Chapter 22
Just as the SS-class superhuman Wei Ajun crumpled to the floor, helpless as a broken doll,
“That’s insane.”
From the stands, the black-haired woman watching the match, Black Night Witch, let out a single, stunned remark. The seats around her were packed with people of all ages and races, but every one of them wore the same expression: disbelief.
“...What even was that? Was that some kind of monster?”
Black Night Witch frowned deeply.
“How is that even possible?”
“He didn’t even touch him.”
Superhumans were already beyond the human standard. At least, beyond the standard of modern humanity. Once you reached the level where you could hurl flames with your bare hands or bring down meteors, it was hard to call you human anymore.
The people gathered here were no different.
A-class superhumans.
By the rules of the Colosseum, everyone seated in the audience was an A-class superhuman. Whatever was up on the higher tiers, I had no idea. In other words, this was a place where people powerful enough to fart with authority had all gathered in one spot.
“What kind of synchronization rate does he have?”
“...He beat Wei Ajun that badly?”
“They said he was strong, but this is a little too much.”
“Even so, for him not to move at all...”
The reactions from those strong enough to know better were chaos itself.
Not a single person’s eyes were steady. And honestly, that made sense.
“That Wei Ajun...”
Wei Ajun.
The Chinese SS-class ranker was famous for being a complete lunatic. He was known among superhumans as a rabid dog, and his foul mouth had long since become infamous among the public as well.
-Stupid people never know their place.
-Weaklings shouldn’t be allowed to speak.
-Are C-class and below even people? Just shut up and live like dogs. It suits you better.
The foul-mouthed Wei Ajun.
Or Rabid Dog Wei Ajun.
Or just plain bastard Wei Ajun.
He was the one responsible for driving an already poor perception of Chinese superhumans straight into the gutter.
And yet, if you asked people to name the superhuman they hated most, he was always near the top of the list.
Still, most people adored him.
The reason was simple.
“Even so, he’s still an SS-class superhuman—”
No matter how much abuse he took, no matter how arrogant or tyrannical people said he was, he crushed every word with sheer strength.
That was Wei Ajun.
Even before Hale Irene appeared, he had been considered the strongest in the world. After losing to her in ten minutes, his reputation had taken a hit.
Even so, that didn’t change the fact that he stood among the strongest.
Arrogant, yes—but possessing the strength to back it up.
That had been Wei Ajun’s evaluation.
And yet—
“...He was shattered to pieces.”
“Just what kind of person is this Musin...?”
Wei Ajun had lost to Musin. Not even in the ten minutes he had managed to hold out against Hale Irene. It had happened in an instant.
An instant so brief it made the very idea of measuring time feel ridiculous.
“...Uhgh... Hck...”
Wei Ajun’s eyes rolled back as he collapsed. The groan that leaked from his mouth, along with his condition, made the result obvious.
And that wasn’t all.
[The Divine Snake has been defeated.]
[The winner is Musin.]
[The gap was overwhelming.]
The system announced his defeat. The Divine Snake. Ironically, that was the title of the being known as Wei Ajun’s past life, despite his nickname as the Rabid Dog.
I didn’t know what it meant. Wei Ajun himself had never explained it, and the Association had never cared to ask.
What mattered was that he was an SS-class superhuman.
And a top-tier powerhouse had been defeated in a matter of seconds.
By a rookie called Musin, no less.
“Just what kind of rank is he supposed to be?”
“...If he can beat Wei Ajun that easily, then seriously...”
“Does anyone know what country he said he was from?”
“No idea. I heard he was from somewhere in Asia.”
While everyone was buzzing over Musin’s identity,
“Korea.”
a sharp voice cut in.
“Korea?”
“Black Night Witch, right...?”
It was the blunt remark of the Black Night Witch, who had been sitting in the audience.
“He’s from Korea.”
“Musin is Korean? How do you even know that...?”
“The timing was exactly right.”
“Ha.”
At her answer, someone let out a dry laugh. The woman’s eyes flashed.
“What are you grinning at?”
Even with that fierce tone, the man who had laughed kept the corner of his mouth lifted.
Black Night Witch’s gaze turned cold.
“You little— Can’t you hear your big sister? I said, what are you smiling about?”
“Big sister my ass.”
The young man she’d called out crossed his legs and sat back.
“Saying he’s Korean is just the most likely guess. That doesn’t prove he’s actually from there.”
The youth, American A-class superhuman Silver Knight, grinned at her.
“Oh, really?”
At that reaction, Black Night Witch smiled as though she’d caught something.
“So what, you’re salty because the consensus says he’s not from the West?”
“...Salty?”
Silver Knight’s face stiffened.
“Don’t get cocky. Your side has that foul-tempered woman, doesn’t it?”
“Ha.”
At the mention of Hale Irene, Silver Knight’s expression didn’t just darken—it twisted.
“You arrogant bitch. You think one SS-class from that tiny little country puts you on the same level as us?”
“Who said we were the same?”
This time Black Night Witch sneered at him.
SS-class probably referred to Yu Jin. I didn’t deny it. Thanks to him, Korea’s standing had risen sharply. Just one person had been enough to do it.
But—
It’s not the same as America.
The world’s top powers were there, and the ratio of S-class and A-class superhumans was on an entirely different level. Population wasn’t the issue; for reasons no one could explain, America simply had an absurd number of superhumans.
That was why they called them heroes instead of knights and all that. Fine, whatever.
“No, it’s different. Korea is still a long way behind America.”
“Then—”
“But listen.”
Black Night Witch turned her head and looked toward the center of the Colosseum.
Wei Ajun’s collapsed body had already begun to dissolve into mist. It seemed that when you lost, that was what happened.
Watching him, she turned her gaze to the man in black on the other side. Black mask, dark robes—he gave off an alien, almost unsettling air.
After defeating Wei Ajun so easily, he hadn’t shown the slightest reaction. As though it had been only natural.
His confidence was obvious. His certainty. The assurance that he would never lose to someone like that.
“If Musin really is Korean, just as the world expects—would you still be reacting like this?”
“...”
At her words, Silver Knight fell silent for a moment.
“How about it? If that scary woman of yours went up against Musin, who do you think would win?”
No one objected to the fact that Irene hadn’t appeared in the Colosseum.
She had always been a woman who did exactly as she pleased. Not showing up here was, in a way, more natural.
Even after that, Silver Knight still couldn’t answer easily.
Irene and Musin.
A queen who seemed like she could never lose to anyone. Another top-tier monster, the symbol of America, incomparable even to the likes of Wei Ajun.
If she and Musin fought—
Crack.
Silver Knight ground his teeth at the unpredictable outcome. Seeing that, Black Night Witch let out a short laugh.
“...Even if you’re right, there’s still the possibility that Musin isn’t Korean. More importantly—”
Silver Knight pointed out the most important thing Black Night Witch was trying to ignore.
“Even if he is Korean, do you really think he’s on your side?”
“...”
“Just the fact that he hasn’t shown himself to the Association and has hidden his identity this thoroughly tells me he’s not exactly a normal person.”
“...”
Black Night Witch narrowed her eyes at the remark. It was a direct strike at a blind spot.
Terrorists. The insect-like bastards currently making Korea’s life miserable.
Unregistered superhumans who had never been filed with the Association. Compared to them, Musin was not someone you could afford to look at too kindly.
“Even if that Musin really is above SS-class. What matters is which side he stands on. If things go wrong...”
Silver Knight tilted his head as he spoke.
“You might be harboring one of the most dangerous beings of all.”
Black Night Witch could not bring herself to answer that.
* * *
[The Divine Snake has been defeated.]
[The winner is Musin.]
[The overwhelming difference in strength has been displayed.]
[The master of the Colosseum highly evaluates you.]
[The master of the Colosseum wishes to bestow a blessing upon you.]
[A difference in rank has occurred. The soul rejects the blessing of the one of lower standing.]
[The master of the Colosseum is taken aback by the reaction.]
[Achievement unlocked! You have completed Curiosity of the Colosseum's Master.]
[The first duel has ended. The other participants are to prepare quickly for the next duel....]
Countless system messages floated before my eyes. Looking at them, I swallowed a dry gulp.
...Well, damn.
I couldn’t even begin to react to what had just happened.
What was that?
Seriously, what had that been? Even after doing it myself, I still couldn’t make sense of it.
Fine, the first part makes sense.
When Wei Ajun attacked me, I countered and shattered him, and then the counterattack effect triggered and blew him apart. That much I could understand. A three percent chance had somehow happened; if anything, it was a miracle.
But what about just now?
What had happened a moment ago? It wasn’t a counterattack, and it wasn’t as though I had used any skill.
This was...
[The snake rebels against its master.]
[The contract engraved into the soul is activated.]
[The snake strangles itself.]
With those words, Wei Ajun had coughed up blood and collapsed in agony.
...But I didn’t do anything?
I had really just stood there, not even flicking a finger. And suddenly he’d died by himself.
What the hell.
What was I supposed to call this bizarre situation? While I was still standing there in confusion—
[Preparing the next duel. Transferring to the waiting room.]
my vision shifted with the system alert.
I was back in the waiting room from before.
But...
“...”
“...”
The atmosphere was cold. Every superhuman in the room was looking at me. Or rather, half of them were.
Some were busily avoiding my gaze with awkward expressions, while others stared at me with wide, startled eyes.
Oh, great.
As I moved my eyes slightly, I saw a screen appear on the wall. It was showing the duel arena where Wei Ajun and I had fought.
So they saw it.
They must have watched Wei Ajun collapse all by himself. So that’s why they were acting like this.
...They probably think I did it.
Even though he had fallen on his own, the system had declared me the winner.
And because of that, I was now feeling awkward as hell.
Then—
Rustle.
Hm?
Someone sitting in a corner moved. My eyes widened inside the mask as I sensed the presence.
...Yu Jin?
It was Yu Jin. He was moving while looking at me.
Was he coming over? Just as that thought crossed my mind, the eyes of the others also shifted this way.
For a moment, I wondered if another clash with an SS-class superhuman was about to begin.
Then—
“Excuse me.”
“...!”
A voice came from close by.
It wasn’t Yu Jin.
At that voice, the reactions around me froze. I turned my head. There, standing before me—
Oh.
Was a familiar face.
“Could I ask you one thing?”
A woman with a face so cold it looked carved from frost, youthful enough that she might have been around my age. No, not might have been. She was my age. I already knew that much.
“You there.”
The woman was Jin Yeonhui, a Korean S-class superhuman, and someone who had, in a previous life, been reincarnated as the spirit known as the Thunder Spirit.
“Are you Korean?”
She was my friend Jin Gyeongbeom’s older sister.