[104]
A gaze unnaturally straight and direct.
Yuri slowly examined Chris’s face.
‘He speaks quite well.’
The thought that Chris could speak like this made him seem almost unfamiliar to Yuri.
But if there was one thing Yuri was certain of, it was that Chris was never a liar.
“How impertinent.”
Yuri reached out his hand.
“Presuming the master’s intentions on your own.”
Chris flinched involuntarily.
But Yuri’s hand merely buttoned up the buttons that Chris had failed to fasten, then withdrew.
“Can’t even dress properly…”
In Yuri’s eyes, Chris had aspects that couldn’t be relied upon.
Not because Chris was inadequate, but because observing Chris had become Yuri’s habit.
Not now, but at first, Chris hadn’t even known he needed to eat unless someone specifically took care of him.
Not knowing that a guard dog you’ve acquired shouldn’t bite people—that would at least cause some concern. But not even seeking food for himself was simply absurd.
However, the responsibility of taking care of someone had forcibly roused Yuri to action.
It became the driving force that made a pampered young master who had never touched a drop of water with his hands endure difficult days like a desperate man.
He hadn’t realized it at the time. There wasn’t even space to reflect on it.
Fortunately, he was able to realize this fact before it was too late.
‘No, it was already too late, wasn’t it?’
Yuri gently touched Chris’s face, his hair.
Only after Chris had slipped from his grasp did he begin to follow his trail.
Those days filled with anger and betrayal rather than regret.
If Chris had abandoned him, Yuri had thought he wouldn’t search for Chris either.
Beneath that resolution, there must have been a fear of loss. If Chris had gone somewhere no one could see to die, Yuri had covered his anxiety with anger to avoid seeing the outcome altogether.
If there had been no chance to turn back, he might have lived forever without knowing what he had lost.
‘If that had happened.’
After completing his revenge against Rosenhauser.
What choice would he have made?
“Yuri?”
“Call me John Doe.”
Awakened from his contemplation, Yuri pondered.
How to show his trust.
Or whether he should offer Chris words of encouragement.
Or if neither appealed to him, whether to follow the impulse rising within him to pull that body close and do whatever came to mind.
Unfortunately, they were in the heart of enemy territory.
He had no intention of indulging too much in anything in a place like this.
Yuri reached out his hand and opened a terminal, manipulating the screen.
Checking the schedule, Yuri found an available competition slot in the very next time period.
‘Nice and intuitive.’
“There’s a match we can enter right away.”
At those words, Chris’s face lit up with excitement.
It was essentially Yuri saying he would trust him.
“Please send me in.”
Almost simultaneously with that request, Yuri’s hand moved to complete the registration.
A warning message appeared on the screen once again, stating that the organizers held no responsibility for physical harm or death.
Yuri dismissed the tray with an annoyed gesture and said, “Let’s see how well you can do.”
“Yes.”
“If even a bit of soot remains on your fur…”
Yuri pulled Chris’s chin closer and whispered into his ear.
Chris backed away with a startled expression, as if he had been burned.
His previously calm face flushed red immediately afterward.
Yuri, however, remained composed.
“There are many watching eyes, so you’d better manage your expressions more carefully.”
“I’ll try.”
Chris stiffened his lips. But it didn’t seem to have much effect.
Yuri hadn’t expected immediate improvement anyway.
After appreciating Chris’s visibly tense face, Yuri muttered, “The stiffness is good—you look like a frightened rookie.”
As if responding to those words, an alert sounded from a speaker hanging in the corner of the ceiling.
– The match will begin shortly.
“Already?”
Chris muttered in a rigid voice.
“Shouldn’t we move to the arena now?”
– Competitors, please wait in your rooms. The entrance will open soon.
“…Don’t tell me.”
Yuri noticed the wall opposite the door slowly turning.
It seemed they could open it by remote control.
Sensing where he needed to be, Chris stood before it without hesitation.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Yes.”
Yuri exhaled something resembling a sigh of approval.
Chris got down on all fours and immediately transformed into a beast.
Yuri clicked his tongue as he watched the shirt he had just carefully buttoned tear apart.
“We won’t have any clothes left at this rate.”
The wolf, who had transformed with a rather majestic air, flinched.
Chris had also felt the constricting sensation of clothes during his transformation.
They had quickly torn, freeing him, but still.
“I’m not blaming you.”
At Yuri’s words, Chris made a whining sound.
Not being accustomed to his transformation, and in his excitement, he had forgotten to remove his clothes.
Chris decided he would need to be particularly careful in situations where he needed to return to his original form.
He had expected difficulties in using unfamiliar powers, but not like this.
While the transformed Chris was barely collecting his thoughts, the wall opened to reveal a middle passage.
Chris moved forward deliberately without looking back.
As he entered the passage, the wall closed behind him.
He desperately wanted to look back. It was just a wall, but the sense of separation from Yuri felt vivid.
‘It’s fine.’
This was the heart of enemy territory, and Yuri was a Guide, but it would be fine.
There might be competitors who had passed through outlandish practice matches wandering around, but it would be fine.
There were also guys who had provoked Yuri in the lobby, but it would be fine…
‘Damn it.’
Chris admitted that his thoughts were of no help to himself.
He looked ahead.
Numbers appeared on the opaque glass.
10.
9.
8…
Once the match began, he would quickly defeat his opponents.
7, 6, 5…
And then return to Yuri’s side.
4, 3, 2.
The numbers flashed by.
1.
And finally, 0.
Chris crossed the now wide-open door.
– Twelve competitors enter the Colosseum’s proud circular arena!
The cheerful mechanical voice resounded loudly.
Though knowing it was an artificial voice, it was too light to feel any gravity.
‘Wait, 12 people?’
He hadn’t expected to face so many opponents from the start.
‘This definitely won’t be easy.’
He observed the individuals climbing onto the ring.
Each moved with a swagger, as if flaunting their power. Some raised their hands to an invisible audience. A few squinted at the intense lighting, unaccustomed to it.
Chris immediately recognized what these people had in common.
They had staked their lives.
None could be taken lightly. People show unexpected variables when faced with death.
In that respect, Chris was at a disadvantage.
Even with all these handicaps, he simply couldn’t feel any sense of crisis.
His body felt light, and his heart beat rapidly.
The instincts he had suppressed while living in the human world stretched out fully.
The mechanical voice began loudly introducing the competitors.
– Reagan Row, the iron-blooded axe wielder!
– He can show you with bare fists! Mao Win!
The frivolous phrases and the flashing electronic display.
And beneath it all, the resolute appearance of the competitors.
On the ring, all of this felt like a distasteful joke.
– And… today’s rookie! Will he become a storm that sweeps through the arena, or will he become a fur coat for the victor?
The spotlight shone down on Chris.
Hotter than lava and more blinding than the summer sun.
– Wolf!
“Wolf?”
A competitor next to him snickered.
“A wolf? A dog would suit him better.”
The man made a barking sound, “Woof, woof,” revealing three broken front teeth.
One of his eyes was a crudely inserted artificial one.
– Let us begin the Colosseum’s initiation ceremony!
It seemed the first match was conducted somewhat specially, which explained why the match had been set up so quickly.
‘So the twelve people on the ring wasn’t just bad luck, but inevitable.’
Chris made a curious expression.
Between the practice match and this ‘initiation ceremony.’
It was an environment where contestants should be scarce.
Yet they tried to break newcomers immediately as soon as they started.
– The rookie’s mission is to survive for half an hour!
Survival?
– The eleven true warriors, please show your warm affection toward your junior!
Chris was beginning to wonder who wrote these scripts.
– But, you must also be wary of predators aiming for the back of your head.
– Well then. Shall we begin?
Numbers illuminated by a spotlight appeared in the center of the circular arena where the twelve competitors stood.
– Show the people waiting for true warriors.
Chris stared at the decreasing numbers.
– Your powerful strength.
– An indomitable spirit that doesn’t break even in the face of death!
– …And deception.
As soon as it reached 0, a loud gong sound reverberated. Chris remained standing at his starting point.
The individuals on either side of him began charging toward him. One wielding an axe, the other swinging a steel rod.
‘Slightly tilted upper body. And weapons.’
The angle wasn’t bad.
Chris watched the attacks bearing down on him until the last moment.
And then.
“Argh!”
“Watch where you’re going!”
Chris jumped up at that spot, leaping over the weapons. The weapons aimed below became entangled, and the two people targeting him collided loudly with each other.
A competitor who had been coming toward him was seen stopping at the sight.
He had momentarily frozen, unable to make a judgment in the face of the chaos unfolding before him.
Unlike that person, Chris leaped without hesitation and bit into the man’s shoulder.
The man who fell miserably, not expecting the wolf’s weight, screamed.
“Ack! Aaaack!”
– Our rookie scores his first point!
The mechanical voice added mockingly.
– Well, everyone else will have to try harder.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
