Chapter 94

Chapter 32. The Arena of Cosmos (5)

He can win.

He could answer immediately.

‘If I can use both magic and spirit energy, that is.’

Although he has retired and become rusty, he still managed to defeat Alisa, a former member of the Viment Special Task Force. Dante is indeed extremely skilled, but it seems he can be subdued.

However, if it were a duel with swords alone.

‘I can’t be sure. His sword energy, instantaneous speed, explosive power, and accuracy were all astonishing.’

The second match had started, but he couldn’t focus on it at all. Instead, the moment Dante struck Mantis’s neck kept replaying in his mind.

Dante Hylan was a person who clearly wielded superior sword skills compared to Jin. Given the three-year gap, it was inevitable.

Thus, Jin had to analyze.

Before meeting on the arena and clashing swords, he needed to find a way to win.

‘But unlike other participants, I don’t want to use tricks or traps. It only has meaning if I defeat him head-on, purely and directly.’

While Jin was pondering this.

On the opposite side, in the VIP spectator seats, Veradin couldn’t control his pounding heart.

‘I’m glad I came. I never thought Jin would participate too! And to see Jin and Dante clash with swords so soon… what a windfall.’

Jin and Dante.

Veradin never imagined he would encounter these two people, whom he believed to be his only rivals in the world, in such a place.

Unfortunately, Jin wasn’t paying much attention to Veradin.

* * *

Jin watched all the matches of Groups 1 and 2, but.

After Dante, there was no one else worth noting. The arena was more like a cruel spectacle than a martial arts competition, as expected.

Participants below three stars were busy using tricks, naive participants became entertainment for the nobles, and veterans slowly tortured their opponents to gain cheers.

This was the arena of Cosmos.

‘From tomorrow, matches will be held in groups of three or four per day. My match will be after three days. So until then…’

He had to endure the nights in the arena.

In some ways, it was even more dangerous than the actual matches.

Currently, 147 participants remain in the arena dormitory. Out of the total 182 participants, 35 have already died.

Among them, about 10 died during matches, while the remaining 25 died in fights that broke out in the dormitory.

There were poisonings, assassinations, attacks, and even brawls.

If you lean against the wall and sit idly in your room, you’re likely to end up dead.

Therefore, Jin couldn’t sleep for the next four days. He could take a brief nap in the spectator seats, but a good night’s sleep was impossible.

‘During my student days, I did receive sleep deprivation training, but enduring for three days is a first.’

He hadn’t considered forming a gang with a few participants and taking turns resting.

But in this crazy competition, could anyone be trusted? To share a bed, eat together, and protect each other until their turn to fight.

No. Seventy percent of the participants were pirates who plundered and robbed, and twenty percent were cunning mercenaries or ruffians.

The remaining ten percent, slightly better than the others, were ordinary martial artists who came to gain experience. Naive and inexperienced people.

Most of them were already dead. They were too naive to survive in this den of evil. Even if they were still alive, Jin wouldn’t form a gang with them.

‘What the hell, I’ll just endure. Am I the only one tired? Those who want to kill me will also be exhausted when they attack.’

Swoosh.

Jin, sitting in seiza, drew Bradamante and placed it on the floor, ready to wield it at any moment.

Time passed very slowly.

The thought of 147 enemies in the darkness beyond the iron bars made his nerves even more on edge, making it feel even slower.

And as the slow time passed, the sky gradually brightened.

Jin didn’t receive a single attack.

‘Maybe the fingers and arms I sent back to those who attacked me yesterday worked. I didn’t expect no one would come to my room.’

Of course, this doesn’t mean he can sleep tonight. The participants who want to kill him might be waiting for him to tire.

There were quite a few fights outside during the night. The number of participants decreased from 147 to 140, and many suffered significant injuries, though they didn’t die.

After a simple meal with the dried food and water he brought, the announcer informed that the matches were starting. From the second day, matches were scheduled from morning to night.

Rumble...

Participants walked down the corridor with sullen faces. Jin, as before, moved to the spectator seats when the procession was almost over.

And the same day as yesterday continued. Watching a subpar cruel spectacle and returning to his room when the matches ended.

In the spectator seats, where ‘murder’ was prohibited, he could take a few naps. The participants all slept like that, but it didn’t help much in relieving fatigue.

Another night.

Over the two days since joining the arena, Jin didn’t do much. Except for taking over the room and disciplining a few foolish participants.

Still, his entire body felt like it was falling apart from extreme fatigue.

Naturally, it was due to lack of sleep.

If he had only been unable to sleep, it wouldn’t be this difficult. But being on high alert and maintaining a combat-ready state for two days was a terrifying ordeal beyond imagination.

‘If I can just endure today and tomorrow… I can get proper rest when the winner’s matches start. I just need to grit my teeth until then.’

If things continue like this, by the time Group 13’s match comes around, he might only be able to perform at 20% of his usual capacity.

But it didn’t matter. As long as his first opponent wasn’t Dante, 20% would be enough to defeat anyone. In this arena, even a ‘quite capable’ veteran.

Jin, as yesterday, drew Bradamante.

Perhaps due to the increasing fatigue.

Time was flowing even more slowly this time. He occasionally felt drowsiness due to accumulated fatigue.

Moreover, frustratingly, the night in the arena was unusually quiet. Occasionally, distant cries of someone dying could be heard, but that was all.

No one attacked Jin tonight either.

This only made him more miserable. The suspicion that someone was waiting for him to tire turned into certainty, and the fact that he couldn’t identify who they were was unbearably unpleasant.

As the early morning approached four o'clock.

A sudden thought crossed Jin’s mind.

‘Should I just go out and kill them all first?’

He shuddered for a moment.

Of course, most participants could be called villains, but the fact that he was considering killing over 100 people without any deep grudge.

‘Ah, I feel like I’m going crazy. As Sir Casimir said, it’s definitely a dangerous competition.’

Huff!

He took a deep breath and calmed himself. As a martial artist, he would kill many people throughout his life, but he didn’t need to become a mad killer.

About an hour later.

Thud, thud...

He could feel footsteps approaching from the corridor outside. It couldn’t be just a participant passing by; it was clearly someone moving to attack someone else.

‘Is it finally starting?’

Of course, it could be targeting someone else, but Jin quietly gripped Bradamante.

The footsteps grew closer.

The steps stopped right next to Jin’s room, just one step away from reaching it.

‘It seems they’re targeting me. Either they’re bold or stupid. They’re coming right at me? Or are they half-crazy from lack of sleep for two days?’

He stood up, lowered his stance, and tightened his grip. Ready to strike the moment the intruder approached the iron bars.

A strong smell of blood emanated from the person standing outside the iron bars.

In the next moment, Jin heard an unexpected voice.

“Can we… talk for a moment?”

A gruff voice.

It was Dante.

‘What, why is Dante coming to me?’

All kinds of thoughts flooded his mind.

Does he know my identity? If he does, did Veradin tell him? Is he here to settle things now without waiting? Or is it just a coincidence?

His heart was pounding.

If Dante had gotten enough sleep, he couldn’t win. And this wasn’t a place where you could say, “I’m tired, let’s fight later.”

“Talk?”

Jin asked calmly, hiding his confusion.

“Yes.”

After a moment’s thought, Jin opened the iron bars.

“Come in.”

“Thank you…”

Thud!

‘Huh?’

As soon as he entered the room, Dante knelt on one knee, struggling to keep his balance. While Jin was surprised, Dante spoke first.

“Though it’s a great imposition on our first meeting… can you… let me sleep? In return, I’ll stand guard tomorrow so you can rest.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said. I can’t hold on any longer. I need to sleep for an hour… to avoid going crazy.”

In other words, Dante had reached his limit. Like Jin, he had spent the second night waiting for assassins.

“But why me? What makes you trust me?”

“I’ve been observing you since yesterday. Unlike other participants, you seem to be a genuine martial artist. In this arena, only you. So I trust you… snore.”

Snore, snore…

Before he could finish his sentence, Dante lay down and fell asleep.

Jin couldn’t help but feel utterly bewildered.

‘What kind of guy is this? In some ways, he’s even more shocking than Veradin.’

Frankly, if Jin were to slit Dante’s throat right now, there would be no problem. Dante was completely out cold, snoring.

‘Does Hylan not train in sleep deprivation? Or did more participants attack him than others?’

However, before this bewildering feeling could subside.

Swoosh, swoosh.

Footsteps began, clearly trying to be hidden.

These were the footsteps of the gang of participants that Dante had been waiting to tire.

At that moment, Jin realized something.

‘The strong smell of blood from Dante. This guy has been harassed by other participants until now. Unlike me, who had no one come to my room. Anyway.’

It wouldn’t be bad to make the next head of the Hylan family owe him a favor.

Jin wrapped Bradamante in aura and prepared to face the assassins in Dante’s place.