Chapter 40
[6 Hours Ago.]
Clang, clang, clang. In the underground tunnel beneath the arena, only the rhythmic sound of pickaxes echoed. A group of black-haired young people mined away soullessly. The men swung their pickaxes, while the women loaded the ore onto carts and wheeled them off. When someone mining grew tired, they switched off regardless of gender.
"Here."
"Yeah."
No real conversation. Their faces were blank, like someone multitasking between grinding resources in a game on one monitor and watching videos on another. But these people couldn't just click their fingers for cash—they had to use their whole bodies, with no videos to distract them, eyes locked solely on the coal seam ahead. All for Exchange Vouchers.
Even as aspiring heroes, they'd fallen into the arena but focused on immediate survival over victories to escape. They mined with all they had.
And among these miners, one young man clutched his arm, watching from afar.
"Hyung, you okay?"
"Mind your own business."
Park Chang-su waved off the other young man who'd approached out of concern. He wore a worried expression at first, but the moment the guy turned, Park Chang-su caught it.
Fuck.
No sound, just the shape of the curse on his lips. Normally, as this team's 'acting overseer,' he'd crack the whip for that—but he couldn't risk it. The guy was decently built, less so than Park Chang-su but still. If a fight broke out and he lost, Park Chang-su would be done for.
"Kuh..."
Not yet exposed.
As the first to commit colleague murder, a penalty is imposed upon you. The penalty will be lifted at the end of the Tutorial, so do your best to pass it.
The angel had weakened him. Every movement felt burdened, and even breathing grew labored with minimal exertion. If they found out, he was fucked. He'd be yanked from leadership instantly, and no one would look out for him.
"Um, Chang-su sunbae. Here, water."
"Thanks."
"You sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, so get back to work. If you slack, I don't get my full Exchange Vouchers either, fuck."
"Ah, got it. Sorry..."
Park Chang-su hid his weakness behind abuse and threats. He'd snagged the overseer spot without mining to conceal his true state. Until the Tutorial ended. No one knew if it'd be a week or a month, but he just wanted to pass safely. Even arena fights could be proxied if needed.
"...Yoo Si-woo."
Grind.
He gnashed his teeth. Rumors of that guy's one win were uncontainable, and women who'd crossed paths with him shot him sidelong glances of disdain. At every meal, one or two defected; the more he tried binding them as a 'party,' the faster they bailed. He needed a plan. Something special.
"Hey, Chang-su."
"Who—ah!"
Park Chang-su hastily schooled his face for the caller.
"Hekster-ssi."
Hekster. A higher-up among the miners; Park Chang-su had pulled strings with him for this acting overseer gig.
"You looking for work...?"
"Nah. Keep the armband and whip."
The armband's actual owner was Hekster anyway.
"Talk with me a sec. Come on."
"What about?"
"Jesus. It's something I can't say in front of others, dumbass."
"......"
Park Chang-su nodded quietly. He worried someone overheard the 'dumbass,' but everyone was lost in mining.
Thud, thud. A dim spot away from the vein.
"Hey. Chang-su."
"Yes."
"Sucks getting dragged out here suddenly, right?"
Park Chang-su perked up at Hekster's sly tone.
"Honestly... yeah."
"Earning Exchange Vouchers ain't easy."
"Yeah. Even mining all day, maybe five... and after food, nothing left."
"Poor bastards. Alright, I'll hook you up with someone."
"Pardon?"
"Got a kind big sis. Arena or not, people gotta live. Her work's shady, but she's got the most cash around."
A quest, maybe. Any job meant vouchers.
"What do I do?"
"How far you willing to go?"
"......"
"Hear me out first. What can you handle?"
"...If you said kill one of ours, I could do it quietly in some dark corner without anyone knowing."
He'd decided. Already penalized once for murder—no second hit. And such a quest here was surely Tutorial-internal.
"How's that?"
"You psycho. Why the fuck would I tell you to kill your own? Shit, came with good news and you're a total nutjob."
"Ha, haha. Joke. So, what then?"
"Sis's name's Helma. Acquaintance of mine... Need results to impress her. Got any whores in your group?"
"......Pardon?"
"Don't act shocked. They're all decent-looking. Bound to be some who've sold it before. Virgins fetch more anyway."
Hekster clapped Park Chang-su's shoulder.
"Just bring 'em to sis, nudge 'em to sign. We loan vouchers; if they can't repay... heh heh."
"Hyung-nim."
Park Chang-su nodded curtly.
"Where do we start?"
"That one... tallest girl."
Hekster pointed.
"Wanna try her out."
"...Got it. Hey! Choi Yu-jin! Bring the resting ones over!!"
"What?"
"Hekster-ssi here has a good deal for us..."
That was six hours ago.
Past. Meaning, before regression.
There was this one nice guy who helped anyone in trouble, no questions asked. Especially if heroes were in danger—he'd drop everything to rescue them.
He died, of course.
Sure, pre-regression, every hero died except me, so everyone's dead. But when discussing deaths, you can't ignore how they went down.
Those who rushed to save someone sealed in a demon barrier got sealed with them.
The guy who tried freeing a woman bound by slavers got overpowered instead, watched his beloved get gang-raped right there, and killed himself.
Ran to a 'save me' letter? Turned out a trap to kill the rescuer.
-Kindness gets exploited; only the selfish survive this world.
'Kindness' became slang for 'sucker.'
Selflessly helping without reward? Lunacy. And those lunatics' deaths were uniquely despairing, unlike the norm.
I'd seen countless good souls perish. This run, I vowed never to act that way.
For me alone.
If I step up for someone, it's only if it benefits me.
So, what now? Before the folks dropped here get murdered or turned into whores by arena denizens—what do I do?
Squelch.
"Winner: Proxy Knight Yoo Si-woo!"
Shelve those worries; business first.
"You fucking...!"
Squish.
The man with the axe in his throat spewed blood and crumpled. I yanked it free, shook off the blood, and raised a hand to the judge.
"A proxy win's still a win. Mind giving time to loot?"
"Take what you want, or dispose of all?"
A white-haired vampire judge, unlike the ones in my old 13th arena haunt. Utterly impartial, like the rest.
"Just the Exchange Vouchers. Dispose of the rest."
"We'll settle and send via bat. No need to come back."
"Got it."
Out of the arena. Iron bars marked '9'; beyond, Choi Yu-jin stood a bit apart from Shin Yu-hee.
"Good work, sunbae."
"This? Anyway, how's it? Axe work worth learning?"
"Hm... probably not for me. Different from slashing—more like chopping."
"Talent varies. I fiddled with axes before, so comfy. First time? I'd grab a sword."
"Um."
As Shin Yu-hee and I debriefed my fight, Choi Yu-jin sidled up.
"...You've killed over seven already. How many vouchers?"
"210 Exchange Vouchers."
"In under five hours...?"
I'd booted anyone questioning 'how you profit from killing,' but she fixated on the rate.
"Not five hours. Actual fight time? Under one. Waiting for targets, info from new clients—that pads it."
Shin Yu-hee piled on. Post-pin-killing and fucking, she'd lost her reservations. Like clinging to my arm, pressing her tits close while distancing from Choi Yu-jin.
"'We' make this much."
"......"
"You wouldn't ask us to share our hard-earned vouchers, right? No way."
"Right. We're no charity. Want 'em bad? Hit up that Helma you mentioned."
Pre-defection, Park Chang-su announced: borrow from Helma for meals now.
"But that's straight-up loan sharking. Forcing girls to whore out."
"Nothing to do with 'us.'"
Choi Yu-jin. Selfish enough to secretly pocket 10 vouchers from a BJ, but subtly worried for others. Typical.
Most aspiring heroes—or heroes—were like that.
"Honestly? I say squeeze Helma for all you can."
"Huh?"
"What do you...?"
"Forgot? We're not staying forever."
I spread five fingers.
"Five wins, we're out."
"Ah."
"Straight talk? I'm seeing Helma too."
Now my thumb.
"Borrow 500, rack five wins and bail before repayment."
Classic survival route in Chekhov's Arena: max loan from Madam Helma, ditch pre-default via five-win clear. Dine and dash before the brothel dump.
'Helping doesn't have to be saintly.'