A Meat Grinder Called the Colosseum
Slash!
Two swords crossed, cleanly severing an elf's head.
Thud, roll...
The head tumbled across the floor.
At the same time, the two swords flew from Lee Taepyeong's hands.
Thwack!
Squish!
They embedded themselves deep into the hearts of two elves charging toward him.
Tap.
Rolling across the ground, Taepyeong snatched a sword from the grip of a fallen corpse.
Clang!
Perhaps possessing higher agility than the others, an elf barely managed to parry Taepyeong's strike and shrieked.
"W-Wait! Just a moment!"
Taepyeong looked at the elf with mild amusement.
"I made a mistake!"
Screeech...
The elf was slowly pushed back under the weight of Taepyeong's blade.
"T-Ten people!"
"...?"
"If we team up, we can make it into the top ten!"
"..."
"So please...!"
Creak...
The pressure on the blade eased slightly.
Was he going to accept the offer?
"Ha, haha, yes! The two of us will become the honorable swords of His Imperial Majesty...!"
"Hmm."
"Please! I know the layout of the Colosseum. I'll definitely be of help...!"
"I know it too, though?"
"W-What?"
The layout of the Colosseum was top secret.
Unless one belonged to the absolute minority of high noble elf bloodlines, it was impossible to obtain that information.
Yet, he knew it?
This scrawny, anchovy-like bastard who was a whole head shorter than the average elf?
The elf's face paled with terror.
Of course, it was hidden behind his mask, but Taepyeong could feel the fear radiating from him.
"You."
"H-Hieeeek...!"
"Didn't you tell me to go easy on you since we're still compatriots?"
Those were the words the elf had snickered when they first crossed paths.
The elf's face brightened as he nodded frantically.
"Y-Yes! We're compatriots!"
Grasping at straws, the elf nodded with desperate hope.
At that, a soft chuckle escaped from behind Taepyeong's mask.
"Too bad."
"...?!"
"I'm not your compatriot."
Before the elf could even process the meaning of those words,
Squish!
Taepyeong's sword plunged straight into his throat.
"G-Gurgle..."
Glug. Glug.
Dark blood spilled out from beneath the elf's mask.
"If you're only skilled enough to beg for your life," Taepyeong muttered.
"Ack..."
"You shouldn't have run your mouth in the first place."
Thud!
As he pulled the sword out, the elf collapsed to the ground.
To think these guys are supposed to be the elites...
Tsk, tsk.
The elf harvest is a total bust.
Taepyeong clicked his tongue and immediately dashed toward his next prey.
Honestly, fighting with my skills sealed isn't half bad.
It wasn't arrogance. Even by objective standards, Taepyeong's combat prowess was overwhelming.
Every single one of the thousand-plus elves here was a fanatic who had spent their entire life training solely for the Emperor.
In terms of basic fundamentals, it was impossible for an ordinary human adult male from South Korea to defeat an elf.
However, the trait known as the Heavenly Slaughter Star easily crushed a lifetime of training.
I might clear this special quest faster than I thought.
Taepyeong grinned, swinging his sword at an elf lunging at him.
Slash!
Blood sprayed.
Easy.
It wasn't a bluff; it was the reality.
Tremble...
The one who noticed this was none other than the Emperor of the Elf Empire.
The Golden Emperor, Ashtad, who led the empire's most brilliant golden age.
"Who... is that?"
Praised as a sword prodigy since childhood, Ashtad had already realized that Taepyeong's movements were flawless.
It lacked the typical elven elegance, which made it all the more beautiful...
Precise, clean, and "perfect" movements.
A restrained power designed solely to deliver death.
Perfect...
If such a warrior existed, he surely would have stood out long before the promotion match.
Why did I not know of him until now?
The Emperor's curiosity grew, but the promotion match inspector could not answer his query.
"Your Majesty, until the promotion match is over..."
"Surely you can at least make a guess?"
"..."
The inspector was flustered. But no matter how hard he racked his brain, no name came to mind.
Naturally, he knew the names of all the prominent prospects.
There simply wasn't a single name that matched this monster.
When no name came out of the inspector's mouth, the displeased Emperor waved his hand, dismissing him.
The inspector bowed his head and retreated.
Gazing intently down at the Colosseum, the Emperor commanded, "Begin the second trial."
"B-But, it is still..."
Meeting the Emperor's icy glare, the inspector bowed again before he could even finish his sentence.
The second trial.
Instead of a simple free-for-all slaughter like before, it was a test of survival against various traps installed in the Colosseum.
It was a brutal course where traps identical to those found in the Tower would trigger unexpectedly or even simultaneously.
If they could use their skills, it might be different, but passing it with pure physical ability was close to impossible.
Therefore, only the special elves who had obtained a second trait upon passing level 30—in addition to the trait they received when they first awakened—could pass this second trial.
It was a filter designed to weed out ordinary awakeners who lacked a second trait.
This was precisely why elven combatants on the higher floors possessed strength that overwhelmingly surpassed other races.
They could only survive by passing this insane promotion match.
Whirrr.
Following the Emperor's command, the inspector activated the magic tool to begin the second trial.
Rumble...
While the elves fell into chaos at the sudden appearance of numerous traps, the Emperor's eyes...
"Ho..."
...remained fixed solely on Lee Taepyeong.
The Colosseum was already a living hell.
The screams that had echoed from all directions were no longer heard.
Instead,
Squish!
Slash!
Rip!
Only the sounds of flesh and bone tearing apart echoed, blending grotesquely with the festive music.
Rumble...
The moment I finished off an elf and raised my head, the ground shook.
An earthquake?
No, that couldn't be it. I instinctively recalled the blueprint of the Colosseum.
In truth, this seemingly ordinary Colosseum hid countless traps.
This vibration and noise were likely the sounds of those traps revealing themselves.
"..."
I caught my breath and scanned my surroundings.
Around me, those who raised their swords to kill and those who raised them to survive were still tangled together.
And then,
Swish.
Among them, some stood out.
Dash!
Evading each other.
Tap!
Measuring the distance.
Slide...
The ones who were "waiting" for something.
Is it starting now?
In a way, this was the second round—the "main event."
The free-for-all was merely a basic test to weed out the chaff.
The real deal started now.
A map that was essentially a condensed version of the Tower.
Surviving in this place, crawling with all kinds of traps and monsters.
Thud!!!
The Colosseum floor vibrated heavily.
And then,
Clank!
Clank!
Bizarre structures rose from the ground.
Most of them were translucent.
...Probably so they can get a better look.
What a twisted taste.
Sick bastards.
Grrrr...
Right next to me, several translucent guillotines were rising.
And not far away, an iron maiden stood with its maw wide open like a Venus flytrap.
It's like a slaughterhouse...
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue as I looked at the gruesome structures filling the area.
I couldn't read the letters, but I could read the numbers.
437. This must be the number of survivors so far.
10. And this must be the number of final survivors.
Waaaaaaah!
Uwooooooh!
Cheers erupted from the spectator stands, which had been relatively quiet until now.
"Now it's getting interesting!"
"Kill them! Prove your strength!"
"The Emperor has no need for the weak!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
Elves waving fans and laughing, dancing to the music, and drinking from their cups as they watched.
"..."
They really are insane.
Religious fanatics. That's exactly what they are.
I raised my head and looked up at the vessel floating in the center of the Colosseum.
The elves aboard the ship were neither dancing nor singing.
They merely stood like stone statues, looking down at the arena.
And there, in the center, shrouded by a golden veil.
...Is the Emperor in there?
Although the distance made us look like cotton swabs to each other, for some reason, I felt a gaze locked onto me.
Just leisurely spectating, huh...
Screw you.
I subtly flipped the middle finger toward the vessel, then turned away.
More than half of the elves were already dead, but over four hundred still remained.
Whoosh!
The traps began to move as if they were alive.
Clang!!!
Guillotines slammed down frantically.
Clank!
Iron maidens swallowed elves in the blink of an eye.
Shlick!
Waves of swords surged from the floor like tides, and axes sliced through the air without warning.
They really set this up to make sure everyone dies.
Rip!!!
Elves whose movements faltered even slightly
Splat!!!!
were instantly shredded by the bizarre torture devices.
Are they keeping only the strong like this and using the weak as fertilizer?
Talk about extreme efficiency.
Whoosh!
I dodged a fast-flying axe blade, then
Hop!
leaped over an iron maiden opening its maw full of spike-like nails.
Seriously...
This isn't something you can survive just by knowing the layout of the Colosseum.
If you don't have the skills to back it up, you'll turn into a meat smoothie in an instant.
"Aaagh!"
Just like that.
An elf was immediately devoured by the iron maiden I had just avoided.
...An iron maiden that has already swallowed something is safe for a moment.
Hiding behind the iron maiden as it gushed hot blood, I waited for the guillotine blades to drop.
Thud!
Crash!
Screeech!
The guillotine blades slammed into the floor in irregular intervals with terrifying sounds.
This, too,
Step!
if you timed it right,
Tap-tap!
could be avoided.
I glanced up at the sky.
The number 437 had already dropped to:
It had cut down to nearly half.
It was instantaneous. Not even a few minutes had passed.
Glance.
I looked around.
Whirrrrrr!
Grinddddd!
There was a reason the number of elves was dropping so rapidly.
Once most of the traps were figured out, the Colosseum floor began to grind the elves with rotating saw blades, acting like a giant blender.
At this rate, I'm going to get pureed too...
I had to dodge. But where?
The layout was designed so that to avoid the saw blades, you had to step right into another trap.
But wouldn't that just kill you anyway?!
A complete dilemma.
...Fuck, what do I do?
Rumbleeeee!
Just as the wave of saw blades was closing in,
Grab!
someone yanked me back.
"This way!"
A familiar voice I felt like I'd heard somewhere before.
"Follow me!"