Chapter 105 Demon (5)
「Get ready. The free fight is about to begin.」
There was no matching. This meant that the opponent wasn’t at least a present challenger. That aside, what did free fight mean? If he hadn’t heard about the trial from the Sword Demon in advance, Yoon-seok would’ve been caught off-guard.
「Countdown is starting.」
An arena that was at least ten times larger than the previous 8th-floor Infinite Duel. A total of eight figures, including Yoon-seok, stood set at regular intervals.
According to Sword Demon, they were challengers who had been subjected to this trial in the past. There wasn’t a standard on who will be present, and it was said to be random. Thankfully, no one seemed particularly dangerous.
He was worried. What if a monster like Cheon-ma appeared? Well, he would always be happy to be up against a strong opponent, but…only to a certain extent.
After the last second, a new notification appeared.
「Survive for 30 minutes.」
Yoon-seok wasn’t surprised because he’d heard about it in advance. However, the other challengers who thought this was real were different.
“Wait!”
As soon as it started, everyone stopped in unison.
“It seems that we only need to survive 30 minutes, so we don’t necessarily have to see blood, right?”
A man who appeared to be from Moorim spoke up. He wore neat attire and an antiquely styled beard. With his elderly appearance, he emitted a very gentle atmosphere.
“…”
Did he think he couldn’t jump to conclusions? No one agreed to his argument. But no one ignored his opinion and pulled out a weapon either. Come to think of it; the Sword Demon said this was how it went. A minute after the start, until this phrase appeared.
「Rewards will be paid based on the number of people killed.」
「Special compensation will be given if the duel ends within 15 minutes.」
It was different from the other trials. It wasn’t a fight to survive or die, but a choice. Peace would come if everyone gave up their greed, but.…
‘That’s never going to happen.’
In an instant, the challengers’ eyes changed. What was a little funny was that the man who made the initial suggestion also changed.
“…”
He was sure everyone also saw the notification, but no one said anything. The heavy silence, like the calm before the storm. The stadium was heated up by everyone’s desire to kill.
‘But is this also a coincidence?’
Yoon-seok, who was casually observing the challengers, discovered a new fact. Two mythical creatures, two human beings, two beast-people, and two elves. Coincidentally, the eight challengers gathered here had the same ratios, and Yoon-seok wasn’t the only one who noticed this.
—Look, I’m not sure because you’re wearing a mask, but seeing how all of them are teamed up, I thought you are one of us. Why don’t we join forces?
He heard it as if someone whispered next to him. It was clear whose voice this was. Even if they didn’t state that they were human, he could feel the sound waves vibrating off through the man’s inner power, the same man who first sought peace.
—Oh, do you not know how to use Sonic Casting?
Yoon-seok had never heard of this technique before. At first, he thought it might be a skill, but seeing how it vibrated off his internal energy meant it was a technique.
—Then you don’t have to answer. Just nod your head if you agree.
Cheon-ma didn’t teach him this. Perhaps she didn’t feel the need to tell him. But he just hadn’t learned; it wasn’t that he couldn’t.
‘Is this how you do it?’
Instead of expressing one’s opinion with body language, Yoon-seok spoke after channeling inner energy on his lips. Then, he manipulated the sound waves to prevent them from spreading and sent them straight to the person he wanted.
‘Seems like there are many loopholes as the principle is simple.’
Anyone sensitive to Qi would notice if someone were using sound waves, and if one decided to take that path, he would be able to eavesdrop easily.
“How do I know I can trust you?”
Maybe Yoon-seok’s voice was properly transmitted as he received an instant reply.
—As expected, we’re from the same place. Under the circumstances, I can’t tell you my name, but I’m from Jeonchang Sect. And I don’t intend to betray a junior here.
Jeonchang Sect. Yoon-seok, who wasn’t from Moorim, didn’t know where it was. However, seeing how he was asking for his trust with confidence, it must be a sect association. He was dumbfounded.
—I’ll distract them. And if I see a chance, I’ll kill the mythical female creature with sharp ears first. She appears the most threatening. Don’t lose the opportunity; just kill one person.
Stating a strategy like that so casually. Well, he didn’t blame him. If he could overcome the 5th-floor, he could overcome this too. Nevertheless, these people here chose to risk their lives to go through trials to kill their opponents. Therefore, Yoon-seok never had any sympathy or mercy in this place, and he could understand the man who used simple tricks to win.
But…
‘How can he ask me to believe him and say things like that….’
Wasn’t that absurd? In Yoon-seok’s eyes, the man seemed like someone who would put a knife in his back if given a chance. Perhaps he took Yoon-seok’s silence as an agreement; the man continued as planned.
“Hey! Everybody calm down! Even if we fight, let’s talk first!”
“Talk? You’re kidding.”
The creatures snorted, the elves remained silent, and beast-people held up their weapons and stayed on guard.
“Kill and earn rewards. It’s no different than now. Everyone chose a grand trial with their own hands, so why would we hesitate?”
“Not everyone thinks the same thing as you. Hey, girl! What about you? There’s a way for all of us to survive. Do we have to shed blood?”
The man, talking to the mythical creatures, naturally shot a question at the elf woman he had targeted earlier. She couldn’t answer immediately, as the man shouted while pointing at Yoon-seok.
“That man said he’s with me. Please lend your strength to me, lady!”
At first, he asked for an opinion, but not anymore. He persuaded her by clearly stating his goal. Did he think it was good to be in the majority? The fairy nodded after much thinking.
“Okay, if there’s a way for everyone to survive, I’d love to see that.”
In an instant, three challengers joined forces. Perhaps this side was more advantageous, as another beast-person joined.
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