Chapter 244
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 244.
Silence fell over the arena.
The ogres growled as if they were about to charge at any moment.
And facing them was a man with a look of utter boredom on his face.
If it weren’t for the iron bars separating them, they would have already clashed.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Referee! Start the match already!"
—Yes! With such fiery enthusiasm…
Multiple ogres versus a single human.
By common sense, it was a hopelessly one-sided matchup.
—Then let the match begin!
But what if that opponent was Tugwi?
—Open the gates of hell!
If he was the king of the arena, the story would change quite a bit.
Clank!
The rising iron bars.
—Kuuooooo!
—Human, hate! Crush!
The ogres roared as if they had been waiting and charged at Tugwi.
He didn’t move an inch.
And in an instant, the distance closed.
—Uooooo!
One ogre reached Tugwi first, its massive frame completely obscuring him from view.
The monster raised its club to smash down on Tugwi.
But,
—Uuuh?
Its body wouldn’t move.
The ogre lowered its gaze. What it saw was a fist buried in its abdomen.
The moment it realized.
Boooom!
With a deafening explosion, the ogre’s body burst apart.
The other ogres hesitated as blood and gore sprayed everywhere. Tugwi didn’t miss that opening.
Thud!
He stomped the ground.
His figure vanished in an instant, reappearing above an ogre’s head.
—U, uooooo!
Tugwi raised his leg high.
The ogre, sensing the incoming attack, lifted its club to block.
A futile resistance.
Craaack!
—Guh…!
As Tugwi brought his leg down with full force, the ogre’s body split clean in two.
The magic infused in his leg transformed into a blade, slicing through the ogre like butter.
And again, his figure vanished.
Swish! Crunch!
—Gyaaaaah!
Tugwi disappeared, and flashes of light streaked endlessly through the air.
The ogres’ bodies froze.
A moment later, their bodies collapsed, completely torn to pieces.
—Waaaaah!
"Wow, that’s flashy."
Tugwi’s fighting style was martial arts.
He specialized in leg techniques, and unsurprisingly, he was formidable.
‘That probably wasn’t even his full strength.’
There were still ogres left.
A whirlwind of destruction centered around Tugwi. His whip-like kicks conjured blades of wind that tore through the ogres.
Even their steel-hard skin was no match, their bodies cleaved apart.
"Wheeeew!"
"This is it! This is what I came to see!"
"The king of the arena!"
Amid the blood splattering in all directions, Tugwi stood alone.
But his gaze was strange.
"He’s looking at you."
"Yeah. The bastard’s making it awkward."
Tugwi was staring at Yoo Baek-jun.
Eyes filled with interest. It was easy to guess what he was thinking.
"Let’s go."
"The match doesn’t seem to be over yet. Where are you going?"
"To register."
That was why he had been spending gold like water.
* * *
"You want to participate in the arena?"
A private room in the arena.
There, Yoo Baek-jun sat face-to-face with a female staff member.
"Yeah, is that not allowed? I may look like this, but I’m a pretty capable traveler."
"Hmm, a traveler from another world, I see."
The woman studied Yoo Baek-jun intently.
Her gaze was scrutinizing.
"Your skills… tsk, I can’t tell. But you’ve got a pretty face."
"I get that a lot."
"……."
Her eyes turned slightly colder.
"You really want to join the arena? Did you not see the match earlier? It’s a place where people fight to the death."
"Yeah, sounds fun."
"Fun? Are you insane…?"
She let out a dry cough, and just then, a colleague entered the room.
"One moment."
The two excused themselves and stepped into an inner room.
"What do you think they’re talking about?"
"Probably evaluating me. Whether I’m fit for the arena, my motives…"
No sane person would risk their life in the arena without reason.
Recently, Yoo Baek-jun had lost a lot of money, so recouping losses was a plausible motive.
And there was another advantage.
"A traveler from another world joining the arena. Perfect for stirring up excitement."
"Then I’ll go in your place—"
"No need."
Han Seong-ah was undoubtedly strong.
But her compatibility with Tugwi was terrible.
The arena’s equipment restrictions were another disadvantage.
"It’s better if I go."
"Master… I really don’t understand why I even came here."
"Well, you’re here to babysit."
"……."
Han Seong-ah glanced at Seol-yeong, who was sleeping inside her clothes.
Her expression darkened.
"Just kidding. There’ll be work for you later, so wait until then."
"Understood…"
Han Seong-ah nodded glumly. Then the staff member returned.
"It’d be tough to let you join as a gladiator… is what I’d like to say."
The woman scratched her head.
"Do you know someone? Someone must’ve put in a good word for you. They really want you to become a gladiator."
"I don’t know anyone."
Yoo Baek-jun smiled.
"But I think I know who it was."
"…Well, not my business anyway. If you’re itching to die, who am I to stop you? Here."
She handed him a gladiator’s ticket and explained the rules.
"For weapons, you’ll use what we provide. Personal gear isn’t allowed—it’s unfair."
"Fairness, huh? I like that."
Even Tugwi earlier hadn’t used a proper weapon.
Fighting with nothing but their bodies.
That was exactly what Yoo Baek-jun wanted.
"Guess I’ll try my hand at being a gladiator."
* * *
Yoo Baek-jun became a gladiator.
The news of a traveler from another world joining the arena was enough to excite the spectators.
"Who the hell is that guy?"
"All style, no substance?"
Most assumed Yoo Baek-jun would die quickly.
Of course, that wouldn’t happen.
"Instructor Han Seong-ah, bet on me."
"Huh? Oh, alright."
After saying that, Yoo Baek-jun immediately began fighting.
The arena had various match formats, but they broadly fell into three categories.
First, gladiators fight each other.
"Fuck, fuck… if it weren’t for the debt! Dieeee!"
A gladiator charged.
Yoo Baek-jun watched calmly, then punched him in the face as he got close.
"Guhhk!"
"Why would I die?"
That was it.
The spectators were stunned as Yoo Baek-jun ended the fight in one hit.
—Th-the traveler from another world wins!
Next was fighting monsters.
Yoo Baek-jun’s opponents were Desert Ratmen.
Monsters that lived in the desert, behaving much like hyenas.
—Squeaaaak!
Despite their name, they were nearly as large as humans.
Of course, they were no match for Yoo Baek-jun.
"Man, what a hassle."
He gripped the sword he’d been given and used Moon Cleaver.
The flying blade bisected the charging Desert Ratmen.
—O-once again, the traveler from another world wins! Now, next up is…
Lastly, a powerful monster was released, and multiple human gladiators were pitted against it to see who would survive.
—Uooooo!
An ogre.
The massive monster roared.
The gladiators in the arena were paralyzed with fear at its presence.
"Eeek…"
"How are we supposed to beat that…?"
The goal of this match was survival.
Not defeating the ogre. None of the gladiators here stood a chance.
—Will the traveler from another world show us something again this time?
"Die already, you bastard!"
"If you wanna live, run, idiot!"
The spectators wanted something simple.
To see the gladiators struggle pathetically to survive and die miserably.
—Then let the match begin!
Clank!
With the referee’s words, the iron bars rose. The ogre began moving.
The gladiators fled, screaming.
"Hey! Black-haired guy! I bet on you dying, so hurry up and die!"
"Oh?"
A spectator’s voice rang out, and Yoo Baek-jun narrowed his eyes.
While everyone else scrambled to escape, he stepped forward alone.
—Grooooooar!
The ogre howled.
Yoo Baek-jun raised a worn-out spear.
"Should’ve bet on me."
He planted his right foot firmly.
His arm hurled the spear.
The spiraling spear struck the ogre’s heart with tremendous force.
—Guh, heek!
The cheap spear didn’t pierce all the way through, but it was enough to stop the ogre in its tracks.
"Hup!"
Yoo Baek-jun kicked off the ground and charged.
He leaped into the air, landing right above the ogre’s head.
Then he raised his leg high.
Swiish!
A blade of icy blue energy formed along his leg as he brought it down.
The ogre’s body split in two, just as Tugwi had done earlier.
Thud!
The ogre’s massive frame collapsed.
The fleeing gladiators stopped in their tracks. The spectators gasped.
Silence filled the arena.
"Did… did he just kill that monster?"
"Insane…"
Murmurs of awe spread.
Yoo Baek-jun wiped the blood from his face and looked up at the stands.
There, Tugwi stood.
"You’re next."
Whether he heard or not, a deep smile curled on Tugwi’s lips.
Yoo Baek-jun turned away.
‘It’s about time the casino owner takes notice of me…’
Soon, he would fight Tugwi.
He scratched his ear.
* * *
The underground casino.
At its highest level, a room overlooking the entire underground.
There, a middle-aged man stood.
"Keuk-keuk, money! Money’s rolling in! Just look at all this!"
A man with the gaudy appearance of a nouveau riche, adorned in jewels and gold.
He grinned at the chests of gold before him.
"Gold Rich! Yesterday’s earnings!"
His name was Gold Rich.
The owner of this casino, effectively treated as the king of the underground.
Some even said he wielded more power than the king of Amirst.
"Kuhahaha! Yes, yes! This is it!"
Casino staff brought in chest after chest of gold.
The man called Gold Rich breathed heavily, drool pooling in his mouth.
"Heh-heh, are these gems? Give some to my concubines! And this chest—use it to bribe the king and nobles!"
"Understood."
"Store the rest in the vault!"
An enormous sum disappeared in an instant, but plenty remained.
As his subordinates carried away the treasures, Gold Rich watched contentedly.
And in the deepest part.
"Now, let’s see if it’s still there…"
A massive statue, heavily guarded in the innermost part of the vault.
"My—no, our family’s treasure."
Gold Rich had done nothing to build this grand casino.
He had merely safeguarded a single treasure passed down from his ancestors.
That was it.
"Heh-heh, the Goddess of Fortune smiles upon me again today."
The Statue of the Goddess of Fortune.
A massive sculpture of the goddess holding dice in one hand.
For reasons unknown, ever since his ancestors obtained it, everything went smoothly.
Gambling was no exception.
‘With this, I cannot lose.’
After inspecting the statue’s security, Gold Rich sat at his desk.
On it was a crystal orb showing every corner of the casino.
The treasure-filled vault, the gambling halls, and finally.
"Keuk-keuk, that monster."
The arena.
A man was fighting in the midst of a match.
A man with wild blue hair, slaughtering the monsters surrounding him.
"Tugwi… truly a monster worthy of his name."
Tugwi tore through the monsters in an instant, and the spectators, thrilled by his performance, showered the arena with money.
"Where did such a treasure come from?"
Tugwi had appeared out of nowhere one day, becoming the casino’s cash cow.
But,
"He’s too strong."
No opponent could defeat him.
Monster or gladiator.
As a result, the matches have grown stale lately.
‘The betting’s getting predictable.’
No matter how strong the monster, Tugwi crushed them all.
This trend was bad.
Change was needed. Gold Rich felt it keenly.
"Hm? Who’s that now?"
Something else caught his eye.
A flashy-looking man in the arena. Defeating gladiators, slaughtering monsters, killing ogres.
Yoo Baek-jun.
"This is it."
Gold Rich’s eyes gleamed.
"If we nurture this one right… keh-keh! Things are about to get interesting."
A deep smile spread across his lips.