The Arena's New Star
To rescue Naram noona from the sealed room, I needed a key. The keys were held by the level 2 agents. Since those agents mainly operated outside the institute rather than inside it, there was a high chance they hadn't been transferred over. Therefore, to save Naram noona, I had to locate the vanished wormhole and return to South Korea. The full-scale exploration of this fantasy world had begun.
The exploration party consisted of Woo Suho as the lead explorer, Kang Naram as support, and Adam as our local guide. In the end, we spared Adam. The decisive reason was that we needed a guide, but it was also because his backstory—having a father who fell deep into a cult and sold his own daughter—had struck a chord with Naram noona.
"Legend."
"Suho, are you a T?"
My own life had been miserable, but Adam's misery ran in a completely different direction. I had simply been impressed, yet noona shot me a look that said I should show some empathy. I am only kind to Naram noona. I, Woo Suho, am not some cheap man who hands out empathy and comfort to just anyone.
"If I posted this on the community, it'd get flooded with upvotes..."
Still, I couldn't ignore our precious noona's request, so I offered what passed for empathy in my own way.
"Suho..."
She didn't seem pleased with the result.
"Hahaha..."
Adam gave a bitter smile. For the record, we had it on speaker mode because Naram noona had been whining nonstop about wanting to talk to him. Honestly, it felt off. Another man chatting with Naram noona didn't sit well with me. Still, I wasn't at the full-blown obsessive yandere level, so I granted the request.
At any rate, Naram noona and Adam had moved past simple greetings and were just beginning to grow comfortable with each other. The same went for me.
"I feel uneasy receiving such a rare treasure..."
We talked while walking through the Death Tree Forest. The institute, which had stood in Paju with its clean air and pleasant scenery, had materialized in this gloomy, dark wood. The forest's name was the Death Tree Forest. I'd been told it was a land where life could not grow, cursed by a powerful sorcerer's magic. In this world, it seemed they referred to magic as sorcery.
"It's fine."
The items I'd given Adam were expensive luxury goods. Researchers at the Supernatural Research Institute were usually middle class or wealthier. They carried plenty of high-end branded items, and while collecting the bodies I had set the valuables aside. Some of those had gone to Adam. I wasn't sure how much value this world would place on them, but a gold wristwatch and a diamond ring with a massive stone should tempt even the rich here.
"It's not mine anyway."
In fact, I had previously suggested selling powerful narcotic painkillers like the fentanyl and morphine from the medical ward.
"No no no, are you insane!?"
Naram noona had vehemently opposed it, asking why I wanted to create more broken people, so drugs were off the trade list. Setting that regret aside, my next best idea had been humanity's great inventions like electronics, but those overlapped too much with the "artifacts" that already existed in this world. So we settled on luxury goods.
"How can I ever repay this kindness..."
A famous drama line came to mind: With that action just now, I've become a god to that guy. Exactly as the saying went, Adam was showing us respect that went beyond mere gratitude. After all, we had forgiven an intruder who tried to kill us and even given him gold coins. It was only natural. Naram noona seemed a little burdened by it, though.
"If you understand, then do well. I'm not giving it for free."
"Yes."
Adam's expression brightened noticeably. His tone carried the eager enthusiasm of a new hire.
Adam looked up at the sky as he walked the path.
"Walking through the Death Tree Forest like this always reminds me of my childhood. I used to come here often for outings, holding my little sister's hand. The sandwiches she made were so delicious... Even now, I find it amazing how such cooking could come from such small, delicate hands."
Adam was actually a decent friend. Even though he had thrown the first punch at me, once you got to know him he was polite, dignified, and calm. If only he didn't occasionally overshare his and his sister's backstory like this. Clear siscon tendencies. He started reciting it from verse one, verse two, verse three.
"Her talent shines brilliantly, her appearance is beautiful, and though she shares my blood, she truly is..."
I now understood exactly how much he loved his sister. So I told him to shut up, which made his face fall. Couldn't be helped. To lift the mood, I had no choice but to launch my own airplane.
"When I walk like this, I always think of Naram noona. A wonderful woman with a researcher's talent and a sense of responsibility that refuses to settle. That's a fair assessment and an undeniable truth no one can refute. This Woo Suho's lifelong ambition is to cling to noona like a leech and keep sucking up to her..."
Anyway, we were heading for Sunflower Town. Sunflower Town had a gladiatorial arena, and Adam's little sister was fighting there as a gladiator. My plan was to watch over the place until she could be rescued, gather information about this world, and draw up a course of action. It would have been overwhelming alone, but since I'd paid a fair price, I had a guide at my side. Naram noona was helping me too. It wasn't a difficult task.
"Oh, Sir Suho."
"What?"
"Try not to get involved with the Holy Light Church if at all possible."
"The Holy Light Church was that emerging religious group your father fell deep into, right?"
"Yes. They are very nasty people. If they learn about your special circumstances, Sir Suho, they will definitely approach you with malicious intent."
Adam warned me with complete seriousness. People who could brainwash someone and sell their daughter into slavery were obviously rotten. Hearing about the religious group also gave me an ominous feeling.
This place is a demonic realm... The demons really do have tasteless preferences. It's unpleasant, eerie, and I want to leave immediately.
Hmm. No way. Fabricating a vast worldview like in fantasy novels and dragging people into it was every cult's specialty and common ground. Adam hadn't called me a demon, but the swordsman guy had...
"Tsk, something feels off."
"What does?"
"Hey, from now on I'll keep my mouth shut once we're in the city. Handle all the talking yourself."
There was nothing to gain by standing out. Once we entered the city, I'd need to change my clothes first. With that, Adam and I quickened our pace alongside the sparrow drone.
The moment we arrived in Sunflower Town, the fact that this was another world hit me hard. It looked exactly like the scenery in the photos Naram noona had taken with the drone. People wearing outdated clothing, old-fashioned architecture, beautifully built temples—I couldn't help but admire them, but the instant I heard they belonged to the Holy Light Church I turned my head away.
Anyway, we stopped at a clothing shop, bought a medieval-style cloak, and changed. Armor was uncomfortable and cumbersome, so I wrapped myself head to toe in a black cloak made mostly of linen. From today onward, I was a proper resident of this fantasy world.
"By the way, do you know a guy called the Sword Saint?"
"Pardon?"
"The intruder from before was him."
Adam looked startled.
"He is one of the seven disciples of the Sword Saint. A renowned figure that every citizen of the Solis Kingdom has heard of at least once. Though his honor is now tarnished and people point fingers at him, he was once a war hero who made quite a name for himself. No way..."
I shrugged.
"Sir Suho, you are even more incredible than I imagined. To think you could handle a fifth-circle sorcerer... Haa."
"I got lucky."
The white armor and greatsword the swordsman had used were safely stored in the armory. There might come a time when they'd be useful. Weapons and armor once worn by someone that famous would have plenty of people who coveted them. When the time was right, I'd make good use of them.
Following Adam, I met a decent merchant who looked like a noble and traded the luxury goods for money. The currency here was called sola—coins made of copper, iron, silver, gold, and platinum. Copper was worth 10 sola, iron 100, silver 1,000, gold 10,000, and platinum 100,000. The value increased by powers of ten with each tier.
I received two gold coins and two silver coins from the noble.
"22,000 sola!"
I wasn't sure whether the merchant had given us a good price, but seeing how happy Adam was that he could now rescue his sister, it seemed we'd achieved our goal.
"Then shall we go?"
"Yes. Thank you so much. I don't know how to repay this kindness to you and Lady Naram..."
You can repay it with your body later. With sufficient funds in hand, we headed for the arena.
Sunflower Town Arena. An entertainment facility where one could watch slave gladiators fight desperately or bloodthirsty sorcerers compete against one another.
Vrrrr. Vrrrrr.
Today, too, a bloody battle thick with the stench of blood was unfolding inside the arena.
In the center of the circular arena filled with excitement, a terrified gladiator and something holding a strange, enormous weapon in both hands faced each other.
The terrified gladiator screamed while stumbling backward.
The more the gladiator screamed, the louder the strange weapon rotated, spewing an enraged sound. It resembled a saw used for cutting wood, but here it served only as an instrument to painfully rip apart human flesh.
Vrrrr. Vrrrrr.
The terrified gladiator's name was Orle. He was a sorcerer who had written a legend of being undefeated for five years in the arena. Yet even after Orle had poured out sorcery for ten minutes since the match began, not a single scratch appeared on his opponent's body. An illogical being that knew neither pain nor fear. Standing before this alien monster, Orle felt like nothing more than a five-year-old child.
Vrrrr. Vrrrrr.
Orle's screams mixed with the noise of the spinning saw. The rotating blade began tearing apart Orle's body, which was covered in a barrier. In extreme pain and terror intense enough to stop his heart from shock alone, Orle met a miserable end—not from the saw itself, but from the sheer horror.
Once Jason confirmed his opponent was dead, he transmitted a recorded scream from the radio hanging around his neck like an accessory.
The scream belonged to Orle, whom Jason had just killed. It was a mysterious sorcery that was frightening, grotesque, and perfectly raised the atmosphere—Jason's signature move as the arena's new star.
An overwhelming performance.
Vrrrr. Vrrrrr.
Even amid the commentator's voice and the crowd's cheers, the electric saw's roar refused to fade; it dominated everything.
Suddenly my mouth started watering. At the arena entrance where the cheers echoed, I wiped my lips.