Chapter 98
Not long after, the prisoners in the underground jail were completely subdued, loaded onto large carriages, and transported elsewhere.
How much time had passed?
“Ugh!”
A hood that had been placed over their faces was roughly torn off by someone, and what entered their eyes was an underground arena of a considerable scale.
*There was a place like this?*
Jongpal, Doil, and Myeonghyeon wore bewildered expressions at the sight of the arena that had appeared out of nowhere.
They did not know.
They did not know that the Joy Palace had secretly constructed dozens of such underground arenas throughout the Jungwon.
Nor did they know that tournaments were held in them on a rotating basis.
But no one knew when or where they were held, unless they were invited to the arena.
Of course, not many received such an invitation.
Only about twenty people or so.
Their ages, professions, and genders were all different, but they had one thing in common.
They were all incredibly wealthy.
That was right.
The death matches held here were a form of entertainment held for this very small minority of rich people.
They smirked as they watched ordinary people encounter ferocious beasts, tremble in fear, and then die.
They also enjoyed the horrific and gruesome moments when warriors, in order to survive, drove their blades into each other's necks.
Watching the screams and madness of humans unfold before their eyes was entertainment to them.
Moreover, such a spectacle could not be seen anywhere else.
Only in the underground arenas opened by the Joy Palace could one see such things.
That was why those who came here were willing to pay enormous sums of money just to be invited to this place.
This was precisely the reason the Joy Palace abducted ordinary people.
They needed lives, like flies, to die in the underground arena.
“Follow me.”
The arrivals were soon dragged somewhere.
After walking for a long time down a narrow, winding corridor, they arrived at a prison with a very small, narrow window, no wider than the space between one's nose and eyes.
And through that window, they could directly see what was happening in the underground arena.
*These fucking lunatics.*
Jongpal cursed inwardly after looking around the inside of the prison.
At a glance, it was just an ordinary prison with nothing special about it.
But upon closer inspection, it was a prison with a truly horrific structure.
Having come this far, Jongpal was beginning to get a rough idea of why they had been kidnapped and brought to this place.
They wouldn't have been brought to a place that was obviously an arena just to watch, so it was clear they themselves would be the ones to step into that arena.
In that case, what was the purpose of that window with a clear view of the arena?
Those trapped here would be forced to watch through that window and see with their own eyes the terrible end met by those who were dragged into the arena before them.
And knowing that their end would soon be their own future, they would wail and gradually go mad.
Their cries would naturally become sweet music to the lunatics who had come to this underground arena.
*Grind.*
Having reached that conclusion, Jongpal ground his teeth fiercely.
When he turned his head, he saw that Myeonghyeon's eyes were bloodshot and Doil's fists were trembling, as if they had reached the same conclusion.
He didn't know who had come up with this insane idea, but they were clearly and completely out of their minds.
From the moment they were captured by the Joy Palace and thrown into the underground prison until now.
They felt as if they were seeing all the most horrible things in the world gathered in one place.
It was enough to make one's stomach churn and want to vomit.
If it was like this for them, who had trained their minds and bodies by practicing martial arts their whole lives, how much worse must it be for the ordinary people who had been dragged here without knowing anything?
Sounds of trembling and quiet sobs could be heard from various parts of the prison.
The expressions of Jongpal, Myeonghyeon, and Doil grew grim.
“Phew… This is getting crazier by the second. Seriously.”
Jongpal sighed, scratching his head vigorously.
He had, of course, heard of the Joy Palace's notoriety, as it was widely known in the Murim.
But he had never heard anything like this.
An underground arena where they kidnapped people who hadn't even learned martial arts!
Did this even make sense?
How could they do such a thing unless they saw humans as livestock…!
In any case, it was a truly maddening moment.
From the moment they were captured, they had tried to find a way to escape and report this, but instead, they had been dragged all the way here.
It was an absurd situation.
It was then.
*Grrrrrr!*
Suddenly, the roar of a wild beast was heard.
Looking through the small window, it seemed a pack of wolves had just been released into the arena.
The wolves, having starved for several days, were drooling heavily and baring their teeth ferociously.
Before they could even question the sudden appearance of the wolves, another iron gate opened with a *clang*, and this time,
The faces of those who saw what emerged from there turned ashen.
“Th-that’s!”
It was a bear.
An abnormally large bear.
*KUUUOOOOOOH!*
The bear's roar echoed thunderously throughout the arena.
*Grrrrr! Yap yap!*
Soon, the wolf pack, without a second glance, surrounded the bear and charged at it swiftly.
The wolves fought the bear in a very organized manner.
As if this was not their first or second time hunting like this.
But perhaps the fight between the bear and the wolves was a lost cause from the start.
Before long, the wolves began to be killed by the bear, one by one.
And soon, only a single wolf remained.
It appeared to be the alpha.
*Grrrrr! KRAAAANG!*
Although it was a disadvantageous situation for anyone to see, the wolf bared its teeth and charged fiercely at the bear.
And the bear tore the wolf in half with its massive claws.
*KUUUOOOOOOH!*
The bear's roar, which was closer to a cry of slaughter and destruction than a roar of victory, echoed through the arena.
Then, without a moment's rest, someone else entered the arena.
This time, it wasn't beasts, but warriors holding swords with pale faces.
“Ugh, uuuuh…”
They were trembling like aspen leaves.
“Damn it! To think we would be abandoned like this! How could you do this to us!”
That's right. They were the Palace Disciples of the Joy Palace.
So why were they in such a state?
It was because they had failed to meet the quota of people they were supposed to procure.
One failure could be forgiven, but a second could not.
And so, they were pushed into this game of death.
For them, who knew better than anyone what it meant to stand in this arena, it was a terrifying situation where they could only think of death.
They were at least allowed to use weapons, but whether that could be called a consideration was something that remained to be seen.
Soon, one of them spotted someone watching the arena and screamed.
“Palace Lord! How could you do this to us!”
“That’s right! We were loyal as dogs to your word, and you abandon us like this!”
The target of their rage-filled fury was a fat, middle-aged man with skin as white as paper and sharp eyes.
He was the Palace Lord of the Joy Palace and one of the Ten Great Masters, the Phantom Divine Monarch.
But unlike the Palace Disciples who were spewing their grievances, he merely looked at them with an indifferent face.
“I have no memory of accepting incompetent fools like you as disciples of this palace. So stop your nonsense and just struggle to survive like the vermin you are.”
“What? You son of a—!”
*SPLAT!*
The head of the man who had lost his reason at the Phantom Divine Monarch's words and was about to spit out a curse exploded like a watermelon.
“I will not permit you to speak to me any further.”
As the Phantom Divine Monarch's eyes glinted with an annoyed expression, those who had been screaming flinched.
“Ugh, uh…”
In their anger, they had momentarily forgotten.
Who that man was.
That he was a far more terrifying and fearsome being than that giant bear.
*Thump. Thump. Thump.*
Having smelled the scent of blood, the giant bear was already approaching them.
And the moment its eyes met one of theirs,
*KUUUOOOOOOH!*
The giant bear charged at them.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
Unfortunately, the outcome was already as good as decided.
“Hoholhol. You are truly merciless, even to your subordinates.”
A man spoke to the Phantom Divine Monarch with a pleasant laugh.
“Hmm. As I said before, such incompetent fools are not my subordinates. And to me, you all, who share the same hobby, are more meaningful.”
“Kekeke. Such heartwarming words.”
“Indeed. I don't know how wonderful it is to be able to enjoy such a hobby together.”
About twenty people were gathered around the Phantom Divine Monarch.
Their attire was, without exception, indescribably luxurious.
That's right. They were the honored guests invited to this underground arena.
“The spectacles that the Phantom Divine Monarch prepares for us each time are truly enjoyable.”
“Indeed. It makes one anticipate what kind of pleasure you will provide us with this time.”
“I am truly glad that you are satisfied. In addition, a very special event is prepared for today.”
“A special… event?”
The Phantom Divine Monarch smirked broadly and said confidently.
“You may look forward to it. You will absolutely not be disappointed.”
At the Phantom Divine Monarch's words, a great sense of anticipation filled the arena's honored guests.
Their eyes, drenched in the expectation of blood and slaughter, glinted as they looked down at the arena.
It was soon time for the next livestock to come up.
In the meantime.
Among those trapped in the prison, the ones who would be pushed into the arena next were decided.
Doil, Myeonghyeon, and Jongpal were the chosen ones.
For some reason, the man who had been captured last was also among them.
Just in front of the iron gate leading into the arena, one of the Joy Palace disciples cackled and said.
“I hope you great gentlemen of the esteemed Orthodox Faction will not be eaten right away and will entertain the Palace Lord and the honored guests for a while.”
*Kekeke.*
*Fucking lunatics.*
Everyone was grinding their teeth in anger, but that wasn't what was important right now.
The iron gate leading to the arena was already slowly opening.
Jongpal spoke quickly.
“I get it, so hurry up and give us our weapons!”
He didn't even expect them to release his internal energy.
These bastards wouldn't trust him.
That's why they had fed them such a deadly poison.
Well, of course, even if his internal energy did return, he had no intention of just killing the bear and staying put.
Bear or whatever, he had to escape first.
But the answer that came back was completely unexpected.
“Why?”
The Joy Palace disciple asked back as if he didn't understand what Jongpal meant by asking for weapons.
No. What was this now?
Jongpal was the one who wanted to ask what he meant.
“What do you mean, why? We need weapons to kill that ridiculously huge bear!”
“Ah, ah. You seem to have misunderstood my words?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“We don't want you to kill that bear and survive.”
Towards Jongpal, who still looked like he didn't understand, the Joy Palace disciple smirked.
“We want you to struggle as entertainingly as possible before you die.”
For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
As he stood there, mouth agape, unable to speak, it was Myeonghyeon who finally managed to shout.
“What do you mean by that! The ones who went out before had weapons!”
“Ehei. That was the Palace Lord's boundless generosity for those who were once his disciples. But you are none of those things, are you? Gentlemen of the esteemed Orthodox Faction?”
*Clank.*
The gate opened completely.
“If you really need one, why don't you pick up one of the swords that fell on the floor and fight.”
“You fucking lunatics!”
“Kekeke. Do your best. Well, you'll die anyway.”
With the laughter of the Joy Palace disciples, they were soon pushed into the arena.
The gate closed, leaving no place to escape.
And there, a giant, blood-soaked beast was waiting for them.