Slaughter in the Colosseum
There were nothing but elves all around me.
They were in a much worse state than I was, hunched over and retching.
"Uuuurgh!"
"Bleegh!"
The bastards were already pale to begin with, but throwing up made them look like walking corpses.
I looked around.
The place I had landed in resembled an ancient Colosseum, the kind I had only ever seen in documentaries.
The only difference was that this place was far more grand and vibrant.
Golden confetti drifted through the air as if a festival were underway, and a beautiful melody—one I had never heard in my life—echoed throughout the arena.
In the spectator stands, countless people... no, elves, were waving fan-like objects, dancing and singing.
Everywhere I looked, it was elves.
Elves.
Elves.
Nothing but elves.
A floor like this actually exists? Is it even possible for a floor to be populated by a single race? There's no way—
Ding!
Right then, a familiar chime rang out, and a system window materialized before my eyes.
The promotion match will begin shortly.
Please equip the provided combat suit and weapon.
Skills, excluding your basic trait, cannot be used during the promotion match.
Only the provided weapons may be used during the promotion match.
Weapon distribution is determined at random.
Weapon Distributed: [NONE]
A promotion match? What the hell was that about?
Well, first things first. I needed to put on the combat suit.
When I pressed the [Equip] button, a rounded mask resembling a fencing mask wrapped around my face.
Then, a translucent fabric extending from the mask draped over my body. The flimsy-looking cloth instantly hardened, becoming as tough as leather the moment it clung to my skin.
Wait, this looks a lot like what Nairin was wearing...
If so, did that mean this place really... only had elves?
"What kind of glitch is this...?" I muttered, spitting the words out.
Ding!
The chime rang again.
Placement error detected.
Evaluation Result: [INELIGIBLE]
Racial requirements not met.
I knew it!
Fuck, how are they going to take responsibility for this? Are they going to pull me out right now?
A loading bar spun sluggishly.
Request to abort the promotion match: [DENIED]
Entity relocation: [IMPOSSIBLE]
Initiating placement error correction protocol.
Acquiring classified information.
Information on the Elf Empire's promotion match has been unlocked.
Colosseum blueprint has been updated.
A blueprint of the Colosseum flashed in my mind. Information on countless traps and triggers unfolded before me.
Along with it came details about the Elf Empire's promotion match.
Are you kidding me...?
The Elf Empire's promotion match was a special floor opened by the Emperor, who paid a massive amount of Contribution Points to host it.
Passing this match allowed an elf to become a knight directly under the Emperor, which seemed to be an immense honor for them.
Every single elf who reached Level 30 participated in this promotion match.
However, the number of elves who could pass was strictly limited.
Only ten.
Whether it was a thousand or ten thousand, no matter how many elves challenged the promotion match, only ten could pass.
Only those ten would become the Emperor's direct knights.
But I'm not even an elf...
This was a massive headache.
Survival of the Fittest
📍 Objective: Survive the promotion match.
🎁 Reward: Blood of ■■■
What the hell was the Blood of ■■■?
More importantly, did this mean I had to survive this promotion match or whatever it was?
I was rereading the description in disbelief when someone shoved past me roughly.
It was a group of elves who had already finished equipping their masks and combat suits.
"Why are you just standing there like an idiot? Out of the way!"
"Take it easy, Todd. We're of the same race."
"Not even half the people here are worthy of being called our kin."
"Hahaha, but they're still our kin for now, so cut them some slack!"
"To think I have to deal with such trash..."
"It's the promotion match. We don't have a choice."
"I need to get this over with quickly."
One of them spat on the ground before they all headed toward the center of the Colosseum.
Every single one of them, male or female, was a towering figure well over two meters tall.
Compared to them, I stood out like a sore thumb, being a full head shorter.
By human standards, I was average. By elven standards, I was a scrawny weakling.
No matter where I looked, I couldn't spot another human—or rather, an elf of my size.
Well, that was obvious. This was a special floor designed specifically for elves.
This is troublesome...
Returning home was out of the question.
I had no idea what kind of glitch had dropped me here, but now that I was here, I had to go through with this promotion match to get out.
Dammit.
Of all the places to drop, why here?
Elves? I would have preferred a field of orcs.
I walked toward the center of the Colosseum.
Glances were thrown my way.
Perhaps because of the stark difference in our builds, I felt eyes on me from time to time, but no one bothered to stop and question me.
Maybe they were too preoccupied with the upcoming promotion match.
Once I reached the center of the Colosseum, a booming voice echoed through the arena.
"Children of the Great Emperor!"
"The time has finally come to show off your strength!"
Ugh. My ears hurt.
"Kill for the Emperor!"
"Live for the Emperor!"
"The blood you shed will become the fertilizer of the Empire!"
"And those who survive shall become the Emperor's swords!"
...Is this some kind of cult?
I looked up with a dumbfounded expression.
"For the Emperor!"
"For the Emperor!"
"For the Emperor!"
The other elves were either shouting, kneeling in prayer, or weeping with their hands clasped together.
Yep, definitely a cult.
I had felt it when I saw the dark elves too. Are elves naturally inclined to be cultists?
In any case, the atmosphere was growing tense.
...I must not let them find out I'm human.
They were already highly xenophobic. If they found out a human was in their midst during such a sacred event, there was no telling what they would do.
There were at least a thousand elves in the Colosseum.
And these weren't weak monsters; they were a thousand elves.
I've killed up to three at once before...
But a thousand? I wasn't so sure. I wondered if I'd get an achievement if I killed them all.
"...Whoops."
Kill them? I had thought that without even realizing it.
It wasn't like this was a slaughterhouse...
"Raise your swords..."
"For the Emperor!!!"
Along with the blare of a trumpet, deafening roars erupted from the elves.
"Waaaaaaah!"
"Waaaaah!"
At the same time, sickening sounds echoed from all directions.
Thud!
Slash!
Squelch!
The elves had already drawn their assigned weapons and begun attacking one another.
Stabbing, slashing, and stabbing again.
The sound of blades tearing through flesh and bone filled the air.
Crazy bastards...!
Even if their faces were covered by masks, they knew they were fighting their own kind.
Some of them might even be friends or lovers. How could they stab each other without hesitation?
Whoosh!
Of course, I was no exception.
"Die!"
A sword flew straight toward my neck. It was fast.
If I had Echo Walker, I could have blinked away, but this promotion match restricted all skills and items except for my basic trait.
That meant I had to rely purely on my physical abilities.
Crack!
As I dodged the blade, my fist slammed into the opponent's mask.
"Cough, ack..."
The mask shattered instantly. The elf who had aimed for my neck collapsed forward.
Thud.
I supposed I should be grateful that my basic trait was the Heavenly Slaughter Star. The fact that my dantian was already formed also played a huge part.
"How barbaric..."
A battle royale to the death. Was this really the promotion match of the noble elves?
Was it just my imagination, or did they seem even more savage than orcs?
"Why are you just standing—!"
Another elf tried to drive a sword into the crown of my head.
Thunk!
Actually, it plunged not into my head, but into the back of his own hand.
"Aaargh!"
I yanked the sword out of the hand I had twisted, then drove it straight into his heart.
"Gah!"
That made two.
"Whew..."
It felt like I was back in the tutorial.
Of course, I had been fighting ratmen back then, not elves, but fighting bare-handed gave it a similar vibe.
Patter!
I heard rapid footsteps approaching.
Swoosh!
The sound of a sword being raised high. I immediately rolled across the ground.
Slipping between the legs of the towering elf, I slashed his Achilles tendon.
Slice!
"Ah, aaack!"
Before he could scream any further, I lightly slit his throat.
Spurt!
Hot blood sprayed everywhere.
Was it a relief that my face didn't get drenched in blood thanks to the mask? Or was it actually a shame...?
I picked up the fallen elf's sword.
Holding a blade in each hand made me feel much more at ease. Perhaps it was because I had grown accustomed to dual-wielding.
Thud! Squelch! Slice! Clang!
The gruesome sounds echoed from all sides.
Necks being slit, hearts being pierced, heads being split open... Listening to those sounds, I actually felt my mind grow calm.
How should I put it? It felt like... I had returned to my roots.
A refreshing sensation.
No skills, no items. Just simple, pure killing.
...I like this.
A smile crept onto my lips without my realizing it.
Two elves rushed at me, timing their attack perfectly. I gripped my swords tightly and thrust them forward.
Squish!
Splat!
Right on target, the blades pierced the right eye of one and the left eye of the other.
"Aaargh!"
"Gaaah!"
With their screams, two eyeballs were pulled out. I lightly flicked my swords to shake them off.
"No pride at all, teaming up on me like that?"
Then I should send you both off together.
Thrust!
The swords drove into the undersides of both elves' jaws simultaneously.
I gave the blades a slight twist.
Gush!
Blood erupted like a fountain. How refreshing. Was it because it was elven blood?
By the way...
This combat suit is pretty good.
It didn't get soaked in blood, so it wasn't slippery or heavy. If I could, I'd love to take it back with me.
Rip!
The moment that thought crossed my mind, a sword aimed at my flank tore right through the suit.
"..."
I turned my head to look at where the attack had come from.
Unlike the other elves who were fighting individually, a group of three or four had banded together.
"How did he dodge that?"
"I told you, he's already killed five of them."
"Hahaha, just a lucky bastard."
"Let's kill him quickly."
Judging by their voices, they were the ones who had shoved past me earlier.
"Well, this is just great..."
I touched the tear in my combat suit. It was ripped wide open, exposing my flank. So much for taking it home as a souvenir.
"Ten people can survive this match..."
I let out a deep sigh as I looked at them.
"I really don't get why you're going out of your way to seek death."
I guess the rumor about elves being smart was just a stereotype.
If they were actually smart, they wouldn't be trying this hard to die.
"Is this just an elven trait?"