Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Trapped in the Dark
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Somewhere in a pitch-black space that felt oppressively damp.
"Ugh... hngh."
A woman with brown hair slowly opened her eyes.
She swallowed a groan and scanned her surroundings.
Everything around her was shrouded in total darkness.
It was as if the shadows had devoured every last trace of light.
...Why am I here?
The woman racked her brain, trying to remember why she was in this place.
Soon enough, her eyes widened in realization.
I was definitely...
...competing in the tournament held in the Imperba Duchy.
So why was she here?
She was Soaz.
A hero-class pioneer who had entered this tournament while hiding her true abilities.
Confusion spread across her face.
Then, the memory from just before she blacked out resurfaced.
The man she had tried to put to sleep with her needles.
The moment she recalled him, she snapped her head up.
Soaz shot to her feet, assuming a battle stance.
Her movements were as swift as a cat's.
And in her hands were already dozens of needles at the ready.
It was a clear declaration: if anyone showed themselves, she would kill them on the spot.
But contrary to her resolve, the black space remained utterly silent.
She sharpened her senses.
These were the senses of a hero-class fighter.
She should have been able to detect anything remotely suspicious.
Yet right now...
There wasn't a single sign of life anywhere.
...Am I alone here?
Was this some kind of illusion magic?
She hurriedly channeled her power to dispel any illusions.
But all she felt was a throbbing pain in her head.
The darkness before her eyes remained unchanged.
That meant this was reality.
"H-Hey! Where the hell is this? Let me out right now!"
Soaz shouted desperately.
But her voice merely echoed back at her.
It didn't reach anyone.
Even more bewilderment clouded her face.
How did things end up like this?
It had been such a simple job.
She had even thought of it as a nuisance.
Just get it over with quickly and go home.
She never imagined someone would see right through her.
Or that she would end up kidnapped, of all things.
Her eyes gradually sharpened with venom.
Soaz had a foul temper by nature.
"Fuck! What the hell is this bullshit? You dogshit bastard, what did I ever do to get thrown in this shithole?!"
Her language grew coarser by the second.
She had grown up in the back alleys.
That upbringing had made her mouth as filthy as they come.
Except for one person.
The one she followed had hated cursing, so she had cleaned up her act for him.
Thud!
In that instant, an overwhelming pressure crushed down on Soaz's head from above.
Crash!
Her body slammed into the ground in a heartbeat.
"Gahk!?"
An invisible boulder-like weight bore down on her back.
She couldn't breathe properly.
I'm going to die.
This is really going to kill me.
Soaz's body trembled as she reached out with her hands.
Clink! Clang!
Countless needles spilled from her grasp.
The moment they hit the ground, she clenched her fist and slammed it down.
Boom!
The needles she had struck shot up into the air all at once.
They were aimed straight at Soaz herself.
Whirr!
The flying needles pierced her body in droves.
It looked for all the world like she had just committed self-harm.
But it wasn't.
Her class was Acupuncturist.
A class that fought using needles.
The instant they embedded, her muscles swelled dramatically.
Insomnia Awakening [S]
Muscles swell. Heat surges through the body.
Thud!
Her muscles bulged explosively.
A gap appeared between her body and the crushing weight from above.
She rolled away, escaping the pressure.
Thud!
After tumbling across the ground, she swallowed another groan.
"Kuh... hngh."
The pain of her whole body being compressed still lingered.
As she staggered to her feet...
Thud!
Without a moment's respite, the pressure slammed down again.
"Gehk!?"
Soaz was smashed back to the ground, biting back a scream.
She knew it was some kind of invisible, formless attack.
But having escaped once...
She was determined to dodge it from now on.
However...
She couldn't even guess where the next attack was coming from.
Click...
At that moment, the sound of high heels echoed from the darkness.
Soaz arduously lifted her head.
White hair tipped with black fluttered before her eyes.
"Shh. Lord Leyzon is watching the match. You're being too noisy."
The moment their eyes met, Soaz's breath caught in her throat.
This woman's beauty transcended the mortal world.
But Soaz saw beyond that beauty.
The overwhelming presence she exuded.
It filled Soaz's vision completely.
Soaz felt as if she had gone blind.
What in the world was standing before her?
She couldn't comprehend it.
"W-Why are you doing this to me?"
Soaz asked ever so cautiously.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Facing such an overwhelming existence drained her of any will to fight.
Hearing her question, Syria tilted her head.
"Do I need a reason to do this?"
The strong crush the weak.
What reason did she need? Syria asked.
"Besides, if the tables were turned and your opponent was weak, you'd do the same."
Soaz had no retort to that.
In truth, the moment Leyzon had revealed himself, she had thrown poison needles to put him to sleep.
In other words, this situation was partly one she had brought upon herself.
"Lord Leyzon is merciful. He'd probably give you another chance."
Syria smiled faintly.
But that smile carried a sharp edge.
If not for Leyzon's orders, she would have killed Soaz nine times out of ten.
"So be quiet. He'll be here soon.
Even now, recalling what Lord Leyzon said earlier makes me want to rip you apart. I'm just holding back."
Hearing that whisper, Soaz clamped her mouth shut.
She no longer had any right to speak to her.
Up in the arena.
Another victim soared through the air.
Crash!
The victim tumbled across the ground and promptly rolled their eyes back.
The one who had sent them flying was Hanok.
Leyzon watched the match with his chin propped on his hand.
Is it about over?
After Syria had subdued Soaz and stashed her in her shadow...
Hanok no longer had any risk of defeat.
Thanks to that, he smoothly turned his opponents into paste.
The last one had been a quarterfinalist already.
Just two more matches, and it was done.
"Next opponent is Black Moon, huh."
At that moment, Oberizel let out a slight groan.
"Black Moon?"
"Real name Gairox. The Moon Goat Guild's top elite. A 14-Ascension powerhouse."
Leyzon's eyes narrowed.
14 Ascensions.
A level where he could safely be called a championship contender.
On the cusp of hero-class, he was undoubtedly elite.
"That level shouldn't be a problem."
There was a vast gap between top-tier pioneers and hero-class ones.
Even at 14 Ascensions, it held true.
Without reaching hero-class, limits were clear.
Leyzon knew this well, so he wasn't worried about the match.
"Now, let the quarterfinals begin!"
Thanks to Hanok blasting everyone away...
The quarterfinals started sooner than expected.
Amid the crowd's cheers, the announcer tossed out a few jokes.
"Hurry up and start the match!"
"I've been waiting all day for this!"
Unable to resist the urging, he finally spoke.
"For the quarterfinals, the first match is the one everyone's been dying to see!"
The announcer pumped up the crowd with all his might.
"From Sun Goat Guild, Hanok Wilbria!"
Hanok trudged into the arena with a listless expression.
Looking at his face, Leyzon figured he should buy him something tasty later.
"Hanoooook!"
"Win this! I've bet everything on you!"
"Go all the way to the championship!"
Hanok shrank under the excessive attention.
Meanwhile, Eden raised his armored arm and waved to the crowd.
He seemed to be enjoying the situation quite a bit.
His terrified face contrasted comically with the waving.
"And his opponent, the infamous Black Moon from Moon Goat Guild! Gairox!"
The spectators erupted even louder.
This match was basically the highlight of the day.
Thud, thud...
From the opposite side of the arena, relative to Hanok.
A man climbed up.
His shoulders, visible through his clothes, bore a black moon tattoo.
It was Black Moon.
Oddly, he wore a black eyepatch.
One had to wonder if he could even see properly.
At that moment, the man's mouth slowly opened.
"...Hanok, was it?"
Leyzon had Syria's shadow plugged into his ear.
Thanks to that, he could hear their conversation clearly from afar.
"Oh, h-hello."
Hanok greeted him politely in kind.
He was from Moon Goat Guild too, after all.
Hanok seemed to anticipate some trash talk.
"I have one question for you."
"Ah, y-yes, go ahead."
But when it turned out to be a question instead, Hanok faltered a bit.
He bit his tongue and made a miserable face.
"The Abyss."
At that instant, Leyzon slowly raised his head.
"You can hear everything, right?"
Leyzon doubted his own ears.
Leyzon shot up from his seat.
Too late, he realized.
Beyond the black bandages.
Black Moon's pupils were completely dilated.
Instead, his body and mouth moved on their own.
This meant someone had possessed him.
Leyzon's eyes widened.
This had to be the work of a soul-type necromancer.
"W-What do you mean?"
Hanok relayed the words in a bewildered tone.
But the opponent pressed on regardless.
"Did you take my comrade to lure me out?"
What nonsense was this?
Comrade.
That word made Leyzon think of one person.
The hero-class pioneer who had inexplicably joined the top-tier bracket.
Soaz.
The moment he realized she was his comrade...
Leyzon's eyes curved slyly.
He saw an opportunity to exploit this situation.
The enemy knew of the Abyss's existence.
He had no idea how they had figured it out.
But clearly, this was someone with a wealth of information.
Empire? Or some other faction? Doesn't matter.
There was no reason not to drag them out and pry the info loose.
The serpent bared its fangs at its prey.
"Hanok."
Leyzon transmitted his voice to Hanok via Syria.
"Crush that bastard."
And for the first time that day, Hanok's eyes changed.
He shed his meekness and revealed the gaze of a hunter.
"Match start!"
Hanok's armor moved in a flash.
"Huh."
A dazed voice leaked from Black Moon's mouth.
The possession had broken, and he regained his senses.
"Why am I..."
But by the time he did...
His vision was filled with the gauntlet-clad fist.
Too late to react.
Kaboooom!
Hanok's extended arm smashed into Black Moon.
Black Moon flew limply into the sky before crashing to the ground.
He convulsed briefly, then lay still, unconscious.
Having just been freed from possession, he couldn't possibly move properly.
Leyzon clicked his tongue.
The possessor had fled midway.
The spectators gaped in unison.
No one had expected even Black Moon to go down in one hit.
The foam on their beers hadn't even settled yet.
The day's most anticipated match ended just like that.
In the ensuing silence...
The distant wail of the Moon Goat Guild master echoed alone.