Chapter 167

Тhе раrticipаnts wеrе аlsо given machinеs thаt allowеd them to рlасе bеts just likе the spеctatоrs.

Кhan, whо hаd bееn rеfraining frоm betting sеparаtеlу tо analуze thе others’ cоmbаt power, plасed his bet on Byutеk, bеlieving in his victory in this matсh.

‘I bеt all five hundrеd gold соins I hаd, but whо would have thought it wоuld turn out like this.’

Fivе hundrеd gоld coins.

Fivе hundrеd gоld coins wаs a huge sum, еnough to buy a mаnsiоn in a deсеnt citу.

Thanks tо clearing Quеsts and аssisting аnd interacting with nobles, Кhan hаd mаnаged tо acсumulаtе quite a lоt of mоnеу.

Ву betting аll this mоnеy оn Вyutek, Khan was now set to receive an enormous amount.

The betting odds for Darenvalt and Byutek were around 9 to 1.

As a result, Khan received roughly eight times his bet.

“Four thousand gold coins. I won’t have to worry about money for a while now.”

With four thousand gold coins, one could even buy an entire small village.

‘When I go to Arcana, I’ll have to spend all the gold coins I have to buy Artifacts.’

Though not certain, according to Khan’s expectations, Arcana would likely be the largest and most developed city in the Kingdom of Sinsiniel.

Therefore, once he reached Arcana, there would surely be many expensive and high-quality Artifacts.

All the gold coins he was saving now were funds for future Artifacts.

‘While buying mine, I can also get ones for Byutek and Sharin.’

Since more money was accumulating than Khan had initially thought, he felt he could also purchase Artifacts for Byutek and Sharin.

Meanwhile, unlike Khan, several people were seen screaming in agony.

“No, my money!! I bet my entire fortune, and Darenvalt lost?! Is this match-fixing?!”

“Give me back my money, you bastards!!! That’s money I worked hard for!!”

“It doesn’t make sense for Darenvalt to lose! This is clearly match-fixing!!”

Since most of the spectators had bet on Darenvalt, the screams showed no signs of subsiding.

“Everyone, quiet! Betting is just betting. If you continue to cause a disturbance, you may be expelled from the arena! We will proceed with the next match after arena maintenance, so please take a short break!”

At the shout of the tournament host, Rodion, the people in the spectator seats immediately fell silent.

Causing further disturbance here might displease Aldrik, the master of Erindel.

If unlucky, they could be dragged away somewhere and beaten to near death or even killed without anyone knowing.

Byutek, who had descended from the arena and returned to his seat, laughed heartily and shouted.

“Hahahahaha!! Little brother! How was this big brother’s skill?!”

“Stop it already…. But well, you’ve gotten a lot stronger. Now you’re finally on my level, huh?”

“Hahaha! Yeah, Sharin, you’re strong, so that’s high praise coming from you.”

Sharin had no choice but to acknowledge Byutek’s skill now.

After all, Byutek had truly reached the level of a Knight.

She even thought he might be stronger than most ordinary Knights.

Khan looked at Byutek and Sharin and slowly opened his mouth.

“Byutek, well done. You’ve gotten much stronger.”

“Hahaha! Thank you, Hyungnim! Isn’t this all thanks to you?!”

“What did I do? It’s all because you met a good Master. Go and at least greet your Master.”

“Ah, yes! Understood!”

To be honest, Khan genuinely felt grateful to Dramos, who had nurtured Byutek’s talent and made him this strong.

Thinking back to when he first met Byutek and how he kept following him around, it was almost miraculous why he hadn’t abandoned Byutek back then.

‘If I had abandoned Byutek and set off on adventures alone back then, the future would have changed a lot. In a way, I might not have even met Sharin. Seeing how close Byutek is with Sharin now…’

Byutek had been kind to Sharin from the moment they first met.

To some extent, Byutek’s influence likely played a role in Sharin leaving her father’s side to become Khan’s Disciple and embark on adventures together.

‘And that Byutek has become this strong…. The current Byutek is at a level even stronger than me.’

As Khan thought this, he watched from afar as Byutek went to talk with Dramos, who was standing on the opposite side.

‘How on earth do I defeat that guy Dramos….’

Khan had to win against Dramos no matter what.

If he didn’t win this Underground Arena Tournament, the Main Quest would likely remain uncleared, and as a result, all future Main Quests would be permanently blocked.

Then, not only would seeing the ending of <Geo Arc> be impossible, but returning to reality would also become absolutely impossible.

‘I must raise my Level by any means necessary. I also need to manage my Mana as well as possible.’

Khan had used a considerable amount of Mana in the previous round of 16 match, but his Mana Recovery speed was better than expected.

‘I should check it.’

While watching Byutek’s match, Khan opened his Status Window to see how much Mana he had recovered.

◈ LV.89

◈ Khan (Lee Huseong)

◈ Mana: 19140/19140

◈ Talent: Magic

◈ Experience Points: 79.3%

◈ 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

Upon opening the Status Window to check, Khan’s Mana had fully recovered.

‘Even though I used quite a bit of Mana, it recovered this quickly. My Mana Recovery power suddenly improved. Why?’

Though Khan couldn’t properly understand the reason, his Mana Recovery speed had increased, so it was a good situation regardless.

He looked at Byutek and Dramos and slowly spoke to Sharin, who was standing beside him.

“Sharin, the next match is your turn. Aren’t you nervous?”

“Ah, well… My opponent seems a bit strong, so I am a little nervous, but it’s fine! I’m going to win anyway, hehe.”

“Right, you’re going to win anyway. Since Darenvalt, who was mentioned as a contender for this tournament’s championship, lost to Byutek, Silvia, another contender, will also lose to you. After all, you have superior talent and are stronger.”

“That’s obvious! Whose Disciple do you think I am?! I’ll win as soon as the match starts!”

“Good.”

After about ten minutes passed, the arena maintenance was completed.

As if to announce this, Rodion grabbed the microphone again.

“Now, everyone! You’ve waited long enough! Before starting the third match of the round of 16, let me first introduce the two contestants! They are Silvia, the strongest contender for this tournament’s championship, and Sharin, who has shown incredible Magic skills!”

Rodion introduced the two by mentioning Silvia and Sharin’s names.

“Both contestants, please step up onto the arena!”

Following Rodion’s words, both Silvia and Sharin walked up onto the arena.

Before going up, Sharin looked at Khan and Byutek’s faces once each and left a remark.

“I’ll finish quickly and come back!”

Her tone was quite confident, as if the nervousness from earlier had vanished.

“Now, let the match between the two contestants begin!”

With Rodion’s shout, the countdown started.

As soon as the countdown ended, Silvia and Sharin’s gazes sharpened.

* * *

Bellua, the manager of the Underground Arena Tournament.

She was still in great shock after watching Byutek’s match earlier.

‘Just how strong is his power to shatter my shield so easily? It was clearly a Sword Aura with no Mana felt at all. What on earth is that Byutek person…?’

Moreover, Byutek was someone who traveled with Khan, the person she was most concerned about.

‘That Mage named Khan is like that, and that Knight named Byutek is like that too. Why are they all so strong? Where did such people come from? Then, is that child Sharin also that strong? From the matches so far, she seemed quite talented, but not at an overwhelmingly strong level.’

In Bellua’s view, Silvia would obviously win this match.

Silvia was a powerful Mage, and the difference in skill between her and Bellua herself didn’t seem enormous.

In contrast, Sharin seemed naturally talented in Mana, but the level of Magic she used wasn’t particularly high.

“Sir Binsen.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Bellua, curious if Binsen, who shared the tournament manager role with her, thought the same, decided to ask him.

“Sir Binsen, who do you think will win this match?”

“Well, of course Silvia will win. That child Silvia is quite talented. She seems like a Mage skilled enough that I’d want to bring her to our Magic Tower.”

“Hmm… From what I see, that child Sharin also seems quite talented?”

“Sharin? That child also seems talented in Mana, but… that’s about it. Her talent for Magic is really not great. The level of Magic she’s used so far is too low.”

“So Sir Binsen thinks so too. I also think Silvia will win.”

“But why are you making such an expression?”

“Hmm, indeed. I’m sure Silvia will win… but somehow, I also have a feeling Sharin might win.”

There was only one reason she thought Sharin might win.

She was part of the group traveling with Khan, and Byutek, who traveled with him, was incredibly strong.

She couldn’t help but wonder if Sharin was also hiding some other incredible something.

“Haha, then let’s see. Whether your feeling is right or not.”

“Yes.”

The two began to intently watch the match between Sharin and Silvia.