Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Omens (3)
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The people who designed the arena weren't idiots. For running a business like this, safety was the top priority above all else. Naturally, they only handled monsters they could kill on their own terms.
The moment an accident broke out inside, the heavy weaponry prepared for large monsters would activate—and that was more than enough to take down the monsters they managed here.
If not for the unexpected chaos of monsters swarming out all at once and a troll hurling a raptor, it would have been possible to contain the situation inside the arena.
*Clack, clack—*
“?!”
“What are you doing? Activate it!”
“I-It’s not activating!”
“What?!”
Having crushed the raptor’s windpipe, Suhyun furrowed his brow as he looked down at the arena. The monsters were pounding furiously against the security barrier in their attempt to break out. High-voltage currents should have repelled their approach by now, but there was no sign of any effect.
‘Something’s up.’
The weaponry meant to attack the monsters, the systems meant to contain them—none of it was working. This wasn’t something that happened by chance.
He’d dismissed the raptor’s odd state earlier as a fluke. He’d even thought someone might be running a shady money-making scheme and nearly brushed it off...
But this changed everything.
Screams echoed as people fled in panic. The security guards were doing their best to calm the crowd, but once panic set in, it didn’t die down easily.
“U-Unh...”
Regardless, the orc down in the arena was the one facing the greatest threat to his life right now. With the security systems offline and no way out, he steeled himself for death.
“Team Leader, let me guide you out. We need to get you to safety!”
“?”
Suhyun stared at Jo Min-wook in disbelief. What was this guy saying right now?
“That security barrier won’t break easily. Another raptor won’t come flying like before. Support forces will arrive in at most thirty minutes, so there’s no need for you to stay here, Team Leader. Let’s head out!”
Jo Min-wook was desperate at the thought of Suhyun getting hurt. They’d come to the arena to lift his spirits, and now this had to happen. Things couldn’t have gone more wrong.
“No need to leave, is there?”
“Pardon? No, those things might not break through the barrier right away, but they’re still monsters! Give it time, and they’ll smash it. If you don’t evacuate, you’ll have to fight them all alone here!”
“Doesn’t bother me. Anyway, didn’t you say they have their own forces on site?”
Suhyun started descending toward the arena floor as he spoke. Jo Min-wook followed behind him, face pale and stamping his feet in frustration. He couldn’t flee if Suhyun wasn’t budging.
“I wouldn’t know! And even if they do, how reliable could they be? The type to run at the first sign of trouble. Fact they haven’t shown up yet means they’re probably scared shitless and hightailing it.”
“Mercenaries are all the same, wherever you go.”
By the time he finished speaking, they were already near the bottom of the arena.
“Team Leader...! Please, just get out of here! You can’t get hurt!”
Suhyun knew Jo Min-wook was aware he was a magic user, that he’d faced far stronger monsters than these.
But that was with full preparations and comrades at his back. Right now, Suhyun was utterly alone.
A superpower user’s abilities weren’t infinite. They drained stamina, and pushing further strained the body.
In the meantime, the orc had made his peace.
‘I’m gonna die here.’
He never imagined the job he’d taken for cash would end like this. Gripping his spear tight, the orc glared at the approaching troll. While the other monsters slammed into the barrier, this one just leered at him mockingly.
The sneer of a predator toying with cornered prey.
“Fine, you bastard! Come at me!”
The troll wasn’t a problem. What worried him was the others piling on mid-fight. But first, he had to take down the troll.
The troll charged with a roar. The orc raised his spear high. A faint flame flickered at the tip.
Then the troll went flying sideways.
*Boom!*
“?!?!?!”
“Oops.”
Suhyun clicked his tongue upon seeing the crack in the barrier. He’d misjudged his strength due to the booster.
“What the...?”
After facing the twin-headed ogre, Suhyun had looted the dark elves’ herbs and picked up a few minor superpowers. Minor in name only—they were mainstays for other users. Add in his artifacts, and he was worlds beyond relying solely on his enhanced telekinesis like before.
“Stone Wall.”
He needed to save the orc first. Suhyun activated the ring on his finger, erecting a rock wall in front of the orc. Then he telekinetically leaped atop it.
-?
In that instant, the monsters battering the barrier froze as one. Then they all turned to Suhyun.
“What the hell?”
He hadn’t hidden himself, but he hadn’t expected every single one to fixate on him. Most monsters operated on instinct. There was no reason for them to suddenly shift from smashing the barrier to staring at him.
-Grrr...
“?”
He’d planned to handle the boldest one first. But something was off.
The monsters were backing away from Suhyun. Even those that had been hammering the barrier moments ago now growled lowly, lowered their stances, and retreated.
“Team Leader, get out of there! Fighting alone is too dangerous!”
Jo Min-wook was on the verge of tears. He wanted to run too. But he couldn’t abandon Suhyun.
“I’m fine. Just quiet down.”
-Grraaah!
The troll that had crashed hard into the barrier staggered to its feet and lunged. It was the only monster here daring to attack Suhyun.
*Crunch!*
Its head vanished without a trace. The headless body wobbled before collapsing.
‘The troll charges in... Because it took a hit? Or is it just more aggressive?’
“Um, excuse me. If it’s not too much trouble, could you maybe get me out of here?”
A cautious voice drifted up from below—the orc. Instead of answering, Suhyun telekinetically lifted him and tossed him beyond the barrier. Finally out, the orc let out a huge sigh of relief.
“Huh? Isn’t that guy...”
“Kim Suhyun, right? The magic user.”
With everyone scrambling through the passages at once, quite a few people still lingered near the seats. A few realized the bizarre turn in the arena below.
“A magic user’s here? Did he take them all out?”
“No, the monsters are just... sitting there?”
“Why aren’t they moving?”
“Must’ve done something. He’s a magic user, after all.”
Ordinary folk had no clue what made magic users special. They just thought it was impressive because the media and people said so.
“I-Is that really Kim Suhyun?”
“?”
Standing atop the stone wall overlooking the monsters, Suhyun turned at the voice beside him. The orc he’d just rescued was beaming.
“I’m Eejiks! It’s an honor to meet you! I’ve always admired you!”
“Me? You’re an unusual orc.”
“Unusual? All the orcs in Pyongyang respect Kim Suhyun!”
“?”
Pondering how to deal with the cowering monsters, Suhyun’s face twisted in utter confusion at the unexpected words.
Orcs respected him?
“What’s that supposed to mean? Why would orcs respect me?”
Orcs admired strength, sure—but that was tribal stuff. Even as a magic user, orcs who didn’t know him had no reason to revere him.
Plus, orcs weren’t a unified force. They were split by tribes and origins.
“Not only are you a magic user, but I heard you took a whole orc tribe under your wing last time—without any benefit to yourself!”
“Huh? Oh... uh... yeah, something like that.”
Word about the Kevaswak orcs must’ve spread oddly. Sure, Suhyun had treated them well. But it was purely pragmatic.
To the orcs, though, it was a paragon of fairness and consideration. Plenty of humans screwed over destitute异種 without a second thought.
“And in Heimken, you just handed over that divine relic! No strings attached! I’m from Heimken myself! That story moved me to tears!”
“You should filter the rumors you hear.”
“Pardon?”
“Nah, nothing.”
Jo Min-wook, who’d been listening anxiously, finally couldn’t hold back.
“This isn’t the time for chit-chat, Team Leader! Get out now!”
“Calm down. Look—they’re not even attacking.”
“But they’re still monsters...”
“If you’re calm, make some calls. If they’re not charging, do we really need to kill them?”
“G-Got it.”
Jo Min-wook hurriedly made contact. Meanwhile, Suhyun scanned the monsters again. Each time his gaze swept over them, they averted their eyes.
‘This is seriously weird.’
Suhyun hopped lightly down. Anyone else would call him insane. Approaching monsters unarmed, of all things.
“Look this way. Over here.”
-Grrr...
The raptor backed away as Suhyun approached, pressing its rear against the barrier and bowing its head low.
Suhyun went further. He grabbed the raptor’s head. Even if the monster shied away, this crossed a line. It could’ve lunged right then.
But the raptor only shook its head, as if begging to be released.
Suhyun let out a hollow chuckle as he checked its state. Like the others, it seemed injected with something special.
These should’ve been more ferocious, yet they refused to attack.
‘No clue.’
*Boom!*
Heavily armed troops burst through the already battered entrance doors. Even without seeing their faces, their tension was palpable.
“Open fire—huh?”
One froze. He’d noticed the monsters’ odd behavior. And among them was a familiar face.
“Why’s a magic user here?”
Suhyun checked the time. His eyes turned cold.
‘Here in under ten minutes. Too fast.’
* * *
As if the chaos had been a lie, the situation resolved quickly. No fatalities felt like a miracle. At worst, a few minor injuries from people tripping over each other in the stampede.
The forces arriving in under ten minutes were unexpected. Not military dispatched after contact, nor police anti-monster squads.
“Nice to meet you, Team Leader Kim Suhyun. I’m Jeong Sang-hoon.”
“You look like military.”
“Haha, that obvious? Not anymore, though. Just call me Team Leader. Getting mistaken for military would be trouble. I’m a full civilian now.”
Jeong Sang-hoon flashed a friendly smile, but Suhyun read the unmistakable anxiety beneath it. The jitters people showed when plans went awry.
‘Lee Jung-young... Going all out, huh.’
Former Army Colonel Lee Jung-young. Ambitious sort pushing for a disguised private mercenary unit under military auspices. Jeong Sang-hoon was one of its commanders. Suhyun knew the man’s face, given Lee’s background.
‘A thorough yes-man.’
No ambition, middling skill—just followed orders well. Died to a monster on a mission after a few assignments. Seeing him again was novel.
But Jeong Sang-hoon wasn’t the point now. The issue was him and his team showing up here.
‘Already formed a few units? Faster than expected. Probably planned to take credit if they handled this mess well. These bastards...’
Where there was a stench, something rotten lurked. The monsters’ abnormal frenzy, the security systems’ inexplicable shutdown... These things didn’t happen by accident.
High chance it was Lee Jung-young’s self-staged drama.
But Suhyun didn’t know. That he was one cause of this incident. His skyrocketing status bred anxiety in those who saw him as a threat.