Chapter 92: The Arena of Cosmos (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 92: The Arena of Cosmos (3)
Despite its grand name, the interior of the arena was structured much like a prison.
Long, dark corridors were lined with cramped, single-person rooms. Instead of the wooden doors of a normal building, these cells were sealed with iron bars.
The only difference from a real prison was that participants could open and close the iron bars themselves. Also, the pirate subordinates of Cosmos who served as guides were surprisingly polite.
"Well now, look what we have here. A greenhorn joining the fray? Gwahaha, this year's arena is a real harvest of youngsters. Let me see that… What? Group 13? Oh, and you're the one who beat up the captain? You're a real piece of work, kid."
The guide scanned Jin, his eyes filled with fascination.
"Kids these days sure are fearless. There's another brat besides you who thrashed our captain. It'd be a hell of a show if you two fought. Shame you're in different groups."
Jin didn't need to ask who the "other brat" was. Besides Dante Hairan, there was no other teenager on this godforsaken island capable of such a feat.
"So, which room do I use?"
When Jin asked with indifference, the guide shrugged.
"Pick any empty one and get settled! The Group 13 matches start tomorrow, so if you're bored, go watch the other groups fight later. Might as well make one last fun memory before you die, eh?"
The guide spoke as if Jin’s death was a foregone conclusion. Fortunately, he wasn't being particularly malicious about it, so Jin simply walked past him and started looking for a room.
Step, step.
As he walked slowly down the corridor, observing the rooms, it struck him what a diverse crowd had gathered here.
Some sat in corners muttering prayers. Others were laying out and inspecting mysterious items. Many had already formed cliques and were chatting amongst themselves.
In some ways, the atmosphere felt even more barbaric than the Lawless Zone of Mamit.
That pirate, Cosmos… he’s not someone to be taken lightly. I wonder why a man like that is playing pirate in a place like this.
Jin shrugged and continued his search. He had been wandering the corridor for ten minutes, but no room was better or cleaner than any other. They were all equally dilapidated and filthy.
There aren't even enough rooms for all the participants. It seems sharing a room between two or three people is the default. The intention behind it is so transparent it’s sickening.
The Arena of Cosmos was a martial arts tournament where killing your opponent was permitted even before the matches began. In truth, it was less a tournament and more a survival game.
That was why it was designed to force participants into these cramped quarters—to encourage them to tear at each other's throats whenever an opportunity arose in these small, squalid rooms.
Furthermore, once registered, withdrawal was impossible. Cosmos’s subordinates were stationed at every exit, and the other participants weren't kind enough to let a deserter leave in one piece.
If anyone made a clumsy attempt to flee, the other participants would turn them into jerky before the guards could even react.
This was why Cosmos had mentioned becoming "shark bait" for those who didn't survive the night, and why the guide spoke as if Jin’s death was a certainty.
It was hard to imagine a boy who still had the scent of youth on him surviving such an environment. The pirates judged that even if Jin were a genius with the skills of a 4-star or higher, his chances of death were still high.
To survive amidst secret feuds and underhanded schemes, veteran experience and maturity were more important than pure martial prowess. And by any pirate’s logic, those were qualities no boy could possess.
—You don't seem to realize. This is a much more dangerous tournament than you think.
Jin suddenly recalled Casimir’s words. Seeing the reality for himself, he now understood perfectly.
Still, this is refreshing in its own way.
Jin grabbed the iron bars of a room near the center of the corridor. Clang, screeech… As the grating metallic sound echoed, the three participants inside turned to glare at him in unison.
"Can't you see there are three of us in here? Piss off to another room, brat."
"Good grief. I know this is a bottom-tier tournament, but are they really letting snot-nosed kids join now?"
"What are you, a statue? Get lost."
All three were men in their mid-to-late twenties. Judging by their thuggish speech and lazy postures, they were nothing more than low-life rabble.
"The only cure for scum like this is a good beating." Who was it that said that? My memory's a bit hazy. Was it my old master, or Mary?
Still, he had to give them a chance before he beat them. With that thought, Jin made eye contact with each of them in turn.
"From today, I'm using this room. Alone. I'm going to count to three. That should be enough time for you to take a few steps and leave, right?"
He had no intention of sharing a room. It was madness to stay with people who might stab him in the back—or the throat—the moment he let his guard down.
Naturally, the thugs just blinked, as if they couldn't believe their ears.
"One. Two. Three."
Crack! Thud! Snap!
Two punches and one joint lock. The first punch shattered an eye socket. The second caved in a cheekbone. The third man’s arm was twisted until his shoulder popped from its joint. The thugs couldn't even react to the violence that erupted in the blink of an eye.
As agonizing screams filled the air, cheers erupted from the neighboring rooms. When Jin rested a hand on his hip, the three thugs scrambled out of the room in a frantic rush, not daring to utter a single curse.
Room cleared.
But the real challenge was just beginning.
Now that I'm alone in this room, there'll be no end to the bastards trying their luck… I can forget about sleeping for a while.
His prediction was spot on.
Not even ten minutes had passed before new challengers appeared to claim the room.
"Hey, let's share."
Those who walked in so brazenly…
"Gah! Urgh!"
…and fled after a couple of hits were almost cute.
He was less forgiving of those who tried to spray poison as they "walked past," or the groups of three or four who fired crossbows before immediately fleeing.
For those types, he sent them back with their fingers severed or their wrists slashed. He figured it sent a stronger message than simply killing them.
Yet, the group that concerned Jin the most after he took the room was of a different sort entirely.
The ones who just watched him subtly before passing by.
They’ll definitely strike when a real opportunity presents itself—when I’m too busy dealing with frontal assaults to notice their schemes.
He wasn't afraid, but it was certainly annoying. He couldn't use magic or spiritual energy right now.
Having to solve every problem with just a sword, no matter the situation, is a heavy burden. I've always used all three of my powers at once.
Or he’d had allies. Until recently, he even possessed a necklace that could have guaranteed his survival at least once, no matter the opponent.
I see why Father sent me here. Testing myself against Dante is one reason, but I think he also wanted to make sure I didn't grow arrogant about my swordsmanship.
He spent some time staring down the corridor, his nerves wound tight.
Eventually, the guide's voice echoed from outside.
"Alright, listen up! Matches for Group 1 and Group 2 are about to begin! If you want to watch, head over to the spectator seats. Oh, and everyone knows killing is forbidden in the stands, right? If you cause trouble, you're screwed, so watch yourselves."
Clang, clatter!
Almost all the iron bars in the corridor began to open one by one. Everyone was heading out to watch the Group 1 and 2 matches.
And for good reason—since killing and attacking were forbidden in the spectator area, it was the only time the participants could truly relax.
Furthermore, there seemed to be an unspoken rule that participants did not attack each other while moving to the stands. Jin was about to blend into the procession when a thought stopped him.
Those guys who were watching me earlier… If I were them, I’d make my move in the middle of that crowd. The chances of success would be highest then.
No matter how skilled he was, it was impossible to perfectly dodge a blade flying out of nowhere from within a dense crowd.
The idea of not attacking each other while moving was merely an "unspoken rule."
It wasn't a rule explicitly set by the organizers. He had read the rules on the back of his application form dozens of times on the way here, and there was certainly no such clause.
Of course, anyone who attacked him in the crowd would be frowned upon by the other participants. But there would also be many who would welcome the death of the arrogant brat who had taken a room all for himself.
I lose nothing by leaving slowly. Better to head out when the corridor is a bit more deserted.
It was the right call.
A few participants who had been scouting Jin earlier were moving separately, but they were part of a single pack. They had gauged his skill to be around the 4-star level and were planning to eliminate him now.
They had no particular reason for wanting to kill him. It was simply that among the prey they felt they could handle, Jin seemed like the most entertaining target.
Regardless, they failed to execute their plan because of Jin's cautious behavior. The guide, who had been quietly watching the scene unfold, let out a low whistle of admiration.
"I thought he was just a brat who'd lost his sense of fear because of his skills, but he's got sharp instincts, too. I see why the Captain told me to pair him up with some particularly 'useful' opponents."
Jin left his cell without responding.
As he drew closer to the arena, the sound of cheering grew clearer. Upon arriving at the spectator seats, Jin was momentarily speechless at the sheer scale of the audience, which far exceeded his expectations.
This is insane. This many people come to watch this?
Besides the participants, there were well over a thousand ordinary spectators.
For a moment, he worried that someone might recognize his face, but it was unlikely that any high-ranking figure who could attend a Runcandel Single-log Bridge Party would ever visit a place like this.
Dante Hairan could probably participate because few people outside the imperial nobility knew his face.
Still, if he had known the tournament drew such a large crowd, he would have put more effort into his disguise.
As he clicked his tongue and found an empty seat, the voices of the spectators in front of him drifted to his ears. They appeared to be wealthy citizens of the Bellado Principality who watched the tournament every year.
"Hey, have you heard the rumor?"
"What rumor?"
"There's a story going around that a reserve flagbearer of the Runcandels is participating in this arena under a pseudonym."