The Healing Solaris Cleric-Chapter 276: Monster Arena (3)

The torches mounted on the hallway walls flickered, yet the inside of the cell remained dark and silent. With each wavering of the torchlight, the silhouette of a figure sitting still with closed eyes became visible inside the cage.

Footsteps echoed outside the iron bars, but the figure inside did not open his eyes.

Two men dressed as guards searched through their key ring, found the right key, and shouted as they opened the cage.

“Hey! Number 231, get ready. It’s time for the match.”

Only then did the closed eyes slowly open. Glowing yellow in the darkness, they were not human eyes. The elongated vertical pupils belonged to a reptile.

“I am not Number 231.” The owner of those yellow eyes stood up and scowled at the guards. “Blizzard. That is my proud name given to me by my master.”

“Heh, it was true. This lizard bastard can talk.”

“I told you. Though it doesn’t sound like imperial language. Feels more like the Kingdom of Rashion’s language, doesn’t it?”

“Tsk. Whatever. It’s creepy how it mimics humans.”

Blizzard's wrists, ankles, and neck were tightly restrained by heavy shackles. The guards yanked the chains attached to the restraints, dragging him roughly like a beast.

“Hurry up and move, Champion. The audience is waiting for you, and you’re being this lazy?”

“This lizard has no sense of fan service.”

The two guards snickered.

That was when Blizzard’s eyes gleamed.

Fwoosh!

Taking advantage of the guards' momentary carelessness, he looped the shackles around one of their necks.

“Kugh... K-kuugh!”

“Y-You bastard!”

As the other guard hurriedly reached for their sword, Blizzard lunged, ramming his shoulder into their chest.

Crack!

“Gurgh!”

The guard, his ribs shattered, was sent flying into the wall, where he lost consciousness and collapsed.

Meanwhile, the other guard, still being strangled, foamed at the mouth due to lack of oxygen and collapsed.

Opportunity.

Blizzard quickly searched the guard’s body and found the key ring.

Clink, clink.

Thanks to his ability to see in the dark as clearly as in broad daylight, he swiftly inserted key after key into his shackles.

None of them fit. Why?

Just as Blizzard furrowed his brows, a low laugh echoed from down the hallway.

“Well, well. I was wondering why you weren’t showing up... Looks like something interesting was happening here.”

The newly arrived man was clad in full plate armor, a symbol of knights. Resting a spear on his shoulder, he crossed his arms over its shaft and jingled a key ring in his hand.

“Looking for this, perhaps?”

Jingle, jingle.

“Tsk, tsk. The keys those fools had could only open the cage.”

Quickly grasping the situation, Blizzard said nothing and instead drew the sword from the guard’s sheath.

“Oh? You’re planning to fight? Don’t bother. You’ll just miss today’s match.”

Despite the knight’s warning, Blizzard had already started running. Though his shackles prevented him from taking long strides, his speed was still fast.

“Tsk. You really don’t listen, huh? No wonder they call you a monster.”

Clicking his tongue, the knight pulled something from his pocket and pressed it.

Bzzzt!

A surge of electricity burst from the shackles around Blizzard’s neck. His body stiffened instantly, and he collapsed to the ground mid-stride.

“This is why you shouldn’t push yourself too hard before a match. You’re a product, you know? Do you have any idea how many people come just to see you fight?”

Blizzard glared at the man who was unpleasantly tapping his cheek.

Then, the man shrugged and stepped back. “And how many times do I have to tell you? Go easy in the fights. People are starting to complain that it’s getting boring. A good match needs some back-and-forth, don’t you think?”

As he spoke, the knight suddenly seemed to recall something, spun his spear once, and stabbed Blizzard.

“Heh, even after this, you don’t scream, huh? As expected of a warrior from the lizardmen—impressive endurance.”

The spear that had pierced through Blizzard’s thigh was swiftly withdrawn and returned to the man's shoulder.

“If you refuse to hold back, we’ll have no choice but to enforce penalties like this.”

Blizzard’s yellow eyes glared fiercely at the knight.

“Woah, staring at me like that is seriously terrifying.” Just as the knight chuckled and taunted Blizzard, the guards rushed in. “Get him ready and send him to the arena within ten minutes.”

“Yes, sir!”

Following the knight’s order, the guards lifted Blizzard and escorted him toward the arena.

“This is your home now. You’re going to be living here forever, so let’s try to get along.”

Hearing the playful voice from behind, Blizzard tightly shut his eyes.

Master...

The image of his master, always smiling so confidently, only grew fainter as time passed.

***

When exactly four hours had passed since Han Jung-Woo parted ways with Seol Eun-Yeong, he forced open his slightly heavy eyelids.

“Hm...”

For a ranker, deep sleep was a luxury. Of course, for someone like Han Jung-Woo, the overwhelming number one ranker, indulging in such luxuries wasn’t an issue. In fact, lately, his sleep schedule had been quite generous—at least seven hours per night. But today was different.

Maybe because I woke up earlier than usual, but my mind feels a little sluggish.

Right now, Blizzard was captured by people he didn’t even know and was being forced into battles. There was too much to investigate, resulting in no time to be lounging in dreamland.

Drip, drip.

Han Jung-Woo brewed an espresso using the coffee machine he had recently purchased and added three extra shots. It was a drink so strong that an ordinary person would grimace and spit it out the moment it touched their tongue—something that could barely even be called coffee. Of course, Han Jung-Woo didn’t think of it as coffee either.

It’s a stimulant.

A stimulant meant to jolt his drowsy mind awake and flood his bloodstream with caffeine. He used the triple-shot espresso exactly for that purpose.

As he swallowed the near-poisonous liquid, his slightly dazed mind instantly sharpened.

“Whew...”

The bitterness was sharp enough to sting his throat, but his gaze had never been clearer.

After quickly washing his face, he hurried into his gaming capsule.

“First, let’s check.”

Upon logging into the game, the first thing he did was snap his fingers.

“Blizzard, reverse summon.”

If this method worked, there would be no need to go all the way to the Caldaren Empire. However, things didn’t go as smoothly as he hoped.

Ding!

[Blizzard is unable to be summoned/reverse summoned.]

“Hmm.”

Unable to be summoned or reverse summoned.

Narrowing his eyes, Kai stroked his chin and pulled up Blizzard’s status window.

[Blizzard LV.323]

Rank: Field Boss

Satiation: 23/100

Loyalty: 91/100

“Blizzard...”

The last time he had checked was before selling Lucifer’s Wings. Blizzard had been at level 318, with a fully replenished Satiation at the time. His Loyalty had also been extremely high at 98.

I’m sorry for not knowing sooner.

Judging by his current state, Blizzard had likely been captured sometime after that.

Kai slightly trembled, shaken by his own incompetence.

“What kind of master can’t even properly manage his summon...”

At the same time, his anger toward the entertainment city of Haran—the place responsible for this situation—began to boil.

Interesting people, aren’t they?

Then, Kai’s figure blurred like watercolours and vanished.

***

The Caldaren Empire was renowned for using martial power over the convenience of magic. Perhaps because of this, visitors from other kingdoms were always left with their mouths gaped open when they arrived in the major cities.

“Wow...”

Countless people carried sheathed swords at their waists or strapped to their backs. Even middle-aged women out shopping, and even fourteen-year-old children, were no exception.

In the Caldaren Empire, learning swordsmanship from a young age was considered a basic part of education. Because of this, there was even a joke that Caldaren farmers were more skilled with a sword than apprentice knights from other kingdoms.

“Next!”

And Haran, the city of entertainment, was no different. Among the crowds filling the streets, the majority carried swords.

“Hm. The Drazil Trade Group? I’ve never heard of that name before.” A soldier inspecting Haran’s city gates eyed the long line with suspicion.

“It’s a newly established trade group. We’ve come from the Aran Kingdom, and here is our official trade permit.”

“Hm.” The soldier carefully examined the permit handed over by the man who appeared to be the trade group’s leader, then nodded. “There’s no issue with the permit. Now, we just need to inspect the goods...”

“No issues!”

When the fellow soldiers inspecting the trade goods signaled the all-clear, only then did he return the permit.

“I wish you prosperous business.”

“Thank you.”

Just as the Drazil Trade Group was about to pass through the checkpoint, the soldier suddenly called out. “Wait!”

The trade group leader slowly turned and asked, “Is there a problem?”

“No, I was just curious—what do you call that thing on your head? I heard it before, but I’ve forgotten.” The soldier tapped his own head as he spoke.

All the members of the Drazil Trade Group were wearing peculiar-looking head coverings—bandanas favored by the citizens of the Aran Kingdom to shield themselves from the scorching desert sun.

The trade group leader laughed. “It’s called a turban.”

“Turban, turban... I’ll be sure to remember it this time.”

“Thank you. Oh, may I ask a question as well?”

“Of course.”

“I heard that the most famous attraction in Haran right now is the Monster Arena. Is that true?”

“Hehehe. Planning to check it out? Good decision. Once you see it, you won’t find human battles exciting anymore. Watching various monsters battle to the death is incredibly thrilling... If you head to the square up ahead and turn left, you’ll see the colosseum.”

“Thank you. As a merchant, I need to keep up with the latest trends.”

“You’ve got a sharp mind. Bet you do good business too.”

Leaving behind the smiling soldier, the trade group passed through the checkpoint and headed straight for the Monster Arena.

“All of you want to watch...?”

“Is that a problem? We have plenty of money.”

“N-no, it’s fine. Oh! But for Number 231’s match, all seats are sold out, so you’ll have to watch from the standing area. Is that alright?”

“231...?”

“Hehe, you don’t know, do you?” The ticket vendor smirked as he said, “That’s our Monster Arena’s star attraction. A warrior of the black lizardman tribe—fast, strong, and skilled. Whenever he has a match, all seats are sold out, just like today.”

“Is it entertaining?”

At the trade group leader’s question, the ticket vendor waved his hand and laughed. “You’re asking the obvious. It’s so thrilling, you might not even notice when one of them dies.”

“I see. Then standing tickets will do.”

After paying for all the tickets, the trade group leader adjusted his turban and stepped into the colosseum.

***

"Kill! Kill!"

"231! 231!"

"Black Comet! Black Comet!"

The colosseum, large enough to hold thousands of spectators, was completely packed. All the seats had already been sold out, and even the standing areas were so crowded that people had to press against one another just to watch the match. Popcorn and beer spilled from all directions as the audience chanted for Number 231. Of course, there were also occasional cheers for the opponent.

"Ogre Warrior! I bet on you!"

"451x jackpot, let's gooo!"

They were all people who had placed their bets on the opponent, enticed by the ridiculously high odds.

"It's quite uncomfortable here."

At a subordinate’s remark, the trade group leader nodded silently. He was quietly gazing down at the pristine stone arena.

"And now, the match you've all been waiting for—the highlight of the night!" The announcer, who had been hyping up the crowd, finally began calling out the fighters. "A predator of nature, a symbol of fear! Standing at a towering three meters, armed and armored, the Ogre Warrior, Number 318!"

As the gates to the arena opened, a massive ogre clad in armor and wielding a weapon stormed out with a deafening roar.

"Krraaaaawr!”

The crowd erupted in excitement.

"Woooooahhh!"

"Underdog bet, let’s goooo!"

"Smash 231’s skull in with that massive club!"

Observing the audience’s reactions, the announcer grinned and continued, "And the monster taking on Number 318... Do I even need to introduce him? The champion of the colosseum, Number 231, Black Comet!"

This time, the opposite gate opened, and a black lizardman warrior limped into the arena. The equipment he wore was black light armor, but it was so severely damaged that his scales were fully exposed in several places.

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"Yeeaaahhh!"

"Black Comet! Black Comet!"

"Seventeen straight wins, let's gooo!"

The roar of the crowd was incomparable to when the Ogre Warrior was introduced, shaking the entire colosseum.