Chapter 52 - Karma (1)
I first met Garbart, my opponent, the afternoon before the duel. He came to see me first, accompanied by the arena manager Kalson and other officials, while I was just lightly stretching without much thought.
"It's an honor to meet you, Moonlight Sword Radiance. I'm thrilled to face the warrior I've admired in person."
"You don't look all that thrilled."
His speech was fairly polite, unlike his rough appearance. Of course, it felt more like a mask he wore for social niceties than genuine sincerity.
"How could I not be? I'm grateful for your mercy in accepting this arrogant challenge from the weak. Thanks to that, it carries real weight, so I'll give it my all and learn a lesson from a great warrior."
He grinned, flashing sharp teeth. As everyone expected, he didn't truly believe he'd win. Mentioning that the slave bread bet he'd proposed himself was like an awakening drug for him was just icing on the cake.
Oily words...
But I, having already learned of their scheme through the fan gallery, was convinced that Garbart and the arena organizers were in cahoots. Garbart was dead serious. Dead serious about beating me and crushing me underfoot. Arrogantly so.
Serpina had already warned me too. She phrased it vaguely as "beware the approaching danger," but I'd already figured out the solution by checking the forum boards.
"Reina...!"
That evening, Kim Ji-eun, who had stepped out saying she had business, rushed back to me with a panicked look.
"What's this?"
Following her as she grabbed my wrist without properly explaining, I was met with a shocking scene.
Arena manager Kalson and a few of his staff lay beaten to a bloody pulp on the floor. Right in front of Jeong Chan-su.
I froze, unable to process it at first.
"They were plotting to add a handicap on the day of the duel without prior notice."
Jeong Chan-su explained casually, as if he'd just picked up some trash after a long wait.
"They figured you'd accept the proposal in front of everyone out of pride and then chain you with this sensory confusion spell right before the duel."
He held up the chain engraved with the spell. It was exactly like the one I'd seen in the video on the fan gallery.
"Those crazy bastards..."
The story was outrageous. While Kim Ji-eun and Mark were secretly investigating Lexion and the arena, they got caught by Jeong Chan-su's informant. The info reached him, and he personally grabbed Kalson, interrogated him, and got a confession.
"Are you insane? What if they weren't planning anything—what were you going to do about the fallout?"
"...I've built up plenty of karma already. And it was worth the risk."
The first thought in my whitening mind was that he'd brazenly beaten a Federation official like Kalson into spilling everything. My heart skipped a beat, but Jeong Chan-su seemed unfazed.
His words about built-up karma made me bite my lip. Of course. As the de facto leader of the new faction, he'd clashed with the Federation more than once or twice. If his strength weren't overwhelming and his group didn't dominate the rankings, the Federation would've already expelled him alongside the old guard.
My plans are all ruined, you madman!
But what pissed me off most right now was that my carefully laid plans—based on info from the gallery users—were falling apart.
The world is designed so karma always comes back with a price. Their desperation gave me justification to go wild too.
I'd planned to accept the ridiculous handicap, overcome it, and then smash the facility and everyone I disliked as payback. But now, that was off the table.
"Guess I owe you one. No wonder my constellation warned me."
And another thing that grated: a fact I already knew was now framed like Jeong Chan-su had revealed it first. My voice trembled as I admitted owing him.
Me, owing Jeong Chan-su like this? Unacceptable.
I knew he wasn't the type to demand anything in return, but my pride stung anyway.
"It's an unfair duel. Better to cancel and demand compensation."
Jeong Chan-su ignored my reaction and focused on next steps. It sparked my rebellious side.
"...No cancellation."
"?"
"Pardon?"
For some reason, Reina, who had been staring at the floor, muttered through gritted teeth. Jeong Chan-su, Kim Dong-su beside him, Kim Ji-eun—even Kalson writhing on the floor—couldn't believe their ears.
"Sure, their arrogant tricks piss me off, but ending it like this? No way. I'll smash them myself. You think this crap can stop me?"
Reina declared with unflinching red eyes, vowing to punish her enemies with her own hands, chains be damned.
"What?! No, this won't do!"
Even her closest ally Kim Ji-eun tried to stop her in shock, but Reina didn't blink. Her resolve was set.
"I don't care if it's frustrating or like eating sweet potatoes. This is my way."
"A sensory confusion spell can be trickier than stat suppression. Can you adapt?"
Reina placed a hand on Kim Ji-eun's head as she hugged her waist, shaking her head firmly. Realizing her determination was real, Jeong Chan-su skipped trying to dissuade her and asked if she was confident.
"Obviously."
Her expression said why ask the obvious? Jeong Chan-su nodded.
Kim Ji-eun shot him pleading eyes for help, but he'd already decided. He'd let Reina do it her way. After all, he was just a third party.
"You bastard."
Afterward, Reina grabbed Kalson by the collar from the floor. Despite his 2-meter bulk, she yanked him up with one hand.
"Get everything ready properly. And tomorrow, no matter what happens, you just take your beating quietly. Got it?"
"Kuh..."
Under her snarling face thrust close, Kalson could only nod weakly, no arguments left.
"A storm, huh."
The injured Kalson limped away with his staff, and Reina and Kim Ji-eun left without looking back to rest. Kim Dong-su chuckled dryly at the empty room.
"As expected. Just like her."
Seated, Jeong Chan-su showed no particular reaction. He'd predicted—and trusted— she'd act this way. That's the Reina he'd observed.
"You won't forget our warning helped, right?"
"..."
Then, the voice of his contracted constellation Esgalt echoed in his ear, signaling the end.
In truth, the biggest trigger for his involvement was Esgalt's tip-off.
Why? Just tell me outright.
Unlike usual, Esgalt had sent a private message, not broadcast to other constellations. It puzzled Jeong Chan-su. Even accounting for Esgalt's slight favoritism toward Reina compared to others, it was unusual.
"She's acting cute out of her unique pride, but that doesn't change that she owes you a favor. Heh heh... That's enough. Delicious bait."
The overlooking constellation Esgalt laughed, satisfied with the outcome of his meddling.
Moonlight, noble, strong pride, resilient female warrior.
Alone after Kim Dong-su left, Jeong Chan-su blankly stared at Reina's photo on his phone. Contrary to expectations, he was piecing together her traits, speculating.
Someone I'd never even heard of before regression. All possibilities open.
He'd been musing on the potential sparked when she gained Star's Origin in the continuous bloodbath. He'd already awakened holy power in most around him as planned for later. But Reina wasn't in those plans.
Even as a regressor, Jeong Chan-su couldn't predict her future or fate with certainty.
From what I know, only one holy title fits her. Artemis. But... is that really it?
With a small sigh, he kept gazing at her photo silently.
"Is she a virgin?"
He unwittingly muttered a line that unknowingly turned somewhere upside down completely.