Seong reached out to the man, greeting him nonchalantly,”It looks like we’re the only one’s awake, sir.” 

“Hm? Ah, yeah…” The man scanned the area, he blinked a couple times before looking at Seong again.

‘This guy… Who is he? I didn’t see him back there…’ 

The man continued to stare as Seong laughed nervously while fumbling with his hands, Seong decided to lie,

“Are you wondering which team I’m from?” Seong pointed to himself innocently.

“…That’s right.” The man’s red eyes darkened,

’Ah, there was someone who yelled…’

“I’m from,” Seong recalled the piece of paper he stole, it detailed their names and pictures,

”Gyeon Young-Soo-nim’s team.” 

The paper didn’t just have the team’s coordinates, it also had the team leader’s names, pictures, and personalities! And this guy in front of Seong was…Yang Hyun-Woo! 

He managed to see the other team leader’s face within the hostages, so all that’s left was one other team. 

All that’ll carry his lie would be if Hyun-Woo didn’t meet this group, but he shouldn’t have been able to since Seong caused some casualties. 

Hyun-Woo furrowed his brow for a moment, then relaxed his face and sighed, Seong’s mouth twitched as it inconspicuously went up,

‘He took the bait.’

“How did you get here?”

“Ah well, the dragon just snatched me up while all my team members died.”

Hyun-Woo lifted his brow, questioning the statement,”You’re the only one that lived?” 

Seong saw the tell-tale sign to vindicate his victim role,”We fought against the dragon fiercely,” 

He dramatically emphasized his voice and movements, creating a story that Hyun-Woo quickly got tired of and tried to swat away.

Hyun-Woo cringed while anticipating whether to speak or not, disregarding the overdone performance, he looked at Seong’s figure,

“You say you’ve been here for days, but your appearance doesn’t make up for it.”

“I had extra food.” 

“…Ok.” 

Both of them shared a moment of understanding in silence. 

***

One by one, the others started gaining consciousness, wondering where they were. Their eyes leading to their team leader and one other person,

“…An angel?”

‘Why do you think you guys would be in heaven after all you’ve done?!’ Seong plastered a smile.

Hyun-Woo solved their misunderstanding, discussing about plans to leave this place. 

“First off, this is a holy dome of some sort. We’re sealed off by some kind of power…” 

How does Hyun-Woo know this? It’s because Seong took a lap around before Hyun-Woo woke up, Seong went high and low just to find out they’re sealed off inside a barrier.

Then Seong informed him even though he’s an enemy, due to their circumstances they should work together. 

***

Ancient pillars and stones crumbled every time the wind picked up, whistling as it blew in the crevices. 

Seong had a thought,’Why did the dragon leave us here?’ He looked at the sky.

This place had nothing, no sign of life. But there’s evidence that living beings used to be here; behind the concrete manufacturing, there laid dormant the many skeletons manufactured within the mysterious structures. 

…But that’s if you paid attention meticulously.

Overall, it’s nothing but an eerie husk of a dome-like temple. When Seong roamed around, he inspected these skeletons, he found marks made from weapons: sword, arrows, and spear marks. 

The skeletons looked intentionally moved here…As if it were a grave for the dead. But why use this place as a grave?..

“..!” Seong looked at the rusted metal,

‘This… Do we fight until only one stands?’ 

He stood up, silently walking to two standing pillars where he found the skeletons,

’ This place is like the Roman coliseum…’ 

He touched the pillar to inspect it further.

—Currrr… Currrr…

The pillars started to rumble as it turned, light gleamed from the bottom. It looked like the light carved the floor, circling around the two pillars and acting as a space.

“Yun Chan-Woo! What’s going on-!?“ 

—Zing!

[1.]

Everyone stayed silent…

[More players are needed...]

‘Players?’ Seong twisted his face, he had a bad suspicion.

Hyun-Woo glanced from his teammates and Seong, finally stepping foot into the encirclement along with the others once nothing happened. 

[Calculating…20.]

[Analyzing domain.]

—Whirrrr…Whirrrr…

Everyone nervously looked around as it scanned the domain, Seong clenched his hands unconsciously. 

[No more non-players remaining: confirmed.]

—Rumble… rumblee…

Everyone crouched down to balance their footing, Seong tightly hugged the pillar next to him. 

The area was breaking apart, the cracks in the floor that looked like it was made because it was old, was actually made intentionally to separate each zone. 

—Wooo…. Wooo… Woo…

When the floor separated, it started to float, then their platform floated too. Hyun-Woo looked at Seong, either asking for support or questioning why he started this, Seong payed no mind.

All he was worried about, was whether his theory was true or not.

***

The thick haze covered their eyes as if to discreetly hide something, the harsh wind almost blew them away. The platforms settled as they rumbled in place, the clouds began to wisp away.

[You may choose a zone.]

Everyone silently got off the platform, when they headed to different directions, the breeze helped drift them up to the other floating platforms.

Seong chose the highest platform, he thought it’d be the best to see the other’s actions but…

—Clack, clack.

Why is Yang Hyun-Woo here?!

Wouldn’t it make sense to be with someone you know rather than a stranger? Was He keeping him in check? Seong had a flurry of questions.

—Ding!

“…” Everyone stayed quiet because strings of words appeared in the sky, reading it silently.

“W-what?”

“Huh…”

“What does this mean?..”

Audible gasps blew its way over, but Seong expected this outcome, so he was the only one calm. 

The words in the sky exclaimed rules of this game, and the game is…

“Ludi…”

In Ancient Rome, it was used as a gift for the gods and entertainment value. Gladiator fights were one of them, they were the most entertaining and bloody events held within the coliseum.  

The words read as followed:

[The souls of honorable warriors have finally reignited due to the sight of eager younglings ready to bear their ancestral practices.]

[Please appease their souls with one final battle, and may you find the values of life and death within the excitement.]

‘Excitement my ass…’

“What are we fighting?” Hyun-Woo turned towards Seong.

“It’s a fight to the death.”

“They didn’t say that though?”

“…” Seong looked again,

“…I guess you’re right.”

Ludi also held chariot racing and beast hunts, but chariot racing wouldn’t be a battle, so a beast hunt is plausible. The summary was very vague in their objective.

[…The gods have begun to settle above the clouds, observing who is the worthiest amongst you all.]

[The player who survives will triumph all. May you shed blood and tears, the stars will await the dead.]

[Reward: The Gods’ blessings]

“..!”

Seong’s eyes shook, then he looked at Hyun-Woo. His face was stiff, but it showed deep desire and selfishness.

‘I got to get away from this bastard…’

[To begin the game… Swear by the following oath…]

[I will endure the pain, the guilt, and the bonds. As the Gods oversee the arena, I swear a filial crusade shall be repeated from Ancient times.]

[I shall pursue the sharpness of the sword, whether I’d kill or been killed; I will be stripped of my sanity and offer my soul to the Gods if death awaits me…]

[…Amen.]

They all synchronized their chant,

‘I feel like I’m being recruited to a cult…’ 

***

Seong watched as the words flew away, disintegrating like a flock departing across the sky.

Seong’s conflicted feelings and indecisive thinking troubled him greatly, biting his tongue to focus on the task at hand.

Yang Hyun-Woo. 

- A gentlemen-like guy who’s reputation is built on his strong-willed character and helping the weak, but that is one facet of his mask: he’s selfish and greedy.

- He enjoys the pleasure of stepping on others and their helpless faces, threatening others and silencing them about his true appearance. 

- His charisma and snake-like tongue manipulates you into giving more than you could take, squeezing you dry for all your net worth. Once he caught sights, he’ll never let go until he takes everything, leaving you begging and grasping him due to desperation…

‘…Just like me.’ Seong snickered.

“Excuse me?..”

“Don’t you think the oath was stupid?”

“Hm, well… The reward is worth it at least.”

“Mm.” Seong ended the conversation quick. He did not mean to attract his attention, thankfully he knows how to lie quickly.

He looked over towards Hyun-Woo; judging by his character description, it might not be safe around him. 

But when seeing it from another angle, it means he judges the weak as not a threat. If that’s that then, Seong might just be able to lay back and do nothing!

Of course there’s a possibility of the others targeting him, but Seong was pretty adamant in his capabilities. As long as he portrays himself as weak prey in front of Hyun-Woo, he could strike at the last minute.

Why not attack him now? Because he was labeled as middle B-rank. Right now, Seong is in the lower C; the distance between B and C may not seem great, but it changes a lot with - and + added to it. 

Plus, if Seong were to try to kill him, he would’ve pulled aggro on the others. Numbers are not great when you’re in the lower ranks.

Seong inhaled deeply, there were some tricks he learned from his world. Cha Kyu displayed acts of aegyo when he wanted something or if he wanted to lessen his punishment.

He tried to teach Seong how to do it, but Seong’s features were just too sharp and the complete opposite of cute. 

However… Seong looks like an angel! Maybe his aegyo will finally work!

“Hyun-Woo-ssi?.. You’ll let me live, right?”

“…”

Hyun-Woo stared as Seong clasped his hands together, scrunching his face at Seong’s act of desperation.

‘Kyu-ya, please don’t tell me you lied to me…’

In fact, Seong’s acting isn’t bad, it was just his blunt words that makes people question his intentions.

“Mm.” Hyun-Woo nodded while aloofly spying on his team. 

‘It’d be too much of a bother to waste my energy on him, it’s better to get rid of him last or let someone else get him.’ 

Seong took it as confirmation, sighing in relief. 

***

The timer in the sky counted 2:36 minutes. 

Seong nonchalantly laid across the floor, observing Hyun-Woo from time to time. He was across from Seong, planning the best way to ambush and attack. 

—Rumble~

‘Ah.’ Seong forgot he needed to eat, but this place was barren as it was just a building and nothing else.

—Rumble!~

Seong decided to ignore it, it’s not like this is the first time he starved.

***

The timer’s ticks rang through out the arena, it was time.

The sky quickly turned dark, then a bell rang.

—Ding!

[I hope you’ve planned how to entertain us… The time has run out, you must protect yourselves from now on.]

The moon settled above the clouds and looked down upon them, as if it were a spiritual orb that connected the Gods to this world. 

A blue haze swiftly covered the atmosphere, the shimmering of the moonlight and stars were the only light source they had.

Seong’s ivory hair fluttered as he lifted his head, his pale skin made it look like he was a wandering soul in need of a savior; the luminescence casted off of his figure, specks of light prancing around like it was infatuated with him.

‘I’m in danger.’ Seong’s mouth twitched, he shouldn’t have chosen such an obvious color.

He was the only one that could be seen even miles away, he was that noticeable.

“Eh? You sure you’re not an angel? You’re even glowing like one.”

“Then would you like to acknowledge you’re dead, Hyun-Woo-ssi?” Seong whined.

Hyun-Woo laughed at his dismayed response, smirking and sneering while jumping away. Now, Seong was all alone.

***

Despite being put against each other, there were no signs of any conflict going on. There were no sounds or movement in this eerie darkness, only silence.

‘This is worrisome… Did they team up because they know each other?..’ 

Contrary to Seong’s concerns, it’s because they couldn’t find each other. They’ve been at it for an hour, yet they weren’t able to sense each other’s movements.

However, there was one person who saw Seong’s luminescence. He was tired of not being able to find anything so he gave up until he saw Seong’s distinct figure. 

Creeping closely to him, like a moth to a lamp, he was captivated by the brilliant light in front of him. 

As he was about to lunge towards him, Seong quickly turned around and slammed him.

—Slam!

“Ugh!-“

Seong covered the man’s mouth as to not bring any attention, silently choking him and then proceeding to snap his neck.

—Snap!

The man slumped over, his eyes were red as it was deprived of oxygen. Seong looked indifferently at the man.

—Rumble…

“…”

***

The break of dawn soon glowed over the horizon, the empty blue mixed with colors of orange and gold. 

Hyun-Woo came back defeated, he couldn’t find anyone last night, and he’s hungry too. He found Seong sleeping alone against a pillar,

‘So he’s still alive.’

Hyun-Woo clicked his tongue, there were still many people alive. The more competitors, the more annoying things happen.

He laid down next to Seong, carelessly not thinking about whether he’d be a threat or not. Clearly, he’d be stronger anyway…

Seong opened his eyes and rubbed his stomach, it wasn’t rumbling anymore as it was last night. He looked next to him and found Hyun-Woo.

“..!”

“Don’t bother me.”

“Yes, Hyun-Woo-ssi.” 

He responded respectfully as he shuffled away. 

Instead, he walked around until he came upon a stench. He came closer to the body and crouched, it was the man from last night. 

Seong silently stared at him…

***

Last night when he killed that man, his stomach slowly quieted down. As if it had fueled itself with food already. Then a number appeared in the sky.

[1.]

It was red like the sky was bleeding.

‘Why are you telling everyone?’

***

Seong touched the dead body, it was cold now. He needed to get rid of it, but where would be the best place? 

Dragging the body towards the edge, he looked down. There were gaps between the platforms and it was just clouds beneath, Seong dumped the body hoping no one would see it.

Usually the wind would pick up to hold up a person’s body when they want to move platforms, but the wind didn’t blow this time. Could it sense that it was dead?

Seong watched as the body slammed against the edge of the platforms and then slumped off of them. 

Did Seong feel anything when he killed the man? No. He was used to this kind of thing, desensitized to the thought that they were even human. The harsh training in the military was the biggest factor in his behavior.

Though he had not killed anyone on the border, he killed people from the inside—something along the lines of “he had to”. But what happened?..

***

From when he first joined the military, right off the bat was the harsh training, but it’s to be expected. The insults, the power dynamics, and the work.

But that was the beginning of it…

“Get your asses up! Is this how your family raised you?!”

—Smack!!!

“Do you think they’ll want a son like you, huh?! Do you think they want to wait for someone who can’t even protect their country?!”

—Smack!!

“They’d rather you die than come back! Get your asses up by the count of three!”

This was Seong’s first memorable punishment, their superior had begun picking a fight with them because they weren’t working hard enough.

‘I’ll get through this…’ Seong had told himself that every night. 

Even though they were physically and verbally abused nearly everyday, they did their work to the absolute best. Digging the trenches, cleaning the warehouses, and training: the same routine continuously eating away at their mind.

When it was the middle of the night, Seong was tucked in while listening to his companions complain. Mostly about how the superiors abused their authority and how they were being extorted to work for free.

“Should we revolt?”

“You think that’s a good idea? The government manages this.”

“Then do you want deal with this blatant abuse?”

“…We just have to endure for two years.”

Seong covered his ears, of course he’s mentally tired of the sickening excuse of training, but what could they do when they have no say in power?..

…And like that, a year passed by. 

“Fire!”

—Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Can’t you do anything right?!”

The superior was picking a fight again. Seong ignored it, he didn’t want to deal with another vexing penalty again. But it was clearly obvious he was bullying.

“You guys can’t even be considered the same level as pigs eating shit on a platter!”

And another day of beatings checked off the list. Count a cut on meals on that too.

However… From that day onwards, things changed drastically for the worst. 

—Slam!!!

“Better eat that up, you dog.”

One of the most bullied of the squad had their meal trashed, but it was so normal that everyone ignored it without even offering him food. 

Everyone was already deprived of emotions, taught to toughen up and take a beating because that was what a man should do. 

Seong could see that the victim was visibly shaking in anger, but he held himself composed very neatly.

The day went by normally as it always been, Seong was applying ointment to his bruises when he heard a scream.

“You damn crazy bastards!!!”

It was Seong’s superior. His companions looked at each other and wondered if they should help, but considering the repercussions they decided to check.

“EEEEKK!!!”

—Slash! 

“Hold’em down!”

Some of the crazed soldiers began to tackle the injured commanders as they were flailing for their safety. They brandished their knives and presented it to the commanders, mocking them,

“Haha, why are you so scared?”

—Stab!

Seong watched the chaos the riot made, and the center of that was the most bullied of the squad and his superior.

“Ahhhhh!” Seong’s superior tried to wriggle his arms but couldn’t because he was forced into submission.

—Stab!

“You can take a beating, can’t you?”

—Stab!

“You’re a man, aren’t you?!”

—Stab! Stab! Stab!

Seong and the others could only watch as they were bewildered by such a traumatic scene, as much as they hated the superior’s abuse, they wouldn’t think of killing as a last resort.

“You bastards! What’re you doing just watching?! Help us!” Another commander was crawling away and shouting, but was quickly caught and stabbed.

“Ahhhh!!!”

Seong and the others looked at each other, slowly brandishing out their knives and joining the chaos.

“Ahh…Ahhhh!” One of the commanders thought they were done for until…

—Stab! 

Seong’s group had attacked one of the members of the riot.

“Kuek!”

The rioting members had noticed that they weren’t with them at all and had turned to attack them, leaving the commanders to crawl away weakly and calling an emergency alarm.

—WHOOOOOPP!! WHOOOOOPP!!

The alarms started blaring red, the rioting members widened their eyes as they erratically laughed. A brawl of knives began to occupy the courtyard, the men exchanged fury of slashes as they tried to defend their right.

Seong’s eyes turned cold… His friends, his morals, his life; he always lived a troublesome life, but should he have to sacrifice it over priorities?

Why do people take things for granted? Why do people like taking things from others? Why should he cut down people trying to speak their truth for others who are in a higher position?

“Puhah…” Seong laughed.

Because the world is unfair.