Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Into the Colosseum
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Sand crunched underfoot.
At the same time, a gentle breeze blew in from the west.
Sand dust scattered on that wind.
Brushing the gritty sand from my cheeks, I lifted my head.
And soon, the interior of the massive arena came into full view.
A grand scale.
The sheer overwhelming presence made it feel like I could be crushed under it.
It was several times larger than a World Cup stadium.
And right now, I stood in the center of that colossal arena.
The circular arena where gladiators of old had staked their lives in battle.
Rome's Colosseum stood manifested right before my eyes.
A gasp escaped me naturally at the sight.
Anyone stepping foot here for the first time would surely be awestruck.
'Whoa.'
Luke was no exception.
This was his first time actually entering the Colosseum, after all.
The arena interior was quite spacious.
Above it stretched seats that could easily accommodate tens of thousands.
The players would probably watch the exam from up there.
Of course, if capacity was exceeded, the rest would view the match via broadcast.
In any case, that was the arena's layout.
Soon, a stele erected in the center caught my eye.
The battlefield of the exam.
A massive stele identical to the one that had sucked them in earlier.
But here, it served not just as an entrance but also as the participants' lifeline.
This was a defense-style promotion match.
They had to protect that stele while fending off hordes of incoming monsters.
If it was destroyed even slightly, it was instant game over.
No need to calculate scores—the participants would be eliminated on the spot.
"Two steles."
"We each guard one, right?"
"Yeah, I've seen it on broadcast before. Once the exam starts, a transparent wall appears between the steles..."
One of the participants muttered as he recalled the details.
He was right.
The moment teams of two were formed, a transparent barrier would rise in the Colosseum's center.
Splitting the space in half.
Dividing each team's camp and starting the exam.
Breaking through that barrier mid-exam was impossible.
Crossing to the other side via skills or abilities was forbidden too.
All they could do was peer through the transparent wall at the opposition.
But that very limitation was the charm of this promotion exam.
The natural tension from constantly monitoring your opponent in real time.
Sometimes, falling scores could breed impatience.
Participants had to endure that pressure while running their defense.
Gulp!
The exam barreling toward them soon.
A few were already tense because of it.
Only a handful casually surveyed their surroundings.
Luke was among them.
'When does it start?'
Some were lost in awe at the massive arena, but it didn't faze Luke that much.
He'd seen buildings and fields far grander.
No way the Colosseum would blow his mind.
At best, a brief moment of admiration for the novel sight.
Pew!
Just as waiting was starting to bore him.
Something popped out into the air with a puff of smoke.
"Ta-da!"
A tiny body.
Two pairs of wings on its back.
Even a cute little trident in its hand.
A fairy straight out of a storybook appeared in midair.
Administrator Peril.
The NPC in charge of judging and running this promotion exam.
The participants' initial confusion at Peril's appearance faded quickly.
They spotted the info above its head and focused on the sky.
"Hello, everyone!"
Peril's cheerful greeting.
A brief silence followed.
But then.
"Hi there."
Petra waved late, breaking the quiet.
"Yay, someone actually responded! Last time no one said anything, and I was kinda sad."
"Really?"
"Yeah! Anyway, welcome, everyone. This is the Colosseum, where the promotion exam will take place!"
Peril spread its arms wide, proudly introducing the Colosseum.
Clap clap clap clap!
If Petra hadn't started applauding, it might've been awkward.
"Ah, nice reaction. Let's count... one, two... Huh? Twenty-three?"
"Twenty-three?"
"The participant list said twenty-four."
"Is someone absent?"
Mysterious disappearance.
The participants scanned around for the missing one.
But no sign of the twenty-fourth, no matter where they looked.
Peril shook its head and opened its mouth.
"Hmm, nothing we can do. Sadly, we'll start the exam with twenty-three..."
That moment.
"Uwaaaah!"
Thud!
Far off, a player in adventurer's robes plummeted.
From a pretty high spot.
Peril clapped as the player faceplanted into the ground.
"Ooh, saved by a hair!"
All twenty-four participants.
Now fully gathered.
"Alright, with all participants here, shall we begin explaining the promotion exam!"
Peril.
The exam participants.
All their eyes gleamed at that moment.
A short while later.
The spectator seats began filling rapidly with players.
All within the Colosseum's capacity.
The rest would watch the exam via external broadcast.
A chance to spectate the exam up close.
"Ooh yeah, this is insane!"
"Arena entry, let's gooo?!"
"Lit lit, folks—today's stream starts from the Colosseum!"
"Huff huff, so exciting!"
In a way, the spectator seat players were the lucky ones who snagged the opportunity.
But that was just the basic general seats.
The premium seats at the very top were different.
Scout exclusive seats.
Not only could they enter the Colosseum without the hassle of general seating, but they also got the best overhead view.
Required qualification: guild scout.
And they had to buy premium seat tickets in advance from the Expert's Gate.
Otherwise, no entry.
Those were the Colosseum's premium seats.
Swish!
Two men appeared in the center of those premium seats.
One with shaggy hair.
The other a bald man in training robes.
As the text floating above their heads indicated, both were scouts from the same guild.
Main goal: spectate the rookies' exam.
Spot and mark the rookies who would pass and rise to mid-tier.
And the first to speak was Bahamut's guild scout.
Gunshi.
"Twenty-four means six matches total, right?"
Four per match.
Pairs of two competing against each other—perfect fit.
The bald man, Asubalkkum, nodded at his words.
"Yeah."
"Hmm, might drag on a bit."
"Nah? Just watch the rookies' matches."
"Guild's got orders to watch the other participants too this time."
"Do we need to go that far? Everyone's really just eyeing Iron Mask and Petra anyway."
Asubalkkum was right.
Main focus: Iron Mask.
Then Petra and Plack.
Checking every participant? Felt like a waste of time.
But Gunshi thought differently.
"It's a hassle, but I get it. Even Iron Mask could drop here—this is the promotion exam."
"Because of his class and combat style, huh."
"Yep. You're not fighting players one-on-one here. Single-target classes are doomed."
It was a recurring topic.
Iron Mask, presumed thief class.
This exam disadvantaged him with only single-target skills.
No sight of AoE in his fights so far.
Defense against hordes.
Innumerable monsters pouring in.
Iron Mask had almost no advantages there.
"Well, he's participating, so he must have some countermeasures."
So Asubalkkum considered other possibilities.
Countermeasures for his weaknesses.
But sadly, that alone wouldn't ensure survival in this exam.
"Even if he does, they won't last. At best one or two— not enough."
"What if he prepped Drake's Ring or Residual Torch too?"
"Pfft, those are known only to hardcore veterans. No way Iron Mask has 'em."
Drake's Ring.
Residual Torch.
Sub-equipment that covered single-target class weaknesses.
"Beyond that, the exam itself disadvantages melee single-target chars."
Bwooo!
A horn blared, echoing everywhere.
Spectators' eyes snapped to the arena interior.
A melee player fiercely battling monsters.
But now he looked panicked.
Phase 2 started with the horn.
Monsters' patterns randomized because of it.
Attack order.
Body orientation.
Skill range.
Movement path.
Even skill timing.
All unpredictable.
When to DPS.
When to dodge.
Hard to get a feel.
This player was a single-target melee warrior.
He tried overcoming with pure physical skill, but it failed.
Bam!
Instead, hit dead-on by a large monster's skill.
Gunshi pointed at the scene and continued.
"Like that—from phase 2, patterns randomize. Even physical skill can't overcome it."
Phase 3 added bosses too.
No AoE, ranged attacks, or multi-skills? You'd be scrambling to survive.
"Unless you're like Plack with attack swaps or lifesteal, even a good partner won't make it easy. Ranged classes go without saying."
"Hmm. Fair point."
Asubalkkum stroked his chin.
PvP?
Disadvantage.
AoE?
None shown.
Thief advantageous vs monsters?
No.
Sure, some ranged skills change things, but at best throwing daggers.
'And throwing daggers aren't infinite.'
Uncertain mobility or evasion too.
Iron Mask looked relatively disadvantaged.
Seemed like he had few skills total.
"That's why I think Iron Mask drops this exam."
"C'mon, the guy who cleared that flash raid must have something up his sleeve..."
"Nah."
Asubalkkum pondered variables.
Gunshi smirked.
"I guarantee it—Iron Mask's falling this time. One hundred percent."
"Guarantee, huh?"
"It's fact. Who knows? Maybe he's sweating in the waiting room right now."
Gunshi declared confidently.
Half-right, actually.
Iron Mask—Luke—was indeed spectating from the waiting room.
But he didn't know.
That Luke watched calmly, no tension.
And.
"......"
Luke's eyes were dyed golden.