5화
Notorious.
He is a powerhouse who has survived in B-rank for a staggering ten years, long before Seung-chan ever set foot in the Arena.
His current ranking is 7th.
The moniker "Notorious" was given to him because he doesn't kill his opponents instantly, but rather enjoys torturing them to death.
Once he has stripped his opponent of their will to fight and secured a certain victory, he delights in committing atrocities like tearing out their fingernails, toenails, or eyeballs.
Because of his notorious reputation, he was an opponent I had wanted to face at least once.
Of course, "facing" him meant that one of the two would lose their life.
"Isn't it a bit much to pair you with such a strong opponent for your first B-rank match?"
Se-jeong continued, her face twisted in a frown.
"Usually, you're supposed to work your way up step by step."
"Who knows? Maybe I got on someone's bad side."
As if it were nothing, Seung-chan entered his betting amount and headed to the waiting room to prepare for the match.
The waiting room was divided into two colors.
Red and black.
Red represents the Demon's Red Eyes, and black represents death.
Among them, a saying circulated like an old wives' tale: "Demons are born from blood and return to darkness."
'A stuffy superstition, though.'
The black waiting room where Seung-chan was assigned was filled with other Demons gathering to prepare for their matches.
"Oh, Egrit. Long time no see?"
A young man with dyed light-brown hair greeted him.
"Tomohisa."
Seung-chan smiled and exchanged greetings.
Asaka Tomohisa, the C-rank champion.
Having fled to Korea after being chased by a Japanese Hunter, he is only about three years older than Seung-chan.
Yet, he reigns as the strongest of the C-rank.
If Seung-chan had remained in C-rank, he might have had to fight this man for his life.
His moniker is Immortal.
He earned the name after displaying a regenerative ability in his debut match that made it hard to believe he was only C-rank.
He had long been predicted as the man most likely to grow into B-rank.
But for some reason, he had stopped growing and remained in C-rank.
"It's been a while, hasn't it? I heard you're fighting Notorious from B-rank?"
Tomohisa, who had already heard the news about Seung-chan, said.
"That's how it turned out."
"Just between us."
Tomohisa scanned his surroundings and whispered quietly.
"There's talk that Notorious pulled some strings to single you out."
"Is that so? We've never even faced each other."
It was true.
It was a fact that I personally wanted to test myself against a Named fighter like Notorious.
'To think he was aiming for me, too.'
As if reading those thoughts, Tomohisa winked.
"For a Named fighter like you, it's no surprise that B-rank rankers would target you. Trampling a rising rookie to solidify one's position is a common occurrence for guys like us."
Understanding Tomohisa's words, Seung-chan nodded.
"Survival of the fittest, then."
Demons sustain their lives through gluttony.
Perhaps it is no big deal for them to rig the game in their favor.
It’s just that Seung-chan is indifferent to such things.
"Is it a title defense today as well?"
"This is my 5th defense. Once this match is over, I'll have to start preparing for a contract renewal."
He added casually that he intended to demand a higher winning bonus as a condition for the renewal.
"Are you eating?"
"I don't eat before a match."
To provide the audience with a thrilling performance, the Arena always kept human corpses ready in the waiting room.
Most of the Demons in the waiting room were currently eating the "meat" provided by the Arena.
"You always surprise me. Going on such a winning streak without even eating properly."
This was because a Demon's physical abilities reach their peak immediately after a meal.
"If I survive, we'll meet again someday."
"May the glory of death be with you."
"Haha. If I survive, that is."
Tomohisa left to finish his meal.
Seung-chan began to stretch and loosen his body once more.
About an hour later, the name "Egrit" was called over the speaker installed in the waiting room.
He put on a snow-white mask over his Human Skin.
After securing the mask several times to ensure it wouldn't fall off, he opened the door leading to the arena.
The walls were enclosed on all sides, and the walkable path connected to the road leading to the Colosseum.
Cheers and noise.
The sound of Demons screaming flowed through the walls.
It was clear that the previous match had been quite intense.
"Notorious. How should I kill you?"
After a moment of smiling while acting the part of a wicked Demon, Seung-chan passed through the cluster of lights in the corridor and stepped into the Colosseum.
He spotted the Demon waiting for the start of the match in front of the opposite corridor.
Notorious felt larger than he had imagined.
'About 185cm tall. Is he around 120kg?'
A Demon's power is basically based on two things.
The first is the Magic Power that rises upon Demon Transformation.
When the Red Eyes are opened, the Magic Power flowing through the body activates every organ, enabling abnormal strength and movement.
The second is basic physical activity. This represents the strength before opening the Red Eyes.
Since they are in a state no different from humans before Demon Transformation, various martial arts and training are naturally important.
And when Demon Transformation occurs, the physical abilities honed through such training combine with the increased Magic Power to enable high-level combat.
However, the reality was that most fights started in the Demon Transformation state, and because it was difficult for them to learn human martial arts, it usually stopped at simple muscle enhancement.
Notorious is a Demon who focused more on the latter.
He is a case who felt the limits of Magic Power increase from Demon Transformation and chose to gain even greater strength through weight training.
'He forced his muscles to grow. I wonder if his speed slowed down as much as his weight increased.'
Since the increase or decrease in speed according to weight gain is not necessarily proportional, I would have to verify it myself.
As the moderator announced the start of the match, the Demons in the audience began to shout loudly.
Notorious, who had pulled a scythe from the weapon storage installed on one side of the Colosseum, approached.
"Egrit. What are you observing so intently?"
Notorious said, wiping the saliva flowing from his mouth.
He knew that Seung-chan's gaze from behind the mask was scanning his body.
His body, having just finished a meal, had veins bulging with overflowing energy.
"Nothing."
Seung-chan replied shortly and looked for Notorious's openings.
Despite the title of B-rank ranker, there seemed to be plenty of areas to exploit.
"Haa..."
Notorious exhaled.
"I'm looking forward to hearing what kind of screams you'll let out when your limbs are sliced off."
"I don't think that will happen."
"Looks like you're ready to resist. That just makes me more excited."
In the blink of an eye, the Demon Transformation took place.
He closed the distance in an instant.
Even though he swung with a speed that could have been easily avoided.
*Crunch.*
Notorious didn't dodge, but instead took the punch with his face.
"..."
The guy's head snapped to the side, and blood splattered.
"Good... this is exactly the feeling. Egrit. My body is trembling at the thought of dismantling and violating you!!"
"..."
Among the Demons who view humans as food, he is one who tortures or kills his own kind simply for pleasure.
Notorious actually had a history of raping his opponents during matches.
Especially when the target was male.
'As expected, it would be better to get rid of this guy.'
The current battle is also business.
I need to play along with the audience's reaction appropriately.
*Grab.*
Seung-chan caught the punch Notorious threw.
'He really did sacrifice speed.'
With a single exchange, he finished confirming his opponent's strength and speed.
He was confident of victory against the Notorious in front of him.
Even if the opponent is a B-rank ranker, he cannot compare to the "specialty" I possess.
"What are you thinking about with me right in front of you?"
*Whoosh. Whoosh.*
Notorious's scythe, aiming for his neck, sliced through the air.
"Let me cut your throat. Hehehe."
"If it were bare hands, I would have let you hit me a few times."
"Hmm? What? Your voice is quite sweet."
"I can't do that."
"Let me hear your screams."
*CRACK!!*
Closing the distance, Seung-chan's fist struck Notorious's face once again.
*Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.*
Face. Torso. Legs.
Seung-chan's attacks continued at a speed that was difficult to react to.
Notorious was grinning, enjoying being hit.
*Spit.*
"That hurt quite a bit."
He said, spitting out a broken tooth.
"You're sturdy. Why don't you use your Special Technique instead of wasting time?"
Seung-chan, having created some distance, provoked him while keeping an eye on Notorious's movements.
Special Technique.
A power like a blessing given to Demons who have reached the realm of controlling their own Magic Power, using the magic dwelling within their bodies.
On average, it was common for it to manifest when one reached the top of C-rank or B-rank.
In Notorious's case, it was a form where the bones in his body expanded and grew outward.
I knew from previous matches that he mainly used it to hack his opponents to pieces or to bind them.
"Hngh."
With the previous attack, I had imprinted on him that I had the upper hand in speed.
"I was planning to do that anyway."
Notorious's Red Eyes began to glow even brighter.
Immediately after, bones that had been wriggling under his skin erupted outward.
It was instantaneous.
"…!!"
Bones that stretched out like tentacles pierced Seung-chan's arms and legs, pinning him to the floor.
'Unlike his slowed physical speed, the speed of his Special Technique has increased.'
Having firmly pinned Seung-chan to the floor of the Colosseum, he walked over with a bizarre expression on his face.
"Egrit. Shall we start by examining the face hidden behind that mask? If you keep your face covered like that, I can't tell what kind of expression you're making."
Seung-chan turned his head to check his training suit, which was beginning to be stained with blood.
'Did the durability increase as well?'
"Let's enjoy this slowly. We still have plenty of time."
Notorious looked down, saliva spraying from his mouth.
"Notorious!! Tear Egrit apart!!!"
"I've been annoyed by you for a long time! Take off that mask!"
"Dismember him and ravage him!"
"It's cannibalism!"
The audience began to go wild at the suddenly manifested Special Technique.
'Is this enough to get them heated up?'
The Red Eyes behind the mask curved into a crescent.
'Cannibalism, huh.'
Naturally, he had no intention of just letting that happen.
"Is this all you have to show me?"
"Hmm~ what was that?"
Caught up in the atmosphere, Notorious asked back, saliva still spraying from his mouth.
"It's lacking."
"Huh? What?"
"Shall I kill you now?"
"……."
A change appeared on Notorious's face.
It was a look of insane pleasure.
"Kuh-heup. You, you say some pretty thrilling things, don't you?"
His body trembled with emotions he couldn't contain.
"I've decided. I want to cut out that tongue of yours first."
Drip.
Notorious's excited saliva fell onto Seung-chan's mask.
And then.
Thud.
He reached out a trembling hand to insert his scythe into his opponent's mouth.
Unlike humans, who lose their lives the moment their limbs are severed, Demons possess tenacious vitality.
If they consume 'meat,' they can regenerate severed parts depending on the quality.
They are creatures that do not die easily unless their heads are crushed.
That was why, for Notorious, the Arena was both a workplace and a place to satisfy his desires.
In the Colosseum, anything he did was permitted.
In fact, the more he performed his dismemberment shows to satisfy his urges, the more the audience cheered.
The pleasure he felt, especially when dismembering the many Named Demons rising from C-rank, was beyond words.
"Heu-eut. Heu-eung."
The excitement wrapped around his entire body at the joy of being able to dismember the opponent before him.
Imagining Egrit, who must be wearing a pained expression beneath that mask.
"Slurp."
Notorious ripped off the snow-white mask.
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