[111]
The moment the opponent player’s hammer touched the water surface due to a careless attack, electricity spread instantly throughout.
And the trap that had been set in this arena began to activate in an instant.
Click! Click! Click!
– Player Tasha! She took a hit!
A mousetrap-like trap sprang upward. Moreover, there wasn’t just one of these mousetraps covering the floor.
“Agh!”
She ran with her breath almost cutting short, but the moment she reached the end of that passage, the player’s hair was caught in the trap.
– Oh, is she going to fall like this?
But the Esper managed to regain her balance after staggering as if about to fall backward.
Eventually, Tasha took out a knife from her chest and cut off her own hair.
“Uh…!”
But she had no opportunity to approach the wolf.
Right after the mousetrap activated, heavy stones began rolling from the front.
If she had been focused only on running forward, she would have been crushed under them.
The woman who hesitated for a split second hurled herself toward the mousetrap. Though the surface was bumpy, it was relatively safe since the trap had already been activated.
– Oh! She found an opening.
– But whether this is truly a wise choice remains to be seen.
The round rocks that hit the metal structure that had risen to catch the player began bouncing in all directions. The rocks that were pushed to the walls came back down with increasing speed.
The sight of rocks shooting in all directions, returning, colliding with each other, and moving away looked like watching a giant billiard table.
“Ugh!”
The metal structure, greatly shaken by the momentum of the rocks moving all around, struck the Esper’s ribs.
– My goodness. What is this? She should have held on better!
The sound of the audience booing could be heard through the arena walls.
– Could this be fatal? Player Tasha…! She’s attempting to get up!
The Esper could be seen gritting her teeth and stretching her arm to firmly grasp the mousetrap. A fierce determination was etched on her face.
It was clear that if given just a little more time, she would lunge at him with all her might as soon as she recovered.
However, Chris had no intention of reaping his harvest immediately.
Instead, after carefully observing the trajectory of the moving rocks, he jumped down from the tree he was perched on just as one was about to strike it.
Chris unhesitatingly rushed toward the enemy hanging on the mousetrap.
– We know he has swift feet, but isn’t this dangerous even for the Wolf?
As if answering the commentary, two rocks crossed through the very spot where Chris had been standing just moments before.
The fearsome sound of wind chilled his back. A shiver ran down his spine, making every hair stand on end from the tension.
‘But this is within my calculations.’
Chris did not hesitate.
His silver arrow-like form shot across the arena.
The world seemed to recede around him. Even the noisy commentary seemed to hold its breath, watching what Chris was doing.
Finally, Chris reached his opponent who was hanging on the mousetrap at his targeted moment.
Feeling the sharp sensation of fangs touching her neck without even a chance to dodge, Tasha dropped her hammer.
“I, I surrender! I surrender!”
Chris slowly backed away.
– Wow. The Wolf takes down Lightning Tasha!
Something like a fanfare sounded as the commentator made a fuss.
– Despite difficulties, he carves out another victory!
Chris’s image appeared on the electronic scoreboard.
– We can no longer call him just a rookie, can we?
At those words, Chris felt confident that he would soon rise to the next rank.
That commentary was meant to give hints to the audience.
To provide more interesting trials, assign value accordingly, and package the player. Then sell the product thus created to the audience watching the scoreboard.
Returning to the waiting room, Chris transformed back to his original form and washed up lightly.
‘Yuri isn’t here.’
As he was shaking water from his hair while wearing only pants, the door suddenly opened.
“Oh, excuse me.”
It was Meredith.
Chris frowned at the appearance of a face he hadn’t seen since the evaluation of newcomers.
“Is it okay to just barge in through doors like this?”
“Ah. I was in a hurry to talk to you without your master, and I just…”
Meredith winked one eye.
“…It’s inconvenient to talk without Mr. John Doe. You should know my circumstances.”
“You’re not denying the word ‘master’ again.”
There was laughter in her voice as she muttered almost to herself.
Chris swallowed a sigh and picked up his shirt.
“I just came to get a simple interview. Do you have time?”
“Interview?”
At his puzzled look, Meredith replied.
“When you reach Platinum rank, it’s good to pay attention to your reputation.”
Meredith tilted her head.
“Well, reputation isn’t quite right. Some players deliberately act like jerks to use that as a point to attract fans.”
“Fans?”
Chris rolled that unfamiliar word on his tongue.
“People who like your fights. People who bet on you and cheer for you.”
Meredith smiled with her eyes.
“If you gather loyal fans, even a low-ranked Esper like you can be sold at a high price.”
“…I’m not interested.”
“Still, you’ll need to care about it somewhat from now on. From Platinum rank, popularity becomes one of the criteria for evaluating a player, not just skill.”
Chris fell silent.
“Sit down.”
Meredith sat on the sofa as if she were the owner and nodded toward the opposite side.
Chris rolled his eyes.
Several thoughts crossed his mind.
For instance, ‘How can I stall until Yuri arrives?’ or ‘How should I watch what I say?’
“First, what brought you to the Colosseum?”
Chris looked at Meredith as if to say, why are you asking what you already know?
“Debt.”
“Hmm. Not going to mention that your Guide is being held captive?”
“It’s not a story I want on the tongues of strangers.”
Meredith exhaled something like a small sound of admiration.
“With your level of skill, I wondered why you were wallowing in the mud like this… Is it because you lack cunning?”
“Did you come to criticize me?”
“No. Just curious. But I’m not sure if the people reading this will find it interesting.”
“Proper humans are boring,” Meredith said, scratching the back of her head.
“Since you don’t want to talk about your Guide, can I ask about your abilities?”
“Yes.”
Chris answered perfunctorily.
The “ability” bestowed upon him by Anastasia had become as familiar to him as telekinesis.
This was thanks to Chris having faced various opponents in a short period of time while shouldering the handicap of having to navigate matches using only his animal transformation ability.
His previous combat experience wasn’t meaningless. However, while he used to use telekinesis from a distance, now the difference was that he had to run directly to the target and touch it.
The threats to his body were also more vivid.
“That’s enough. If too much is revealed, the matches become less interesting.”
Meredith muttered.
“Any questions about the Colosseum?”
“I seem to have damaged the arena quite a bit. But I’ve never been charged for repair costs.”
“Oh?”
The woman tilted her head.
“That’s the first time someone’s asked that.”
Meredith scratched her chin with her pen.
“Arena repair costs are charged to the loser.”
“I haven’t heard that.”
Chris’s expression hardened slightly.
“Well… they deduct it from the prize money?”
“Ah.”
Chris lowered his eyes as if understanding.
“But there aren’t many spaces that can withstand when Espers go wild, right? And if you charge repair costs every time…”
“That’s why we don’t put much effort into building them in the first place.”
Meredith shrugged.
“It doesn’t cost much.”
Chris carefully recalled the match.
The trap from the recent match, though large, was just a mousetrap. It seemed like only some parts needed to be replaced for reuse.
Judging by the continuous appearance of rocks, there was likely an Esper somewhere who could manipulate earth.
‘Could they be using illegal immigrants for arena construction just like they did at the factory?’
“Still, that Tasha will be a headache… because you destroyed the waterway.”
Meredith giggled.
“Well, if she didn’t want to be in debt, she should have won.”
“…Can one become indebted to the Colosseum?”
“Of course.”
Chris’s expression became quite serious.
“What happens if you can’t pay it back?”
“Hmm. We don’t do things like threatening by capturing Guides. We run an ethical business.”
Meredith shrugged.
It wasn’t a particularly credible voice.
“Instead, you’ll have to participate in various matches.”
There was a meaningful air to her casually added words. Chris lowered his eyes.
“Don’t be too depressed. Using methods like deliberately destroying the arena when you have competitors you can’t stand… that’s also quite an effective tactic.”
Chris blinked.
He wasn’t particularly depressed.
He was just thinking that if astronomical costs were charged to Tasha… there might be a way to use that player.
“Oh my.”
Along with the sound of the door opening, a smooth voice descended.
Meredith jumped up from her seat at the sight of the purple eyes coolly looking this way.
“It’s been a while. I was just interviewing your Esper here, you don’t mind, do you?”
“Mind? What are you talking about?”
Yuri strode over nonchalantly.
Slightly frowning at Chris’s appearance with buttons not fully fastened, he asked Meredith.
“I wonder if there’s any value in writing down what a beast pup barks… but if that’s the Colosseum’s policy, I suppose it can’t be helped.”
“So prickly.”
Meredith grumbled.
“I came to give you this.”
She handed over something like a badge.
“Attach it to your terminal and it’ll upgrade to Platinum exclusive. Various functions will be added, so check it out.”
Chris felt peculiar anew.
She had come during Yuri’s absence saying she wanted to interview his “real” self, but didn’t deliver the Platinum exclusive item the entire time.
‘Somehow… it seems like she planned this.’
If he truly were an Esper dragged here due to debt, he would have felt unbearable humiliation at this moment.
# [111]
The moment the opponent player’s hammer touched the water surface due to a careless attack, electricity spread instantly throughout.
And the trap that had been set in this arena began to activate in an instant.
Click! Click! Click!
– Player Tasha! She took a hit!
A mousetrap-like trap sprang upward. Moreover, there wasn’t just one of these mousetraps covering the floor.
“Agh!”
She ran with her breath almost cutting short, but the moment she reached the end of that passage, the player’s hair was caught in the trap.
– Oh, is she going to fall like this?
But the Esper managed to regain her balance after staggering as if about to fall backward.
Eventually, Tasha took out a knife from her chest and cut off her own hair.
“Uh…!”
But she had no opportunity to approach the wolf.
Right after the mousetrap activated, heavy stones began rolling from the front.
If she had been focused only on running forward, she would have been crushed under them.
The woman who hesitated for a split second hurled herself toward the mousetrap. Though the surface was bumpy, it was relatively safe since the trap had already been activated.
– Oh! She found an opening.
– But whether this is truly a wise choice remains to be seen.
The round rocks that hit the metal structure that had risen to catch the player began bouncing in all directions. The rocks that were pushed to the walls came back down with increasing speed.
The sight of rocks shooting in all directions, returning, colliding with each other, and moving away looked like watching a giant billiard table.
“Ugh!”
The metal structure, greatly shaken by the momentum of the rocks moving all around, struck the Esper’s ribs.
– My goodness. What is this? She should have held on better!
The sound of the audience booing could be heard through the arena walls.
– Could this be fatal? Player Tasha…! She’s attempting to get up!
The Esper could be seen gritting her teeth and stretching her arm to firmly grasp the mousetrap. A fierce determination was etched on her face.
It was clear that if given just a little more time, she would lunge at him with all her might as soon as she recovered.
However, Chris had no intention of reaping his harvest immediately.
Instead, after carefully observing the trajectory of the moving rocks, he jumped down from the tree he was perched on just as one was about to strike it.
Chris unhesitatingly rushed toward the enemy hanging on the mousetrap.
– We know he has swift feet, but isn’t this dangerous even for the Wolf?
As if answering the commentary, two rocks crossed through the very spot where Chris had been standing just moments before.
The fearsome sound of wind chilled his back. A shiver ran down his spine, making every hair stand on end from the tension.
‘But this is within my calculations.’
Chris did not hesitate.
His silver arrow-like form shot across the arena.
The world seemed to recede around him. Even the noisy commentary seemed to hold its breath, watching what Chris was doing.
Finally, Chris reached his opponent who was hanging on the mousetrap at his targeted moment.
Feeling the sharp sensation of fangs touching her neck without even a chance to dodge, Tasha dropped her hammer.
“I, I surrender! I surrender!”
Chris slowly backed away.
– Wow. The Wolf takes down Lightning Tasha!
Something like a fanfare sounded as the commentator made a fuss.
– Despite difficulties, he carves out another victory!
Chris’s image appeared on the electronic scoreboard.
– We can no longer call him just a rookie, can we?
At those words, Chris felt confident that he would soon rise to the next rank.
That commentary was meant to give hints to the audience.
To provide more interesting trials, assign value accordingly, and package the player. Then sell the product thus created to the audience watching the scoreboard.
Returning to the waiting room, Chris transformed back to his original form and washed up lightly.
‘Yuri isn’t here.’
As he was shaking water from his hair while wearing only pants, the door suddenly opened.
“Oh, excuse me.”
It was Meredith.
Chris frowned at the appearance of a face he hadn’t seen since the evaluation of newcomers.
“Is it okay to just barge in through doors like this?”
“Ah. I was in a hurry to talk to you without your master, and I just…”
Meredith winked one eye.
“…It’s inconvenient to talk without Mr. John Doe. You should know my circumstances.”
“You’re not denying the word ‘master’ again.”
There was laughter in her voice as she muttered almost to herself.
Chris swallowed a sigh and picked up his shirt.
“I just came to get a simple interview. Do you have time?”
“Interview?”
At his puzzled look, Meredith replied.
“When you reach Platinum rank, it’s good to pay attention to your reputation.”
Meredith tilted her head.
“Well, reputation isn’t quite right. Some players deliberately act like jerks to use that as a point to attract fans.”
“Fans?”
Chris rolled that unfamiliar word on his tongue.
“People who like your fights. People who bet on you and cheer for you.”
Meredith smiled with her eyes.
“If you gather loyal fans, even a low-ranked Esper like you can be sold at a high price.”
“…I’m not interested.”
“Still, you’ll need to care about it somewhat from now on. From Platinum rank, popularity becomes one of the criteria for evaluating a player, not just skill.”
Chris fell silent.
“Sit down.”
Meredith sat on the sofa as if she were the owner and nodded toward the opposite side.
Chris rolled his eyes.
Several thoughts crossed his mind.
For instance, ‘How can I stall until Yuri arrives?’ or ‘How should I watch what I say?’
“First, what brought you to the Colosseum?”
Chris looked at Meredith as if to say, why are you asking what you already know?
“Debt.”
“Hmm. Not going to mention that your Guide is being held captive?”
“It’s not a story I want on the tongues of strangers.”
Meredith exhaled something like a small sound of admiration.
“With your level of skill, I wondered why you were wallowing in the mud like this… Is it because you lack cunning?”
“Did you come to criticize me?”
“No. Just curious. But I’m not sure if the people reading this will find it interesting.”
“Proper humans are boring,” Meredith said, scratching the back of her head.
“Since you don’t want to talk about your Guide, can I ask about your abilities?”
“Yes.”
Chris answered perfunctorily.
The “ability” bestowed upon him by Anastasia had become as familiar to him as telekinesis.
This was thanks to Chris having faced various opponents in a short period of time while shouldering the handicap of having to navigate matches using only his animal transformation ability.
His previous combat experience wasn’t meaningless. However, while he used to use telekinesis from a distance, now the difference was that he had to run directly to the target and touch it.
The threats to his body were also more vivid.
“That’s enough. If too much is revealed, the matches become less interesting.”
Meredith muttered.
“Any questions about the Colosseum?”
“I seem to have damaged the arena quite a bit. But I’ve never been charged for repair costs.”
“Oh?”
The woman tilted her head.
“That’s the first time someone’s asked that.”
Meredith scratched her chin with her pen.
“Arena repair costs are charged to the loser.”
“I haven’t heard that.”
Chris’s expression hardened slightly.
“Well… they deduct it from the prize money?”
“Ah.”
Chris lowered his eyes as if understanding.
“But there aren’t many spaces that can withstand when Espers go wild, right? And if you charge repair costs every time…”
“That’s why we don’t put much effort into building them in the first place.”
Meredith shrugged.
“It doesn’t cost much.”
Chris carefully recalled the match.
The trap from the recent match, though large, was just a mousetrap. It seemed like only some parts needed to be replaced for reuse.
Judging by the continuous appearance of rocks, there was likely an Esper somewhere who could manipulate earth.
‘Could they be using illegal immigrants for arena construction just like they did at the factory?’
“Still, that Tasha will be a headache… because you destroyed the waterway.”
Meredith giggled.
“Well, if she didn’t want to be in debt, she should have won.”
“…Can one become indebted to the Colosseum?”
“Of course.”
Chris’s expression became quite serious.
“What happens if you can’t pay it back?”
“Hmm. We don’t do things like threatening by capturing Guides. We run an ethical business.”
Meredith shrugged.
It wasn’t a particularly credible voice.
“Instead, you’ll have to participate in various matches.”
There was a meaningful air to her casually added words. Chris lowered his eyes.
“Don’t be too depressed. Using methods like deliberately destroying the arena when you have competitors you can’t stand… that’s also quite an effective tactic.”
Chris blinked.
He wasn’t particularly depressed.
He was just thinking that if astronomical costs were charged to Tasha… there might be a way to use that player.
“Oh my.”
Along with the sound of the door opening, a smooth voice descended.
Meredith jumped up from her seat at the sight of the purple eyes coolly looking this way.
“It’s been a while. I was just interviewing your Esper here, you don’t mind, do you?”
“Mind? What are you talking about?”
Yuri strode over nonchalantly.
Slightly frowning at Chris’s appearance with buttons not fully fastened, he asked Meredith.
“I wonder if there’s any value in writing down what a beast pup barks… but if that’s the Colosseum’s policy, I suppose it can’t be helped.”
“So prickly.”
Meredith grumbled.
“I came to give you this.”
She handed over something like a badge.
“Attach it to your terminal and it’ll upgrade to Platinum exclusive. Various functions will be added, so check it out.”
Chris felt peculiar anew.
She had come during Yuri’s absence saying she wanted to interview his “real” self, but didn’t deliver the Platinum exclusive item the entire time.
‘Somehow… it seems like she planned this.’
If he truly were an Esper dragged here due to debt, he would have felt unbearable humiliation at this moment.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
