Madam Helma (1)
It had been five days since I entered Chekhov's Arena. Time had flown by. I'd settled into a routine of sorts: scarfing down meals at Shemiri's restaurant, fucking her when she closed up shop, and running proxy fights in the arena to rack up Exchange Vouchers.
"Any chance for a discount?"
"I'll name you."
"Whoa, hold up. Can't a guy joke around?!"
"There are jokes you tell and jokes that get you killed."
Follow me to the arena.
"You fucking bastard...! Gahk!"
For the occasional asshole who crossed the line, I'd name them and stack kills.
"Hey, proxy driver Yoo Si-woo. How about subbing for me once? Fight the woman I name."
"Should I kill her, senpai?"
"What? You little bitch, who the hell asked you to butt into grown-up talk?"
"Get lost, Shin Yu-hee."
"You crazy bitches...! Aaaagh!"
I had three wins. Shin Yu-hee had three too. Just two more each, and we'd be out. But my win total was twenty-six on top of that.
"Th-thank you... young man! Here are my remaining Exchange Vouchers. I don't know what you want from this place, but I hope you get it. With these... ugh, I can finally get back to my family...!"
Demand was high. Folks with families outside but stuck here by harsh realities were prime customers.
"Thank you so much. I'm definitely getting out and getting revenge on the bastard who raped me and bailed. How? You taught me. I'll hire an assassin. Money? I'll scrape it together here somehow, like you showed."
Most were relative weaklings who couldn't fight in the arena themselves. They'd hoarded vouchers like pocket change, but handing them over funneled them steadily back into the arena market.
"These the vouchers from them? Nice. Oh, you like fish? Hard to get here, but I scored some fresh the other day. Go ahead and eat."
Some went into Shemiri's private storage. Others to Goblin Grimwald's counter.
"The voucher settlement from the last proxy corpse is done. ...If you're planning to stick around here long-term, how about holding onto vouchers for folks? It got phased out ages ago, but I was brought here to handle banking anyway."
Vouchers long hidden in pockets started flooding out through me and Shin Yu-hee. People winning freedom via my proxies showered them around—like gamers dumping items with a casual "dropping loot lol" before quitting. It wasn't enough to shake the whole market, but as our proxy fights dragged on, the atmosphere in Chekhov's Arena definitely shifted.
Right now.
"Hey, gladiator Yoo Si-woo. Got a minute?"
While Shin Yu-hee and I checked the exchange for new gear, a gang waiting for us made their move.
"Who the hell are you?"
Five guys decked out in armor like Knight Dex, geared like a proper mercenary band. They oozed hostility, picking a blatant fight.
"We're under Madam Helma."
"Madam Helma?"
"Yeah. Don't tell me you haven't heard of her? The armor you're wearing? She gifted it to Dex before you killed him."
Open provocation. The issue? Dex died days ago—why show up now?
"Senpai, this mean...?"
"Looks like the dam's about to burst. Shin Yu-hee, grab our stuff from Grimwald."
I locked eyes with her briefly, then sent her to Grimwald. The exchange folks, Grimwald included, watched intently as I approached Helma's goons.
"So what? You want it back? I earned this fair and square as spoils. If you want it that bad, kill me and take it."
"Think you can act that cocky against us?"
"What?"
"Know what this is?"
One scattered something on the ground. Black-and-brown dyed strands—long women's hair, rare in this medieval fantasy world unless dyed. Not like natural blonde, brown, or white.
"Your comrades'. Don't play dumb."
"......"
Honestly? So what? The picture was clear now.
"Your comrades—"
"Borrowed vouchers from Madam Helma, blew them, can't pay up, and now they're one step from whoring, right?"
"......You knew?"
"Knew."
Some time had passed since I sicced Choi Yu-jin on it.
"My party's stacking wins steady, but only one of the other eighteen has even a single victory. Made me wonder what the fuck they've been doing to still suck in the arena."
Excluding Choi Yu-jin, who'd taken startup cash from me, they were all zero wins. Word from her—the sub-party leader I'd tapped for proxy heroes—was just "one win," separate from the rest. Perfect timing for impatience to hit, and Helma's dogs to show.
"So useless. You guys after those girls?"
"What?"
"Gangbanging the whores or stuffing vouchers down their throats? Not my problem. I just need two more wins to bail—why babysit dead weight?"
I made it blatantly clear they annoyed me. The goons muttered among themselves.
"Boss, this prick doesn't give a shit."
"...Seems he only cares about that Shin Yu-hee bitch."
"Fuck. What now? If we don't drag 'em back, Madam skins us."
Sex boosted my mana and senses—ears sharp enough for whispers.
"What're you muttering about?"
But I played dumb.
"Nothing to say? I'm out. Got a pile of backed-up requests—like killing some 'Noble Alliance' prick in the arena right in front of a client."
"Wait. You know Choi Yu-jin?"
"Choi Yu-jin?"
Hook, line, and sinker. They thought so, but it was bait I'd dangled ages ago.
"Yeah. Choi Yu-jin. One of these locks is hers."
"...Hmm."
All black or dyed brown—no telling—but suspicion flared. I feigned wariness.
"Why's Choi Yu-jin's hair here?"
"Heh."
I asked. They bit, grins spreading.
"Dumb bitch picked the wrong friends. Heh, no idea how stupid she got. See—"
"One of the already-caught girls called Choi Yu-jin, who went to Madam Helma and signed some shady contract, right?"
"...Sh-shady? It's standard for this underground arena."
"Think we don't know Helma's tricks?"
I pointed to my eyes.
"Tiny print you need a magnifying glass for, huh?"
"Kuh...!"
"Obvious. Girls go 'what the hell is this?' and you chuckle behind Helma, threatening them. Beat one as an example, force 'em to kneel."
"Wh-what're you on about? Under great Chekhov's protection, all fights happen in the arena."
"Unless it's a signed contract between parties. Even great Chekhov won't bail out idiots who sign dogshit deals and sink."
"......"
Getting fucked by garbage contracts. Fresh grads think "not me," but scams sneak up.
"Some had enough sense, though."
"Heh, wanna know—"
"Magic. Clauses hidden unless you detect mana."
"......"
"So? What, I pay their debts 'cause they're about to suck your dicks?"
"You cool with your old pals impaled on our cocks?"
"Not my pals now."
"......"
"......"
"Ha, fuck."
They scratched heads, exchanged glances again.
"No winning this. Hey! Fine. You're Yoo Si-woo, right?"
"You already called me gladiator Yoo Si-woo."
"...Watch your back after newbie grace ends. Not long now."
Hanging on newbie protection. Growling they'd name and behead me post-grace.
"What's your name?"
"......"
I tossed the question, but he clamped shut.
"Huh, brain works at least."
Instinct, probably. Say it straight, I'd name him or have Shin Yu-hee do it.
"Got it. Madam Helma calling?"
"...Yeah."
"Tell her this: we'll meet soon. If she wants it, who am I to refuse? Wait three hours. Three hours, and you'll meet whether she likes it or not."
Not her brothel, somewhere else.