Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Colosseum
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"Hmmm..."
Waking up to the feel of soft flesh against me had become routine. Now, I naturally drifted off to sleep with Sua pulled close in my arms, my hands kneading her breasts, only to wake the same way.
Not that it went any further than her chest, but I'd decided to be content with that for now, and it was just bearable enough.
Sua's slightly relaxed, defenseless posture stirred my cock to life again.
"Hoo..."
I let out a deep sigh and roughly grabbed her breast.
"Ahhh!!"
Sua let out a lewd moan and woke up, her eyes turning to me.
They were misty with a hint of heat.
"Did it hurt?"
"A... a little..."
She looked a bit sulky at my teasing play.
Even that was cute, so I pulled her tightly into my arms.
"Kai..."
A flustered voice leaked from her as she nestled against me.
"I want to hold you, even if it's just for one day sooner."
Her body trembled faintly in my embrace at my low, resonant whisper.
"I'll... wait for that day."
"Let's get up."
Today, too, I got ready to head out with Sua.
I ate the breakfast Erekina had prepared and called a Valkyrie carriage to take us there.
Our destination today was none other than the Colosseum.
With my level raised to a decent point now, I figured operating six Valkyries instead of three would be a big help for hunting.
Since all my Valkyries' levels had gone up overall, I could mix and match three-Valkyrie teams flexibly depending on the situation.
I thought five wins against E-rank opponents should be a breeze.
The carriage carrying us sped along and soon arrived at the Colosseum.
The massive structure came into view, giving the illusion that I'd arrived in Rome.
It matched the image Koreans typically pictured when thinking of a colosseum—only this one wasn't partially ruined like the real Roman one, making it look even more grand.
Of course, that might be because I'd never seen the actual thing.
Standing before the imposing Colosseum made me tense for no reason.
Even early in the morning, crowds of people bustled around it.
There were participants heading in to compete, spectators coming to watch, and plenty of vendors hawking food and goods to them all.
The Colosseum itself felt like a full-fledged market.
I walked toward it with Sua.
Passing through the enormous columned entrance brought us into a rugged interior space.
As soon as we entered, a guide gestured toward a sign.
It clearly marked separate paths for spectators and participants, designed so even first-timers wouldn't get confused.
Since I was here to compete, I followed the arrow pointing left.
The path led to the participant registration area.
A staff member sat at the desk there, and with so many people signing up, there were ten of them handling the lines.
It looked like a huge crowd had come to enter.
I joined the shortest line and waited my turn.
"Welcome. Here to register, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
A woman with a short bob greeted me warmly.
"What's your Pilot rank?"
"It's my first time competing today, so E-rank."
"Got it. Just a heads-up: E-rank Pilots are scheduled from 9 to 10 a.m., and then lunchtime from noon to 1 p.m."
Her words made it clear E-rank didn't get the best slots.
It made sense—spectators paid to watch, and they'd want high-rank matches, not E-rank ones.
So they shoved us into the least popular time slots.
I wasn't upset about it, though. Once my rank went up, I'd get better times.
I just hoped the early slot would let me head out hunting sooner.
"Understood."
"So, how many matches are you planning today?"
"How many can I do max?"
"The limit per Pilot is five."
My face lit up at her answer. I wanted to hit D-rank today and start summoning six Valkyries.
Winning all five would promote me.
"Then sign me up for all five."
"Hmm... Okay, I'll register the max. But if there are too many entrants, you might not get all five. And if earlier matches drag on, even scheduled ones can get canceled."
I could tell she was warning me about the worst-case scenarios.
"If I can't finish today, does it carry over to tomorrow?"
"No, you'd have to re-register tomorrow."
"I see... Are there that many E-rank Pilots?"
"Honestly, E-rank makes up the biggest chunk of entrants. Not sure you'll get five today."
"Damn..."
This world seemed even more beginner-heavy than I'd thought. I hadn't expected everyone to still be stuck at E-rank.
"Still, sign me up for five."
"Got it. Place your Status here."
I set my Status on the device, and registration completed.
"Match assignments notify at 8:30 a.m. via Status, with a five-minute warning before each. Head to the arena—A through H are marked behind me. Be late, and it's an auto-loss plus a one-week ban, so watch the time."
"Got it."
The rules were stricter than I'd expected.
After registering, Sua and I stepped out of the Colosseum.
Matches didn't start till 9 anyway, and there wasn't much to do inside.
It was just shy of 8 a.m., so shops weren't open yet. We decided to browse the street stalls outside.
Vendors lined up outside selling not just food and drinks, but clothes, toys, all sorts of things.
Sua and I held hands like lovers, wandering and enjoying the sights.
But I noticed not all the looks we got were friendly.
To them, a Pilot getting cozy with a Valkyrie probably looked weird.
"Still haven't learned your lesson, huh? Parading around like that?"
A sharp female voice cut in from behind. I turned to see a woman with bright blonde hair standing there.
She was strikingly beautiful, but her prickly expression made her seem hard to approach.
"Who...? Oh!"
I froze at the unfamiliar face for a second before recognizing her.
It was the woman who'd saved my life when I first arrived in this world—my benefactor.
Isteir, was it?
"Looks like you're here to challenge the Colosseum, but shouldn't you be building strength somewhere else first?"
"I need at least D-rank to bring six Valkyries along."
Her dismissive tone irked me, but I kept my voice soft. She had saved my life, after all.
And I wasn't wrong.
Six Valkyries beat three hands down.
But Isteir's expression didn't soften.
"It's only been a week. Isn't that too reckless? You probably can't even summon six yet."
For a normal Pilot, a week meant just the starter Valkyrie plus eleven from the 3,000-diamond launch pull.
Twelve total.
But I wasn't your average Pilot.
Still, her constant condescension—despite being my savior—was starting to grate.
"That's for me to handle, isn't it?"
My tone came out snippier than intended.
Her face twitched at my words, then she smirked.
"Well... it's early days. You don't know how scary this world is yet. Good luck, then. We'll see how far you get."
She said her piece and turned to leave.
Was she just trying to piss me off? In disbelief, I called after her back.
"Five in a row."
She turned, face blank like she had no idea what I meant.
"Not sure if I'll get all five matches today, but I'll win them all and hit D-rank."
"Pfft... D-rank in a week as a Pilot?"
She walked back toward me with deliberate steps.
Her haughty beauty carried an intimidating air as she closed in.
"Listen, tons of people grind a year here and never hit D-rank. Don't take it lightly."
"And you? What's your rank?"
"Me? D-rank."
She'd been acting so superior, but she was just another scrub.
"I'll be D-rank soon too. See you then."
"Puhaha. Fine. Hit D-rank by tomorrow, and I'll buy you a meal. Lose once, and you apologize to me."
"Deal. Watch me."
Watching her laugh, it was hard to tell if she was good or bad.
She'd yelled at me in Orc Forest, seeming mean, but it was for my sake, so I got it.
Isteir handed over her Status.
"Scan my number."
"Ah... sure."
Her bold demand deflated me instantly.
I scanned it and said,
"See you tomorrow. I'll show up as a proud D-rank."
"Okay. Looking forward to it. Good luck today."
She'd started off so prickly, but now she was cheering me on as she left. Impossible to read.