We smoked on the rooftop and came down to the first floor on time. There was a group of Colosseum battle partic.i.p.ants waiting there. Group 1 naturally had Gyeonso Dragon and his expression was pretty serious. Group 2 had me and Reinhardt. There was also an unnamed magician and a person with a greatsword. They were in Group 2 like me...

“...?”

What? Why were they staring at me? Those who were in the same group as me looked away the moment our eyes met. My eyes narrowed as I watched them act like nothing had happened. Then they coughed. “Cough cough.”

“Cough. Was my greatsword repaired well today?”

The magician rubbed his hat while the swordsman gripped his greatsword. I became even more suspicious because they were acting like this. What was going on?

“Wow, it is finally starting. Hehe.”

I turned my gaze to the familiar voice. It was Group 3 with Mido. Immediately behind her were Kim Hyeonu and Park Taehyeon and they flinched as soon as they saw me. Additionally, that d.a.m.n clown...

“He is a disgusting guy.”

He was still staring at me with an expression that desired to kill me. I couldn't leave him alone. I had to kill him properly once I had the chance.

“Ah, Grandfather Muyeol. Good morning~!”

Mido raised her head and then some big people, including Park Muyeol appeared. I couldn't believe he was the smallest one among them. This world seemed really big.

“Mido, haven't you become prettier in the meantime? Hahaha!”

“Really? As expected, Grandfather Muyeol has discerning eyes. Hoho.”

What was this? It was killing me. Park Muyeol looked over here and winked. I didn't know what he wanted me to do. Did he want me to compliment him? I tried to ignore his wink.

I looked ahead and saw the host from the other day. There was a board in his hand to do the matching of opponents. “Now everyone. Today is the day of the round of 16 in the Colosseum. Please write your name here before it starts. Since it is a formal compet.i.tion, you will have to fight under your name.”

Based on his words, everyone came out and wrote their names. Group 1 finished and then it was Group 2's turn.

Reinhardt smiled at the host. "Wuhahaha! My name is Reinhardt!”

“You have to write it down yourself...”

“Hahaha! That's right! I forgot!”

Then he held the small pen in his hand. I didn't know how big his hands were but the pen looked like chalk. Just then, I heard a loud shattering sound.

“......”

The atmosphere became static. The pen in Reinhardt's hand shattered into powder.

The host sighed. “...I'll help you.”

“Hahaha! Thank you!” Reinhardt returned to his seat like a gorilla. His eyes were round like he had seen something good. He didn't seem to have any real idea.

It was my turn after him. The moment I received the new pen, I wrote my name in the designated place. Then I turned around...

“......”

The partic.i.p.ants exuded a very strong killing intent. They stared at me with fierce eyes. It was the three people from Group 1 and two people from Group 2. In Group 3, it was the clown and that guy called Park Taehyeon. In Group 4, everyone except for Park Muyeol and Hutton were staring at me with a desire to kill me.

“Hmmm...”

I returned to my seat. Why did today seem to be a long day?

* * *

We finished writing our names and finally set foot in the Colosseum. We moved in groups and, guided by the host, we entered through the secret pa.s.sage. Even so, I couldn't shake off the ominous feeling. I could feel the gazes of those around me. It was getting on my nerves.

“Partic.i.p.ants are encouraged to wait here. The compet.i.tion will start shortly after the speech from Kaidan, the owner of the Colosseum. It will start straight away.”

The host told us this before disappearing somewhere. The waiting room here was silent. Everyone seemed determined to fight.

-Park Muyeol: Are you nervous?

-Jackson: Not really.

-Park Muyeol: Let's go for a smoke.

-Jackson: I'm fine. If I smoke, I will lose my stats for a while.

-Park Muyeol: Ah, that's right. There was this. I forgot.

He truly was an impulsive man. Another whisper arrived while we were having such a conversation.

-Gyeonso Dragon: I wish you good luck.

-Jackson: Yes. Thank you. Maybe you will be in the first match?

According to the host, the round of 16 would be held group by group. This meant the first ones were naturally Group 1 and Gyeonso Dragon was in Group 1.

-Gyeonso Dragon: Yes. Haha. That's right.

-Jackson: Have strength. Be sure to win. That is the only way you will fight me.

-Gyeonso Dragon: Of course. The Chinese president got in touch with me yesterday. It is a matter of the country's honor so I will be sure to win. The community considers the confrontation between me and Reinhardt a hot topic. It is a showdown between China and Germany. There will probably be a lot of reporters in the audience.

-Jackson: Hrmm. Really?

China's president was like the president of South Korea...

I thought he was great to get a phone call from such a person. However, it wasn't pleasant to hear that a lot of reporters would be present.

-Gyeonso Dragon: I'm sorry. I'm afraid I made things bigger. I know you dislike being exposed to the media.

-Jackson: I'm fine. It has already happened.

If I was a bit younger then I probably would've hated it. Yet as the years pa.s.sed, I was able to accept what had already happened. Well, in some ways, it was a skill that only elderly people about to turn 70 had.

-Gyeonso Dragon: Thank you for understanding.

-Jackson: Why is this necessary between us?

I raised my head and in the distance, I could see Gyeonso Dragon giving me a thumbs up. I smiled and turned to the place where Mido was. She was scolding Kim Hyeonu and Park Taehyeon. I increased my hearing using super sensitivity and listened to their conversation. 

“No, Oppa. Why did you ask me if Uncle Dark Wolf and I know each other?” These were Mido's words. They said she knew me?

“That son of a b.i.t.c.h said it yesterday. Your grandfather asked Dark Wolf to protect you.” 

“I said I didn't know! Furthermore, what was he trying to protect me from? Was I in danger? When?”

“Ah, I don't know! In any case, I'm going to kill that b.a.s.t.a.r.d.” Park Taehyeon turned red and frowned.

Kim Hyeonu hit him in the side with an elbow. “Hey, be quiet. They can all hear it. What if Dark Wolf sees this?”

“Aish. Let them listen if they want. Who is afraid? He can't hear from so far away. What...”

...I could hear. In any case, I definitely had to kill that guy Park Taehyeon once. Let's try it, rotten guy.

“Now, everyone. It is time to get on the stage.”

The host reappeared from where he had disappeared. He continued walking toward us.

“First of all, let's start with a simple announcement. The other day, a player destroyed the stage. We have decided that the stage might not be able to handle the strength of the partic.i.p.ants. That's why we invited magicians to make a barrier. You don't need to worry about the stage collapsing no matter how hard you fight. Don't worry and fight hard.”

Everyone nodded at his words. The most satisfied one was Reinhardt. “Good! Very good!! Wuhaha!”

The host spoke again, “The moment you get on the stage, the speech of Kaidan, master of the Colosseum, will begin. I hope you will all listen carefully. I am looking forward to amazing matches as the audience is full today. So let's go up.”

The iron bars rose and we walked straight through. The more we walked, the more cheers we could hear. My heart jumped faster and faster.

Thump! Thump!

We soon reached the end and roars erupted.

-Waaahhhhhhhh!

The roar was like a huge wave. It was as great as the 2002 World Cup. I remember cheering with my family in a sea of red. The scene that unfolded before my eyes was just as fiery as that day.

“Wow, there are a lot of people.”

Mido's eyes widened with surprise. It was the same for everyone else. We climbed onto the stage at a quick pace. Then louder shouts were heard.

“Reinhardt!”

“Gyeonso Dragon!”

I could mostly hear cheers for these two people. He said that it was a match for the honor of both countries and it seemed true. Haha. It was true. I turned my head at the sound of cameras and saw the reporters. It was just that the distance between their current location and this place was quite large, so they weren't rus.h.i.+ng over with microphones straight away. This was really good but there were other problems.

“h.e.l.lo, everybody watching. The opening match of the Colosseum battle has finally begun. You are currently looking at the partic.i.p.ants of the round of 16...”

s.h.i.+t. It was a live broadcast. It seemed I would really be on air today. Tsk. It was going to be tiring again.

-Ahh, is it time to come out?

There was tapping on a microphone and a man in gorgeous clothes appeared in the VIP seats on the second floor of the round outdoor stadium. It seemed that this was the Kaidan mentioned by the host.

-I welcome all Colosseum battle partic.i.p.ants. I'm the master of this place, Kaidan. I hope that everyone meets happy things. The partic.i.p.ants should fight hard while the audience spends money. And...

The words that followed were quite boring. They were selling fried chicken in the stands, but it was $100,000 each. If the audience needed a loan, they could go to the loan counseling center in the Colosseum.

-Ah, I don't think you know about the last one...

Everyone c.o.c.ked their heads at the following remarks.

-It has been decided that this round of 16 will be a deathmatch where many people will fight rather than it being one-on-one. This is at the request of my cousin, Aidan.

At the same time, there was a commotion among the crowd. It was the same for the players. However, some of them were calmer than I expected. I was bewildered by it. Aidan was suddenly mentioned. What was this...?

-Let's get started now.

Kaidan flicked his fingers and magicians appeared at the edge of the stage. They started acting and a rumbling sound rang in my ears. I sighed deeply. “Sigh. It was ominous.”

A familiar person was seen through the gaps in the barrier that surrounded the area. Next to Kaidan were two men I knew. I looked at them and gritted my teeth. Sitting there were Aidan and Supreme Fire Dragon smiling evilly.