Free City Colloum (1)
Free City Colloum (1)
After resolving the children's living arrangements and agreeing to reunite, he parted ways with Reto at the slave trader's hideout.
He rode the horse he had hidden and headed for Colloum .
After passing through several towns along the way, Redin arrived at the Colloum. A city with outer walls shaped like a giant circular arena.
There are dozens of entrances.
Everywhere, guards sat in clusters. They don't stop people who run amok in the city, they just kick them out.
A place where anyone can come in and just about anyone can go out.
Even slaves are free to leave, if they can get out, that is.
That was the policy of the Free City Colloum.
growls
His stomach lurched at the thought of food. Redin hadn't had a proper meal since he got to this city.
Bread and soup at most.
It wasn't that he didn't have money, it was that there was nothing to purchase. How Redin missed the cafeteria in Burning Hell.
Still.
He thinks Colloum would be a good place to sell food, because there's a lot of foot traffic and a lot of people willing to spend money.
First things first.
Just as he was about to step inside and enter Colloum, an adorable-looking beastman ran up to him.
Bam!
It slammed into his body, sending the beastman sprawling forward.
"Ouch!"
"Did you think you could get away from me?"
The middle-aged man with a big belly came after.
The sight of his gaunt face brought back memories. The middle-aged man was the master of the fallen beastman, and in the game, this same situation was given as a quest.
To save the Beastman or choose to ignore it and walk away.
This one had the online forums on fire for days.
-You're an asshole if you don't save the beastman and make sure to kill that fat man.
-Just kill the two off
-Fuck, just avoid them. If you choose to save the Beastman, you will be ripped off and chased away.
-Wow, he's the devil. He's got a nice reward for killing him, just keep it to yourself.
-Arghhh! Fucking choices.
-It's not just me!
The correct answer is to avoid it entirely.
The two of them were putting on a show. Those caught in the act were taken to the arena and forced to compete in a duel.
'If you win, I’ll release the Beastman'
The dueling opponent was a character with specs you couldn't match at the time.
Users with a sense of justice.
Users who used to think they were special.
Users with a strong desire for a challenge.
Quite a few people lost the duel and were robbed of all their items.
Of course, he was one of the victims.
There was a time when he spent hours trying to find a hidden piece, or a strategy for the duel.
"He-Help me! Please..."
In the game, it was just like that.
Now that he's crying in front of his eyes, One can really feel sorry for him.
But not enough to change Redin's heart.
A meaningless event.
The reward for winning a hard-fought duel was a few pieces of gold.
Redin just ignored them and walked past them.
As he walked in, Redin saw a lot of people in the Colloum, The entrance is where you'll find the restaurants and lodging, and the arena is further back.
First, he tracked the scent of something tasty.
Not far from the entrance. It was a steakhouse that looked amazing. He grabbed a seat at the outdoor patio.
"May I take your order."
"One steak, one salad."
He tossed over a single coin.
"The rest of it is your tip."
“I will bring it to you right away!”
The waiter rushed into the establishment. He leaned back in his chair and took in the atmosphere.
Most of the people who come here are involved in the Arena.
A money-betting gambler.
A slave trader who sells fighters.
Onlookers who don't fall into either category.
Those with downcast faces are usually those who have lost money. They'll bet again, hoping to win again.
Smiling people, on the other hand.
The food on the other table looks good. After ordering more than the person could possibly eat, he enjoyed the luxury while drinking high-quality alcohol.
Of course, even him.
He'll bet his money later and play a few betting games.
"Here's your food."
Redin looked at the steak on the table and grabbed a knife and fork. The smell was intoxicating, and he quickly sliced it and stuffed it into his mouth.
Delicious.
It melted in his mouth, and it was on a different level than any steak he'd ever had before arriving here.
"This is it."
He also enjoyed the salad with fresh vegetables and a refreshing sauce.
The final treat was a sweet carbonated drink.
Just as he was about to pull up to a comfortable position and take in the scenery for a moment, there was a small commotion near the entrance.
He turned his head.
A familiar and somewhat unfamiliar figure caught his eye. She had long, blue hair and a black line drawn across her face.
This is a common garb for mercenaries.
Rebecca was dressed in light leather armor often worn by hired mercenaries, with only the shoulders and heart area armored with hard steel.
"Doesn't she look pretty?"
"Why don't you go get her, and put her to work?"
"Arthur. Unless you want to spend the rest of your life trying to woo a girl."
The sound of conversation from behind.
Redin couldn't agree more, amidst the very vocal sea of agreement around him. It seems like she's trying to change her appearance and vibe to hide her identity, but since she's so good looking, it doesn't help at all.
It didn't seem to have made any differences.
It's mostly just the color of her hair.
"Let him go."
"Ha, do you know how much this guy cost?"
"How much do you need?"
"I don't care about the money, but if you win the duel with the guy I have, I'll let the Beastman go free. If you lose, you'll be my slave."
"What?"
"If you're feeling scared, don't bother me and get lost."
“Who's scared?”
Redin thought that the scene looks familiar.¹
It's clear from the way she's gotten fired up.
"Get on with it."
"Hehehe.. okay, follow me."
Rebecca followed the man and the beastman into the arena.
"Come on, guys, let's make some money. Who are you gonna bet on?"
"Ron, of course. Have you ever seen him lose?"
"Let's go bet it a little bit."
As Redin watched the crowd of speculators move, he suddenly remembered the pouch of gold that he'd gotten from stealing from the slave traders.
No matter how strong Ron is.
If you knew who Rebecca's teacher was, you wouldn't bet against her.
He got up and followed the speculators.
There was a place to place bets next to the entrance to the arena where Rebecca had entered.
He placed a sack of gold coins there.
"Who will you bet on to win?"
"The woman who just walked in."
And then all eyes turned to Redin.
“Tsk tsk tsk.”
"Here we go again, another clueless guy. Take that money and go home now."
"Leave him alone. He's just here to make a buck."
Redin looked at them and smiled to himself.
Life is all about the reversal of fortune.
* * *
No need to watch the match.
Rebecca's going to win, even if he's not watching the match.
So Redin walked out of the place with nothing but the proof of his bet. Since he didn't come here for pleasure, he'll take care of some personal business now.
Colloum's arena street.
He stood in the center of it, looking straight ahead. There are seven arenas in total. Each arena is differentiated by skill.
The only arena he could participate in was Arena 4.
Redin went over to the Arena 4 location. There was a betting place like the one he was at earlier, so he spoke to them.
"I'd like to join as a fighter."
"What's your name?"
"Bahad."
“Have you lost all your money?”
He shrugged his shoulders without answering.
“I’ll check to see if your skills are right, so place your hand here.”
A small marble indicated by the man.
Simply put, it is a skill tester.
As instructed, Redin placed his hand on the marble and finished the reading.
Whoosh!
A blue light came out.
"Looks like you've got the right experience, let's see, I just happened to have a match for you, would you like to try it?"
"Sounds good."
"I'll pay you a generous entry fee, if you survive, of course."
"I'll bet that money on my victory."
"There's an asshole there, Got it? Go downstairs and wait for him, and he'll let you know."
He followed the stairs to the bottom.
The atmosphere was darker than he expected, and it smelled a little musty. Nope. It smelled like garbage.
Redin plugged his nose and walked to the bottom.
The view of the underground arena came into sight: there were bleachers, and down the center was the arena where the fighters would fight.
A bright light illuminated the arena.
Someone was already battling. Their faces swollen beyond recognition. They grabbed each other by the collar and continued to scuffle.
"Kill! Kill him!"
"Get it over with! This isn't fucking funny."
As he stood and watched, a long-haired man from nearby approached him.
"What brings you here?"
"I'm here to participate as a fighter."
He looked at Redin up and down.
"Come with me."
Redin followed the man down a side path to the right of the entrance. Once again, he headed down below and found himself in a waiting room.
The arena directly in front of Redin.
Through the bars of the cage, he could see the fighters from earlier. The game was over, and the victor was roaring.
“He was rushed in. You can send him out before the main match, which will be held in a while.”
The long-haired man explained to the man managing the fighters and disappeared.
The administrator approached.
"Go over there and stand by."
Redin went to the place pointed out and sat down in the chair.
The thick smell of blood stung his nose, perhaps because the arena was right in front of him.
"The next match is a special one that can only be found in our ranks! a match between an elf and a beastman!"
Moderator's amplified voice can be overhead around the area.
The elf beside him pulled something from his chest. A small pouch containing a white powder.
Drugs.
"Phew!"
He inhaled it and shuddered. He smirked with half-lidded eyes and walked into the arena.
Looking at it.
He remembered what Reto had said.
'I've only seen Heatherlock once. When he contacted the slave trader who sold a gladiatorial slave and got him into drugs.’
'I think it was when that gladiatorial slave was just starting to make a name for himself with his winning streak.'
'Symptoms? Hmm. When he took the drug, it seemed to have caused red spots on his body.'
There are no such marks on the elf's body.
Redin wasn't disappointed. Not only did he not expect to find it in one fell swoop, but he intend to run there himself.
Dueling in the arena.
He can also grow and improve his skills with the [God of War] title.²
If he wins, Heatherlock will come to him on its own.
'So, shall we loosen up a bit?' came the thoughts of Redin.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. The scene reminded Redin of how he manipulated Rebecca into taking his bet on the ship.
2. After collecting all of Hidden Piece [Harungel's Heart] he obtained that title which gave him a boost in his overall ability, and shorter time to complete Enlightenment Acquisition of Harungel's Insight as long as he fights and defeats numerous enemies in battle.