Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Return to the Arena
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Episode 73.
‘Should I go to the Arena?’
The thought came to him suddenly, but upon reflection, it wasn't a bad idea.
He didn't have much to do while hiding anyway, so he could treat it as a way to pass the time and raise his ranking a bit in advance.
His level was still too low to reach the top ranks, of course, but he could definitely secure a spot in the mid-ranks.
"The Arena?"
"Yeah."
"Am I coming with you?"
Lee Shin shook his head.
He didn't think experience in the Arena would be particularly helpful for her.
It would be far more beneficial for her skill development to spend that time training with Cedric.
"Ah... really?"
"Yeah. Besides, you need to earn your keep."
The first command he had given Cedric was to teach Jeong Yu-ra, a fellow dark priest.
The fee for this was set at 200,000 gold, with a potential maximum of 300,000 depending on the results.
It wasn't a small amount, so Lee Shin wanted to see a definite effect.
"Alright. But I don't have to train all day, do I?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I need to take care of some school stuff. We have an exhibition next month..."
"Oh, that's fine."
Lee Shin nodded readily.
It was better for her to get it done while they had downtime than to miss time later when he was busy with quests.
"You keep a close eye on the warlock."
"Yes, sir."
Just in case Gillaim got into any pointless trouble with too much time on his hands, Lee Shin gave him a trivial task before entering the Arena.
* * *
Seven years ago, when Avala Online 1 was released.
The initial reaction from the gaming industry and gamers was a mix of anticipation and concern.
While the implementation of a full-dive VR game was met with praise, most were skeptical about its potential for success.
It's a reaction that's hard to understand now, but at the time, there were valid reasons for it.
The gaming industry as a whole was in a downturn, and the high price of the capsules was expected to be a barrier to entry.
But as everyone knows, Avala Online 1 became a massive success that marked a new era for the gaming industry.
A mega-hit that would go down in history.
Experts analyzed the reasons for Avala Online 1's global success from various angles and identified three key differentiating factors.
Unparalleled technology, the emergence of low-cost capsule cafes, and its overall polish.
While the revolutionary nature of full-dive VR technology drew most of the spotlight at the time, experts pointed to the third factor as the biggest reason for its success.
A wide variety of content that sustained the game's core fun.
The Arena, in particular, received the most acclaim.
Despite having over a hundred different classes, Avala Online had managed to achieve excellent balance through its perfect AI technology.
Given its superb quality, it was only natural that it captured the users' interest.
And based on that interest, the best of the best were constantly being determined here, and new stars were born.
But from a certain point on, there was only one person at the pinnacle.
Lee Shin.
Tens of thousands of rankers tried to surpass him, but not a single one succeeded.
And now.
[You have entered the Arena.]
[This is your first entry.]
[You have acquired the title <Novice Fighter>.]
Leaving years of absence behind him, the one-time sovereign of the Arena had returned.
* * *
The notification sound he hadn't heard in who knows how long was accompanied by a change of scenery.
In the blink of an eye, Lee Shin found himself inside a massive temple.
A familiar atmosphere.
Lee Shin looked around, his expression filled with nostalgia.
‘The Arena hasn't changed much.’
This majestic place was the lobby for Avala Online's Arena.
Here, one could enter the Arena or spectate other players' duels.
[PK and item trading are disabled in the lobby.]
[You can apply to enter the Colosseum on the left side of the lobby.]
[If you need additional explanations...]
"Skip."
Lee Shin dismissed the scrolling text.
He had practically lived in the Arena at one point; he already knew everything without needing to be told.
Lee Shin approached the shimmering portal on the left side of the temple and placed his hand on it with practiced ease.
[First entry.]
[Please create a nickname to be used in the Arena.]
[Once set, the nickname cannot be changed until the next season.]
"Arthur."
He considered using his old name, but he was worried someone might recognize him.
And since he had already uploaded an Arena video under the name Arthur to the YouTube channel, he decided to borrow the name again.
[Setting complete.]
[Would you like to begin your placement matches to determine your tier?]
[If you do not proceed with placement matches, you can only enter normal games.]
[Records from normal games are not reflected in the rankings.]
"Accept."
[Starting matchmaking.]
[...]
[Match found.]
A match was found the moment he started queuing.
It was a stark contrast to the top tiers, where it could take at least ten minutes.
[Moving to the Colosseum.]
A moment later, the surrounding scenery shimmered, and Lee Shin found himself standing inside a colosseum.
[The match will begin shortly.]
[9, 8, 7...]
A countdown began as soon as he entered.
He could see his opponent, standing a fair distance away, lowering his center of gravity and pointing his sword straight at him.
A textbook stance.
It seemed he'd done some research, as he at least had the form down.
However...
"Hoo... hah."
"..."
His opponent was extremely nervous.
Judging by his ragged breathing, this was either his first match or he had so little experience in the Arena that it might as well be.
It wasn't uncommon for people to get this nervous during their first PVP experience, likely because, unlike other online games, they had to move their own bodies.
To Lee Shin, he was an laughably easy opponent.
It would be the same even if his opponent's level was higher than his own.
Lee Shin knew all too well that a psychologically compromised opponent could never win in the Arena.
[5, 4...]
The countdown was almost over.
Lee Shin raised his sword.
"...Hoo."
His breathing calmed.
With serene eyes, Lee Shin took in his opponent.
Truthfully, considering his own skill, there was no need to be this serious...
But Lee Shin had a goal outside of the game.
His intention to go all out even against a minnow was for that purpose.
[1.]
The final seconds of the countdown ticked away.
The moment it hit 0.
[0.]
[The duel begins...]
*BOOM!*
Lee Shin charged.
He even used his Dash skill, moving at the absolute maximum speed he could muster.
"Heek?!"
Perhaps the opponent hadn't expected him to charge the instant the match began.
He gasped in surprise.
He managed to pull himself together quickly and thrust his sword, but to Lee Shin, it was too slow, too predictable.
*Tuk, tuk!*
Lee Shin easily dodged, closed the distance, and swung his sword, aiming for his opponent's vitals.
The game ended right there.
*Spurt!*
*Splatter!*
[A critical hit has landed.]
[A critical hit has landed.]
[A critical hit...]
"Huh!? H-Huh...?"
[The opponent has been defeated!]
"What!?!?!"
The opponent threw his hands up in disbelief.
In the time it took him to say "Huh?", his surroundings had turned gray.
He looked as if he didn't even know what had hit him.
[00:00:03]
The timer was stopped at three seconds.
It meant the entire fight had taken only three seconds.
‘Is he using a hack?’
Even as he thought it was impossible, the opponent suspected the possibility of a cheat.
The numbers were so unrealistic that it was an understandable mistake for the person on the receiving end.
After all, the game had ended in the blink of an eye.
"Isn't this a bug...!"
But regardless of his indignation, the result remained unchanged.
He soon turned to gray ash and vanished.
[Victory!]
[You have won without being hit by the opponent even once.]
[By achieving a Perfect Game, you will receive a beneficial adjustment for future promotions.]
"Oh?"
Lee Shin's eyes widened.
‘Perfect Game?’
A system that allowed you to climb the tiers faster if you won an overwhelmingly one-sided victory without taking a single hit.
This hadn't existed in Avala Online 1.
It seemed they had made a change to help players quickly find the tier that matched their skill level, likely due to the increased player base.
‘Not bad.’
Lee Shin nodded.
It wasn't a bad change.
For someone like him, who was bound to climb the ranks anyway.
This would also help with the personal goal he had set.
[Recording stopped.]
Lee Shin stopped the recording.
What he had recorded was a short, 11-second video of his first placement match.
He planned to record all his placement matches and subsequent duels to give to Arthur.
‘If I win all my placement matches, will I get to Gold?’
Lee Shin's goal was a time attack.
To see how high he could raise his score in a limited time.
The first video had already gotten a good response, so this was one of the ideas he'd been considering for the next one.
The conditions were perfect.
Lee Shin's current account had no record from the current or previous seasons, not even a single normal game played. It was a completely clean slate.
It was perfect material for a video.
Lee Shin immediately queued for the next match.
* * *
While Lee Shin was gleefully rampaging through the Arena, the atmosphere in Count Narik's domain was grim.
"The Count is dead?!"
"Sob, yes."
"So suddenly? Why!"
"Well..."
The cause was, of course, the news of the Count's death, and Arin's party, who had remained at the scene, were being pointed to as the reason.
"It's because of them!"
"They killed the Count and his knights!"
"You murderous bastards...!"
Hearing the knights' successive testimonies, Felix, Count Narik's eldest son, became extremely enraged.
"Ugh, I'm telling you, it wasn't us!"
"We're innocent...!"
Arin's party desperately pleaded their innocence, but Felix was already seeing red, and their excuses fell on deaf ears.
"Silence! How dare you run your mouths!"
"Urgh..."
"We never should have let those filthy adventurers into our domain in the first place..."
Felix, glaring at Arin's party with blazing eyes, gestured with his chin to the knights and spoke.
"Imprison them. In seven days, they will be executed!"
"Yes, my lord!"
"...!"
* * *
*Clang!*
The iron bars slammed shut with a deafening noise.
Arin, who had been standing there in a daze, finally came to her senses and spoke.
"...What do we do now?"
"..."
"..."
The mood was bleak.
Everyone knew there was nothing they could do.
"Haaa..."
Their accuser was already furious and wouldn't believe a word they said. If they caused a scene insisting on their innocence, their sentences would only be extended.
"This is so frustrating, but I guess we have to wait."
"We can't let this drag on for too long."
"It's only a week at most, anyway."
Arin shook her head.
"Even a week is a problem."
"What? Why?"
"Producer Park just contacted me. He's asking when we can send the video."
"Ah..."
At Arin's words, the party's expressions soured.
"What's the deadline?"
"Tomorrow."
"...Can't you ask him to wait a little?"
"Do you think he would? We signed a contract to make this a regular series."
"Ah, damn. You're right..."
One disaster after another plunged the mood into further despair.
But mood was mood, and a contract was a contract.
They couldn't just sit around and do nothing.
"Let's just tell him the truth."
"...About our current situation?"
"What other choice do we have? Realistically, we can't get out of here right now. We're about to miss our broadcast slot, so we have to explain the situation."