Testing Grounds (2)

[You have entered the Ophensia Arena.]

A massive colosseum.

Countless spectators of different races filled the stands. In the middle of the arena, a lizardman and a gnoll were locked in a bloody battle.

"That's it, Gomongo! Stab him right there!"

"Kill that stinking gnoll bastard!"

"Kalex! Don't you lose! I've bet today's wages on you!"

The gnoll called Kalex was driving the lizardman back.

Minwoo himself was locked in a small cell at ground level in the arena.

Just then, an elderly gnome approached the cell. Stopping in front of the iron bars, he grinned, baring yellow teeth.

"You look so clueless you must be new. First time doing this?"

"Who are you?"

"Me? Your supervisor. What's a weak little human doing here...? Were you sold here, by any chance?"

"Well, it looks that way."

"Tsk. This is why humans are... Well, never mind. You're up next. If you don't want to die, at least put up a fight. Not that I know if it'll do any good..."

The gnome clicked his tongue, looking at him with pity.

"Who's my opponent?"

"Caligo."

"What's that?"

"Ha! You don't know Caligo the Butcher? You're a real hopeless case. He's a troll who smashes the heads of rookie gladiators like you."

A troll, huh.

Their average level ranged from 200 to 250. Roughly speaking, they were mid-to-upper C-rank monsters.

'Do I pass the test if I kill him?'

This was Diamond difficulty?

... Wasn't it too easy?

He tilted his head.

Whatever the gnome made of that gesture, he gave Minwoo a pitying look.

"Hey, don't tell me you don't know what a troll is, either. Have you been holed up in some mountain backwater?"

"I know what one is."

A moment later, the announcer's voice rang out.

"Ah! Kalex has smashed Gomongo's head with a single blow of his mace! What a magnificent, decisive victory!"

The gnoll thrust his hands into the air over the lizardman's shattered head. The spectators went wild.

"So killing is allowed?"

"You think an illegal arena like this cares about that? Choose carefully. If you try surrendering too soon... they'll throw you to the dogs."

"All right."

The gnome opened the cell door.

"Go on. Try to stay alive, if you can."

He handed Minwoo a sword.

'Come to think of it...'

Where was his own sword?

It wasn't just his sword. All his equipment had been removed.

[The Beginner - Diamond test will now begin!]

[Stage 1: Defeat Caligo the Butcher.]

[Difficulty: Diamond.]

[Difficulty adjustments will now be applied!]

[Stage 1]

[1. Caligo's health increased by 300%.]

[2. Existing equipment cannot be used.]

[3. Consumables cannot be used.]

[4. Skills cannot be used.]

"So that's how it works?"

Kim Minwoo nodded as though it were nothing.

Just as he'd thought. He'd suspected there would be restrictions, and here they were.

No consumables like potions, no equipment, and no skills. On top of that, his opponent had increased health.

Still, it didn't matter.

Equipment?

This one sword was plenty. More health wouldn't stop a blade from piercing the troll.

An ordinary necromancer would have wept tears of blood at being barred from using skills, but Kim Minwoo was different. He was an outlier who could cut enemies down with a sword even without them.

"Our next contestant is a rookie making his arena debut! A human named Kim Minwoo! And his opponent is none other than...!"

The iron gate on the opposite side rattled open.

THUD.

THUD.

A massive troll, nearly five meters tall, strode out, clutching a vicious-looking mace.

"Caligo the Butcher, who has crushed the bodies of countless rookies!"

"Woooo!"

"Haha! We all know how this is going to end, don't we?"

"I bet the human lasts a minute or less!"

"Then I'll say a minute and thirty seconds!"

The spectators kept cheering enthusiastically. Most were saying much the same thing: they wanted to bet on how many minutes it would take Caligo to smash him.

Gamblers to the bone, every last one of them.

"Yeah? Then I'll go against the odds! One ruble on the human winning!"

"You're betting a whole ruble? Are you completely insane?"

The crowd murmured.

Only Kim Minwoo chuckled.

'You just won the lottery.'

No matter how he tried, he couldn't imagine losing this fight.

There was no need to summon skeletons.

Not yet.

"Then let the match begin!"

BOOM!

A drum resounded, and the troll charged.

WHOOSH!

The mace swept toward him with tremendous force.

"Hup."

Minwoo hopped lightly onto it, ran along the handle, and climbed onto the troll's shoulder before plunging his sword into its neck.

The blade slid smoothly through flesh, shattered bone, and pierced straight through the neck.

"Grrk!"

The troll swung a palm at its neck as though swatting a mosquito.

Minwoo slashed at the approaching hand. Two fingers flew off in a fountain of blood. The remaining fingers slapped the troll's neck, but Minwoo was already gone.

He had leaped onto its head and was driving his sword into the crown of its skull.

So it had lots of health?

That meant nothing once its brain was destroyed. The troll staggered, then collapsed.

Barely ten seconds had passed since the fight began.

That was all it had taken to kill the troll.

"... Huh?"

The announcer blinked in bewilderment.

"... K-Kim Minwoo wins! H-he has slain Caligo with lightning speed! Could this be the birth of a new Super Rookie?!"

"My money!"

"You crazy human bastard!"

"You rigged this to take our money, didn't you?!"

The gamblers, suddenly penniless, went berserk.

Caligo, the rookie slaughterer. Every rookie gladiator who faced him had their head smashed in, without exception.

Of course they'd bet on Caligo.

And now the opposite had happened?

Ignoring their fits, Minwoo stared at the announcer.

"It wouldn't be any fun to end things here! Caligo was merely the gatekeeper! Let's bring out our second contestant right away!"

[Stage 2: Defeat Turk the Steel Ogre.]

[Difficulty: Diamond.]

[Difficulty adjustments will now be applied!]

[Stage 2]

[1. Turk's health increased by 300%.]

[2. Existing equipment cannot be used.]

[3. Consumables cannot be used.]

[4. Skills cannot be used.]

[5. A random curse will be activated.]

A moment later, another message appeared.

[The Curse of Endurance has been applied!]

It began in his fingers, spread up his arms, then swept through his entire body. Suddenly, he was itching all over, as though insects were crawling over his skin.

The itching was so bad he wanted to throw himself down and roll on the ground.

Minwoo bit his lip.

'Goddammit.'

He'd never experienced such a strange curse in his life. He scratched his arm, but it did nothing to ease the itch.

It only grew worse.

Breaking into a cold sweat, he looked ahead. The iron gate had opened, and an enormous ogre was walking out.

Ogres were a tier above trolls. This one was also heavily armored, with steel plating covering its body.

"Roooar!"

The ogre bellowed savagely, an iron club in hand. This time, the odds stood at seven to three.

Even now, most gamblers were still willing to bet on the ogre.

With their cheers at his back, Turk glared at Minwoo.

"Human! Kill you! Tear you to pieces!"

"Can this newcomer defeat even the infamous ogre Turk? Let the match begin!"

THUD. THUD.

The ogre came charging ferociously.

[The Law of Victory has activated!]

[All stats increased by 10%!]

[All damage increased by 10%!]

It swung its iron club with all its might, the blow far faster and stronger than the troll's.

That didn't change the outcome. Minwoo dodged the sweeping club and closed in on its legs.

Steel covered much of its body, but not all of it.

He hacked into its exposed Achilles tendon as though chopping firewood.

THWACK!

The sword sank deep enough to leave the bone half exposed. Staggering, the ogre slammed its club down.

BOOM!

Another miss.

'I'll wreck its legs first.'

Triple the health, with steel protecting areas like its head and heart.

Breaking through would take time. First, he needed to stop it from moving.

He struck the same spot again.

[Stacking attack!]

[Damage increased by an additional 11%!]

[The One-Spot Digger effect has activated!]

[Additional damage dealt!]

[Stacking attack!]

[Damage increased by an additional 22%!]

[One-Spot...]

.

.

Thanks to his title, every stacking attack dealt additional damage.

After roughly three strikes, one of its feet was severed completely.

"Roooar!"

The ogre collapsed with a mournful howl. Minwoo finished it off with ease.

It took exactly two minutes for his sword to pierce its skull.

'I'm breaking into a cold sweat.'

Not from exertion, but from the itching.

The damned curse finally lifted.

He looked at the announcer.

"Turk has... fallen! We may be witnessing the debut of an incredible new star today! Mr. Kim Minwoo, would you like to proceed to the next match?"

He nodded.

At that very moment, messages appeared.

[You have achieved perfect scores through Stage 2!]

[Diamond difficulty cannot measure your limits!]

[A hidden difficulty has been unlocked!]

[A special route for the test has been unlocked!]

[You may select your next opponent from the following contestants.]

[1. Idric the Black Knight]

[A masked knight reputed to be the strongest contestant in the Ophensia Arena. He would not normally appear, but you may now be able to call him forth. Selecting him will increase the difficulty.]

[2. Sasthera the Cerberus]

[A cerberus and one of the active contestants in the Ophensia Arena.]

[3. Jemerson the Chain Sickle]

[A contestant with extraordinary skill in wielding a chain sickle.]

.

.

All sorts of names appeared on the list.

Of them, Idric stood out the most.

Apparently, he wasn't supposed to appear normally.

'It'll probably be difficult.'

The rewards would be that much greater, too. This was a hidden route, after all.

'Then of course I'm doing it.'

Hidden routes existed to be conquered. Kim Minwoo wasn't the type to shy away from one.

He looked at the announcer and spoke.

"Idric the Black Knight. I think it'd take someone of his caliber to give me a fight."

"..."

The announcer fell silent.

Had Minwoo said that without proving himself first, the announcer would have unleashed a torrent of abuse. Now, though, things were different.

Caligo, the rookie crusher. And Turk, the ogre who destroyed even seasoned contestants.

He'd dispatched them both effortlessly.

If they sent out some mediocre fighter, the result was a foregone conclusion.

"He's calling for Idric?"

"Now this is getting interesting!"

"Hey, announcer! If you stop this, you really don't know what the crowd wants!"

Watching the crowd go wild, the announcer nodded.

"... Very well! I'll bring him out! The finest contestant in our Ophensia Arena!"

After a short wait, the announcer returned with someone in tow.

"Allow me to introduce him! I'm sure all of you remember this contestant's epithet!"

"The Black Knight! It's the Black Knight!"

"Finally, a match worth watching!"

The crowd roared. Grinning, the announcer nodded.

"Idric the Black Knight! He has personally agreed to face our newcomer! Give him a round of applause!"

The Black Knight stepped forward amid fervent cheers.

'He looks unusual.'

He looked like a typical knight, except for the iron mask covering his face.

[You have unlocked a special route!]

[* Warning! Difficulty changed from Diamond to Murderous!]

[* Difficulty: Murderous.]

[Stage 3: Survive against Idric the Black Knight for 3 minutes.]

[Difficulty adjustments will now be applied!]

[Murderous]

[1. Existing equipment cannot be used.]

[2. Consumables cannot be used.]

[3. Skills cannot be used.]

[4. Two random curses will be activated.]

[5. All of Idric's stats increased by 100%.]

[6. All of Kim Minwoo's stats fixed at 100.]

When he'd read that he only needed to last three minutes, he'd wondered what was so murderous about it.

Now he knew. His own stats were fixed at 100, while his opponent's had been doubled.

Idric would be higher-leveled than the ogre, putting him somewhere from the mid-300s to the 400s, at the very least.

In other words, his Strength and Agility would almost certainly exceed 800.

'And they're saddling me with two curses on top of that?'

Wow.

It really was murderous, wasn't it?

That only made it better.

Honestly, things had been a little dull so far.

Now it looked like they might finally get interesting.