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chapter 5




In the early stages of Arth, many users had come here, the underground arena.
It was to complete this special quest, which had no level restriction.
It was like people getting off work and going home at dinnertime while it was raining on the 9th Seoul subway line express train.
In other words, it was packed!
However, there weren’t that many people here.
‘It makes sense. There’s no way to beat it.’
The Fight Against 100 Men was much too difficult, so no one had ever cleared it.
Even the rankers that occassionally appeared on TV had all failed too.
“If there’s anyone who can clear this quest, I’ll give you whatever you want!” Sephiro had shouted after failing the 100 man fight.
He was a famous ranker known as the Archer of Wind.
“I’ll ask you one last time. Challenger, will you attempt the Fight Against 100 Men? You only have one shot,” Burkan said.
The Fight Against 100 Men!
The quest with a 0% chance of success.
The challenger’s skills and items are sealed, and their stats are fixed at 10 a piece.
Furthermore, the player was blinded.
It was a cruel quest that forced the player to fight against 100 gladiators simultaneously with such limitations imposed on them!
100 gladiators would fight against a single blinded challenger.
In addition, one could only attempt the Fight Against 100 Men once.
This quest, which boasted the greatest of difficulty, was the Fight Against 100 Men.
To make matters worse, Kang Oh was only level 1. It was obviously an unthinkable attempt.
However, Kang Oh didn’t think his choice was foolish.
‘Right now, I have the best chance!’
He’d heard that the strength of the gladiators depended on one’s level.
He was sure, as he’d obtained this information from a player who’d deleted their character and created a new character to attempt the Fight Against 100 Men again.
In other words, if he fought as he was now as a level 1, then the gladiators would also be at their weakest.
He’d also heard that these feeble gladiators would go down in a single hit.
Thus, this was the best time for Kang Oh, who possessed Hyper Intuition, to complete this quest.
“Yes, I will!” Kang Oh shouted.
“Alright. Place your hand on the snake’s head. If you do, then the contract will be complete and the doors will open. The challenge will then begin.”
Kang Oh stepped in front of the iron gate.
There was an amphisbaena, or a two-headed snake, carved on the iron gate.
‘The carving almost looks real.’
The amphisbaena was the symbol of the Goddess of Contracts, one who the merchants of the game believed in.
It was said that the amphisbaena would bite the contractee, and if they broke the contract, the two-headed snake’s venom would kill them.
Thus, getting bitten by the snake meant one was willing to lay down their life to fulfill their end of the contract.
‘It won’t really bite, right?’
Kang Oh carefully placed his hand on the snake’s head.
[Beginning the Battle Against 100 Men.]
Screech.
The heavy iron gate screeched as it scraped against the ground.
“Good luck.”
Burkan pushed on Kang Oh’s back.
[Please select the item you will use in the Fight Against 100 Men.]
Kang Oh saw a chest containing a variety of weapons before him.
A double-edged sword, a spear, a single-edged sword, a dagger, etc.
In Warlord, Kang Oh wielded a greatsword.
But rather than a greatsword, Kang Oh picked a steel sword instead.
‘Let’s show them the skills I’ve learned in the last half a year.’
It didn’t really matter anyway, since the gladiators would go down in a single hit.
Meaning he didn’t need to wield a large and heavy weapon.
“Film.”
Once he’d picked his weapon, Kang Oh activated Film Mode.
In Arth, players were provided with an AI that would automatically film them.
As expected of a brand-new game!
Yet there were no videos on the Fight Against 100 Men.
This was because at the moment of failure, the filming would be discontinued and recorded content would be deleted.
‘Who knows what’ll happen if I complete it though.’
If he managed to clear the Fight Against 100 Men and the recording remained intact, then it would definitely turn into money.
That’s how notorious the Fight Against 100 Men was!
And…
Kang Oh’s attempt would now begin.
[As per the contract, your items, skills, and sight are sealed away. All stats are set to 10.]
[The Fight Against 100 Men will begin in 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.]
[Begin!]
He was already level 1, so this stat change was meaningless.
He didn’t have any items or skills either.
His sight went black, as if he wore a blindfold without any openings.
‘Think of it as training.’
Hadn’t he already trained at the fencing school whilst wearing a blindfold? For this very moment!
Someone who does something often can do it without restraint. Though he couldn’t see what was in front of him, he felt calm.
At that moment, he felt a chill on his shoulder.
‘It does work!’
Hyper Intuition: all clear!
Kang Oh, having slightly pulled his shoulder away, thrust his sword according to his Hyper Intuition.
Thump.
A clean hit.
His hand was tingling with excitement.
[99 gladiators remaining.]
One down!
“Come on!” Kang Ho yelled.
Now, things would begin in earnest.
* * *
‘I think I have a feel for the structure of this place.’
As his fight against the gladiators continued, Kang Oh had approximated the shape of the area.
He was surrounded by walls, and it was about the size of a high school gym. There were no obstacles, at least any that were out of the ordinary, and the ground was just dirt.
It was probably the original stadium where the gladiatorial contests were held.
And there were still several gladiators left.
He sensed the presence of a gladiator approaching. He was able to dodge its attack with his Hyper Intuition and counterattack at the same time.
Whack!
[51 gladiators remaining.]
[Remaining Stamina: 10]
[Due to the Indomitable stat, your abilities do not decrease.]
It wasn’t like everything was all peachy just because he was level 1.
When one leveled up, their Stamina would increase by 1. Thus, Kang Ho’s stamina was at its lowest.
‘I should wait for them to come to me.’
The lower one’s Stamina, the lower their abilities became. When one’s Stamina reached 0, they became unable to move.
Kang Oh stayed in one place and waited for them to attack.
If they didn’t attack him, then he’d replenish his Stamina. If they did, he’d minimize his movements and counterattack.
He felt a chill!
Kang Oh leaned to the side and counterattacked; as per his Hyper Intuition, he thrust his sword to where he assumed their neck was.
[You have defeated 50 gladiators. The remaining gladiators will now attack more cautiously.]
“Hoo.”
The gladiators’ ceased their attacks.
Kang Oh’s gradually began to replenish his Stamina. But by decreasing their numbers, it simultaneously became a lot harder.
Ring!
It felt as though he’d heard a whistling noise that signaled the start of the second half of the fight.
* * *
Kang Oh’s sword felled another one of the gladiators.
[10 gladiators remaining. The gladiators are enraged, and will come at you quicker and more fiercely than before.]
[Remaining HP: 20]
At some point, the 1 against 100 had turned into a 1 against 10.
However, the lower their numbers became, the harder the fight got.
When there were 40 gladiators left, 2 of them would attack from front and back.
When there were 20 gladiators left, 4 of them would attack from all directions.
Though he possessed Hyper Intuition, he couldn’t hope to dodge four simultaneous attacks in all directions.
Thus, Kang Oh’s Hp had fallen to 20. If he was hit even 2 more times, then he would fail the quest.
But now they were enraged as well!
‘Damn it!’
Kang Oh didn’t even have the time to breathe.
The enraged gladiators attacked from all directions.
He felt a chill all over his body!
There was no way he could block their attacks, so he rolled onto the floor. However, his Stamina sharply diminished.
But he didn’t just sit there and take it.
Kang Oh swung his sword low, as if he were sweeping the ground.
Tak! (Thud)
He felt something in his hand. Kang Oh felt one of the gladiators fall.
He assumed a low posture once more and swung his blade.
Peok! (Thump)
[9 gladiators remaining.]
No time to celebrate.
The enraged gladiators continued their assault.
They were probably stabbing at him, as he was rolling on the floor.
And Kang Oh continued to roll on the floor.
* * *
The Fight Against 100 Men.
It was like he was on a tightrope and was at risk for falling again and again.
Despite that, with his intense concentration, Hyper Intuition, as well as his experience training blindfolded in the dojo, Kang Oh was able to reach the final level of the quest.
Thump!
He felt a prickly feeling in his sword hand.
[1 gladiator remaining.]
[The final gladiator, Darion, who has been watching this entire time, will now enter the fray.]
[He is the most skilled gladiator.]
“You have my respect,” the final gladiator, Darion, said to him.
“I’d like to fight you fair and square. Replenish your HP and Stamina to their fullest. I won’t attack before then.”
Darion’s consideration caused Kang Oh’s mind to go into overdrive.
‘I can use this…’
He thought of a great idea.
“Thank you for your consideration, great gladiator.”
Kang Oh plopped onto the ground. Once he began resting, his Stamina began to replenish quickly.
Of course, his HP was also replenishing as well.
Kang Oh, having replenished both his HP and Stamina, stood up.
“Could you please tell me your name?”
“My name is Darion. I am Gladiator Master, Burkan’s final pupil.”
Darion’s voice welled with pride.
“As I thought. I’ve heard about you before. That you’re the pupil that Master Burkan cared for the most.”
“I’m nothing compared to my master’s fame.”
“That’s not true. To think I’d be able to fight with you at the end. It’s truly an honor. I will fight you with pride.”
Kang Oh’s voice sounded honest.
“Mm, as expected of a challenger who beat 99 gladiators. I will also face you with honor and pride.”
Darion grabbed his weapon.
“Then, I’m coming.”
“Come!”
Kang Oh rushed over with a serious expression. Darion’s expression was also somber.
Clash.
Kang!
Their swords clashed against each other.
At that moment, Kang Oh threw something at Darion’s face.
Dirt.
“Ugh.”
The dirt had gone into Darion’s eyes. Kang Oh, upon hearing Darion’s cries, smirked.
‘Just as planned!’
Led by his Hyper Intuition, Kang Oh then precisely thrust his sword into Darion’s heart area.
Thump!
Such a nice sound, one that seemed to lift a huge weight off his shoulders. It was probably a critical hit, with shards of red light scattered about.
“Y-You…!” Darion said indignantly, having fallen to the ground.
“What did you say your name was again? Oh, Darion, right? You made me fight 1 against 100 and you want me to fight fair and square? Give me a break,” Kang Oh said sarcastically.
In the first place, the Fight Against 100 Men was a dogfight. There were no rules and nothing was foul. All that mattered was victory!
In other words…
‘Whoever gets tricked is a dumbass.’
Kang Oh had went with the flow and made Darion lower his guard. Then, he’d thrown dirt into Darion’s face and backstabbed him. Even so, Kang Oh felt his actions were completely justified.
[You have defeated the final gladiator, Darion.]
[You have conquered the Fight Against 100 Men. A truly amazing feat! Please find Burkan to obtain your reward.]
Finally!
That was the moment that Kang Oh had completed the quest which had caused so many other players such despair and had a success rate of 0%!
* * *
Once he was finished with the quest, his sight returned to him.
As expected, the Fight Against 100 Men was in a circular arena. He didn’t see any of the gladiators he’d fought against.
“First things first…”
He checked his recording of the fight.
His fight, from start to finish, had been recorded.
‘Yes!’
Kang Oh shook with happiness. This would definitely turn into money!
Plus, there was still the reward for completing the quest, the quest with such an insane difficulty.
“I wonder what they’ll give me. Hehe.”
Once he got to the iron gate, the doors opened automatically.
And Burkan was right there.
“Good work, Challenger,” Burkan said.
[The Gladiator Master, Burkan, has acknowledged you as a great fighter.]
[Fame has increased.]
[Closeness to Burkan has increased significantly.]
[Once your closeness is maxed out, you may learn Burkan’s secret techniques.]
‘An opportunity!’
Kang Oh realized that this was his chance to increase his closeness to Burkan.
‘It’s been a while, but let’s trying buttering him up.’
Like workers with their superiors, gamers flattered NPCs.
Since NPCs were the ones who gave the players their quests or rewards.
Thus, Kang Oh was accustomed to flattering NPCs and was good at it at that.
“This is all due to Lord Rakan’s grace,” Kang Oh said with the most modest face he could muster.
Most gladiators worshipped the God of War and Victory, Rakan.
In order to get into Burkan’s good graces, Kang Oh had brought up Rakan.
It was like flattering parents; the best way to butter them up was to praise their kids!
“Indeed, this is all due to Lord Rakan’s grace. Follow me.”
[Your closeness to Burkan has increased.]
‘What a good start!’
Kang Oh prepared more flattery and followed behind Burkan.
“My name is Kang Oh.”
“I’m Burkan.”
“I know. I’ve always admired you. It’s an honor to be walking beside you, Master Burkan. But Master Burkan, may I call you older brother?”
The flattery kept on coming.
“Mm.”
“Brother Burkan!”
We’re brothers!
[Closeness has increased significantly.]
“My younger sister’s really pretty. She’s called the reincarnation of the Goddess of Beauty, Erina. Now that I think about it, you haven’t gotten married yet, have you?”
A honey-trap!
[Closeness with Burkan has increased exponentially.]
“I’m also from Rain’s Training Center. I went there because I heard you attended there in the past.”
He’d only been there for a short time, short enough to drink a cup of coffee, but whatever. Connections!
“But I got beat up by Master Rain. Did he hit you too?”
It was a lie. Was he hit once?
“I was roughed up quite a bit too.”
“He’s such a ill-tempered and merciless old man. Isn’t that right, Bro?”
“Mm.”
Cussing out someone he hates in his stead!
“But did you know how far apart Master Rain’s age and his wife’s is? They’re actually 30 years apart. This is a crime. A serious crime!”
“T-That’s true.”
Burkan was an old bachelor. Kang Oh kept introducing topics that would anger an old bachelor like him.
Ultimately, Burkan couldn’t help but agree with him.
[Closeness has increased significantly.]
[Closeness has been maxed out.]
[You and Burkan are no longer strangers. You can now learn Burkan’s techniques.]
“Brother!”
“Little brother!”
Close-knit brotherly ties formed through all manner of flattery and back talk!