Chapter 6. There is no bad meaning. (4)
The smell of dampness, sweat, and blood.
Calian, who had lived for many years accustomed to such smells, could not help but frown.
“Admission fee.”
A man approached Calian and extended two fingers.
Calian nodded and gave the man two gold coins, and the man handed him a nameplate with a number engraved on it. It was a number plate that would replace Kalyan’s name. Calian took it without saying a word and went inside.
There was a large iron cage in the middle of the gambling hall, and two men were fighting for a long time inside. One was wearing a black headband and the other was wearing a white headband.
About fifty gamblers were watching. Some people were seen surrounding the cage and shouting, while others were watching while sitting on chairs with a small table.
As he was standing there looking around the gambling scene, a person approached Calian.
It was a silver-haired girl wearing a short dress. Calian frowned slightly at the clothes that were inappropriate for his young age. This is because it was obvious to the eye that it was not something she wore because she wanted to.
The girl immediately wrapped Calian’s arm and motioned him to an empty seat.
‘Can’t you speak?’
As Kalian sat down, the girl went somewhere for a moment and handed Kalian what looked like a tray in her hand. It was split in half, half painted black and half white, and it was not difficult to figure out its purpose.
Calian, who looked at the fighters in the arena for a moment, took out three gold coins from his pocket and placed them on the white side.
The bet was that the man with the white headband would win. The girl returned the money, writing down the number given to Calian and the fact that she had bet 3 florins on white.
Calian turned his gaze forward again.
The man with the white headband was staggering after being hit by the man with the black headband.
“You have to bend down further and go in!”
“Watch your elbows, idiot!”
I heard abusive language like this.
Calian closed his eyes as if he had no need to see the outcome of the fight.
How much time has passed?
– Cradangtang!
With the sound of something huge being thrown down, someone cheered and someone cursed again. When I opened my eyes, I saw a man with a black headband lying on the floor of the stadium. It was difficult to even recognize his face, which was so battered that he had been beaten so badly.
The girl who had taken money from Kalian a little while ago came up to me and gave me a piece of paper before returning. It was a certificate stating that Calian would pay double the amount since the man who had bet 3 florins won.
“Yes! Bloody Gerard wins today again! Then the third match of the day begins!”
Since what I just saw was the second game, it seemed like the first game ended before Kalyan arrived.
The man with the black headband was dragged out, and the man with the white headband walked out at an exhausted pace. The next game started without delay, and the girl from before walked back.
Kalian bet on the black side this time. Instead, I did not pay any new money, but instead paid a certificate worth 6 florins that I had received a while ago. The girl wrote down the information Calian had chosen and returned.
Each match lasted about 5 to 10 minutes, and Kalyan gave a certificate each time and predicted the result.
The tenth game ended like that.
“The tenth match is over. The winner is Pantheron with Steel Knees!”
The game host’s voice rang out. Soon the girl walked back and handed me a certificate about the prediction results, but the hand she was giving it to was shaking slightly.
For Calian, predicting victory in the fight was not that difficult. Therefore, 3 florins had already grown to a huge amount of over 1,500 florins.
I could feel the game host looking at Kalian, as if he had heard about the mysterious guest who continued to guess the results of the game. Then Calian nodded. It meant to proceed quickly to the next step. Because I was in a hurry.
‘I didn’t come here to gamble or anything like that.’
Kyrie still hasn’t come out.
Was it a mistake or was the timing not right? Or was he already in the first game that Kalyan missed?
Since he had to proceed with the next game for the sake of other guests, the host opened his mouth again.
“Yes. This is the last match. The payout is four times the stake! I’m sure many people have been waiting for this special match!”
Then people shouted and expressed their anticipation, and the host was caught up in the atmosphere and began a loud introduction.
“Introducing! Shaun the Bloodmaul!”
A muscular giant came out ahead.
The man with the white headband stamped his feet on the stadium floor, raised both arms, and roared. People cheered at the sight.
“And the man who never gives up challenges him again today!”
Last game. The thought that I had to come out again this time made me feel like I was holding my breath. The host’s words and a voice from an old memory overlapped.
“There have already been more than ten close defeats so far! Even though I have never achieved victory in this fight, will that be the case today as well?”
– At that time, I was stuck in a place where I made money by selling fights.
The challenger entered the arena.
He was wearing a black headband.
Vivid light blue hair was visible above the headband. Calian’s body trembled.
“Don’t predict victory or defeat. I’m here stronger than yesterday!”
– Then he left Kairis after his sister died.
The challenger raised his head and looked around. His eyes were focused on where Calian was, and thanks to that, Calian could see clearly.
“I am introducing!”
Blue and black odd eyes.
“Monster eyeballs!”
Kyrie.
“Kiri!”
found.
* * *
The girl looked at Calian. This is because Kalian’s bet was too large.
What Calian presented was the certificate he had received a while ago. I bet about 1,500 florins. The predicted winner was, of course, Kirie.
Someone standing next to me intervened.
“Hey, that’s a lot of money, but don’t waste it like that. That bastard has never won. The game is worth watching, so just cheer and put your money towards the white side.”
“No! I will win today! I could have won yesterday if I had been just one second faster.”
Now that I think about it, it seems that there are quite a few people who bet on black even though they have never won before. The girl holding the tray didn’t hesitate any longer and wrote the information on the paper before returning.
People looked at the stadium silently as the fight had just begun.
Kirie was also tall, which was inappropriate for a 17-year-old, but when she stood in front of Sean, she didn’t look like a child at all. Sean, a large man who seemed to be at least two meters tall, waved his arms. I could see at a glance that the muscles were bulging, as if looking at Raven’s legs.
– Hiss!
An unbelievable sound was heard as the arm was being swung, and Kyrie slightly turned his body to avoid it. Then Sean’s left arm came up from below. Kyrie took a step back.
After dodging the second attack, Sean quickly recovered his swung arm and stretched out his leg. Because the speed was so fast, it seemed like there wasn’t enough time to dodge again.
Perhaps thinking the same thing, Kirie raised both arms to attack.
– Boom!
Despite preparations to block, Kirie’s upper body swayed with a loud sound. When Kyrie took a step back again, Sean approached and kicked again.
Kyrie grabbed Sean’s leg.
It was an action intended to momentarily cause the person to lose balance, but the weight classes of the two were too different for that to occur. Sean extended his fist to Kyrie’s side, who was holding onto his leg.
– Taaat!
After Kyrie let go of her legs, she quickly widened the distance and retreated. And then he rushed at me as soon as the fist passed by. Kyrie rotated his body once and his heel struck Sean’s chin. The jaw moved to the side and a clicking sound was heard.
After holding his head for a moment to come to his senses out of confusion, Sean lunged at Kyrie and rushed toward the wall of the cage while holding on to Kyrie’s waist.
– Boom!
Kirie’s body hit the iron bars and a loud sound rang out. And Sean’s fist hit Kyrie’s stomach. Kyrie also extended her fist and lifted Sean’s chin, which she had kicked a moment ago.
About twenty battles followed like this.
Blood began to trickle down from Sean’s nose after being hit by Kyrie’s knee. I noticed that my left hand was shaking slightly, so it looked like it was injured when I bent my arm.
Of course, Kirie was not in good condition either. Kyrie’s body, which was taking a step closer to Sean, stumbled for a moment. It seemed like the aftereffects of being hit in the back a little while ago were still there. The eye that had been grazed was swollen and the lip was chapped.
“Because I don’t have a sword, I’m completely lost.”
Calian chuckled and muttered.
It sounded like a leisurely thing to say, but that wasn’t what was in my heart. Seeing Kirie fighting with her bare hands made me feel sick.
Meanwhile, Sean cut through the air and jumped in front of Kyrie. The right fist extended towards Kirie’s face. Kyrie momentarily raised his arm to block, but at the same time, Sean’s left fist struck Kyrie’s side.
“Whoa!”
Kirie made a choking sound and leaned against the iron bars. Looking at his shoulder shaking, it seemed like he had hit a vital spot. Calian barely resisted jumping up from his seat.
Sean came running.
Kyrie lifted her foot and kicked Sean hard, then rushed back at Sean, who flinched from the force. Immediately after that, he hit Sean’s solar plexus with his fist, but Sean didn’t seem to suffer much damage.
– Pow!
Sean clenched his fist and punched Kyrie in the abdomen, as if giving medicine. Kirie stumbled again, probably near the side where she had been injured a little while ago.
Sean grinned and closed his fists. Kirie barely stood up. Sean rushed forward and in an instant, fifteen punches began hitting Kyrie.
Kyrie, who had blocked the first few attacks, was helplessly allowing attacks at some point. He barely managed to throw a few punches, but he couldn’t do much damage to Sean. Blood flowed out of Kirie’s mouth.
A shout came out from Calian’s mouth, who could no longer watch.
“Kiri! You have a habit of biting your shoulder right before you attack!”
Kirie’s shoulders flinched at the voice that came through the countless noises.
Kyrie lowered the arm that was blocking Sean’s fist.
And I clenched my fist with strength starting from the tips of my fingers. The muscles in my arms were stretched tight, and the tendons bulged from the back of my hands to my forearms.
Kyrie stretched out her fist as hard as she could towards Sean’s stomach. I only heard one word, but my shoulder moved properly during this attack.
– Whoops!
Shawn’s feet took a step back.
The shock must have been so great that I was holding my stomach without realizing it. When Kyrie’s counterattack worked, people’s cheers shook the gambling hall.
Building on that momentum, Kirie’s attacks poured in like a flood this time. I stretched out my arm, hit him in the chin, and kicked him around. The attacks continued as if they were not going to give me any room to come to my senses.
And in the end
– coo!
Sean, who had taken a few steps back, rolled his eyes and fell flat on his face. The host quickly counted the numbers, but Sean, who had lost consciousness, could not wake up.
“What is this?”
The host stuttered as if he couldn’t believe it, but soon came to his senses and shouted again. The voice was very excited about Kyrie’s first victory.
“Finally! Kyrie has won!”
The audience was excited.
Those who had bet on Kyrie’s victory could not stop hearing their joy at today’s great luck.
“The winner of today’s last match is! It’s Kirie, the monster eyeball!”
Kirie gasped and turned her head
towards the place where she heard the boy’s voice. Although I couldn’t see it because it was covered by the hood, I felt like I was meeting the eyes inside it.
‘Who is it?’
Just as Kyrie felt it, Kalian was also looking at Kyrie through the hood. Kalian laughed as if it was funny.
“It’s a monster with blood-colored eyes.”
He then glanced around. He was waiting for someone.
“It’s time to come.”
Sure enough,
someone was walking towards Calian. It wasn’t the girl who was supposed to bring the certificate of payment for Kyrie’s victory, but a man as big as Sean. Instead of handing over the certificate, he said, “There’s someone you’re looking for
. Please follow me.”
As things went as expected, Calian got up from his seat without hesitation and followed behind the man.
