The Desert Nation, Colony.  

The Colosseum, which serves as both the heart and landmark of the nation, shares the same name as the capital.  

The Colosseum is always filled with the public’s cheers and madness, as it is constantly stained with the blood shed by gladiators.  

Even when a gladiator gets stabbed or loses their life, everything that happens in this Colosseum is merely entertainment for the masses.  

But now, the Colosseum was silent.  

It wasn’t that the public wasn’t present.  

The Colosseum was packed with so many people that even the stairways, where people were supposed to move, were crammed with bodies.  

Could it be that the match hadn’t started yet? No, that wasn’t the case.  

Already, hundreds of gladiators of various ranks were standing in the spotlight.  

There was only one odd thing.  

While hundreds of gladiators gathered on the right side of the arena, on the left side, only one man stood.  

A fight that appeared imbalanced to anyone watching.  

Yet, the man standing alone on the Colosseum grounds had no complaints. Instead, a thin smile played on his lips.  

The iron gauntlets on the man’s hands gleamed.  

As soon as the referee’s voice, amplified through magic, echoed, the hundreds of gladiators began rushing toward the man.  

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Some with swords, some with fists, and others with axes.  

Gladiators of all sorts, ranging from A-rank to B-rank, all charged in, aiming for one man’s neck.  

However, despite the ferocious glints in their eyes, the man’s face still carried a deep smile, while the gladiators rushing at him bore intense tension in their eyes.  

Because everyone here knew who the man standing before them was.  

One of the Babayagas of this Colony.  

The man who had held the position of Babayaga for the longest time.  

Kalman Arents.  

As Kalman grinned, he shifted into position.  

His left foot slid behind his right, and his right hand followed suit, pulling back.  

Every muscle in his body tensed instantly.  

And just before the gladiators reached him, Kalman threw a punch.  

A punch aimed at the empty air.  

A punch aimed at no one, yet capable of striking anyone.  

Boom!  

As the shockwave erupted, the hundreds of gladiators rushing toward him were blown away in all directions in an instant, and with Kalman’s body vanishing,  

Crash!  

A ruthless massacre began.  

Each time Kalman’s obsidian gauntlet extended, the bodies of the gladiators trying to recover were shattered.  

For five minutes, the Colosseum was filled with silence, leaving only the fallen gladiators and Kalman.  

After a brief moment of silence,  

“Wooaaaaah!”  

The Colosseum exploded with a frenzy of cheers, as if the previous quiet had been a lie.  

The crowd, crazed and wild, paid no attention to the gladiators whose heads had been crushed or whose hearts had been destroyed by Kalman.  

They only screamed and cheered madly for Kalman.  

As Kalman slowly scanned the crowd, still with a deep smile, he turned and walked back into the Colosseum.  

The luxurious waiting room reserved for the Babayagas.  

Listening to the never-ending cheers of the crowd, Kalman remarked,  

“There are still so many foolish people. Thinking they could defeat a Babayaga with mere numbers, hundreds of them.”  

Turning at the sound of a voice from behind, Kalman found another man grinning.  

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The man was Malian, also known as a Babayaga, his bald head twisted grotesquely on one side.  

As Kalman sat on a luxurious chair, Malian continued,  

“Do you know who wiped out the Blood Sand Bandits?”  

“No. Did you find out?”  

Malian immediately responded to Kalman’s question.  

“It was Seolrang.”  

“…Is that so?”  

After a brief silence, Kalman finally spoke.  

But there was no particular anger in his voice.  

Only a faint acceptance, as if saying, “So, that’s how it was.”  

“Doesn’t seem like you’re very upset?” Malian asked, slightly puzzled.  

Kalman leisurely leaned back in his chair.  

“Not really? In the first place, I kept him around just because he brought in some pocket money. Besides, we’re going to kill him anyway, right?”

Kalman responded with a sly smile.

“True, that’s the plan.”

“So, what’s the plan?”

As Kalman asked, Malian flashed a quick grin and extended his left hand before Kalman. In his hand was a black cube.

“Oh-ho, is this the Abyssal Core? The one that can elevate the worthy?”

Malian nodded as Kalman twisted his mouth into a smile.

“Yes, with this, I can crush that arrogant beastkin’s head.”

“That’s music to my ears.”

Kalman lifted the cube from Malian’s hand. Gazing at the abyssal object, which seemed to absorb all light, he muttered with satisfaction.

“Finally, I can kill the bastard that’s been tearing through Colony as if it were her own playground.”

“I agree. Just a few days ago, I suffered because of her as well. And—”

Malian sighed deeply, revealing a bit of his frustration as he nodded in agreement. Seeing this, Kalman spoke again.

“So, when will the plan be executed?”

“In two days at the ruins.”

“That’s quick.”

“Isn’t quick better? Once that girl’s dead, you can start eating away at the royal authority again—”

“And you can take over the entire underworld, right?”

“Exactly.”

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Malian smiled as they reaffirmed their shared goals.

“There’s no way we’ll fail.”

“Because of the Abyssal Core?”

“That too, but we also have some friends on the other side.”

With those words, Malian continued.

“Oh, and if you see that noble next to Seolrang, it would be great if you could take care of him as well.”

“Why?”

“Just a small request. I hear he’s Seolrang’s Master. Wouldn’t it be fun to kill him first, right in front of Seolrang?”

“Hmm, that does sound like it could be fun.”

With Kalman’s smiling response, Malian disappeared, leaving behind a promise to meet again in two days.

“Finally…”

Kalman sat in his throne, more greed-driven than any other, a deep smile on his lips.

***

About two days later, Alon, fully rested after staying at the guild, boarded a carriage with Seolrang, heading to the ruins. After some time had passed, they were almost at their destination.

Looking out at Seolrang, who was chatting casually with the golden-maned beastkin guarding the carriage, Alon thought to himself.

‘She’s nothing like the rumors suggest.’

It had been only about four days since Alon arrived at the Colony, but he had already grasped Seolrang’s reputation within it.

‘A mad dog…’

Alon made a peculiar expression.

The rumors often portrayed Seolrang as a mad dog, and naturally, he grew curious. After all, since their initial meeting, Seolrang had never shown any such behavior in front of him. For the past three days, all he saw was Seolrang smiling brightly and wagging her tail.

“Master?”

“Hmm?”

Alon snapped out of his thoughts as Seolrang, who had stopped talking to the beastkin, was now staring at him.

“You seemed deep in thought, Master. What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing much.”

As Seolrang tilted her head to the side, almost enough to twist her neck, Alon hesitated for a moment before answering.

“I just thought you’re good at looking after the guild members.”

“Of course! They’re all my family!”

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“Family?”

“Yeah! They’re all my kin! I have to take care of them! I don’t care about anyone else.”

“Is that so…?”

“Oh, but not you, Master!”

Seolrang said, her expression suddenly becoming serious as she stared intently at him.

As if she was considering something important, her brow furrowed as she murmured,

“Master… hmm… family… after family?… No, after Yutia…?”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, no matter how important you or Yutia are, you’re not blood-related.”

As if she had made a difficult decision, Seolrang concluded with a slightly apologetic expression.

But Alon simply shrugged and thought to himself.

‘Higher than I expected.’

Despite his expressionless face, Alon was pleased. Considering that he had barely spoken to Seolrang, let alone exchanged letters, the fact that he was being treated as the third most important person in her life was quite satisfying.

‘Hmm… does that mean if something dangerous happens later, I could probably ask for help once?’

As Alon finished his thoughts with a bit of relief, the coachman suddenly called out,

“We’ve arrived!”

The carriage had reached the city of Kahara, the ancient city of gods.

***

At the entrance to the ruins, now called by that name, the city was once known as “Kahara, the City of the Old Gods,” at least according to his knowledge as a player.

Alon stepped out of the carriage and began walking deeper into the dark cave, organizing his thoughts.

‘Where should I start looking?’

In Psychedelia, Alon had visited this place multiple times. However, those visits were only for side quests to deal with the bandits hiding here, not to uncover any hidden secrets.

‘I do remember there being a place with lots of writings.’

Using his in-game knowledge, he decided to focus on certain areas that stood out in his memory after entering Kahara. He was pinpointing a few spots to explore in more detail.

After walking for some time, when Seolrang’s expression started showing signs of boredom, Alon noticed a group walking ahead, much further in front than his party.

Before long, he recognized who they were.

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“Ah, Count Palatio?”

“Liyan…?”

The woman approaching from the darkness, illuminating the way with light magic, was none other than Liyan Aguileras, daughter of the Red Tower’s master, along with a group of Red Tower wizards whom Alon had encountered during his recent visit to the desert city of Colony. 

Alon, noticing that the confused looks of the twenty or so wizards had shifted to slightly surprised expressions, felt a bit taken aback himself.

“Are you here to explore the ruins too, Count?” Liyan asked.

“Indeed,” Alon nodded in response to her question, and naturally, he began walking alongside the Red Tower wizards as they continued exploring the ruins.

After walking for some more time, Alon heard Evan, who was also starting to look bored like Seolrang, say, “There’s the exit.”

Alon followed Evan’s gaze toward the exit and, finally stepping outside, was greeted by an incredible sight.

“Wow—”

The wizards, beastkin, and even Seolrang couldn’t help but exclaim in awe. The sight before them, after stepping outside, was that of a massive fortress within an underground cavern.

However, Alon wasn’t particularly surprised by the scene. He had already seen this enormous fortress several times before. 

But even so, his usually expressionless eyes widened slightly more than usual because, in his ear, he heard something that no one else could:

[You’ve finally come, magician.]

A voice that only he could hear.