Chapter 154

“Соntеstаnts number 24 and 132, рlеаsе рroceеd tо Arenа 89!”

Arenа 89 wаsn’t fаr frоm whеrе Khan аnd his group wеrе waiting.

“Наhаhаhа! Hуungnim! Go finish it quiсkly and соmе bаck!”

“Mаster, wеll, you’re gоing tо win anyway, right!”

Вуutek and Sharin eaсh mаde a comment whilе lоoking at Кhan, but Кhаn gаvе no responsе.

The rеаsоn he said nоthing.

It wаs bеcausе of his first matсh opponеnt.

‘Shаrin and Bуutеk got рretty еasy oрpоnеnts, so why did I have to gеt somеоnе like this оn my turn…!’

Khаn’s сurrеnt Level wаs 89.

Leаving thе раrtiсipаnt wаiting аreа аnd heading up to the arena, Khan once again checked the figure of his opponent coming up from the opposite side and the Level floating above his head.

[LV.97 Adventurer of Arcana Valdes]

His opponent seemed to be an adventurer active in Arcana, and his Level was a whopping 97.

Since he was a guy with a Level 8 higher than Khan’s, worry took precedence from the very first match.

‘This… is quite worrying.’

Moreover, his opponent was in a similar class to Byutek.

A Warrior Class adventurer who, like Byutek, had a large build and used a large Greatsword.

‘He just looks ridiculously strong.’

In truth, even if he was a guy around Level 97, Khan felt he could win easily.

However, no matter how easy an opponent might be to defeat, he had to fight while carefully managing his Skills and Mana.

After the match ended, the Mages from the Yellow Magic Tower waiting would heal his injuries, but they wouldn’t restore consumed Mana.

Since Khan was aiming for nothing less than victory, he had to use the minimum Mana necessary and conserve Skills with long Cooldowns like ‘Mirror Defense’ as much as possible.

“Hmph…! Looks like I got a fool for my first match.”

Valdes, who had climbed up to the arena, looked at Khan standing opposite him and snorted contemptuously.

From his perspective, Khan looked about three times smaller than himself and so weak that a flick of a finger would knock him down.

“That bastard, how dare he! Hey, what did you just say?! You wanna die?!”

“Just growing big like a mountain for nothing…! Excuse me! You might die for running your mouth unnecessarily, so be quiet! How dare you speak to Master…!”

Byutek and Sharin, who were watching in front of Arena 89, flew into a rage upon hearing Valdes’s words.

Hearing the insults directed at him from behind, Valdes’s face immediately twisted into a scowl as he glared in the direction the voice came from.

‘Those guys…!!!’

The two people who had just insulted him were individuals Valdes knew.

To be precise, he had just seen them for the first time a little while ago, but their matches were so impactful that he remembered them clearly.

‘That guy bigger than me was a monster so strong that blades couldn’t even penetrate him. And that little kid was a Magic prodigy…!’

To Valdes, both Byutek and Sharin seemed nothing less than monsters.

Valdes’s face, which had been glaring fiercely just moments before, instantly turned amiable, and he quickly averted his eyes.

‘You bastards… I’ll remember this humiliation clearly and pay you back!’

Truthfully, Valdes couldn’t do anything directly to the two of them.

Because he felt that even if he fought, he would likely lose to those two.

However, his opponent, number 24, whom those two seemed quite fond of.

If he beat that guy half to death, wouldn’t that be a proper way to pay those two back?

“Kehehehe… Sorry, but today I’m going to beat you to within an inch of your life!”

“……”

Khan looked at Valdes spouting nonsense while staring at him and said nothing.

He didn’t particularly feel this guy was worth a response.

‘It’s best to finish this as quickly as possible.’

Khan had no intention of revealing his full strength.

In these hundred arenas and the participant waiting area, there would also be Dramos, Byutek’s Master and the captain of the Kingdom of Sinsiniel’s guard.

Since that person might be watching this match, he had to use his Skills sparingly, conserving even one if possible.

‘I have a rough idea of how to end this.’

Among the Skills he possessed, he had completely planned out how to take down the muscle pig in front of him using only combinations of his weakest Skill and Skills with low Mana Consumption.

After Khan and Valdes climbed onto the arena and a certain amount of time passed, numbers began counting down on the tall cylindrical pillar rising in the center, along with the number 89.

And so, the match in Arena 89 began.

“I’ll turn your face into a bloody mess!!”

The moment the match started, Valdes drew the Greatsword from his back and gripped it with both hands.

During that time, Khan quickly drew up Mana and also spun the three Circles in his heart at high speed.

Using Skills in this state would significantly increase their power and range compared to using them normally.

With all preparations complete, Khan immediately cast a Skill.

* * *

“Hmm, what’s this. In Arena 89, just looking at it, that big guy is going to win.”

“Looks boring! Let’s go watch somewhere else!”

“Right, how did someone so scrawny even participate in this tournament?”

“Judging just by size, he seems like someone who learned a bit of Magic… probably just mediocre, whatever.”

Participants in the waiting area who were watching other contestants’ matches glanced at Arena 89 and immediately lost interest.

“Poor guy, number 24. Of all people to meet, he had to meet Valdes…”

“Right. Valdes is even rumored to be quite strong in Arcana.”

“Well… they say Valdes soloed a D-Rank Gate near Arcana.”

“What? Soloed a D-Rank? That guy’s no joke…. Number 132… I should remember him. Please, I hope I don’t meet him later…!”

Valdes seemed to be an adventurer with some reputation even in Arcana, as several participants whispered among themselves while looking at him.

Khan, who was drawing up Mana and even spinning his Circles, could hear their words because in this state, his vision and hearing were significantly enhanced.

‘D-Rank Gate…? What does that mean?’

The term ‘D-Rank Gate’ was something he was hearing for the first time.

‘As soon as I leave Erindel, I should go to Arcana first.’

It seemed there were many things Khan didn’t know that existed in Arcana.

Meanwhile, the people in the spectator stands also paid no attention to Arena 89.

“Arena 89… just looking at it, that big guy is going to win!”

“No need to watch that one. Looks too boring, doesn’t it?”

“Right, let’s go watch other arenas!”

The people in the spectator stands also, upon seeing Khan and Valdes, naturally thought Valdes would win.

Looking at the two standing there, it was like an adult versus an elementary school student.

“I’ll kill you!”

Valdes, gripping the large Greatsword with both hands, charged at Khan at high speed.

‘This much should be enough with a Barrier.’

Khan possessed two defensive Skills.

The recently acquired ‘Flame Curtain’ and ‘Barrier’, a Skill acquired almost from the very beginning.

[Skill ‘Barrier’ has been used.]

This was the first time using ‘Barrier’ after acquiring three Circles and having more Mana, and it was noticeably thicker than before.

Of course, this sturdy Barrier was only visible to Khan.

The transparent, thin curtain created before Khan’s eyes.

Valdes, charging rapidly, swung his large Greatsword with all his might, unaware that a curtain was spread before Khan.

“Die!!”

Swoooooosh!!!

Craaaaaash!!!

Kwaaaaaaang!!!

Crack…!

A thin crack appeared on the Barrier Khan created, but regardless, it had blocked the guy’s attack once.

‘Now I just need to take him down as quickly as possible.’

Against a Level 97 Warrior Class adventurer, there was only one Skill Khan could use.

To minimize exposure of his full strength, he had to use ‘Arrow’, the weakest Skill he possessed.

‘Arrow’, obtained as a 1st-grade Hidden Skill, had zero Mana Consumption, allowing infinite use.

Similarly, Khan had also never used the ‘Arrow’ Skill after creating three Circles and gaining more Mana.

‘I wonder just how much stronger Arrow has become.’

Vooooom…!!!

[Skill ‘Arrow’ has been used.]

A blue light spread from Khan’s body, and dozens of blue Mana arrows appeared around him.

The blue Mana arrows increased from dozens to hundreds, and now there were so many it was impossible to count how many there were.

“Wha, what is this! What the hell is going on with you?!”

He had thought the guy was utterly weak, but as Mana arrows appeared around him, Valdes shouted with a panicked expression.

‘I have to block it somehow!’

The Mana contained in the Mana arrows didn’t seem that great, so Valdes thought he might be able to block the arrows if he did well.

As Khan stretched his hand forward, the hundreds of Mana arrows floating in the air simultaneously shot towards Valdes at tremendous speed.

Valdes swung his large Greatsword to knock them away, but blocking hundreds of arrows was beyond his capability.

Mana arrows pierced his arms, legs, and all over his body, and red blood gushed out from between them.

“Gyaaaaaaah!!! S, stop!! Spare me!!!”

Valdes cried out for his life, but the Mana arrows didn’t stop and continued flying towards him.

The moment a Mana arrow was about to fly towards Valdes’s head.

Swish, swish, swish…!!

Suddenly, someone appeared inside the arena as if they had Teleported.

As she stretched out her hand, the Mana arrows instantly disappeared like Magic.

She looked at Khan with a slightly angry expression and slowly opened her mouth.

“The match goes to number 24, your victory. Let’s end it here.”