Chapter 4
“These Arenas really are strange...”
Arenas during the tutorial season were extremely peculiar structures.
From the outside, they looked like ordinary stadiums.
But once a Quest was announced and the designated number of Players entered, the interior transformed into a completely different environment depending on the Quest.
Sometimes it became a dark maze.
Sometimes a ship in the middle of the ocean.
And sometimes, like now, it became an ordinary stadium covered in grass.
Another strange feature of the Arena was its connection to the media.
Normally, mechanical devices could not be brought inside an Arena.
Yet somehow, the Arena itself could freely connect to the internet and terrestrial broadcasting networks as though it were one enormous platform.
That was why many Players took advantage of Arenas to work as streamers.
“That's probably why everyone is obsessed with Arenas! You can watch content more vivid than any reality show for free, and even support your favorite Players.”
Two men sat in the Arena stands, casually chatting while watching the field.
They were scouts from a mid-sized Guild.
They were observing the Arena carefully.
After all, no one knew when or where a promising rookie might suddenly appear.
“Oh! It's starting.”
The moment the Quest Window appeared, the Players inside the Arena began moving.
Most had no particular strategy and simply tangled together while struggling to capture the discs.
“Mine!”
“Watch it!”
“Agh!”
Even catching a disc was not easy for F-rank Players.
Awakening overnight did not suddenly turn them into superhumans like high-ranking Players.
“Damn it!”
Still, a few people stood out.
Those who had awakened earlier and received Player training were among them.
“Fireball!”
A female Player who had awakened into a magic-type Class repeatedly cast a flame Skill toward clusters of discs.
Her performance was immediately broadcast to viewers and Guild scouts.
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Wow, that woman keeps aiming for places where the discs are clustered, right?
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Yeah. F-ranks don't have much mana.
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Viewers cheered whenever a Player performed well.
“<Fireball>... Attribute Magic. It's been a while since I've seen a Mage Class.”
“Find out her name and affiliation! Hurry!”
There was also a male Player destroying discs with a team.
His followers gathered the discs while he smashed them one by one with his bare hands.
“That's the grandson of the Haetae chairman?”
“I heard the old man even spent money building him a Guild. That's some ridiculous spending.”
“Still, he's destroying the discs quickly.”
Viewers watching the scene complained.
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He's getting carried from the very beginning.
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This is why rookies are desperate to join Guilds.
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Agreed. These days, it's hard to rise from nothing like the first generation did.
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Still, breaking a disc in one hit is impressive. Most others need two or three attacks.
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The scouts and viewers were busy watching and talking among themselves.
Then they noticed a certain Player.
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Hey. What's that Player?
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Spirit Summoner? Tamer?
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Those are skeletons!
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Whoooooosh!
With Apostle leading them, the five Crow Skeletons rushed toward the floating discs like trained fighter jets.
From above to below.
Right to left.
Then in the opposite direction.
Smack! Crack!
Using their speed and precise movements, the Crow Skeletons overtook the other Players and destroyed every disc they came across.
“Damn it! He stole it!”
“T-That one was mine... Damn!”
Players with flight abilities or ranged attacks struggled desperately.
But they could not compete with Crow Skeletons that specialized in aerial combat.
“You bastard! Take this!”
Unable to endure it any longer, an Archer-class Player aimed his bow at Apostle.
However...
“Excuse me.”
“Huh?”
The bow broke before it could even fire properly.
Another Player standing beside him had destroyed his weapon with a single kick.
“What the hell?! Who are you?”
“Me? Their owner.”
The Player before him was a young man whose face still looked youthful.
He was not even properly equipped.
Yet the Archer immediately became tense.
This bastard... He broke my bow with one kick.
In an Arena, there were generally no restrictions as long as the Clear Condition was met.
Naturally, Players often fought each other while trying to complete Quests.
Some streamers even built their entire content around Player conflicts and battles.
But those things usually happened in C-rank Arenas or higher, where Players had accumulated some Levels.
Almost no one established such a concept from their very first F-rank debut.
“Do you even know who I am before picking a fight with me?!”
“You're the one who picked the fight.”
The Archer tried threatening him to seize the initiative.
Do-jin remained completely unfazed.
An F-rank Player throwing a tantrum was not enough to irritate him.
“You dared point a bow at my minion?”
“What?”
The Archer flinched.
But he did not get the chance to respond again.
BAM!!!
Do-jin's fist sent him flying.
“Urgh...!”
Several nearby Players noticed what had happened and began whispering.
Do-jin simply looked at them while calmly thinking.
My body still feels heavy.
I need more opponents to warm up.
With that thought, Do-jin chose his next targets.
Idiots who did not even realize they had just become targets.
“What? Those skeletons belong to you?”
A group that clearly did not look like ordinary rookie Players glared at Do-jin.
They slowly moved forward, tightening a circle around him.
“Hey, rookie. You don't seem to know this, but Arenas have their own rules.”
“Exactly! If you try to hog everything for yourself...”
