Raising Shin Yu-hee (6)
Most of the humans in Chekhov's Arena were either defeatists or ground down by reality, but deep down, they all harbored their own desires. They wanted to get out but lacked the ability. They craved something but needed an eternity to earn it. Or they yearned for revenge but didn't have the power. And among those, revenge was one hell of a powerful drive.
If they couldn't do it themselves, they'd pay to have someone else kill the bastard. Not the skill to murder with their own hands, but solving it with money. That's right. Hit contracts. They were possible here in the arena. Just call out your target under the guise of a hit contract.
"Really?"
Look at that. I'd just come to the arena and casually advertised, and already people were swarming with interest.
"You can really kill that fucker for 30 vouchers?"
"Depends on the target."
"What the hell? You said no questions asked."
"Just talk."
Insurance ads promise the world, but when you try to cash in, they hit you with every clause in the book. Same principle.
"I need at least some gear. Hell, a weapon at minimum."
I held out my empty hands casually.
"If you've got something decent, you can lend it. Or wait till I get my own weapon before placing the contract. For now, someone on Tehalt's level would be the benchmark."
"Tehalt..."
"Hey, friend."
Another guy approached. One of the gamblers I'd seen waving exchange vouchers while spectating earlier.
"You can name anyone?"
"I said it depends."
"...You're not here to kill just anyone, huh?"
"If you tell me to take out Chekhov for 30 vouchers, that'd be a problem. No jokes."
"Ha, this guy."
The man pulled out his survival log from his pocket. The inner pages looked half-torn and swapped out, stuffed floor-to-ceiling with exchange vouchers.
"Not quite Tehalt level, but a sneaky, underhanded human bastard. Uses poison..."
"Accepted. Name?"
"...You sure?"
"I'm fine. If I wasn't, would I risk my neck proxy-fighting? It's not like I'm building my own win streak. You, what's the name?"
"...Finn."
Finn pulled out a whopping 30 exchange vouchers and pointed toward the arena.
"If you're that confident, we can register right now?"
"Let's go."
I pointed ahead for Finn, who headed straight to the female vampire arena manager—the one watching us with intrigued eyes.
"Hey. This newbie says he'll proxy-fight for me."
"......."
"Target: Hexter. Two wins. Probably out hunting light right now."
The manager glared at Finn with half-lidded eyes, clearly suspicious of his angle.
"Warrior Yoo Si-woo."
Thanks to my one win, she addressed me as a warrior.
"Will you enter the arena in place of warrior Finn?"
"Of course. I, Yoo Si-woo, will fight Hexter in Finn's stead."
By the contract of spoken words, Yoo Si-woo shall stand in Finn's place against warrior Hexter.
The moment the manager finished her declaration, a drop of blood spurted from her fingertip, morphing into a red bat that flew off somewhere.
"The named warrior has 30 minutes to prepare. Use the time... to ready yourself as best you can."
* * *
"I'll give you all my gear."
While waiting for warrior Hexter, Shin Yu-hee pointed to her breastplate.
"We're not both going up at once."
"Appreciate it, but that's women's armor?"
"...Who cares if it sticks out? Better than prison rags for keeping you alive. Especially against a poison user."
"Not about pride."
I held out my hand to Shin Yu-hee.
"Not the armor. Lend me a sword."
"...Lend? Aren't you just getting your own back?"
"Think of it that way if you want. For now, share gear when one's short on weapons."
Swords weren't my main thing anyway. I'd planned to go up bare-handed from the start. But that would lead to...
-Are you insane? Don't scare me— just take this at least. What good's the stuff I earned selling my body if you're just holding it?
...a flood of nagging. So I compromised: take a weapon from Shin Yu-hee and use it.
"Watch closely. And hold this too."
"This is..."
"You never know with people."
Survival log and key. The key still had some shaky time left, and the log's back had my last exchange voucher.
"Not like I'm off to die."
"Like handing your phone to someone at the pool."
"Same thing?"
"To me, yeah. Won't take it?"
"......."
Shin Yu-hee took the survival log and tucked it inside her breastplate.
"S-sunbae. If anything hap—"
"Hey—!! Coward—!!"
Before Shin Yu-hee could finish, a man bellowed loud enough to shake Arena 13.
"You the one who named our Hexter?!"
"What...?!"
Finn jumped at the man's arrival.
"Why are you...?!"
"Why? You named someone, so I can't get named? Huh?"
Nothing like Hexter. A helmeted guy in guard-like armor—not full plate, but iron-plated all over—sneering openly at Finn from under his visor.
"Let's see which idiot took a request from that coward... What, a chick?"
The man's eyes slimed over Shin Yu-hee from top to bottom.
"Oh ho. Pity proxy-fight, huh? Hey. How about a new contract with me?"
"Contract?"
Before I could step in, Shin Yu-hee blocked me slightly and asked.
"What kind?"
"Surrender. In exchange, sleep with me once."
"......."
"Then don't interfere when I name that fucker next. Deal? I'll bring parchment—we sign a contract. Too good a girl to just kill."
Objectively, solid deal. Unlike my verbal one with Finn, he was offering a written contract.
"Sorry, no."
"What? You her knight?"
"Proxy-knight, yeah. Not her—me."
"What?"
"B-be careful! This guy's the newbie who beat Tehalt!"
Ah, fuck.
I barely swallowed the curse at Finn's shout.
"Oh... You beat Tehalt."
The stand-in for Hexter's eyes sharpened instantly—from street-thug casual to wary enemy. No baiting carelessness like with Tehalt.
"Name?"
"Yoo Si-woo."
"I'm Dex. Ex-knight. Hexter's my... little bro."
Dex drew his waist sword and reached back for something else.
"No mercy."
A round shield. Sword, shield, armor—the perfect soldier archetype.
"Hey! You knew this would—!"
"N-no! I didn't know he'd show!!"
Shin Yu-hee grilled Finn, but he flailed back frantically.
"For real! Believe me! I'd never have named if I knew!!"
"Enough, Shin Yu-hee."
"Sunbae!"
"Just watch."
All I gripped: one sword. On me: prison rags swapped for a leather robe. Gear-wise, obvious underdog—perfect for a show.
"Whose fight is it? ...Crazy, why's Dex here?"
To Shin Yu-hee. To the crowd.
No big gambling crowd or capital yet, but enough to build from.
"Hey, Sir Dex."
"Sir, huh. Think fancy talk gets you off with one arm?"
"One thing first."
The manager stood center. I aimed my sword at Dex.
"If you die, your weapons and gear are all mine?"
"...What?"
"Tehalt came with just a useless wooden club. Got any vouchers too?"
"You little shit."
Ex-knight Dex raised his hand to his helmet for a face guard.
"Fine. Kill me, take it all."
Helmet tight enough to show only eyes. His sword—unlike my thin goblin blade—thick, blunt-forged steel that'd shatter mine on clash.
"Kill you, then that bitch next."
"She's off—"
"Won't say off-limits?"
"Ready."
No more talk—the manager raised her hand.
"Fight."
Clack.
Dex charged shield-first, not stabbing—battering ram to shove me back. I saw the sword tucked behind as I leaped aside like dodging a bull.
Shing!
His blade dove exactly where I'd been. I angled my sword just right against its tip.
Kagagagak!!
Blade slid grinding along his flat. Tehalt would've panicked into a slash, but Dex—startled but unpanicked—trusted his armor.
Even if I recovered to cut, he'd bash with the shield next.
Thud!
My sliding blade hit his hilt.
Clang-!
"Ah!"
Shin Yu-hee's scream from the stands. Freshly exchanged with vouchers, the sword snapped midway on impact.
"Hmph...!"
Through the visor, his eyes narrowed in clear victory.
"Hey."
I twisted, reverse-gripping the broken sword.
"Why the squint?"
"Wha—"
Pu-uk.