Arena

“Some of you here, though the majority of you aren’t in this category, should have aimed for the riches.”

This was aimed at the capitalists and examinees that saw the exams as a way to make money.

“It’s not a bad thing. It’s in human nature to strive for a better living. However, that better living is founded on top of peace.”

He continued.

“I have a very high social status in the world of Arena, that is, a Count in the Kingdom of Arend. I am in possession of a large fief, as well as an army. Even the King, Alsefon III consults me when it comes to important matters.”

Everyone awed at his achievements.

“If you ask me I am happy with it, then I will answer that it doesn’t make me happy at all. In a world where there is drastic discrimination of sexes, as well as extreme gaps between the haves and the have-nots, I do not feel happy at all to stand out amongst the others.”

He pointed towards his chest.

“The time I’m most happy is when I spend time with my daughter in real life. Going out together to eat, to watch a movie, or playing with her in the playground. Those moments make me the happiest.”

He then concluded.

“Let’s protect this precious world. I can guarantee that such a world is better than the world we’re currently living in.”

Applauses erupted out again.

My eyes teared up.

Although it was an obvious story, Odin’s theory on happiness really touched my heart at the core after experiencing all sorts of things in Arena.

I wanted to return to my everyday life after all of this was over.

I am no longer alone now.

Odin spoke again.

“Then I shall introduce you to an examinee who has in his possession important information. All of you should know him well.”

When he said that, a man appeared on the platform.

A black-haired handsome man.

It was none other than Dana Ritalin.

“Dana Ritalin here.”

“Wow!”

“Ritalin!”

“Rank 1!”

Everyone was surprised to see him here.

Dana started telling everyone the truths that he had learned while he was undercover in the Order of the Advent: What kind of being the revived Kazaad Vun Aman was, as well as what kind of monster he had become due to the side-effects of the revival ceremony.

The people started to feel nervous after listening to that story.

“Their so-called ‘Great Empire’ is very far from what we think it is. After all, Arena does not have the concept of human rights or civil rights. Their description of greatness refers to unshakable, everlasting power. And considering his personality, he will probably not let supporters like Lee Chang-wee alive after all this is over. The Sultans and the Great Priests alike were thinking of them as throw-away cards after all.”

He was warning the Examinees again.

A combined world of Earth and Arena.

That kind of chaos with the people and monsters of another world pouring onto Earth was nothing good – was what he was trying to say.

What mattered was the will of the examinees.

He then continued on to show a slideshow.

It was a report on the powers of the Aman Empire and their recent movements.

This was a report that combined the intel from both Odin, a core member of the Arend Kingdom, and Dana, who was a Great Priest at the Order.

A total of 500 thousand men.

An uncountable number of knights and mages.

“How are we supposed to win against that?”

“Maybe all the other countries combined could match that.”

“Numbers don’t win the war.”

“Speaking from a financial viewpoint, the Aman Empire has already wasted a lot in the annihilation of the Seyran Kingdom.”

“Yes, they must be on running on fumes now.”

The Examinees were whispering to each other.

After putting the numbers up on the slide show, Dana added.

“However, we cannot be distracted by the enormous number that is the power of the Aman Empire. The key point lies elsewhere.”

Then, the slideshow changed to show a portrait of another man.

“This is Kazaad Vun Aman.”

This was the montage of Kazaad Vun Aman that Dana had witnessed through the Orb of Abyss.

Everyone quietened down in nervousness.

The source of everything was on that slide.

“Our ‘final rest’ exam was given to us immediately after he was revived. In other words, the next exam is likely NOT battling the soldiers of the Aman Empire, but to slay Kazaad Vun Aman himself.”

At that time, one of the audience, an examinee, raised his hand to speak.

“Please speak.”

“Thank you. I am Nakai Shuhei from Japan.”

“Nakai Shuhei?”

“From Japan’s Arena?”

Some of them whispered.

Cha Jihye reminded me.

“He’s officially ranked 11 in the world.”

“Oh…….”

I nodded. So it was a big-shot after all.

Shuhei spoke.

“You told us that we are not battling the empire, but that we have to slay him, but I believe that these two are similar goals. How are we supposed to kill him when he is in the basement of the Aman Imperial Palace?”

“I’ve never mentioned the word ‘basement’, but you are already aware of it?”

Dana asked.

Shuhei shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ve infiltrated the basement due to a previous exam. I’ve accomplished my objective, but then found out that there was a huge empty space below the palace. Though, I’ve not infiltrated there.”

Some of the Examinees were awed again.

Dana nodded with a smile.

“You’ve done well not to. That basement, unless permitted, cannot be penetrated even by a million-strong army.”

“You’ve taken my point. If that’s the case, shouldn’t we focus on how to bring the war with the Aman Empire to victory first?”

“You are entirely correct, but it would be a different story if Kazaad leaves that place by himself, right?”

“Do you mean to say that he will personally command the battlefield?”

“I’m not sure about ‘commanding’, but I can predict his aim.”

The next slide was a map. The region shown was the Brown Mountain Range and its surroundings. Odin and My fiefs could be seen there.

“After conversing with him through the Orb of Abyss, he was hit with side-effects due to the lack of soul energy during the revival ceremony, and desired the Tree of Life of the elves.”

“So you mean to say that Kazaad will show up there?”

A dark-skinned examinee suddenly interjected

Dana nodded his head.

“Yes.”

“You cannot guarantee that. He may order his subordinates to do it.”

“If he desires the soul energy so much, then it is very likely that he will show up in the Brown Mountains. I believe that we should gather all the examinees there and prepare ourselves to fight. We will be betting on something that’s more probable.”

“If it’s just killing one Kazaad Vun Aman, then I don’t believe that we will need so many examinees.”

Shuhei voiced out his opinion.

He said he had ‘infiltrated’ the palace before, so I predicted that he was of the assassin class like Marie.

Dana shook his head.

“That’s not the case at all. First off, Kazaad Vun Aman is the strongest necromancer since Arenan history. Second, it is likely that not only his army but Lee Chang-wee and the other corrupt examinees will be with him as well.

“Ah, so there was Lee Chang-wee too.”

Shuhei groaned.

“I believe that all the remaining examinees should gather here and have the final showdown.”

“That’s nonsense! What if the Empire decides to concentrate its forces elsewhere?”

The dark-skinned examinee objected again.

Since this was an obvious point, a lot of the other examinees agreed.

What if Kazaad, the necromancers, as well as the corrupt examinees predict that we are waiting for them at the Brown Mountains and go off to other battlefields, resulting in their victory?

It would be useless to turn the situation around at that time.

No matter how strong the examinees are, it would be extremely difficult to turn around the flow of a war that consisted of hundreds of thousands of soldiers fighting.

‘Wait……?’

At that moment, Something rose in my head.

‘But that goes for our opponents too!’

I shivered in excitement.

If things went well, we could bring this battle to victory.

Superior communication.

Superior mobility.

We had an advantage, a very strong one at that, that Lee Chang-wee didn’t even know about.

‘If we use this to our advantage….’

I felt excited.

At that moment, my hand suddenly became warm with the warmth of another.

Cha Jihye had grabbed my hand.

“Did you think of something?”

How strange. It seems that it wasn’t only me that had become more able to read her better.

“Yes, I did.”

“This happened all the time. You always intuitively found yourself the answer to clearing the exams.”

She grabbed my hand even tighter.

“Please tell everyone; the solution to the last exam.”

I nodded my head.

Thanks to her, my nervousness lessened even though I had to speak in front of all these people.

I raised my hand up quietly and waited for my turn.

Dana then had a look at me before his eyes changed as though he was expecting something of me.

“Yes, please speak. Mr. Kim Hyunho.”

“Kim Hyunho?”

“The Korean ranker that popped out of nowhere.”

“So that fella was Kim Hyunho after all.” 𝒇𝒓eewe𝒃𝑛𝒐𝘃𝒆𝚕.co𝘮

“A big-shot enough to attend this conference that we don’t even know his face, there can only be him.”

The examinees as well as other people all whispered amongst themselves.

The non-examinees caught up a beat slow because the conference was held in Arenan tongue and they had to have translators interpreting the whole meeting.

I calmly spoke.

“The problem that was raised just now, I think that goes for our enemies as well.”

“Can you be more specific?”

Dana urged.

“What if we, that is, the core members, are put into the most intense part of the battlefield? Even if Kazaad desires the Tree of Life, I believe that he is not foolish enough to disregard the entire war for it.”

“That’s true.”

“Foolish? Far from it. He’s scarily smart, that guy.”

“He even planned his revival several centuries after his death.”

“But so what?”

The examinees waited for me to speak again.

So I spoke.

“He will probably send Lee Chang-wee and the other corrupt examinees as well as the necromancers to the battlefield to counteract us. While he himself would head to the Tree of Life.”

“If so, then we would be unable to stop Kazaad from taking the Tree of Life as we are busy fighting the corrupt examinees and the necromancers.”

Dana spoke.

I then replied with a smirk.

“Putting it in another way, we can separate Kazaad from the corrupt examinees and the necromancers.”