The cold stone floor reeked of sweat, blood, and steel.

That summed up the place I was currently trapped in.

[ Waaaahhh!! ]

Outside, I could hear the cheers of countless people and the faint clash of metal against metal.

And finally, what I always heard in the end:

Splat!

"Kuaaaagh!"

The sound of human flesh being torn apart, followed by a scream.

'...What should I do?'

The place I was in was the underground prison beneath the Perion arena, where life-or-death battles raged above me.

If you were generous, you could call it the gladiator’s waiting room.

I watched the gory fight in the vast arena through a small, half-basement-style window.

'Why, just… why am I here?'

My head was filled with confusion.

I was just an ordinary young man from South Korea, living a regular life.

And then suddenly, I opened my eyes to find myself inside the body of a pretty boy I’d never seen before, imprisoned in this place.

"Next, Number 2744."

A disinterested voice echoed through the dark corridor outside the bars.

At the same time, I heard the sound of rusted iron moving and someone's footsteps approaching.

Thud. Thud.

Wait, is that really a person?

The steps were so heavy that they seemed too loud, like they carried the weight of three grown men walking in unison.

Without realizing it, I swallowed hard.

And I soon found out why the sound had been so heavy—when I saw the match that followed.

'Is that even a human?'

The man was enormous, at least in the high 2-meter range.

His physique matched his towering height, massive and intimidating.

It wasn't just fat; it looked like his entire body was armored in muscle.

He looked exactly like a Viking from a movie.

Double the size of that actor, and you'd get something like this.

‘And I’m supposed to fight someone like that?’

The massive man was Number 2744, the one who had just been called out.

And he’d been dragged out of the same prison—or rather, the waiting room—that I was in, just to stand in that arena.

The man held a giant axe, fitting for someone of his size.

If I had been standing in front of him, that axe would have split my head in two in the blink of an eye.

Imagining such a gruesome outcome, I silently wished for his opponent’s soul.

But then something unexpected happened.

Slash—!!

"Khurrrgh!!"

[ Waaaaahhh!!! ]

The one who had his head split open wasn’t the other contestant.

The seemingly invincible giant of a man was cut in two by an opponent who looked to be just an ordinary man, much shorter than him.

With a sharp glare, the smaller man flicked the blood off his sword and calmly left the arena.

It all happened so fast, and it was hard to believe.

‘This is definitely…’

After witnessing that, I was finally convinced.

A giant human being was one thing that made this seem like a game.

But to have such a massive man get split in half by someone who looked barely 180 centimeters…

It was physically impossible to believe.

━I was definitely inside a game.

‘That just means I’m screwed even more.’

The problem was that I wasn't just some random village NPC, but had somehow ended up being a gladiator in an arena where the loser always dies.

This wasn’t even something related to the game I used to play.

In the game, this arena was mentioned briefly as a place that existed in this country, but it was never part of the story.

“How the hell am I supposed to win against that?”

Both the giant man and the one who had split him in two were monsters I couldn't imagine defeating.

Unless I somehow received the kind of luck that made my opponent trip and accidentally impale himself…

“Running away is my only option…”

That was the only way.

I had to escape, come up with a plan, and figure out how to return to my world.

Having come to that conclusion, I moved away from the window and looked around the room.

It was an empty cell with a single chair, but maybe there was something useful.

At that moment—

"Are you planning to run? But honestly, running might be worse than staying here."

A voice came from the adjacent cell.

It was probably just like mine, another prison cell.

Was it another gladiator waiting for their turn?

But the voice belonged to a woman.

And it didn’t fit the bloody fights at all—she had a beautiful, melodic voice.

Yeah, like the kind of voice that would make her an amazing virtual streamer, or a succubus-like charm that would captivate viewers.

“What do you mean by saying it’d be worse… if I run?”

“Well, if you try to run, the guards are going to chase you a lot harder than any other gladiator. If they find you, they’ll kill you.”

“But… if I can just get out of here, wouldn’t it be harder for them to chase me down?”

I had no idea who she was, but her words of warning immediately sparked a rebuttal in my mind.

As far as I remembered, once outside of Perion, you'd enter the massive market of Rendil.

Since it was broad daylight now, the market would be bustling with people.

If I could just escape and blend into the crowd, the guards wouldn’t be able to find me.

However, the woman in the next cell laughed mockingly and replied.

“Hahaha! You really think you can avoid every gaze with that many people outside?”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“Well, duh… You’re a wanted criminal.”

“…What?”

“There are probably wanted posters of you plastered everywhere. People will be happy to turn you in. Considering the bounty on your head.”

Her words left me in complete confusion.

I was… a wanted criminal?

So the guy I had possessed was a criminal?

‘I mean, I guess that makes sense, considering I’m locked up in here.’

Normally, these gladiator fights used gladiator slaves.

If not, they’d use criminals.

It seemed like I was the latter.

‘Judging by his (my) looks, maybe he was a con artist.’

Not that it really mattered what this guy used to do.

What mattered now was that if I went out, people’s eyes would be drawn to this face because of the bounty posters.

At best, I’d be recaptured. At worst, someone would kill me for the bounty.

“Hey, want some help?”

Then suddenly, the woman in the next cell said something hopeful.

“You’ll help me? H-How?”

“Well, it’s simple. The problem is your face, right? So just cover your face.”

Sure enough, if no one knew what I looked like, at least I wouldn’t be caught by some random person.

“But… there’s nothing here to cover my face with.”

“Don’t worry. Didn’t I say I’d help?”

As her coy voice trailed off, something miraculous happened.

Whoosh!

“Whoa!”

Out of thin air, something appeared, and I instinctively reached out to grab it.

“This is…”

“With that, you should be able to hide your face, right?”

What had appeared in mid-air was a helmet.

A full-face metal helmet, covering the entire face.

It had tiny slits for vision, just like something straight out of medieval times.

“Thank you… But how did you even?”

“How did I send it over there? Simple. It’s my specialty—spatial magic.”

“Wow…”

Magic.

If this world was really the world of ‘Epiris Academy,’ magic wasn’t unusual at all.

This world was a place of swords and magic.

I quickly put the helmet the woman from the next cell gave me over my head.

‘Alright, with this, no one will recognize my face.’

Now all that was left was to escape this place…

Wait a second.

“Um, excuse me. Since you can use spatial magic… Would you… Would you consider escaping this place with me?”

If she could make a helmet appear out of thin air…

Maybe she could teleport a human body somewhere else, too.

And if that were possible, I could safely escape without having to make an effort.

“Hey? If I get out, I’ll definitely find a way to repay you! Hey…”

“……”

“Excuse me! Hey!”

But something was off.

Since giving me the helmet, the woman in the next cell had gone completely silent.

What the hell? Was she just ignoring me now?

I kept banging on the stone wall, trying to get an answer from her.

“Next! Number 3702! Come out!”

Just like before, I heard the guard calling a number as his footsteps echoed down the hallway.

And then…

He stopped right in front of the iron bars to my cell.

‘…I’m really screwed.’

I stared helplessly at the guard’s disinterested expression as he unlocked the door.

In the end, without even attempting an escape, I got dragged out with nothing more than a strange helmet covering my face.

“Hey, hurry up and follow me!”

After stepping out of the iron bars, I hesitated for a moment and looked at the next cell.

I wanted to confirm the woman who had helped me and had then vanished.

But strangely enough, there was no one there.

The cold, empty iron bars.

There was nothing there—except for a small pile of black powder on the floor.

Like dried leaves crumbling after all nutrients had been drained from them.

[ Waaaaaahh—!! ]

[ Introducing the next gladiator! ]

And so, I was dragged here and found myself standing helplessly.

For me, this place was nothing but a slaughterhouse.

‘If I die, will I wake up back in my original world?’

The vast arena was a cold expanse of dirt.

Above it were high walls, and beyond those walls, a crowd filled every seat, like bricks stacked tightly together.

People screamed in excitement at the bloody struggle, cheering for someone about to die.

And standing opposite me was my opponent.

“Heheheheh.”

Even from afar, it felt like I could hear his creepy laugh as he grinned at me.

He held a peculiar crescent-shaped sword.

It was a scimitar, if I remembered correctly.

He was a dual-wielder, holding one in each hand.

[ Introducing the eastern contender: a famous serial killer who once terrorized Rendil—The Flesh-Eater, Azrol! ]

Wow, my opponent is a serial killer.

But the nickname caught my attention.

The Flesh-Eater?

That means he’s not just a murderer but a cannibal as well?

Azrol was looking at me with an unsettling gaze, licking his scimitars as he did.

[ Azrol is infamous for terrorizing Rendil's nights. He wields his two unique blades freely and was only caught after twenty soldiers confronted him simultaneously. If it weren’t for his habit of taking a bite out of his victims, identifying him would’ve been a lot harder. ]

In other words, my opponent was a monster that twenty trained soldiers barely managed to capture.

The crowd cheered at his incredible record, momentarily idolizing the criminal.

In this hell where blood reigned, their hero was the one who could brutally kill their opponent.

And his sacrificial lamb was—

[ And on the west side, our next contender! Oh, it seems the west side contestant has no name or known background. Ah! But we hear that the face beneath that helmet is quite a looker! If Azrol defeats him, I look forward to seeing that handsome face as a corpse! ]

With apparently nothing else to say, the announcer wrapped up his introduction with a lovely sentiment.

Like I really needed to know what might happen to my corpse after I die.

“...Shit.”

Feeling my impending death, I clutched the hilt of my sword with my sweaty hands.

Could I survive this?

Surely, this fight didn't necessarily have to end in death.

That’s what I wanted to believe.

It was just that the previous fighters hadn’t managed to escape death.

That was the only hope I could cling to.

‘Somehow, even if I lose an arm, I need to survive…’

My heart pounded, threatening to burst, as cold sweat ran down my face.

The inside of my helmet felt hot and stifling from my rough, ragged breaths, and my hands and legs began to shake.

And then.

Bwwwoooom—!

The trumpet signaling the start of the match echoed through the wide arena.

And the monster in front of me instantly opened his eyes, a chilling grin spreading across his face as he charged.

“Kieeeeeeeek!!”

Even though I wore a helmet, could he sense my fear?

Without a shred of caution, he ran straight at me.

Like a lynx pouncing on a defenseless rabbit.

It was an apt metaphor.

Because, just like a rabbit, I couldn’t do a thing.

“Uaaaaahhh!!”

Maybe if I asked him to make it painless, he’d grant me a quick death.

That stupid thought crossed my mind as I screamed.

One step, then two steps.

With every step his feet pounded into the ground towards me.

With every step, his sharp swords grew closer.

It meant my death was nearing.

And then—

“Dieeeeee!! Kieeeeek!!”

The man’s face, twisted into a devilish grin as he found joy in someone’s death, came close.

When he was just within striking distance.

He swung both of his sharp swords in unison, horizontally.

Maybe it was because I was hypersensitive in the face of death.

I could see that the blades were aimed precisely at my neck.

And so, I prayed for a quick death.

And closed my eyes.

‘...Ken, don’t close your eyes.’

At that moment, I heard a voice. It was the first time I’d heard it, yet it felt strangely familiar.

And before I knew it, my eyes shot open.

And then—

Whoosh!

The two blades that I thought would cut my neck in an instant—

I dodged them effortlessly, bending down with a quickness that even surprised me.

And the voice echoed in my ears once again.

‘If you’ve dodged, don’t just stand there like an idiot. Swing your sword.’

For some reason, hearing that voice made my mind incredibly clear.

My heart, which had been racing, returned to a steady beat.

Strength returned to my trembling hands and legs.

‘Good job.’

And with that, I swung the sword in my hand.

As if I’d swung it a thousand times before.

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