Faster Than Anyone, In a Way Unlike Others (5)
In a place brimming with death, ramping up the risks is a dangerous game. But if you can shoulder those risks adequately, the returns will be beyond words.
Here, there are two kinds of returns. The first is the rewards you rack up by piling on victories.
"Y-yeah, the guy who beat Dex...!"
While proxy-fighting for others seven times in a row and winning, I'd racked up a decent haul of exchange vouchers.
"Thanks. Thanks to you, I notched my first win easy. Got my revenge too."
I'd taken out two guys who were pretty big shots in the arena, and word spread like wildfire, drawing in a fair crowd of customers.
"If you wanna use me again, just call."
"...Wouldn't you have gotten out by now if you'd just picked fights yourself instead of proxying?"
"Yeah, probably."
Some folks raised eyebrows about that, but beyond the vouchers, I'd scored other gains too.
"But since I'm already here, I can't just leave empty-handed."
"So it's fine after you get out?"
"Of course."
The people in this arena were way too realistic—they fretted about bumping into each other afterward. Me? I couldn't care less. These were folks I'd never see again once the Tutorial ended. They'd linger only in records, memories, and experience.
The real risk to worry about was my ties with the heroes.
'The key is that we'll be seeing each other again.'
The risks inside the arena ended with this 'stage' called Chekhov's Arena, but the reserve heroes were a different story. Shin Yu-hee was on my side now, so fine. But folks like Choi Yu-jin were starting to distance themselves from Park Chang-su.
These people could prove useful in the next stage—or even the world we'd eventually conquer. As long as currying favor didn't cost me much, I could do what I needed and toss them a bone now and then.
For example.
"Sunbae. The people you're killing right now... they're the ones we couldn't beat, right?"
"You nailed it."
The enemies I was proxy-killing were powerhouses like Tehalt or Dex—guys who could hand a reserve hero their ass.
"Knock out the strong, dangerous ones, and you're left with the weaklings."
"So we just clean up after, huh?"
Like Shin Yu-hee said, once the heavy hitters were gone, facing the safer leftovers would let us snag five wins in no time.
"But cleaning up won't be a cakewalk. Unless they're on your level, snagging vouchers and bailing."
"Hee-hee."
Shin Yu-hee had two wins under her belt.
"Yeah, it wasn't easy. One slip, and that poison-coated dagger would've grazed my throat."
"But you didn't slip, and you turned that guy into two wins."
"Thanks to you, sunbae. You taught me hands-on."
She hadn't pulled a voucher scam like Finn and bolted mid-fight. There was one guy who'd won a pick without a voucher—Shin Yu-hee had picked him herself. He'd nearly slit her throat with that dagger, but she'd slashed his eyes with her sword, blinding him, then finished with a killing blow.
"Sunbae, looking forward to the next one."
"Wanna pick this time?"
"Nah, what if I pick a dud and it blows up? Don't wanna pick some weirdo and make trouble for you and me."
I handled all the enemy picks.
"Here's to the next win. Hee-hee."
Anyone else might not know who'd win or lose, but I did—and just tipping them off built goodwill. Especially.
"Oppa. Can you tell me too?"
"Tell you what?"
"Someone I can beat. Once I get out of here, I'll repay the favor for real."
Choi Yu-jin, who'd straight-up glued herself to us hoping to join, got extra.
"I already told you. Go to that woman Helma and scam a voucher."
The second return on risk.
"Losing to me? That's a debt for life. But owing it to arena trash like Helma? Clears once you beat the stage."
Don't fear debts to folks in this Tutorial stage called the arena.
"Scared to pawn your body? Close your eyes, borrow from Helma, gear up better with it, stack wins fast."
"I don't know what Helma's like, but after five wins, you escape debt-free. You think she'll just sit there?"
"That's on you. After four wins, pick a fight and bail before she can yap."
Hell of a tip—vouchers anywhere wouldn't even cover it. These were distilled strats from actual heroes who'd cleared Chekhov's Arena.
"That's plenty generous. You're out of the herd, so a little pity mercy. Now scram."
"......."
"Gonna cling? Gonna barge into our private room?"
"...I'll help with revenge on Park Chang-su. And the guy who killed Shin Yu-hee. So let me join. Please."
Even after the tip, she wouldn't let go. Not weird. Guy with 200+ vouchers, who's axed seven arena foes in a row? Clinging to his leg's the smart play.
"Sunbae. What now? She looks desperate."
Shin Yu-hee looked flustered, asking my take as Choi kept pressing.
"Chased us to the door, jamming her foot in before it shuts to crawl inside."
"Yeah. Might kill our room sex too."
"...Even if we fuck, she'll lurk quiet in the corner—or wedge in, seducing you with her body."
"Big problem. Can't go picking up girls just 'cause we fuck."
"What about me?"
"Fucked you, so I keep you."
"Hmph... Do what you want. Even if she crashes our sex to force into the party, I won't block her. Your call, sunbae."
Shin Yu-hee laid out her stance. Fully deferring to me. She'd accept whatever fallout, as long as she stayed in. No reason for me to ditch this duo either, so now I had a decision to mull.
'How best to milk her.'
Choi Yu-jin. Shin Yu-hee had a point, but her desperation to survive? No faulting that. Just dead weight for us.
"Revenge on Park Chang-su. How?"
"I'll lure him out alone. You kill him sneaky—"
"Why sneaky? Just pick and kill."
"Huh?"
"No need to hide. Shin Yu-hee, you?"
"If we're killing, do it in the arena for the five-win exit. Don't care who knows. If the law won't judge, I will."
Look at that growth. My constant gaslighting had forged a proper hero mindset. Hell, even though Shin Yu-hee hadn't actually been murdered, Choi flinched back, spooked by her sharp edge.
"Helma runs a brothel, big player—but backing from her ain't bad. Word is, she's one of three major factions here."
"I think clinging to your skirt, oppa, is safer for getting out."
"Think all you want. Think."
"...Why not?"
As I kept shutting her down, Choi glared at Shin Yu-hee, eyes venomous.
"'Cause of Shin Yu-hee? Or me being older?"
"What, a few years? Nah."
"Then?"
"She's killed goblins, got talent. You? Ever killed one?"
"......."
"Not about charm. Survival basics: mentality, will, action."
Survival drive and hunger? Choi had plenty—probably second after me among the 19 others.
'Maybe flip the board entirely.'
Use Choi to wipe Park Chang-su's crew, max our gains from Chekhov's Arena?
....
"Everyone know you're solo?"
"Yeah. Flipped off Park Chang-su to leave, and he's probably trash-talking me as that 'fucking bitch' nonstop."
"Good. Here's the deal. One: you're my client too."
I held up three fingers to Choi Yu-jin.
"30 vouchers per win."
"Oppa...!"
"But proxy from me? No partying together. Heroes gotta pull their weight, right? Can't have deadweight who won't kill man or monster."
"......Got it. Noted. Anything else?"
She hoped so. Lucky her.
"Wanna relay a message? Find Goblin Grimwald at the exchange. One voucher, he holds your letter—gives it when we visit."
"Scout info?"
"Nah. Progress report."
"Progress...?"
"Yeah."
I pulled 50 vouchers, dangled them at Choi Yu-jin.
"Investment capital. Borrow it. Rally everyone fucked over by Park Chang-su—especially the girls he's selling to Helma."
"......."
"Me saving 'em direct? More baggage. You, a girl, saves 'em? Different story."
"...Like a pirate crew or something?"
"Eh? Yeah, roughly."
If she couldn't kill like Shin Yu-hee yet, give Choi a role she could nail.
"Repay Helma's loans for 'em, pawn your body fresh to free 'em—whatever. Be the reserve heroes' hub."
50 vouchers to bond stable with everyone except Park Chang-su and his cronies.
"You be the queen bee."
Via Choi Yu-jin.
"Oppa... You won't just save them yourself?"
"Obviously not. Hate one saying most."
A saying I'd come to loathe.
"'Keep the favors coming, they think it's their right.' Famous, right?"
Pre-regression, I'd thought 'well, still.' Now? Absolute motto.
"No free lunch in this world. Especially not here."
"...Then why tell me all this?"
"Who knows. Maybe..."
What.
"Who knows? Play nice, maybe you'll end up in my bed later."
Just a dick-lick, but enough for this much favor.
"Kidding. Do well. Saving lives is one thing... but pulling someone from gang-rape or the whorehouse? That's how you ingrain debt."
Someone becomes pimp.
Someone, whore by his hand.
Someone, the capitalist funding it. The hero saving lives.
"Not full-on lives, but to build 'subordinates' who work for you? Yeah."
In this hellish world, we weren't just college sunbae-hoobae anymore.