Editors: Ana_Banana, Sei

“Don’t be ridiculous. How can you say that before you’ve even fought?”

It wasn’t Lee Jong-hak, but a Dragonman standing beside him who spoke in a cold voice.

This was ‘Shinz’, the Champion of Babylon, and a Fighter who ranked higher than Lee Jong-hak.

He was a man who had a small physique for a Dragonman, but his gaze was fierce.

“If you were a Fighter, then there’s no way that you wouldn’t know how insulting it is to tell someone to give up.”

“…”

Nevertheless, Kran didn’t even spare Shinz a glance as though he wasn’t the least bit interested in him. This naturally caused Shinz to bristle even more because of his rude behaviour.

“It’s fine, Shinz.”

Lee Jong-hak calmly called out to him.

“It’s fine? That man is completely tarnishing your pride.”

“That’s true, but it’s not something that can be solved by discussing it here. A Fighter does not prove themself with their tongue, but with their fists in the arena. He and I will cross swords there.”

After saying that, Lee Jong-hak’s eyes met Kran’s.

“It’ll be fine to repay the insult then.”

“…hmm. I guess you’re right.”

Shinz didn’t seem to have let go of his displeasure, but he nodded his head in acceptance.

With his eyes still on Kran, Lee Jong-hak continued.

“I will not give up.”

“…”

Kran seemed to pause for a moment after hearing those words, but it was only for an instant. Without saying another word, he immediately turned his head and walked away as if he’d lost interest.

* * *

All the groups had been decided.

To summarise the persons that Min Ha-rin had been paying attention to,

It was Bargan and Shambar in Group A.(1)

Herself and Shinz in Group B.

And Kran and Lee Jong-hak in Group C.

The matches would begin the next day, but that didn’t mean that that day’s events were over. This was because there were a few novelty events left.

One of them was announcing the results of the popularity vote.

This vote was held a few months before the Championship, and there were no restrictions on participation. Anyone staying on Combat Island had the right to vote.

Because of this, it usually took around a month to count the votes.

Thus, one by one, the ten Champions with the most votes, the current most popular heroes, all walked onto the stage. (TL: I’ll just call everyone participating in the championship a champion since apart from the few from the major cities they all are, and that’s what the author does.)

And it was none other than Lee Jong-hak who stood at the end of the line in 10th place.

He was a Fighter who was known for his calm attitude, and he often displayed unique fighting skills. Many people felt that these traits brought a sense of freshness to the arena, and his fanbase was so large that it was strange for an outsider.

In 7th place was Kran. It could be said that his ranking was a bit lackluster compared to his skills, but it could also be considered an amazing rise since it had only been a few months since he’d first made an appearance.

In third place was Shinz, a Champion of the Babylon Arena like Lee Jong-hak.

Contrary to his small size, he was often compared to a rabid dog in the arena since hardly anyone could stop him after he got going. It was no wonder that the mere sight of him was enough to make the crowd go wild.

And finally, the long-awaited first place was Shambar.

This was a natural result that everyone expected.

Shambar had an absolute influence not only when it came to his skill, but also his popularity.

Standing at the highest point on the stage, he looked at the crowd.

“I, Shambar, Fighter from Akad, hereby swear on behalf of the 64 warriors gathered here.”

Those who sat in the stands, and the Fighters standing in the arena all looked at him.

With all of their attention on himself, he continued.

“That no shame shall be brought to the souls and prides of every Fighter, and that not one single drop of shed blood shall be forgotten.”

The Champions below repeated Shambar’s words under their breaths, and quiet applause filled the arena.

At that moment, Min Ha-rin realised that the Championship had officially begun.

* * *

By the time the schedule for the day had ended, the sun had already begun to set.

“Mr. Bargan.”

Min Ha-rin called out to Bargan, who was mixed among the Champions.

“You’re looking for me?”

Turning around, Bargan replied.

He had changed. No. It wasn’t just that he’d changed, he’d become an entirely different person.

Of course, this wasn’t to say that he had undergone drastic changes over the course of a month.

It was because Bargan was wearing armor.

It was Kangki’s [Creed of Kamesh]. However, it wasn’t so large that he could look down on the surrounding Dragonmen. Bargan didn’t intend to stop using the Creed of Kamesh for the time being. (2)

This was especially because it was necessary to maintain Kangki’s persona for certain activities.

“You’re in Group B, right?”

“That’s right. And you’re in Group A?”

“Yes. Luckily we won’t encounter each other for a while.”

After saying that they both let out a soft chuckle, but it was forced.

Shinz was in Group B, and Shambar was in Group A.

Both of them had excellent equipment, but they still weren’t sure whether they could defeat them or not.

The only fortunate thing was that the matches wouldn’t occur until the next day.

“Ah.”

At that moment, Min Ha-rin’s eyes turned to a man that was walking past them.

“Lee Jong-… Mr. Li Hao.”

“…”

“I’d like to talk to you for a moment.”

Lee Jong-hak, who was about to leave the arena with the other Babylon Fighters, stopped.

He looked at Min Ha-rin for a moment before turning back to his party.

“Something has come up. So you guys go ahead.”

“Someone you know?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… got it.”

Shinz nodded and left the arena first.

Then Lee Jong-hak spoke.

“I don’t think our conversation will end soon.”

“Yeah. Let’s go to a quiet place first.”

“Sure.”

With that, Min Ha-rin took Lee Jong-hak to her room.

The Champions were all given large, extravagant rooms for free. They would be able to talk comfortably there.

Click-

The door closed.

It was Min Ha-rin who had brought up talking to Lee Jong-hak, but it was Lee Jong-hak who opened his mouth first.

“I heard about you. You came to this world 5 years ago.”

“Yes.”

“You have experienced amazing growth. I can tell with just a glance.”

“Mr. Lee Jong-hak is the same.”

They traded polite words.

Their conversation seemed to contain a sense of closeness, but she couldn’t erase the feeling that she was just pretending.

Min Ha-rin’s heart was a bit unsettled.

In all honesty, she felt a certain amount of joy from meeting someone else from her world other than her Master.

But more than that…

[Is something wrong?]

When she thought back to her conversation with Lukas, she sighed inwardly.

Although he had forgiven him, Min Ha-rin still felt a bit uncomfortable when she thought about Lee Jong-hak.

She desperately tried to hide this feeling.

“…by the way, where is Sir Lukas? He didn’t seem to be the armored man in the arena.” (TL: Using ‘sir’ to show that Lee Jong-hak is speaking formally when mentioning Lukas)

He was talking about Bargan.

He was covered completely by his armor to the point that not even a single bit of skin was exposed, but Lee Jong-hak was able to infer that it wasn’t Lukas by his movements and aura.

“He’s a Fighter by the name of Bargan. Master hasn’t arrived yet.”

“Did something happen?”

“Yes.”

Min Ha-rin nodded and briefly explained the situation.

About Lukas meeting, Arid, learning where Sedi was, and the fact that an Absolute was there as well…

After hearing all of this, Lee Jong-hak nodded.

“The fact that he hasn’t returned yet means that things aren’t going too smoothly.”

“It’s possible.”

“…”

Lee Jong-hak seemed to be deep in thought for a moment.

Min Ha-rin waited for a while to let him organise his thoughts before she continued. Then, after about five minutes had passed, she asked.

“Are you really going to fight Kran?”

Looking at Lee Jong-hak who remained silent, she softly continued.

“I know that he had been kidnapped by the Demon King. So it’s highly likely that he entered the qualifiers as a member of his team.”

At this point, it was clear that Kran was probably their enemy. She had also heard Kran telling Lee Jong-hak to give up.

Min Ha-rin didn’t think it was an insult. Instead, she felt that he was sending a warning.

Lee Jong-hak was strong, but not as much as Kran.

If he really fought without any intention of giving up… She felt that Lee Jong-hak might really die.

“This is unexpected.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t hate me.”

Min Ha-rin’s eyes widened in surprise. Has it been that obvious?

Or was it that Lee Jong-hak’s eyes were similar to Lukas in how discerning they were.

Hiding her suspicions, Min Ha-rin sofly made an excuse.

“…I don’t… hate you…”

No. It wasn’t an excuse. It was the truth. After listening to Lukas’ advice, the bad feelings she had towards him had dissipated on their own.

All she felt now was a bit of discomfort and awkwardness.

As she thought this, Min Ha-rin lowered her head, but Lee Jong-hak smiled.

“I see. I’m glad.”

“…”

“Thanks for your concern, but I’ll be careful in my match against him. I’ll tell you now, I have no intention of dying. Fortunately, there’s a rule that allows you to give up in the arena at any time, isn’t there?”

By saying that, it meant that he intended to give up.

However, as Min Ha-rin looked at Lee Jong-hak’s softly smiling face, she had a very ominous feeling.

(TL:

1. Going through this chapter made me feel that the author forgot a lot of things. Many details were incorrect or swapped…

2.So…the Creed of Kamesh can shrink? Also… did the author forget that Bargan was the one who gave Min Ha-rin her armor…?)