“That bastard, that guy…!”

Chae Hakgyun blurted it out in shock before he could stop himself.

Goeun smirked as if to say, See?

“I thought I’d pocket some easy cash for once, but oh well. Just bet on the win or loss. What a shame, what a shame.”

“Hwaryeon, you’re cracking jokes right now?”

Chae Hakgyun was exasperated and scolded her over the line that could’ve come from a grizzled old racetrack regular. Goeun let out a soft chuckle.

“It’s been a while since you called me Hwaryeon.”

“Hwa… Goeun, you hated it.”

She’d said it sounded too much like “whore.”

Setting aside her personality, it was quite fitting.

“Oh? Why’d you swallow the rest?”

“I’m hungry, that’s why.”

“Can an arena manager afford to back down like that? How could your big sis rest easy when she’s worried about you?”

“Your jokes have regressed.”

She still had that teasing flair, though. Cute kid.

On the surface, Chae Hakgyun looked like he wouldn’t bleed a drop even if stabbed, but among the mages Goeun had met, he stood out for his human side.

Would Goeun, under a de facto death sentence, drag Lee Taebaek into the heart of enemy territory for no reason?

The darkest place is always under the lamp.

As far as Goeun knew, no one harbored more resentment toward the Magic Tower than Chae Hakgyun.

He was practically the only conscience there.

Chae Hakgyun hated caging people like animals and making them beat each other senseless.

“……”

“……”

The arena fell deathly silent.

Humans shut their mouths when expectations shatter.

But for hundreds to go quiet all at once, as if rehearsed, took more than a mild shock. It demanded something truly outrageous.

Lee Taebaek delivered.

One punch. That alone swept away the sticky greed filling the arena. The spectators froze mid-cheer.

Lee Taebaek indifferently examined his fist, then casually shook his wrist. With that, he turned and retraced his steps.

He paused at a spot in the cage, then suddenly dropped out of sight. That ended the match.

No victory pose. No referee call.

All that remained in the blood-spattered octagon was

Nguyen, eyes rolled back, out cold. Yet the crowd’s eyes lingered where Lee Taebaek had vanished.

Even a bathroom looks different coming out than going in.

It barely qualified as a fight… more like an act. Before and after, nothing changed about him. What shifted was the arena’s air—and the people’s reactions.

At least Jasbi was dangling from the railing, swinging her legs to liven things up after the unexpected buzzkill.

“Genius Mage Goeun! Did you see? The Creator won!”

“Thanks. Telling the obvious in an oblivious way—that’s a talent too, kid.”

“It’s prai—praise, right?!”

“Figuring that out is when you become a true human. Think it over yourself. And drop the ‘genius mage’ bit. It’s embarrassing.”

“Then, Heavenly Demon!”

“Too dangerous a title around here.”

“I’ll just call you Miss Goeun!”

“That’s what I’ve been saying.”

Jasbi flashed a playful grin and shifted her gaze to the cage. What a sly little rascal. Goeun brought her long pipe to her smiling lips.

“This is what makes an arena fun.”

The chandelier-like ceiling displays showed the payouts. They were screens displaying the crowd’s win predictions in numbers.

[Payout settlement beginning.]

The sound of those wallets growing lighter was music to the ears.

Beep-beep-beep-beep.

Goeun nudged him with her elbow.

“What do you think, manager?”

“……”

This was the Kergel Magic Tower’s arena. Anyone in the city with real power had to pass through a place like this.

The Kergel Magic Tower valued external martial arts as much as Magic Power—tough bodies and martial prowess.

The tower’s roots were still in the Central Plains, after all.

The Jianghu wasn’t a place where sky-high internal energy alone guaranteed survival. This world was well-formed.

No one knew who made it, though.

Anyway.

Rarely, masters reached the top with external arts alone. Even the Heavenly Demonic Cult’s Founding Patriarch was said to be one.

Even if internal energy was rebranded as “Magic Power.”

Even if the setting shifted from Central Plains to “Lake City.”

The Kergel Magic Tower’s foundation was the Central Plains, and martial arts. And martial arts’ bedrock was pure physicality. Raw bodily strength.

I’ve seen plenty of kids who were water balloons.

Bulky and intimidating didn’t mean strong. Skinny guys felling boars happened often enough. But.

There were limits.

The kid was a pretty boy gigolo. The mask hid everything but his eyes, but those slender arms and legs rivaled an idol’s. How strong could a punch from those fragile limbs be?

Even battle-honed muscles had bounds. And his opponent was Nguyen, no less.

Face and name screamed sleaze, but Nguyen was a solid arena vet. 12 fights, 5 KOs.

“Anyway, explain.”

Chae Hakgyun steadied his pounding heart. Goeun exhaled languid smoke and crossed her legs.

“I told you. Believe people sometimes.”

“Isn’t he some body-enhanced gifted?”

“You’d know better than me, manager. You’re the Gifted with the Discerning Eye—that’s why the Tower Master put you here. To manage the establishment well.”

“……”

Chae Hakgyun let out a groan.

Goeun was right. His gifted ability, Discerning Eye, let him gauge an opponent’s power at a glance.

That’s why fighters like Lee Taebaek skipped the red tape and went straight to the octagon.

Interruptions killed the crowd’s vibe. The Discerning Eye kept the flow, a consideration from the parent company—the Kergel Magic Tower’s design.

The verdict…

That punch was pure physicality.

The Discerning Eye’s owner detected zero anomalies. Meaning he’d demolished Nguyen with raw fist alone.

“Too early to be shocked, Hakgyun.”

Goeun sneered.

“The real show starts now.”

“…More surprises here?”

She didn’t answer.

She just calmly gazed toward the cage.

He was extraordinary from his debut.

Annihilated the Triad Gang.

Expelled the Gang Alliance from the city.

Traded ten blows with Saber Master Muyachi and lived.

And charmed Great Master Hong Geolgae into an alliance with the Resistance.

Listing it left her breathless.

I can’t believe I’m saying this.

This was child’s play by comparison.

Others would call bullshit first.

It was that absurd a saga, and he was a wanted man under City Government scrutiny. So she kept quiet.

Not just your Heavenly Demon gets heaven’s favor.

Maybe someone even more blessed.

Hoarding heaven’s love.

Someone who might even be heaven.

Beep—

The buzzer shattered the silence again.

A platform rose from the floor, ushering in the next fighters.

But the crowd’s reaction was lukewarm.

“What’s this? Same as always.”

“Yeah… kinda anticlimactic…”

Their dopamine thresholds had spiked.

“By the way, what’s that kid’s name?”

“Taebaek Ri? Weirdest name ever.”

“What the hell did he do to drop Nguyen with one punch?”

“Dunno, but showmanship? Top-tier.”

People half-watched the next bouts. The opposite of the opener.

They shot sullen glares, waiting for Lee Taebaek’s return.

Meanwhile, below the octagon.

Lee Taebaek was whisked into a narrow corridor and blinked in confusion. He muttered unwittingly, his voice echoing off the metal walls.

“It actually worked.”

Chae Hakgyun’s sole rule: external arts only.

But where did “external” end? Lee Taebaek had no clue.

Magic and internal energy were obvious nos. What else?

Unsure, he dove into the real fight.

No choice—he buffed his strength and threw the punch. Opponent folded like paper.

Ignoring that, Lee Taebaek scanned for Chae Hakgyun in the stands. Eyes wide as saucers, but silent.

That clinched it.

So this is it.

This is it.

Authority use didn’t break rules. Whether Chae Hakgyun had Thousand-Mile Eyes, Discerning Eye, or some other cheat eye—even if he’d transplanted one, he wouldn’t detect it. Temporary Authority was a system-external ability, and even I, the Operator, had wondered what it was at first.

“Coming up with a workaround on the spot.”

Lucky break.

Ignoring the fall’s disorientation, Lee Taebaek grinned, celebrating his string of victories.

He didn’t know.

The effortless breakthrough came from his new Discerning Eye.

It made sense—Discerning Eye was already a Gifted ability in Raken’s. And the world allowed only one Gifted per type.

Not for him.

Operators monopolize opportunities. It was absurd, and that made them Operators. The world paved paths for his convenience everywhere.

If the world didn’t favor him, flip it. Screw balance. His Operator mindset was steadily corrupting.

He marched undefeated.

Every match a one-shot win. Spectators squirmed, thrills crawling from their soles.

His entrance shifted the atmosphere like a gear change.

Arena-goers were mostly city elites, people who stood above others. They were more familiar with the logic of power than anyone.

It applied to them too. They yielded gladly to overwhelming strength.

Humans gonna human.

Seemed they craved dominance.

Really, they yearned for a commanding leader. Charisma.

These top-of-the-pyramid types were jaded. Then Lee Taebaek dropped foes instantly.

No wonder they were hooked.

Cheers turned to chants.

“＄％baek…!” “＠＆baek…!”

Mixed, it sounded like “Hundred-Fold.”

Momentum built; his fights grew flashier. Roars swelled, until his throat went hoarse from the noise.

Plenty of forfeits too.

Opponents tapped out preemptively. For survival. Stepping in meant life-or-death.

Day one, he became a star.

“It’s going… too well…?”

Goeun gave a hollow laugh.

His wins were givens.

But owning the crowd like this? Still, he had all the makings: handsome, straightforward, mysterious.

A perfect trifecta—failure was harder.

“Hwaryeon, you didn’t see this coming either, huh.”

Chae Hakgyun probed cautiously.

“Gave up predicting him ages ago. Never moves how I expect.”

“That’s why you made him your ‘legacy’?”

“Pretty much.”

“……”

“Lighten up, punk. Anyway, finals soon. You won’t pull rank because Lee Taebaek is an apostate’s acquaintance and snatch first prize, right?”

“As if.”

Chae Hakgyun removed his glasses, rubbing his brow.

“Finals won’t be a cakewalk, though.”

“You say that after watching him?”

“Kid’s impressive, sure. But this opponent’s different. Not just power—attitude. Poisonous vibe.”

“Oho. Pretty confident, huh.”

Goeun smirked slyly.

“How about that bet we skipped last time?”

“No reason to dodge.”

As they bantered, cheers threatened to collapse the ceiling. Factions split evenly this time.

Rookie Taebaek Ri vs. defending champ. The crowd buzzed for the bloodbath. Some even slipped hands into underwear.

“What’s your surefire guy’s name?”

“Overlaps with the kid’s, funnily enough.”

Right on cue, two fighters rose from the floor.

They advanced, breaths nearly mingling. Spectators held breaths like edging climax.

“…Swallow…”

As Chae Hakgyun named him, the foe tossed his towel. Golden blond hair spilled out like sprinkled glitter.

“Hey, you.”

A face Lee Taebaek knew.

“Swallow James?”

Circuit tattoo by his left eye gleamed dangerously. Absent when he’d knelt at Resistance HQ.

Swallow (True) vs. Swallow James.

The two swallows clashed.

What an ironic twist of fate.