[126]
Needless to say, Yuri quickly discovered the business card Ons had slipped him.
He just pretended not to have found it.
‘Walking in with such an uncomfortable expression—it’s practically begging me to notice.’
Chris spoke up.
“I want to participate in the final match… the losers’ bracket.”
Yuri raised one eyebrow at this.
“Why? Weren’t you all about safety first?”
“…It’s about the money, of course.”
“Hmm. That’s difficult right now.”
Yuri muttered as he took out his terminal and tapped it a few times.
“When will it be possible?”
To Yuri’s question, which was asked with feigned impatience, Yuri looked up from the screen and replied:
“After they’ve placed bets on whether ‘Wolf’ will participate in the losers’ bracket or not.”
Yuri, wearing the face of ‘John Doe,’ smiled, showing his teeth.
“I’ll permit it then.”
“Good.”
“You’ve become quite proactive.”
“I want to become the Champion.”
Chris deliberately looked down at the floor as he responded to Yuri.
“I want to leave this damn place and live with my Guide. That’s… all there is to it.”
He couldn’t trust himself to maintain his expression while saying these words.
A deflating laugh escaped from Yuri.
“…Pathetic.”
Even as he snapped, “Do you know how much you’re worth?”, a subtle heat remained in his eyes.
Recognizing what it was, Chris quickly turned his head to avoid blushing.
“Fine. Go ahead and try it. Let’s see how far you can climb…”
Yuri took a breath as if choosing his words carefully.
“And how far you can fall.”
He pulled up the corner of his mouth.
“If you’re stupid enough to need to experience it firsthand, I won’t stop you.”
The light reflected from the terminal screen cast a blue tint on Yuri’s face.
Chris quietly watched the flickering light with a strange anxiety and a pounding heart.
***
Everything moved quickly until the match was set.
Since it wasn’t a frequently held match, Chris’s challenge in the losers’ bracket was advertised daily.
Seeing his face on the screens installed in the corridors, Chris shuddered with awkwardness.
It had been circulating for a week already.
Because of it, Chris had been completely avoiding the floors where players and spectators could mingle.
‘Why didn’t I think to hide my face when joining Northern Light?’
Well, it was because his face wasn’t well-known.
Even in the Winter Continent, those who knew Chris’s face were relatively few. During the period when he was most active with his face uncovered, he rarely encountered “outsiders.”
And Chris never let his enemies live to tell the tale.
In the end, most people who knew about Chris Danil, Yuri’s dog, belonged to Baekyah.
That’s why Chris had made plans to infiltrate Northern Light in the first place.
If there was any consolation, it was that this damned advertisement would end today.
‘After becoming whatever this Champion is, there will be other problems.’
As Chris was walking, he came face to face with Obl, who was heading in his direction.
“So you’re really going to step into that arena.”
His first words sounded almost like he was talking to himself.
Composing his expression, Obl asked Chris:
“What made you change your mind?”
Chris looked at him quietly.
‘He might have come deliberately to probe me.’
This was someone who would avoid Chris from a distance because of Abigail.
Given that he approached first, it wouldn’t be strange if someone had put Obl up to this.
‘If he’s not probing, maybe he came to check my condition before the match.’
Chris wasn’t going to blame Obl for coming to scout for a few betting dollars.
However, Chris was concerned about something else.
‘Why did they have to call it the losers’ bracket?’
Just looking at the name, one could make certain assumptions.
Given the theme of the match, both Obl standing before him and Tasha, whom he had defeated previously, could be “enemies.”
Perhaps, like during the Rookie Hunt, there was a good chance that all those whom Chris had defeated would come up to the arena at once.
Considering the favorable conditions at stake, they definitely wouldn’t let him win easily.
‘Today’s goal is victory.’
And that without using telekinesis, solely in wolf form.
An ordinary Esper would have clicked their tongue, calling it an utterly absurd goal.
But Chris remained calm.
‘If I lose, I’ll think about it then.’
“I met someone named Ons.”
“…You have a talent for meeting the exact people you shouldn’t.”
Obl clicked his tongue. His tone carried a strange sense of sympathy.
Chris tilted his head slightly.
“Why? Is Ons the one holding your leash?”
At those words, Obl pretended not to know and closed his mouth.
“The match is right around the corner. I’d prefer not to be a nuisance.”
“…You seem confident in your victory.”
“I just know I can’t lose.”
Chris responded in a quiet tone to the subtly sharp manner of speech.
Obl stared at him quietly.
“Then show no mercy, I suppose.”
He brushed past Chris.
‘That’s not the direction of the players’ waiting room.’
Perhaps he simply had business elsewhere. However, Chris instinctively realized that Obl wouldn’t be his opponent.
Hostility has a scent. So does fighting spirit. But from Obl, he couldn’t detect any aggression or tension.
‘Hmm.’
It was too late now to grab and interrogate him.
Slightly furrowing his brow, Chris headed toward the waiting room where he was supposed to be.
“Welcome.”
He was greeted by Meredith, who had a microphone attached.
Yuri was nowhere to be seen.
‘Was he scheduled to meet Peter today?’
Yuri would often be absent when meeting Peter, who infiltrated the stands to exchange information.
But he hadn’t heard anything about meeting Peter today.
This was because they didn’t know how this “losers’ bracket” would unfold.
While Chris had good reflexes, he wasn’t an exceptionally smooth talker. If something unexpected happened, wouldn’t it be easier to deal with it if Yuri was present?
‘Besides, I just didn’t contact Ons. Entering this losers’ bracket itself was essentially complying with their request.’
Ons would definitely appear after the match.
Yet surprisingly, Meredith was waiting before the match even began.
“I don’t recall inviting you here.”
“How stiff.”
Meredith gave him a smiling look.
“I came to cheer you on. We’re about to become family, after all.”
“…Family?”
It was a truly awkward phrase.
“There will be opportunities to explain later. I’d love to get a small interview, but…”
She examined Chris’s expression and slightly wrinkled her nose.
Though well-contained, there was a subtle sharpness to his demeanor.
‘Can you sense that today will be a turning point in your fate?’
This was a complete misunderstanding.
What was here was just a loyal dog, displeased by its master’s absence.
Meredith, steadily accumulating these misunderstandings, said to Chris:
“Let me tell you some basic information before the match starts.”
With a slight nod that meant “sit down,” Chris walked to the couch opposite her and sat down.
“The losers’ bracket is a special match. It’s like a stepping stone that gives players a new opportunity.”
Thinking that it sounded like giving those who had already lost another chance to compete, Chris lowered his eyes.
‘But something’s strange.’
Just as there are players like Chris who spare their enemies, there are also those who always end their opponents’ lives when they win.
Such people should also be able to apply for the losers’ bracket, but then who would they fight?
Dead enemies?
Meredith, who had been smiling cheerfully, changed her expression.
“This is a death match.”
It was a cold declaration.
Meredith rolled her eyes to check Chris’s reaction.
But even after hearing the words “death match,” he showed no sign of being shaken.
She muttered with a pretended disappointment:
“You’re composed.”
“Because nothing’s really changed.”
“Hmm.”
“Others bet money on my matches… but I’ve always bet my life.”
“Haha. That’s the same for other players too. But this time, the rules themselves are different.”
Meredith’s eyes gleamed.
“If you don’t kill your opponent, you die.”
“…You mean I must take their life?”
“Absolutely.”
“Killing isn’t difficult… but I’m curious about the reason.”
“If you want to make a deal that changes your life, you need a corresponding determination.”
Saying “here,” Meredith pushed a terminal in front of Chris.
“It’s a pledge.”
The content stated that if “Wolf” didn’t kill his opponent within the time limit, a device would automatically trigger to kill him.
The reward for this was, of course, money—credits.
“…To go this far.”
Chris carefully looked at the number.
It was a pitiful amount, hardly worth risking one’s life for.
Yet someone might commit murder for this money.
“Come on, sign it.”
“…Does John Doe know about this?”
Chris suddenly asked. Meredith smiled ambiguously at the question.
“Let’s say he does.”
Chris hesitated for a moment.
This pledge would definitely corner “Wolf.”
Hadn’t he seen, heard, and felt their tastes throughout his time in this illegal arena?
Sadistic, persistent, and vicious.
But at the same time…
‘Without taking risks, you can’t gain anything.’
This decision also involved trust in Yuri. If Chris truly faced a major problem, Yuri would step in.
Chris moved his hand and signed on the screen.
“Good. Very straightforward. I like it.”
Smiling, Meredith pulled out a box from under the table. It was a thick metal collar, similar to a dog’s but with an ominous beeping sound.
“Now, everyone is waiting for our player, so let’s get prettied up and head up.”
Chris, keeping his eyes down, took the collar and fastened it around his own neck.
‘If this explodes, it’ll create quite a spectacular pattern on the arena floor.’
Despite such thoughts, Chris’s expression remained utterly impassive.
Meredith soon left the waiting room.
As usual, Chris stood in front of the door leading to the arena.
– Thank you for waiting! We finally begin the losers’ bracket!
A mechanical voice resounded from above. Instead of the door opening, the ceiling opened, and the floor where Chris stood gradually rose upward.
Blindingly bright lights illuminated the two players on the arena.
Chris frowned momentarily.
– Today’s arena is…! A forest of sharp thorns!
A lively narration buzzed overhead.
– You’ll need to choose your footing carefully!
After delivering this obvious statement seriously, malicious laughter scattered behind the commentary.
– If you get pricked wrong, it will be very painful.
‘I might get attached at this rate.’
Chris thought indifferently.
But his expression changed completely in the next moment.
‘Yuri?’
On the opposite side of the arena.
Yuri, wearing the illusion of ‘John Doe,’ was standing there.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
