Chapter 95: Arena of Cosmos (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 95: Arena of Cosmos (6)
‘Four… no, five.’
Judging by how poorly they hid their presence, they weren't trained assassins. Their faint, ragged breathing was a clear sign of intense nerves.
They might have been able to handle a Dante who was collapsed from exhaustion, but they were nowhere near a match for Jin.
‘There’s no need to lure them into a cramped space. It would be a pain to turn the room I’m staying in for the next few days into a bloodbath.’
Step.
As Jin walked openly toward the iron bars, the assassins froze. Before they could even exchange a glance, he moved.
“This isn't Paul Mick’s room.”
Slash!
He shot forward like an arrow, cutting down an assassin who was flattened against the corridor wall. This time, he had no intention of letting them off with just a severed finger or arm.
Jin had given a sufficient warning on the first day.
Anyone who came to his room would lose their life, not just a limb.
“Aargh!”
It wasn’t the man whose head had been lopped off in a single stroke who screamed, but the one behind him, who let out a reflexive cry.
As Jin suspected, there were five assassins in total. One was dead, leaving four, but none of them had clearly seen the moment the first man’s head fell.
After his breakthrough sparring with Alisa, Jin’s blade had become even sharper.
“A-Attack!”
Thunk!
The second strike—a thrust—pierced a heart with pinpoint accuracy. The remaining three rushed him at once, but fear paralyzed them, making their sword strikes stiff and clumsy.
It didn't matter if their blades were coated in deadly poison if they couldn't land a single hit. Jin effortlessly evaded the shimmering, toxic edges and continued his assault.
“W-We didn't come for you!”
“Right. You came to kill Paul Mick. But you came to my room, and that’s where your story ends.”
Blood splattered every time Bradamante’s blade moved with the grace of a dancer. A few other participants peeked out from their rooms at the sudden massacre, but they quickly ducked back inside, terrified of being caught in the crossfire.
Just as he was about to finish off the last assassin, something shimmering at the far end of the corridor caught his eye.
It was the glint of an arrowhead as a bowstring was drawn taut.
‘They even brought archers? Or… were these guys just bait to draw Dante out so they could shoot him?’
Clang!
He deflected an arrow just in time. If he hadn’t caught that brief glint, he wouldn’t have escaped injury.
Sh-sh-sh-shik!
A volley of arrows followed. It looked like at least ten people had loosed their bows at once.
However, Jin had anticipated as much and was already holding up one of the corpses as a shield. Thud, thud-thud! The arrowheads protruding from the corpse’s back were indeed coated in a sickly yellow venom.
‘These bastards…’
At this point, his anger began to flare.
They weren't sworn enemies. What kind of person goes this far against a couple of kids?
‘I know the nature of this tournament, but this is a bit much. And their movements… they’re too systematic to be ordinary participants.’
He dropped the corpse and began leaping between the walls, charging toward the archers.
His plan was to kill all but one and interrogate the survivor. He wanted to know who they were, why they were bothering him, and who was backing them.
Just as the five dead assassins’ swordsmanship had been mediocre, the archers weren't particularly skilled either. Had Jin run in a straight line, it might have been different, but his acrobatic movements left them flustered and unable to track him.
‘I need to finish this as quickly as possible. Someone might try to attack Dante while I’m away from the door.’
Thus, as soon as he closed the distance and his sword light began to flash, he ignored those who tried to flee.
He wanted to hunt them all down, but Dante’s safety came first. He could kill trash like them anytime, but the chance to put the future Patriarch of Hairan in his debt didn't come often.
Slash! Shlick!
Heads fell to the floor. It took only a few seconds to kill three of the four who failed to escape.
“S-Spare me…”
“Shut up.”
Whack!
Instead of his sword, Jin used his fist on the last remaining assassin. After knocking him unconscious with a blow to the jaw, Jin dragged him back to the room.
The other participants watching from their cells didn't dare to breathe too loudly.
“Phew. Hey, wake up.”
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Back in the room, Jin slapped the assassin’s cheeks mercilessly. Through it all, Dante remained fast asleep, oblivious to the world.
“Ugh! Argh!”
“Listen. I’m going to ask you three things. If your answers are satisfactory, I’ll let you go. If not, you’re dead. If you don't answer within three seconds of a question, you’re also dead. Understand?”
The man nodded frantically.
“First. Who are you?”
“We’re… pirates. I-I’ll explain! P-Please put the sword down. We’re subordinates of One-Eyed Joe, the winner of last year’s Arena…”
“Second. Why did you target Paul Mick? And why so systematically?”
“Boss Joe said… that Paul Mick is the child of a prestigious family, so we should capture him for ransom.”
“Which family did he say?”
“Boss Joe said he’s likely a Ru-Runcandel…”
Jin let out a reflexive chuckle.
‘They suspected he was a Runcandel and still tried this? I guess there’s nothing scarier than ignorance.’
“Then why the poison on the arrows? You need a prisoner, not a corpse.”
“We have the antidote, sir.”
“Third. Where is Joe now? Is he participating in the Arena too?”
“No, sir. He came as a spectator this year. He just ordered us to bring him Paul Mick.”
Dante had participated in this tournament in Jin’s past life as well.
Back then, he had been captured by these very men. Hairan had been forced to pay a staggering sum to a lowly pirate crew and even swear an oath of non-retaliation just to get Dante back.
As a butterfly effect of that incident, Hairan suffered internal divisions and massive losses.
It was a top-secret part of Hairan’s history that Jin should never have known, but by saving Dante, he had just changed its course.
‘Hmm… if what this guy says is true, Dante must have been kidnapped without much trouble in my past life. And these pirate bastards extorted a fortune from Hairan.’
Even a world-renowned Great Family had to comply when a key figure was held hostage—especially if that hostage was the future Patriarch.
‘Of course, if it were the Runcandels, they’d just tell the kidnappers to kill the hostage, then proceed to massacre every single pirate, their families, their relatives, and even the unrelated neighbors who happened to live in the same village…’
That was the Runcandel way, a stark contrast to the other Great Families.
“Good. Excellent. I like your honesty. I’ll let you live.”
“T-Thank you! Thank you!”
“In exchange, leave two fingers behind.”
“Pardon?”
“You heard me. If you don't like it, you can leave your head instead.”
Fingers were better than death.
“Guaaaagh!”
In the end, the pirate who had talked trudged back to his own room after cutting off two of his fingers.
Jin sat back down in a meditative posture and waited for Dante to wake up.
*
Dante woke up seventeen hours later, just as evening was beginning to fall again.
As soon as he rose, Jin recounted the entire situation without leaving out a single detail. He made sure to emphasize how much trouble he had gone through to protect him, even boasting about capturing one of the attackers to learn that a pirate named One-Eyed Joe was the mastermind.
“They mistook me for a Runcandel and tried to take me prisoner… That pirate, One-Eyed Joe, must be insane. It’s so absurd I can’t help but laugh. A Runcandel? Ridiculous!”
Dante shook his head, letting out a hearty, gruff laugh. Sensing Jin’s lingering gaze, he continued.
“Ah, since you are my benefactor, I suppose I owe you an explanation. I am indeed a noble, as they suspected. I am not a Runcandel, however… It’s a bit difficult to reveal my exact family name. Would you mind if I simply told you I am a noble of Viment?”
Dante was worried that if he revealed he was a ‘Hairan,’ Jin’s attitude might change. He had often seen people who were his friends one moment suddenly start groveling the next, the moment they learned his true status while he was traveling under an alias.
Watching him, Jin had to clear his throat to suppress a laugh.
‘Well, I don't need to tell him I’m Jin Runcandel either. He’ll find out soon enough anyway. It’s not like Veradin is the type to keep his mouth shut.’
Jin nodded.
“Ahem! I understand. Everyone has times they want to hide their identity.”
“Thank you. In any case, I am truly glad I sought you out. Had I continued to face them alone, I would have met a terrible fate… I don’t know how I can ever repay this kindness.”
Dante’s eyes were filled with deep, sincere gratitude.
“You likely don’t realize the magnitude of what you’ve done… I doubt a true warrior like yourself would desire money. A masterwork sword? No, material goods could never fully express my gratitude!”
“It wasn't that big of a deal.”
Internally, Jin was pleased. He was certain he had firmly planted a sense of debt in Dante.
‘Yes, yes. I don't need swords or money. It’s the sentiment that counts—the feeling that you owe me.’
Dante looked Jin straight in the eye, his expression firm with decision.
“Let’s do this. A life for a life. From this day forward, should you ever find yourself in danger, in any situation, if you need me… I will risk my life to fight by your side and protect you. I swear this on my honor.”
“Well, do as you please. Anyway, as promised, I’m going to sleep now. Make sure you guard me well. Wake me up when the Group 13 matches start.”
“I will! Ah, and my protecting you now is separate from the vow I just made.”
“Sure, sure.”
Snore.
Just like Dante had at dawn, Jin fell asleep the moment he lay down.
Dante watched him quietly, a thought crossing his mind.
‘Come to think of it, I still don’t know this friend’s name. Most likely, the finals of this tournament will be between him and me… Regardless of the outcome, I’ll have much to tell Grandfather when I return.’