The Arena of Pure Chaos

An arena! Kim Tae-hyun felt his heart pounding. A territory arena—how long had he waited for this? The other buildings in his territory had been constructed out of sheer necessity. They were built because he needed the basics, and because it was the headquarters of the Archisus Church. But the arena? That was a choice born purely out of his personal taste.

If anyone asked him what his favorite content in Pandemonium Online was, it would undoubtedly be the arena! It was a place where you could legally beat up other people! A place where all kinds of variables and ingenious strategies clashed, and where players risked their lives to enjoy thrilling battles! Furthermore, Archisus's Arena had one distinct advantage: it was located in the territory where Tae-hyun reigned as lord.

'Which means absolutely no one can ban me from entering!' Tae-hyun recalled a bitter memory from the days of Pandemonium Online 1.

"Let me into the arena."

"Of course. Please step inside, Adventurer."

"??" "What's up with that guy??" The other players waiting to enter the arena stared at the blacksmith in utter bewilderment. Had he wandered into the wrong place?

"Hey, man. The area for blacksmiths and merchants is over there. You sell stuff over there, but once you go in here, it's a fight to the death."

"I know. I'm here to fight."

"What?!" "As a blacksmith??" If it were a party battle out in the open field, a blacksmith could certainly play a role. They could buff equipment, and since their HP, Strength, and Constitution stats were relatively high, they could hold their ground or beat down weaker monsters. But this arena was a free-for-all solo match! A blacksmith fighting alone in the arena was practically suicide. Every other player would target the blacksmith first, as the golden rule of the arena was to eliminate the weakest link first.

"Why? Blacksmiths aren't allowed to play?" "...Me! Let me queue with you!" "I'm going in right now too!" "Me too! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Please let me join!" The surrounding players scrambled to raise their hands, desperate to enter the same match as Tae-hyun. In the fiercely competitive arena, a blacksmith like Tae-hyun was free points on a silver platter. I have to be the one to kill him!!

"Haha. Look at you guys. Do you really like me that much?" "Yes! We love you!" "We love you so much!" Tae-hyun nodded with a gratified expression. Back then, not many people knew who he was, which was why these players were practically wagging their tails at the sight of him.

"Alright. How much can you pay?" "Huh?" "What do you mean, 'huh'? You said you wanted to fight me in the arena. I have the right to choose my opponents too. Now, how much can you pay?" "..." "...One gold!" The players exchanged glances before one of them shouted out a bid, igniting a fierce bidding war. In the end, the surrounding players were stripped of every last coin before they were finally allowed to enter the arena with Tae-hyun.

And once they entered! "Hehehe. You're dead meat." "Allow me to offer my condolences to the soon-to-be-deceased." "..." The players revealed their true colors the moment they stepped inside! Having been extorted of their gold, they were determined to make Tae-hyun pay dearly. Regardless of their threats, Tae-hyun silently tossed a few objects around him.

Boom! Boom! Boom! "Start!" The moment the starting signal rang, the players charged savagely at Tae-hyun... BOOM! BOOM! CRASH! Every single one of them was swept away in a massive chain explosion.

"Wow. I didn't expect it to go this smoothly." Tae-hyun was genuinely impressed. He had assumed at least three or four of them would dodge the blast, so he had been preparing a follow-up. To his surprise, not a single person suspected a thing, and they had all lunged at him simultaneously. 'I can't believe such gullible fools actually exist.'

After that, Tae-hyun ran the arena several more times. At first, players challenged him thinking, 'It was just luck,' or 'How dare you beat me last time? Let's go again!' or 'This time, I'll be the one to take him down!' But eventually, they all came to a stark realization. There was absolutely no way to defeat this crazy blacksmith. This wasn't luck... it was pure, unadulterated skill!

"Huh?" From that moment on, the queues would magically vanish whenever Tae-hyun showed his face. 'I am not fighting that guy!'

"Hey, come on, guys! Let's play together! Why are you running away after we had so much fun?!" "..." "..." The players quietly lowered their gazes, terrified of making eye contact. It was an incredibly rare sight to see arena regulars, who were notorious for their terrible tempers, acting so meekly.

'But the arena in my territory is different.' As the lord, he had the authority to force his way into any match when players gathered! Tae-hyun excitedly checked the arena's details.

Check traits. Tae-hyun examined the arena's unique traits. Every arena had its own characteristics, after all. What would Archisus's Arena be like?

'Ooh...!'

'Oooooh...!' Tae-hyun felt his heart racing. This looked absolutely incredible!

"...Huh?" Tae-hyun was momentarily taken aback, but he quickly regained his composure. If everything was randomized for everyone, then the most skilled player would still hold the advantage. There was no reason to panic.

"...!!!"

"The tyrant Damiano II murdered my father." A voice echoed from the darkness, dripping with murderous intent.

"Even though my father held the rightful claim to the crown! How dare he!" Antonio, the uncle of Damiano II, had brought his fate upon himself by conspiring with the Sadiq Church to assassinate the king. However, no one in their right mind would dare say that to Antonio's son, Dominic.

"Hehehe... Indeed, Master." "Your words are the absolute truth, Master."

"I heard that the Avatar of Sadiq has appeared on the continent. This is a sign from my father. Even though I do not worship the Sadiq Church myself...!" The ones ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠standing before Dominic were members of the Salavian Order—the very cult Carbanog had warned about! It was a malevolent order comprised of corrupted vampires.

"I received word that Damiano II will be visiting this villa tonight. Kill Damiano II without ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fail! And bring me my rightful crown!" "Yes, Master!"

"Run! Run away!" Players who had been hanging around the Erangs Kingdom scrambled to escape the moment the demonic beasts appeared. Most of them were low-level players who lacked the strength to clear such a quest! While they might have stood a chance against ordinary monster hordes, no one was foolish enough to stand their ground against the demonic beasts of Sadiq.

"Ah, this is a disaster. I just cleared my quest too." "You cleared two of them, what are you complaining about? I actually had active work lined up here." The sudden invasion dealt a particularly heavy blow to players with production classes. These crafters relied on settling down in one place and building rapport with NPCs to turn a profit!

"Where should we go this time?" "Hey, before we settle down somewhere, why don't we check out that place?" "?" "The Valley of Despair and Sorrow..." "I heard only weirdos gather there." "No, apparently the arena there is insanely fun lately." "We can just watch videos of the arena. Let's focus on our own stuff." "I'm not talking about watching. I mean we should actually participate!" "What? Are you crazy?" "Everything is completely randomized when you enter that arena, so even we have a decent shot! There are tons of posts about it on the community boards. If a high-level ranker gets unlucky, they can get taken out in a single hit!"

Indeed, all kinds of absurd upset victories were occurring daily in Archisus's Arena.

Although dying in the arena carried no standard death penalty, there were still minor consequences. Entering the arena required gold, and players had to brace themselves for the associated penalties. Furthermore, because everything was completely randomized, even top-tier rankers could easily suffer defeat. At first glance, it seemed like rankers had absolutely no reason to participate in such an unfair arena... and yet, many high-level players were frequently spotted there. There was only one reason: they had realized just how incredible the rewards were.

One lucky player, who was the first to obtain a Bronze Box, proudly opened it in front of a crowd. And...

"Whoaaaa! I've been looking for this forever! It actually dropped!" He had hit the ultimate jackpot. To think such an incredible reward could come out of a mere Bronze Box! On top of that, there was a high probability of getting the exact item the player desired. For rankers who had been suffering endlessly to find their specific gear, this was enough to make them lose their minds.

It wasn't just the rankers who were losing their minds. The players lining up in front of the Goblin Universal Maker were equally crazed. Now, the inhabitants of the territory were split into two factions: those standing in front of the Goblin Universal Maker, and those queuing up for the Arena! That wasn't all. Players active in the Erangs Kingdom and the Auston Kingdom flocked to the territory after hearing the rumors.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Ugh... It's my arena, so why the hell can't I enter it?!" A sorrow dripping with murderous intent! Clang! Clang! Tae-hyun swung his hammer in deep despair. They had currently arrived in the Uruk territory. Before returning to the Valley, they had to retrieve the massive rock they had secretly stashed away. Clang! Clang! Clang!

'He's... he's hammering while crying.''That guy Tae-hyun is seriously terrifying!' The older guild members backed away with horrified expressions. They felt like they would get smacked by that hammer if they made even a single wrong move.

"Hmm? That rock looks familiar." "Yeah, yeah. It looks very familiar." The giants newly added to the territory tilted their heads in confusion as they passed by. Tae-hyun spoke up as if it were nothing.

"That's just because your memory is exceptionally good. You've seen so many rocks that you're bound to find some that look similar. Surely there are plenty of identical rocks in the world, right? By the way, I heard they prepared some food over there. Why don't you go grab a bite?" "Is that so?" "Hehe. Our memory is great." "I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

'Tsk.' Having finished his persuasion, Tae-hyun turned back and immersed himself in his work.

'It can't be helped.' When one's skill level was low, taking losses was just part of the process. That was the only way to level up the skill. Of course, Tae-hyun had prepared as much as possible.

'Phew.' Tae-hyun soothed his bitter heart with his blacksmithing work. However, at that very moment, there were countless players in Pandemonium Online whose hearts were far more bitter because of him.

"Hire some mercenary NPCs who specialize in subjugating giant monsters. Gather high-level players and organize a subjugation squad! Wait, where did Alcott go? Why don't I see him?"

"...W-Well, about that..." The subordinate swallowed hard at Su Ning's question. Alcott was currently at the Arena.