Chapter 155

Bеlluа, whо hаd bееn tеmporаrilу disраtсhed from the Yеllоw Magiс Towеr tо Еrindеl, wаs using а typе of detесtion mаgiс whilе drаwing uр her mаna, simultаneouslу mоnitоring аll one hundrеd arеnas.

If any dаngеrous situation seеmеd likely to ocсur, thе detection magiс shе was using had а systеm thаt wоuld immеdiately alеrt her.

‘Hmm… Тhis уеar’s pаrtiсiрants loоk quite strong? Мoreover, thеrе are sоmе pаrticipаnts who have lеarnеd а bit of magic. Oh, is that mаge frоm а Мagiс Towеr? Не’s very strоng. Seеing him usе wind mаgiс, hе seеms likе а magе frоm the Green Magic Tower.’

Bellua had not been dispatched to the Underground Arena Tournament to heal participants or ensure their safety.

Originally, it was to defeat Lexar, a mage from the Yellow Magic Tower located in Erindel, but strangely, Lexar’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

So, after investigating by roaming the city for several days, she heard a rumor that someone had wiped out Lexar’s gang overnight.

‘For now, let’s focus on the matches.’

Bellua was a mage of tremendous talent, called a ‘rising star’ even within the Yellow Magic Tower.

Thus, despite being in her twenties, she was in the upper ranks within the Yellow Magic Tower.

‘Huh? What’s this, in arena 89… No, why can’t I gauge the mana that person possesses…?!’

While checking all one hundred arenas with her detection magic, her attention was suddenly drawn to arena 89.

Because a considerable amount of mana was being sensed from arena 89.

Upon checking directly, she saw that in arena 89, hundreds of mana arrows were floating in the air.

Since the one holding the sword couldn’t have used magic, it seemed to have been created by participant number 24.

‘That’s quite a lot… To create this many mana arrows… He seems to be a fairly strong mage.’

Participant number 24.

Outwardly, he looked too thin and weak, but since the mana in his body couldn’t be gauged at all, he seemed to be an exceptionally skilled mage.

‘Wait a minute. Could it be he intends to kill…?!’

From Bellua’s perspective, a strong killing intent was felt from the mana arrows.

She quickly accelerated her mana and intervened in arena 89 in an instant.

Then, reciting an incantation rapidly in a low voice, she stretched her hand forward.

Immediately, the hundreds of mana arrows floating in the air vanished as if by magic.

“Whoa, what’s that?”

“Something must have happened in arena 89!”

“A mage intervened? What’s going on?”

“Hey, but did you see that just now? I wasn’t even curious about arena 89, so I wasn’t watching, but there were like hundreds of blue arrows floating in the air…?”

“Ah, don’t lie, you punk. Does that make sense? Then why aren’t they there now?”

“No, they disappeared as soon as that mage appeared.”

“Really?”

“I’m telling you, it’s true…?!”

The gazes of the people in the waiting area and spectator seats instantly focused on arena 89.

‘This guy… is strong.’

Khan checked the name and level of the woman standing before him.

[LV.171 Yellow Magic Tower Mage Bellua]

At a glance, she appeared to be in her early twenties. In a way, she looked so young she could almost be considered the same age as Sharin.

‘To have a higher level than Sharin…’

The mage named Bellua was a woman with long, straight dark brown hair, and her appearance was also top-tier.

Sharin also received many compliments on her looks wherever she went, but this woman gave off a feeling of being no less beautiful than Sharin.

“The match goes to participant 24, you. Let’s stop here.”

A voice that sounded angry spread from her mouth.

Since the mage from the Yellow Magic Tower, who was this match’s administrator and essentially the judge, had intervened, Khan had no further means to act.

“It’s a pity. I was planning to properly teach that ill-mannered brat a lesson. Valdes, from now on, don’t run your mouth carelessly.”

“Hic…! H-how do you know my name?!”

Valdes had never told Khan his name even once.

He was bleeding all over with arrow holes pierced through his body, but he forgot the pain because the fact that Khan knew his name was so chilling.

Then, Rodion, the host of this Underground Arena Tournament, looked toward arena 89 and shouted.

“Arena 89 is a victory for participant 24! Please both exit the arena!”

At Rodion’s shout, Khan had no choice but to step down from the arena.

Thanks to Bellua using her mana to lift him into the air, Valdes also barely managed to get out.

At first, Rodion had thought that with no judges for each of the hundred arenas in the preliminaries, it might be impossible for the matches to proceed properly and safely.

But that was Rodion’s excessive worry.

Fortunately, the mage from the Magic Tower hired by Aldrik was protecting the participants’ safety as if to show off.

‘Phew… At least safety is assured.’

He had been so focused on watching other arenas that he hadn’t properly paid attention to arena 89 for a moment, and a fatality had almost occurred there.

Luckily, it seemed the mage from the Yellow Magic Tower, who had come to heal participants’ bodies and ensure safety during this tournament, had intervened.

‘I didn’t properly see the fight in arena 89, but for a Tower mage to intervene already from the preliminaries. Come to think of it, that person number 24’s name was Khan, right? I think Viscount Aldrik mentioned it once before…’

Rodion briefly stared at Khan descending from the arena, then turned his gaze to other arenas.

* * *

Having finished his match and stepped down from the arena, Khan approached the participant waiting area and quietly sat down.

“Hahahaha!! As expected of Hyungnim!! That kind of brat really needed to be taught a lesson, but it’s a pity some meddler got involved!”

“Are you hurt anywhere, Master? You weren’t going too easy on him, were you? I was surprised at first because you only used Rank 1 Magic. I was worried you might get hurt…!”

“I’m fine, so don’t worry.”

After giving brief answers to Byutek and Sharin, Khan recalled Bellua, whom he had just encountered.

‘What kind of magic did she use exactly? For the magic I used to disappear instantly… Could it be a magic nullification skill…?’

To be precise, among the skills a mage could learn, there was a skill called ‘Magic Nullification.’

Using it allowed one to cancel magic cast by another mage.

‘I heard it’s incredibly difficult for a mage to learn the Magic Nullification skill.’

The Magic Nullification skill couldn’t be obtained through skill selection rights; it could only be acquired through training via a quest received separately from an Archmage.

Khan had focused solely on dungeon raids and tower raids to see the game’s ending and had never progressed through such trivial quests.

‘Anyway, it’s fascinating.’

Whatever it was, it didn’t matter.

If the Bellua he had just encountered were a participant in this tournament, it might have been a bit problematic, but he wouldn’t have to fight her anyway.

‘It’s a tricky magic. I should think about how to counter Magic Nullification when the opportunity arises, in preparation for the future.’

As Khan was having such thoughts, a message suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Main Quest cleared.]

[Acquired a considerable amount of experience points as a reward.]

It was a quest clear message, but unfortunately, no level up message appeared.

‘Let’s check how much experience increased.’

◈ LV.89

◈ Khan (Lee Huseong)

◈ Mana: 19140/19140

◈ Talent: Magic

◈ Experience Points: 14.3%

◈ Skills: (10★)Sage’s Heart, (8★)Growth Acceleration, (1★)Arrow, (1★)Barrier, (2★)Fire Boom, (2★)Fireball, (2★)Mirror Defense, (2★)Mana Enhancement, (1★)Wind Cutter, (3★)Dragon’s Breath, (4★)Mana Circulation, (4★)Power Amplification, (4★)Space-Time Leap, (5★)Dark Flame, (1★)Wind Drill, (4★)Flame Curtain

Checking his Status Window, Khan’s experience points had precisely increased by 10% compared to before.

‘At this rate, I might be able to level up during the tournament?’

Actually, in a way, the experience only increased by 10%, but Khan had a separate reason for thinking this.

Because the next Main Quest and its reward had newly appeared before his eyes.

• [Achieve 2 wins in the Underground Arena Tournament.]

• Will you accept the Main Quest?

• Refusal will make future quest progression impossible.

• Reward: A fairly large amount of experience points, progression to the next quest

As soon as Khan saw the new Main Quest appearing before his eyes, he immediately accepted it.

[Main Quest accepted.]

Since the preliminaries would continue until only 64 finalists remained, he would have to compete a few more times going forward.

Moreover, this quest reward wasn’t a considerable amount of experience points but ‘a fairly large amount of experience points.’

Thus, it would increase much more than just 10% experience.

Time passed, and then Byutek and Sharin were called to the arena again.

“Hahaha! Hyungnim! I’ll be back!”

“I’ll be back too, Master!”

Checking the levels of the opponents the two would face, they weren’t very high, so he wasn’t worried.

“Number 24! Number 581! Please enter arena 65!”

After that, Khan’s turn approached again.

This time, his opponent was in the 30s level, so he could win the match very easily.

By the time Khan finished his match and returned, Byutek and Sharin were also sitting in their seats looking very relaxed.

The three each competed in one more preliminary match and advanced to the main tournament.

* * *

“Kekekeke, it’s indeed entertaining. Who would have thought I’d see a mage of that caliber in a place like this.”

Dramos, who had participated in the Underground Arena Tournament and been assigned number 7, was finishing each match in one second and watching Khan and Byutek’s matches from afar.

“By the way, that Byutek guy has really grown absurdly. His talent for bone and muscle is on a level no one else can match.”

Byutek was one thing, but what currently occupied his mind was the mage named Khan.

‘I want to fight him soon. This feeling is a long time coming.’

Seeing a strong opponent after a long time made his old heart beat rapidly.

A small ember buried deep in his heart was beginning to flare up.