Third day in Kilicia.
At around 11 AM, Kim Ihyeon ventured to the city's center. Today was none other than Asterike's debut match.
'Honestly, I'm not sure if I need to watch this.'
Anyone who wasn't a criminal could register as a player. Even civilians who had never wielded a weapon could participate.
In other words, most of the lower league participants were amateurs. With Asterike entering the mix, the balance would be completely off. It was like pitting a rabbit against a bear.
"Poor kid," Roscoe sighed. He sat next to Kim Ihyeon in the guest seats, waiting for the match to start.
"I saw him earlier; he seemed like a decent lad. Said he was diligently earning points for promotion. Now I'm worried he'll end up crippled."
"When did you get so soft? You didn't go easy on me when we first met."
"…Ahem. Maybe getting older has made me more compassionate. Besides, we need our opponents in one piece for future matches, don't we?"
"Ah, you want to use them as stepping stones?"
"To move up, you need steps to climb. From what I've gathered, most of the lower league fighters are just street thugs."
Roscoe stroked his beard, his eyes glinting. Asterike sat in the waiting area, staring intently at the ring.
Being her first match, she seemed tense. Kim Ihyeon also started to feel nervous, worried that she might accidentally kill her opponent.
"In the lower leagues, sponsors are scarce, and players have to cover their own gear and medical expenses."
"It does seem like a rough environment."
The stands were nearly empty, save for a few homeless people lounging about. The facility was dilapidated, and the referee looked hungover.
— …Down! Blackburn is down!
— Oh, it looks like he hasn't regained consciousness! The countdown begins! 9, 8, 7…!
The announcers' voices echoed from the main arena, their excitement palpable even from a distance.
The contrast with this empty stadium was striking. Kim Ihyeon thought if he were a lower league player, he'd feel quite deprived.
But some seemed to find motivation in it.
"That girl is destined for the main arena. She could even sweep the first league undefeated…."
"More greed than motivation, I see."
Kim Ihyeon chuckled.
'An undefeated champion? That seems unlikely.'
In truth, he wasn't familiar with the league's standards. In the game, Kilicia was quickly overrun by the Legion, leading to the league's dissolution.
The only remnants were characters who had once been players, mentioned occasionally.
Based on the available data,
'Winning it all seems far-fetched.'
Asterike was a half-baked talent. Despite her immense potential, she couldn't fully utilize her abilities without the spell suppressor.
He wasn't expecting her to win the championship.
'Just bring back the basic rewards.'
Additionally, if Kim Ihyeon could achieve a three-star agent rank, he could fully harness Asterike's potential.
'Wonder when that'll happen.'
Succeeding in changing Kilicia's fate would likely secure him a three-star rank, along with accolades for setting new agent records.
'…So far, so good.'
Soon, the referee called the players to the ring.
Lower league matches were strictly one-on-one, avoiding costly monster hunts or capture-the-flag games.
With no audience, there were no sponsors. It was just fighting and recording results, with no dreams of glory until reaching at least the second league.
Just before the match began,
"Oh, do you have a friend in this match?"
A familiar figure approached the guest seats. Kim Ihyeon glanced back.
It was Bryce. Recognizing him, Kim Ihyeon returned his gaze to the ring.
"Her debut, I hear."
"The colleague you mentioned?"
Bryce spoke as if it were a given, despite Kim Ihyeon not sharing such details. It implied they'd completed a background check.
There was no reason to be offended. Despite being invited as a guest, Kim Ihyeon was still an outsider. A check was necessary.
'They even gave me a tracker.'
This was why Bryce found him. It served both as surveillance and communication. Kim Ihyeon still didn't have a personal device.
"…You know this guy?"
"Just a coworker."
"I… see."
Bryce smiled naturally and nodded. Meanwhile, Roscoe hesitated even to greet Bryce, his wariness evident.
His experience as an information dealer had honed his instincts. Kim Ihyeon might have been an exception, but Roscoe sensed Bryce wasn't someone to take lightly.
'What kind of life has he led to get mixed up with someone like this….'
He had no desire to get involved. Roscoe distanced himself from the two, urging them to talk freely.
The match began.
Asterike was unarmed, wearing just a cheap t-shirt. In contrast, her opponent wielded a blunt iron sword.
The young man seemed hesitant. Despite being a Pecatum, Asterike was an unarmed woman. He found it hard to swing his sword mercilessly at her.
"Feels like watching a play."
"What do you mean?"
"In the underground, anyone outside 'our' group is met with a weapon first. Doesn't matter if they're a woman or a child. You can't tell if they're a bounty hunter or an outlaw. But here, even with an enemy right in front of them, they're playing nice."
"The underground is abnormal. If you did the same here, you'd be no different from the outlaws."
"My head knows that, but my instincts are messed up. Being on the surface feels like visiting a theme park…."
Bryce trailed off, his mouth agape.
Asterike didn't hold back. She unleashed a whip-like blaze, making her opponent fall back in shock.
The fire scorched his hair, making him scream as it singed his scalp.
"That must hurt."
"…A spellcaster, huh?"
"Don't bother. I'm not taking her underground."
"Huh, what kind of relationship do you have?"
"Think of it as a guardian and ward."
The young man threw down his sword and forfeited. The match ended anticlimactically. Asterike seemed puzzled, as if she had expected more.
Suppressing her flames, Asterike glanced towards the guest seats. Kim Ihyeon gave her a thumbs-up, making her face light up.
With the purpose of his visit fulfilled,
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's go."
It was time to head back underground.
* * *
Asterike quickly adapted to the league. It was because she was a Pecatum.
More specifically, a Pecatum who had once been the cherished daughter of a well-off family.
'It's kind of like….'
In her homeland, martial artists regularly engaged in duels. Given their physical prowess, her people highly valued martial arts.
A childhood memory of watching those ceremonies. The warriors had seemed so impressive back then… but now, doing it herself, it didn't seem all that special.
"Hah! Haah!"
Her opponent charged, shouting exaggeratedly, swinging his sword.
Swoosh, swoosh.
The cheap iron sword flailed wildly. Asterike evaded by stepping back, twisting her body, and lowering her stance.
The one-sided assault continued for a while.
"Huff, huff!"
The man retreated, gasping for breath. Wiping sweat with his hand, he forced a grin.
"Seems even the mighty Pecatum is helpless against my swordsmanship. Consider yourself unlucky. I once reached the upper ranks of the third league."
"Is that impressive?"
"Hah, you really are a rookie."
The man sighed and explained.
"Everyone dreams of playing in the first league when they start. But after a few matches, reality sets in."
He glanced towards the main arena.
"That place is different from here. Yes, it's different. It's like there's an invisible ticket that only some people are born with."
"…"
Asterike scratched her cheek. It was a habit she'd picked up from mimicking Kim Ihyeon when he was perplexed, and it had stuck.
She felt both puzzled and troubled.
First, puzzled.
Why had the man suddenly turned friendly after trying to kill her? She had gotten used to the matches but still didn't fully understand people.
Next, troubled.
'What did Roscoe say?'
She recalled his feedback from the previous match.
A league is entertainment, entertainment.
It's important to have that chewy, unpredictable element, where you don't know who's going to win until the end!
But this is still the lower league, so your opponent might be really bad. If you can't match their level, there's always a way.
Then, he might have said,
Just crush them overwhelmingly. Make it look cool, flashy! Remember that.
'Cool, huh.'
Asterike's life had been far from such descriptors. She couldn't quite grasp it, but a template was imprinted in her mind.
She decided to mimic the warriors from her homeland.
"Can't you see it now? Pecatum girl. You're feeling the wall between us—"
Bam!
Asterike shot forward, pushing off the ground. Her acceleration far exceeded his expectations, and shock spread across his face.
'What speed…!'
The man hurriedly swung his sword. A mistake. If he struck a vital spot, it could be fatal.
In the lower league, with its poor equipment, such incidents were common. But the man wasn't deranged enough to be indifferent about killing someone.
Of course, it was all for naught.
"Huh?"
His sword struck empty air. The Pecatum had vanished from his view, leaving only her hair fluttering down.
Then came the impact, like being struck by a metal rod.
"Ugh!"
He lost his balance instantly. As
he fell, he dropped his sword, which Asterike swiftly caught. She spun it in her hand.
Thud!
The sword embedded itself in the ground beside his head. Sizzle! Flames from Asterike's hand melted the cheap metal easily.
"Hot, hot!"
He didn't even touch the molten metal. The heat alone made him overreact.
"I surrender! Damn it. Spare me!"
Hearing what she wanted, Asterike withdrew and extinguished her flames.
'…This still feels awkward.'
Using her spell. Thanks to the suppressor, she could control the output and use it without issue. It didn't feel difficult at all.
That naturalness felt unfamiliar.
It was like gaining a new limb. In that sense, Kim Ihyeon had given her that limb.
"Great, great! Another hard day's work."
Roscoe rushed over as Asterike finished the match. The more points she accumulated, the brighter his face became.
"Where's Hyun?"
"Your guy? Probably working. He's been busy."
"…I see."
"Miss him that much?"
"I didn't say anything."
"Your face says it all."
Asterike glared at Roscoe but couldn't deny it. After each victory, she cherished the moment she made eye contact with Kim Ihyeon.
"Really attached to the guy. Well, that's good. It means you're happy with your current life."
"Why does that follow?"
"Because, in the end, he's the one who brought us to Kilicia. We're settling in smoothly. If we hadn't met him in Ulanth, life would've been dull for both of us."
Even Roscoe. He would've continued his life as an information dealer.
A stable life? Hardly. One misstep with the mafia, and he'd be a corpse.
'The girl would've had it worse.'
She would've lived among constant bloodshed, forced into the Pavoni family. They wouldn't have treated her as an equal.
Of course, there's still a question.
'How did he know about the girl and find her?'
He didn't bother asking. Some things were better left unknown. Roscoe simply and intuitively understood that Asterike had been found by Kim Ihyeon.
"Yeah. I know."
"Doesn't mean you should give him everything. But I'll do my best as your manager. It's rewarding."
Asterike nodded, agreeing. Her thoughts aligned with his.