Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Underground Arena Encounter
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When I arrived at the meeting place, it was already past 8 p.m. Far off under a streetlamp, I could see a woman in a hat pulled low, standing there in a posture brimming with dissatisfaction.
Upon closer inspection, she was even wearing sunglasses. From the outside, she looked like she was advertising, "I'm a suspicious person."
"Hello."
"...You're late, you know that, right?"
Han Se-yeon muttered as she looked at me. Even though her eyes were hidden by the sunglasses, I could feel her intense gaze. I let out an awkward laugh for no reason.
"Sorry. Traffic was bad because it was rush hour."
"I'm a very busy person."
"I know. Who doesn't know Han Se-yeon is busy?"
"...Anyway, take this."
Han Se-yeon held out a black case bag. When someone who looked so suspicious handed it over, it felt like I was in the middle of an illicit deal from a movie.
"It's the potion you requested. Ten in total. I mixed in some sacred grass."
"Heh heh. Thank you for your hard work."
"Since I made it myself, you can expect great results. However, because I mixed in the sacred grass, which amplifies the effect, the side effects are also intensified, so keep that in mind."
I nodded and opened the bag.
Inside the bag, nestled between sponges, were ten vials of blue potion.
[Amplified Mana Elixir®]
Classification: Potion
Description: Upon consumption, mana recovery speed increases by 500% for 5 minutes. After the duration ends, you fall into mana exhaustion for 30 minutes.
"Oh."
The effect itself was excellent.
It boosted mana recovery speed by a whopping 500% for 5 minutes. Of course, there was the harsh side effect of mana exhaustion for 30 minutes afterward, but that was to be expected with such a potent potion.
"Looks good. The effect seems solid too."
"You haven't even tried it yet. How do you know?"
"You can tell just by looking."
"Oh, right. You said you studied potions a bit."
Han Se-yeon murmured quietly, as if something had just occurred to her.
"But what's this for? A wizard of your caliber shouldn't need something like this."
Han Se-yeon looked at me with a face full of incomprehension.
'A wizard of my caliber.'
The phrasing struck me as amusing for some reason.
She must have said it based on how I appeared in the media. But in reality, I wasn't all that impressive yet.
"I have my uses for it."
"Is that so? Wizards don't really use potions like this much these days."
Han Se-yeon still couldn't shake her doubts and muttered to herself.
Well, her reaction was understandable.
Normally, wizards possessed mana levels suited to their skill, so forcibly boosting mana recovery with a potion didn't mean they could handle or cast more spells better.
At that moment, Han Se-yeon slightly lowered her sunglasses and looked me over with the naked eye.
"But you're not going like that, right?"
"What's wrong with how I look?"
"What's wrong? Here, take this."
Han Se-yeon pulled out sunglasses and a hat from her handbag and handed them to me.
"The underground arena is strictly illegal. You going there after your face got famous from that demon subjugation?"
Oh. She's well-prepared.
I took the sunglasses and hat from her.
"You're not charging me for this, are you?"
"...What do you take me for? I wasn't going to say anything, but last time you had me proxy-sell Dragon's Soul Fragment, the commission and taxes came to over 1.5 million won, and you just threw in 3.5 million. You know that?"
"It would've been so cool if you hadn't brought it up afterward."
"...Anyway, that's how it is."
"Got it. I'll put them to good use. Oh, these are both designer brands."
I said that and slipped on the sunglasses. They say the soul of sunglasses is in their weight, and true to luxury form, they were incredibly light.
"Do they suit me?"
When I looked at her, she shook her head.
"Nah. Your eyes made you look a bit young before, but now you look like a total middle-aged guy."
"How about shaving the beard? It makes you look older than you are."
"Hmm. Sorry, but no plans to shave."
At my response, Han Se-yeon shrugged as if to say 'suit yourself' and muttered.
I chuckled at her, then took off the sunglasses.
"By the way, you're prepared and all, but you don't actually need stuff like this there."
"Pardon?"
Han Se-yeon looked confused, not understanding. I pulled a mask from my pocket.
"Masks are mandatory at the underground arena."
The underground arena was secretly held in a small city on the outskirts of Seoul.
I got into the luxury car Han Se-yeon had brought and we headed there together.
"By the way, I have a question."
Han Se-yeon, who was driving, glanced at me and said.
"What is it?"
"How did you find out about your oppa's weakness? How did you know I wanted Hansung Group?"
Han Se-yeon asked again, still unable to comprehend.
I pondered what to say, but having nothing, I just blurted something out.
"I'll tell you if you give me 5% of Hansung Pharma shares."
"...Just say you don't want to tell me."
Han Se-yeon pouted. She looked so cute I smiled a bit, then turned my gaze to the window.
Suspicious black cars started appearing outside one by one. Seeing they were heading the same way, they were probably also headed to the underground arena.
In the original story, several villains who pop up later used this underground arena. Maybe one of the cars held a villain I knew.
"Oh, right. Isn't it dangerous to move around without bodyguards?"
I'd been wondering and asked her.
Han Se-yeon had learned magic, but her magical ability was quite low. Her major was pharmacology, not magic, after all. It was a bit surprising she'd come to such a dangerous place without guards.
"I came here in secret, so how could I bring them? And as I said last time, companions are limited to one max."
"Ah, right."
That made perfect sense.
As we chatted, we arrived at a small abandoned building with several luxury sedans parked.
"We're here."
"Thanks for the ride. Here, put on the mask."
I handed her a mask.
She stared at it blankly, then put it on her face.
"Is the mask design to your taste?"
She asked me after donning it.
The masks she and I wore were white rabbit masks.
Honestly, I hadn't picked it for any special reason. It was just the first one I saw.
"I just grabbed it without much thought. Seems like we're ready—let's go."
"...Okay."
Han Se-yeon and I got out of the car and entered the abandoned building.
At the entrance stood a man in a crisp suit and white mask.
"I'll check your membership card."
At the man's words, Han Se-yeon handed over her card.
He checked it, then looked at her.
"Are you the cardholder?"
"Yes."
"Please verify. Remove your mask for a moment."
Han Se-yeon slightly lifted her mask upward. The man nodded upon seeing her.
"Confirmed. Is the one next to you a companion?"
"Yes."
"Understood. Please wear these bracelets."
The man handed over bracelets glowing purple.
"These are VIP member exclusive bracelets. They grant free access to all facilities inside."
Han Se-yeon and I nodded and put them on.
"Then, enjoy your time."
With that, we passed the man and entered the building.
There were multiple paths, but only one led to the underground arena: the stairs going down.
As we descended, we saw crowds of masked people. Many villains lurked here, but with everyone masked, identifying them was no easy task.
"It's bigger than I thought."
Han Se-yeon murmured, looking around.
The underground arena resembled Rome's Colosseum. A circular fighting ring surrounded by tiered spectator seats.
As we walked while eyeing the arena, I accidentally bumped shoulders with someone passing by.
Whoever it was had an incredibly solid body. It felt like colliding with Jang Cheol, whose body was reinforced with magic.
Curious, I looked up to see a man in a red demon mask staring at me.
"My apologies. Are you alright?"
A deep male voice.
The red demon-masked man bowed his head in apology to me.
And at that moment.
My whole body froze.
'This guy...'
I knew him. The faint ominous aura emanating from his body was definitive proof that it was who I thought.
In the original story's underground arena arc, a man in a red demon mask had appeared.
'Haryeong.'
An S-Rank demon and one of the top-tier villains with significant presence in the story.
I'd expected to run into some villains here, but Haryeong?
"I'm fine. No need to worry."
I was a bit flustered by the sudden encounter with a main villain, but I answered as calmly as possible.
Acting suspicious could draw his attention, which I didn't want right now.
Haryeong looked at me and nodded.
"Good to hear."
His gaze flicked briefly to my wrist.
He was the organizer of this underground arena. Probably just checking a customer's membership level out of habit.
"A rare VIP visitor. Enjoy your time."
With that, Haryeong walked off somewhere. I blankly watched his back.
"...Damn."
"What's wrong?"
Han Se-yeon asked, noticing my tense demeanor. Unlike me, she remained as composed as ever.
Probably no one in this arena knew Haryeong's identity except me. Her reaction was natural.
"Nothing. Just felt a chill suddenly."
"...A chill where?"
As she looked baffled, I checked my watch.
"Whoops, we're late. Let's hurry. We'll miss the betting."
"Huh? There's still plenty of time before betting closes."
"To build up the pot, you need to bait early."
In the underground arena's 3rd-floor staff room.
From there, the entire spectacle was visible at a glance. Haryeong sat in a chair, taking a break.
Then the staff room door opened, and a white-masked man entered.
"Boss, betting closes in 30 minutes."
"Yes, got it. No issues?"
"There was one."
"Yes, none... What?"
Haryeong's eyes widened momentarily as he asked.
"A customer placed an unusual bet."
The white-masked man approached and handed over documents.
Haryeong scanned them, then paused at one part.
"...Who's this guy?"
Today's third match.
'Yang Hong-ju,' who had held the champion title for three years.
Yang Hong-ju was the most popular fighter in the underground arena. His combat prowess alone could rival an A-Rank wizard.
But perhaps because of his overwhelming strength, despite the popularity, betting volumes on his matches weren't huge.
Everyone bet on Yang Hong-ju, so even if he won, the payouts weren't big.
"This person bet 530 million on Yang Hong-ju's opponent?"
"Yes. And they placed it right when betting opened, so word's spreading among the customers."
"So everyone's betting on Yang Hong-ju to chase that payout."
"Exactly."
"...I heard his opponent today is a rookie."
"Correct. It's their debut match."
Betting 530 million on a debut rookie's first match?
"Yang Hong-ju's opponent—who exactly is this person?"
"Name's Ryang Ryang, 23, from a Chinese slum. Ability is manifestation-type, but no signs of formal magic training."
"Hmm. And they bet 530 million?"
Reverse bets happened in every gambling den, but Yang Hong-ju was the undefeated champion for three years.
It was no exaggeration to say a young debut rook had zero chance of beating him.
Yet they bet over 500 million? What gave them the guts? Unless they were swimming in cash...
"Who the hell is this?"
"Staff says it's someone in a rabbit mask."
"Rabbit mask? Ah."
Haryeong recalled the man he'd bumped into on the first floor earlier.
Despite the mask, the guy had clearly tensed up upon seeing him—sharp senses.
'Come to think of it, he was a VIP...'
That explained how they could make such a bet.
VIP status for these underground events was reserved for those with tens of billions in assets. 530 million was pocket change to them.
'So that's what it was.'
Haryeong nodded, his curiosity satisfied.
Betting time ended, and Han Se-yeon and I sat in the spectator seats, waiting for the match to start.
Boring wait. Scouting the villains here beforehand would've been smart, but masks made it impossible to distinguish them.
Han Se-yeon's expression had been off since earlier. She kept shooting me dissatisfied glances, which was getting annoying.
"Got a problem?"
"......No."
Han Se-yeon trailed off.
I could tell she had an issue.
"What is it?"
"......Your bet money. It's yours now, but a few days ago it was our company's. Just feels wasteful blowing it all like this."
"Sheesh, don't worry. I won't lose money."
"..Tch."
Han Se-yeon clicked her tongue, then glanced at me and asked.