Translator: Seven
Editors: Ana_Banana, Sei
Kran stood in the center of the arena with demonic energy billowing around him.
‘I can’t win.’
Lee Jong-hak honestly admitted this fact in his head.
He couldn’t win.
His assumptions had been right to an extent, but there were still so things that he’d guessed incorrectly.
First of all, it seed impossible to break the mind control just by having a long fight. The power that was hidden in Kran’s body was much stronger than Lee Jong-hak expected.
Lee Jong-hak turned to the referee and lifted his left hand. It was a move that ant a tiout in the arena.
The referee turned to look at him.
It was a pity since the audience’s excitent was reaching its peak, but it couldn’t be helped.
“…I give u-”
At that mont, Lee Jong-hak felt a strange sensation.
The referee also looked at him in confusion.
“…! …!”
No. He seed to be saying sothing.
But Lee Jong-hak couldn’t hear him at all.
That wasn’t all. Even the sounds of the audience in the stands felt more distant.
As if he was subrged in water, their voices gradually grew fainter until they were cut off completely.
It was a terrifying feeling.
He was obviously in the center of the arena with tens of thousands of people looking at him, but he felt a sense of loneliness and isolation that he had never experienced before.
It was as though he had been separated from the world.
“Hi. Nice to et you.”
A whisper-like voice sounded at that mont.
It was Kran’s voice, but he was certain that Kran wasn’t the one speaking.
Their manner of speech were completely different.
He spoke with a soft, gentle voice that wasn’t really suitable for a man. It was strange to say it, but it felt like there was a bit of coquettishness mixed into his voice.
That wasn’t all.
Juk.
Beads of cold sweat rolled down his face. It was hard to breathe, and it felt like a hand was tightly gripping his heart.
It was pressure and fear that he had never felt before. It made him want to turn around and run away without looking back.
He suddenly had a thought.
He would definitely…
Die there.
‘Kuh.’
Lee Jong-hak clenched his fist so hard that blood dripped from between his fingers.
Pushing through his fear, he forced his mouth to open.
“Who… are you?”
“Is that all you want to know?”
Kran spoke in a sultry manner.
“Who I am isn’t important, and I can’t maintain this state for a long ti. It is really annoying in its own way, but I wanted to et you no matter what.”
“…?”
“I would like to make you an offer. Just know that regardless of your decision, I will gladly accept it.”
He couldn’t respond to such a one-sided statent, so he licked his chapped lips instead.
Kran continued without caring about Lee Jong-hak’s reaction.
“The first is for you to give up like you originally wanted to. If you do that, I will kill everyone in this arena in the most painful way I can think of and leave them all without complete corpses.”
“What the hell…”
“Ah. Did it sound like I was joking? Maybe I should prove myself.”
Joke? It wasn’t like that at all.
It was because her words sounded like an unstoppable disaster.
Lee Jong-hak remained silent with an extrely pale face.
“The second option is the opposite. Continue fighting without giving up. The difference is that the final outco won’t be decided until one party dies.”
“…”
Lee Jong-hak couldn’t beat Kran. This was a fact that this ‘being’ had to know.
Nevertheless, they still chose to propose this death match.
“…why are you even giving a choice?”
“Mm?”
“If you wanted to, you could just kill along with everyone else in this arena.”
He didn’t know who this being was. Or even how powerful they were.
However, he was certain that this being was one of the strongest that he’d ever encountered.
This was sothing Lee Jong-hak realised the mont he felt this being’s aura.
“Ahaha.”
Kran let out a laugh.
At that mont, Lee Jong-hak couldn’t help but feel that the being controlling him was a woman.
“Of course I can. Kran is a very powerful and versatile puppet. By the way, do you have any hobbies?”
“…”
“I guess not. How surprising. No, actually, I knew you would be a boring guy.”
She giggled and continued.
“This is just my personal opinion, but I don’t think it’s necessary to care about others while enjoying your hobby. No matter who looks at you, it’s better to just have your fun.”
Lee Jong-hak just stared at his opponent without answering.
The more they talked, the more he felt that this being was insane.
“Right. My hobby is a bit strange. I like looking at the expressions a person has while thinking. It’s even better when they have a limited amount of ti or options. Do you understand? At that ti, a person’s expression would shift from various emotions like joy, sorrow, and anger. The more deeply they think, the clearer those emotions are.”
“…”
“Ahaha. I really do like looking at those kinds of eyes. It’s like appreciating jewels that change color depending on the intensity of light and the direction in which it shines. That’s what I’m saying. So…”
She looked at Lee Jong-hak with an expression of anticipation.
“Please think about it.”
Ssrng.
Lee Jong-hak didn’t need to think about it. He drew his sword without the slightest hesitation or pause.
Although he hadn’t intended to,
“…”
He could see the disappointnt in Kran’s expression.
Of course, she knew he would choose the latter in the end, she thought that he would at least agonise over it for a while.
Human Dragon Lee Jong-hak.
He certainly wasn’t a hypocrite.
He was a good man, a true hero that only appeared in fairytales… Sothing like that. But that didn’t matter.
The small interest she had in him faded. If she knew this would happen, she wouldn’t have wasted the energy to fully take over Kran’s body.
She classified this man as the least interesting human in the world.
“Then, see ya.”
He knew he shouldn’t.
But Lee Jong-hak couldn’t help but turn his head to look at the stands once again.
Min Ha-rin’s face easily caught his gaze.
‘You were right after all.’
* * *
“…”
Blood splattered and flesh fell.
It was a scene that she had witnessed many tis, but Min Ha-rin knew that she would never forget this sight.
It was sothing she wished she never had to see, but also sothing that she didn’t want to forget.
The sight of a close friend, not a stranger, dying in front of her very eyes.
Thuk-
One Fighter fell.
And one corpse was made.
No. It wasn’t just a Fighter.
Lee Jong-hak was dead.
“…ah.”
Her hair stood up straight.
It felt like electricity was coursing through her body.
Babump-
The sound of a heart beating pounding in her ears. It was her own. But it was strange.
Has her heartbeat always been that loud? She was certain that it used to be quieter…
No. What was she even thinking about?
She didn’t know.
She didn’t want to know.
Min Ha-rin stared at Kran.
With an expressionless face, he sheathed his sword and walked away.
But she kept staring at him.
Rumble-
And deep within her.
Sothing moved.
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