Vol 4 Chapter 21

"Oh, models!"

Kapros couldn't remember the name well, but it was the guy who had been trying to act familiar with them lately, so he ignored him and turned his head. Kran glanced at the guy and spoke.

"That Rob guy is so annoyingly persistent..."

'So that guy's name was Rob...'

Thinking it strange that Kran remembered such a thing, Kapros turned around, and Un-o slightly gestured with his eyes, pointing towards the exit.

"Well, we've finished all our battles for today, so let's go out."

"Alright."

"Oh, wait a moment..."

Was it because the tension had eased after the match ended? None of them realized at that moment that the vigilance they should never have forgotten had disappeared, leaving only carelessness.

***

Caesar was standing between the audience seats, looking down at the arena. With his cloak deeply wrapped and fixed, his face wasn't visible, but the direction of his head remained unchanged, making him look like a statue rather than a person.

- Clang! Clang clang clang! Clang! Bang!

"Woooah!"

"Wasn't there clearly an explosion sound, even if weak? Is it sword energy?"

Ignoring the noisy sounds coming from beside him, his eyes, staring intently, were frozen cold.

It was the first time since starting this game that he had seen a battle that gave such a strange feeling. He had been watching, wondering why, but there was no particular reason he could guess.

'That man is definitely a Lord Superior quest performer.'

As a Knight of the Demon God quest performer, it would make sense to feel unique about the opposite quest performer, but Caesar felt an odd sense of déjà vu from something more fundamental, different from that.

The original reason he had come here was to look around this place while also taking steps to vent his directionless anger. For him, who had developed an evil-like character tendency thanks to the quest, this lawless city was an ideal place to gain invaluable helpers.

As he had thought, he had made contact with several useful NPCs here, and in his spare time, he had planned to deal with the three rat-like guys he had found in this city as he pleased. But now, he was watching the battle without being able to move, as if struck by lightning from an unexpected place.

'Strange.'

It was strange. Based on the results of the couple of times they had met before, he seemed to have been just that kind of guy, but the mage wielding a sword there now seemed to be emitting some bizarre force that prevented him from moving.

Striking down, pressing, dodging, then clashing again. The sight of the wavering blade clashing and occasionally causing small explosions was clearly visible to his eyes, regardless of the distance.

It wasn't a particularly outstanding level of combat. There wasn't a single proper use of sword skills. Yet, the sensation of his heart beating unstably and his breath becoming strangely irregular sent chills down his spine.

When the match started, seeing the awkward movements that hesitated and faltered at times, he had thought that although the mage had apparently made some effort due to the quest, that would be the extent of it. But as the Superior quest user's attacks became smoother and started responding appropriately to the opponent's attacks, the strange feeling began to intensify.

A confusion as if a fog had settled thickly in his mind. At first glance, it seemed like mindless swinging, but that wasn't it. Rather, it started to show unexpected proficiency that couldn't be expressed through skills. He was covering his slower feet with appropriate distance control, and compensating for lacking strength by changing to deflect attacks using subtle wrist movements.

In the midst of the intense battle, those movements were probably innate sense rather than conscious thought. With that level of combat sense, it was puzzling why he had become a mage without using weapons from the start.

'What on earth is that.'

Feeling as if coldness was rising from his fingertips the more he watched, Caesar stood there as if nailed to the spot until the match ended.

Each movement of the battle imprinted on his retina gave him an eerily chilling sensation. The feeling that was familiar yet just out of reach was making him unable to move even more.

Only long after the match had ended and the man had gone inside did Caesar finally raise his head. He still couldn't exactly understand the reason for the sensation he was feeling, but he felt as if a corner of his nerves was strangely tingling.

The madness that had been present on his stiffly set expression until he first arrived here had now coldly faded away.

Finally, Caesar began to move his feet forward.

"Ugh! What the hell, you bastard!"

"Gah! Who the hell is bumping..."

Every time he strode forward as if no one was in front of him, people who were hit on the shoulder or body turned around cursing, but upon seeing the chillingly burning eyes inside the cloak, they unconsciously closed their mouths. Having reached the railing at the very front of the audience seats like this, Caesar grabbed the railing without hesitation and threw his body downward.

"Wh-what!"

People nearby screamed. The colosseum, consisting of three floors with enormous height between floors, was currently on the second floor, high enough to barely make out the appearance of people competing in the arena. The man who had thrown himself from such a place without a care didn't mind the people who had swarmed like bees to see him from above, and landed nimbly, lowering his body like a hunting beast.

Boom!

For a moment, a large shockwave spread out from the landing point. As the ground slightly collapsed and dust scattered, the cloak that had been fluttering as if about to tear settled on the ground.

Only when people from other areas started rushing in, surprised by the strange sound that had resonated throughout the entire colosseum, did Caesar slowly straighten his knees and stand up. Where he stood was the central point of the arena where the match had just taken place.

"Crazy bastard, what the hell is that!"

"What's going on? Isn't the match starting?"

Amidst the pouring murmurs, the man who revealed cold steel-bead-like eyes while slowly pulling on the cloak fixed to his left shoulder, looking almost leisurely, began to utter his first words.