly simple.
But Kwon Hanul couldn’t hold out. He was steadily being pushed back.
‘She’s relying purely on brute strength…’
Maria’s combat style was straightforward—no defense, only offense.
It didn’t matter whether her opponent dodged or blocked. She just kept pummeling until they broke.
It was a ludicrous tactic—but when wielded by a top-tier Superhuman Bloodline like hers, it became something else entirely.
Each hit felt like catching a bomb. That’s how heavy and solid her blows were.
‘This won’t cut it…’
Maria Sanchez was powerful—so powerful that even touching her seemed impossible.
Even with the True Superhuman Bloodline, closing that gap was hard.
To make things worse, Kwon Hanul’s Black Dragon Bloodline abilities were sealed.
‘Should I just unleash everything and risk exposing my identity?’
He quickly discarded the thought.
Maria had her secrets too. Just as Kwon Hanul was holding back, she likely wasn’t using the full extent of her Superhuman powers either.
Kwon Hanul could deal with the embarrassment of being exposed—but Maria couldn’t afford that.
Given her infamy, the moment her identity was revealed, the entire city would rise up to kill her.
‘Besides… the True Superhuman Bloodline wants to win on its own.’
This bloodline wasn’t just power—it had a will.
And ignoring that will would bring no good.
‘Fine. Have it your way.’
As Kwon Hanul muttered this—
<True Superhuman Bloodline Synchronization Rate: 30% → 34%>
As if responding to his resolve, the synchronization rate rose.
He could feel the blood’s power growing stronger.
<New Authority Unlocked!>
<You have acquired the Authority: “Hierarchy”>
At that moment—
Something touched Kwon Hanul’s back. It was the arena wall.
He had been pushed back that far.
“Now you’ve got nowhere to run.”
Maria’s voice rang out as she pulled back her fist.
The muscles in her arm suddenly doubled in size, wrapping tightly around her limb like coiled rope.
Magic and air swirled violently around her clenched fist.
Kwon Hanul knew it instinctively—
He couldn’t dodge.
If he blocked it, he’d be pulverized.
“This is the end!”
Maria Sanchez threw her punch.
But Kwon Hanul’s instincts moved him first—he met the strike with his palm.
A thunderous boom exploded through the arena. The wall and floor behind Kwon Hanul shattered completely.
And yet, he stood unharmed.
“…What?”
Maria looked stunned.
“Whoa.”
Kwon Hanul, on the other hand, let out a breath of awe. A message had just appeared before his eyes:
<Authority “Hierarchy” has activated!>
<Temporarily weakens the abilities of lower Superhuman Bloodlines within range!>
<While facing lower-ranked Superhuman Bloodlines, your strength is temporarily boosted to SS-Rank!>
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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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