The Gambler's Proposal and the Undead Hound
"I have a proposal!"
Chu Gyeong-seok shouted loud enough to make the entire arena ring, then stood up from his seat with an air of confidence. Watching him, Kim Ilshin thought to himself, 'So far, so good.'
Once things had reached this point, it was practically guaranteed that the event he had been waiting for would trigger. If one visited the underground arena for the first time, challenged the Champion Road, and achieved a 19-game winning streak within 30 minutes, the [Gambler’s Proposal] event would trigger with a certain probability. Kim Ilshin had come to this underground arena not only for the practical combat experience but specifically to obtain the item offered as a reward for that event. The [Gambler’s Proposal] event would also provide him with decent combat experience.
'The opponents so far have been disappointing.'
However, the enemy he would face next would be different. The final trial that would appear as a result of the event would serve as excellent practice for getting a feel for the Gwangpa-gyeok (Mad Wave Strike) of the Ilshin Pacheon-gong.
"In my opinion, it doesn't look like any more challengers for the trial are going to step forward. Well... even if they did, I doubt it would end in anything but a bore. In that case, why don't we liven things up one last time with a bang!"
Chu Gyeong-seok spread his arms wide and looked around, a bottle of liquor clutched in one hand. His confident voice and grand gestures made him look like a skilled clown, but the spectators' reactions were far from positive. What Chu Gyeong-seok had just said deeply pricked the pride of the fighters gathered here. He had essentially belittled them, implying they lacked not only the guts to challenge Kim Ilshin but even the skill to make for an interesting match against someone who had just fought 19 consecutive bouts. While it was a fact everyone knew, hearing it from someone else's mouth was a different story.
"What the hell does a loud-mouthed drunkard like you know, you bastard!"
"Hey, you son of a bitch! Who do you think you are to spout such nonsense! Do you want me to rip your tongue out?!"
"You've never even stepped into the cage, you piece of trash! Do you want to die?!"
"I never liked you, acting all high and mighty just because you have some money. Come here, I'll make sure to smash that face of yours today!"
Voices of strong opposition erupted from all corners, but Chu Gyeong-seok ignored them entirely and asked with leisure, "So, you were planning to go out as the final trial? Huh? Is that right?"
He gestured toward one of the hecklers, his hand moving as if he were politely asking for a dance. The face of the man he gestured to turned beet red with a mix of intense emotions.
"Then I must apologize immediately. My, I didn't realize our 'Blazing Fist' Park Seon-woo had such spirit!"
Chu Gyeong-seok bowed exaggeratedly, as if he had truly made a mistake, then snapped his head up to observe Park Seon-woo’s expression.
"Ugh......"
Park Seon-woo, wearing a humiliated expression, eventually couldn't say a word and clamped his mouth shut.
"Damn it!"
With that, he shoved aside the people blocking his path and stormed out of the underground arena.
"My, it seems he didn't have the guts after all. He's a friend I quite like, so that's a shame."
Watching that pathetic retreating figure, Chu Gyeong-seok muttered as if he were truly sorry. Of course, everyone in the arena knew it was a lie.
Chu Gyeong-seok straightened his back and asked the discouraged fighters once more, "Then, is there anyone here confident enough to volunteer for the trial that will decorate the end of the Champion Road? If there’s anyone confident enough to take down that challenger, come on out!"
The only response was silence. There was no one here who could step up in this situation. Anyone could volunteer for the trial, but no one believed they could secure a victory against Kim Ilshin, who was reigning inside that cage. Furthermore, they didn't have the confidence to put on a legendary match worthy of the end of the Champion Road, even if they were willing to accept defeat. Kim Ilshin was still in the same state as when he started. No one knew what kind of power he might be hiding.
Chu Gyeong-seok, having created the situation he wanted, nodded in satisfaction.
"I suppose not. In that case, I will make a proposal. ...How about we bring out the monster?"
Chu Gyeong-seok’s voice dropped suddenly. Hearing this, the spectators whispered among themselves in disbelief.
"...Sigh, damn it. I thought it was something, but it was just crazy talk after all."
"Does that make any sense? Where in the world is there an idiot who would face that monster...?"
"If you have a brain in your head, you'd never do it."
The rapidly cooling atmosphere was exactly what Chu Gyeong-seok had expected. He had a means to reverse this mood.
"A difficult trial always awaits a difficult reward! If the challenger accepts my proposal, I will put this on the line!"
Chu Gyeong-seok pulled a small glass bottle from his chest and held it high above his head. Seeing it, Kim Ilshin smiled faintly.
"This is the 'Stone of Eternal Life,' a treasure passed down through my family for generations. Hundreds of lives reside within this small bottle. I’m ignorant in these matters so I don't know how to use it, but if you take it to an auction house, you could earn at least several billion."
The Hyeonwol sword possessed the properties of the Blood Resonance Stone, its main material, exactly as they were. The power it held increased according to the number of lives it absorbed. Furthermore, Hana Lin had said that if the gauge were filled completely, something like an awakening might occur.
'I don't know how much I need to fill it, but... that might do the trick.'
The life force of hundreds of people contained within that glass bottle. If it was that amount, it might be enough to fill the Hyeonwol sword's gauge completely.
"A-at least several billion...?"
"With that, my life could..."
The spectators who heard Chu Gyeong-seok’s statement were greatly stirred. Gluttonous gazes filled with desire turned toward Chu Gyeong-seok, but no one attempted any foolish actions. Even if one somehow succeeded in stealing the Stone of Eternal Life, living a long life after breaking the rules of the underground arena was out of the question. Therefore, the spectators, having quickly discarded their desires, turned their attention to the challenger's answer.
"Well, challenger. How about it! If you succeed in killing the monster, the Stone of Eternal Life is yours from that moment on!"
Chu Gyeong-seok shouted in an excited voice, and Kim Ilshin's answer had been decided since the moment he arrived here.
"I accept the proposal."
Immediately after, the staff of the underground arena began to move busily, preparing for the final match. Such events were welcome to them as well. The hotter the arena’s atmosphere became, the more money they could earn.
In less than 10 minutes, preparations for the match were complete. Kim Ilshin moved his position to the main stage. In front of him, having entered a cage twice as large as the previous one, sat a large box made of metal.
"The monster is inside that, right...?"
"Whew... I never thought I'd see that thing again."
"I was curious about what it was, and I finally get to see it."
The spectators outside the cage were more nervous than Kim Ilshin. Some had eyes shining with curiosity, but most were those who had only heard stories and had never seen the monster in person.
Clang!
At that moment, a mechanical sound came from the metal box. It was the sound signaling the start of the final trial.
Boom!
One side of the metal box detached and fell to the floor, and soon after, the monster appeared.
'It looks even more grotesque in person.'
The Undead Hound walking out of the box had the appearance of a large dog. However, where its eyes should have been, there was nothing but empty, gaping holes, and on its front paws were blades protruding sideways. Its teeth looked as if iron pins had been driven into various places in its mouth, and because of their size and sharpness, it looked as if it couldn't even close its mouth. It was a form that could never be achieved naturally. Its shape clearly revealed the fact that it had been artificially created.
The Undead Hound was a monster brought in during the days when the underground arena also allowed battles between humans and monsters. At the time, the management had vaguely thought it would gain popularity because of its bizarre appearance, but the creature's power exceeded their imagination. In the end, a fatality occurred in the very first match, and five additional staff members died in the process of locking it back up. Since then, battles against monsters were abolished and all the arena's monsters were disposed of, but the Undead Hound alone remained alive. Rumors only circulated in the world that it had been kept to deal with troublemakers.
However, Kim Ilshin knew the reason.
'They couldn't kill it even if they wanted to.'
Despite its hideous appearance, the Undead Hound's greatest danger lay in what couldn't be seen. It possessed a vitality that wouldn't end no matter what was done—cutting its throat, burning it with fire, or keeping it underwater for a week. That was the Undead Hound's greatest strength, and that was why they had no choice but to keep it locked in a custom-made box.
'It's over if I just destroy the core.'
The Undead Hound's endless vitality came from a pea-sized core hidden inside its body. This meant it could be killed if only that were destroyed, and Kim Ilshin had already identified the core's location.
However, he had no intention of ending it right away.
'Why kill such a good opponent immediately?'
A monster that wouldn't die unless its core was destroyed. In other words, it was a combat opponent he could use until he was satisfied. Since its body's durability and movement would also be top-tier, he would be able to use it for various training, including the Ilshin Pacheon-gong Gwangpa-gyeok.
"Come."
At the same time as those words, the Undead Hound charged at high speed. With that, the final match of the Champion Road began. For Kim Ilshin, it was the beginning of his training.
And that day, Kim Ilshin learned that there was a limit to the Undead Hound's regenerative ability.