The chaos erupted immediately.

The massive black lion lunged at us, its eyes glinting with a primal hunger.
Panic spread like wildfire among the players as they scrambled to escape its path.

“Run!” someone shouted, but the sound was drowned out by the roars of the crowd, who were now fully engaged, cheering for the slaughter.

THUD THUD THUD!

The lion’s paws struck the ground like thunder as it barreled forward, its mouth wide open, teeth gleaming ominously.

I had to think fast.
What can I do?

My heart raced, and I felt the adrenaline surge through my veins.
I recalled the skills I had just obtained.

The Blinding Poison Needle… it could buy us some time.

Without hesitation, I focused my mind and prepared to cast the skill.
I drew the poison needle from my inventory and aimed carefully.

“Get back!” I yelled, as I unleashed the skill at the charging beast.

Swoosh!

The needle flew through the air and struck the lion squarely in the side.
The effect was immediate.

GROOOOOWWWLLL—!
The lion roared in fury and pain, staggering back as the poison began to take effect.
A brilliant green aura surrounded it, marking the start of its "Blind" status.

“Now!” I shouted, rallying the other players.
“We have to attack while it’s vulnerable!”

A few players regained their courage and rushed forward, weapons raised.
Kim Min-seong, emboldened by the sight of the lion momentarily dazed, leaped into the fray, sword swinging.

“Let’s take it down!” he shouted, rallying others with him.

With the lion blinded, the tide of the battle seemed to turn.
Players swarmed the beast, thrusting swords and striking with spells.
A sense of unity began to emerge, bolstered by the adrenaline of survival.

CRASH!
One player managed to land a critical hit on the lion's leg, causing it to collapse with a thunderous roar.

“Keep it down!” another shouted.
“Don’t let it get back up!”

But as we pressed the attack, the lion let out a desperate growl, trying to shake off the daze.
I could see its health bar depleting slowly, but it wouldn’t be long before it regained its senses.

“Don’t give it a chance to recover!” I yelled, launching another Blinding Poison Needle.

The lion’s eyes were glazed over, but it could still feel the strikes, thrashing and clawing wildly at anyone within reach.

“Spread out! Don’t let it catch you!”
I darted to the side, avoiding the wild swings of its massive paws.

Players started to fall back, forming a semi-circle around the lion, watching as it writhed in pain.

“Is everyone okay?” I asked, checking on the others.
Eun Seoryeong and Baeksong, both of whom had disappeared, were now back in my line of sight, catching their breath.

“We’re fine, just a bit overwhelmed,” Baeksong replied, glancing at the lion.
“Your poison is working wonders, but it won’t last forever.”

“Right, we need a plan,” I said, looking at the others, who were still hesitant.
“Let’s regroup and attack as one. We’ll have a better chance if we coordinate!”

A few players nodded, forming a rough circle around the wounded beast.
With a collective breath, we prepared ourselves for another round of attacks.

“Now!” I commanded, and we surged forward together, a unified front.

The lion, sensing the renewed assault, roared defiantly, but the poison was taking its toll.
We struck in unison, combining physical attacks and magic spells, overwhelming the creature with our sheer numbers.

GRAHHH!
With one last mighty roar, the black lion faltered, its legs giving way as it collapsed under the relentless barrage of blows.

THUD!

A hush fell over the arena.
The once-terrifying beast lay still, a testament to our teamwork and desperation to survive.

A moment of silence hung in the air, followed by an eruption of cheers from the spectators.

“Kill it! Finish it off!” they shouted, urging us to deliver the final blow.

I exchanged a glance with Kim Min-seong.
We both nodded.

“On three,” he said, raising his sword high.
“One... two... three!”

We plunged our weapons into the lion’s heart, a synchronized strike that would mark our victory.

SPLAT!

The lifeblood of the lion spilled across the arena floor, mingling with the dust.
With that, the once-feared creature lay dead, and a wave of exhilaration washed over us.

The crowd erupted into wild cheers.

“Newbies! Newbies! You did it!”
“Kill the Earthlings! We want more!”

The noise felt both overwhelming and exhilarating.
I could hardly believe we had survived our first trial on the second floor.

But before we could catch our breath, a new message appeared in front of us.

[Congratulations! You have defeated the Colosseum Guardian. You have earned 1,000 EXP and 500 Blinky Gold.]

“EXP? Gold? What does this mean?” I wondered aloud.

As if anticipating my confusion, the administrator’s voice boomed once more.
「Well done, players! This was only the beginning. Get ready for what’s next!」

We barely had a moment to relish our victory when the arena transformed.
The ground shook, and the surroundings blurred, sending us into a swirling vortex of light.

The next challenge awaited us, but for now, we had proven ourselves worthy survivors in this cruel arena.
Whatever lay ahead, we would face it together.

As the light enveloped us, I took one last look at the now lifeless lion.
We can do this.

With that thought, we were propelled forward into the unknown.

The sunlight poured down.
I squinted against the brightness.

“Woooooahhhh!”
“Newbie! Newbie! Newbie!”
“Get on with it! Damn it!”

I wasn’t quite sure what was happening.
But it certainly felt like a welcoming cheer, albeit a deafening one.
The shouts were so loud I thought my ears might ring.

“...”

I raised my hand to shield my eyes from the glare.
Only then could I fully open my eyes to see the second floor.

“Where is this...?”

We stood in the center of an arena.

“A… Colosseum?”
Someone murmured.

Looking beside me, I saw a stranger standing there.
Eun Seoryeong and Baeksong were nowhere to be found.
Where had they gone?

“...Who are you?”
“That’s what I should be asking.”

It seemed everyone was equally bewildered, glancing at one another in surprise.

“Well, we can introduce ourselves later.”

A woman pointed ahead, her voice trembling with fear.

Grrrrr—.

A massive lion, roughly the size of a shuttle bus, glared at us, baring its teeth.

ROOOAR—!

The black lion didn’t charge immediately.
Did it possess an intelligence atypical of a beast?

“Welcome, new players.”

A voice resonated from speakers floating in the air.
It was the administrator’s voice.

“I understand you just arrived from the first floor and are feeling disoriented. But I have no reason to be concerned about that, do I?”
“...”

Just after the administrator finished speaking, the crowd erupted in cheers.

“Kill them! Kill them! Let them fight!”
“We’ve been waiting for this day!”
“Do you know how much I paid to see those Earthling bastards die?!”

What I thought was a welcome turned out to be a misunderstanding.

It was blatant hostility.
On the second floor, Earthlings were treated even worse than on the first.

I gritted my teeth.

“Alright, let’s get started. Now that you’re players, you know what to do, right?” the administrator said.

As the administrator spoke, a message appeared before us.

[Second Floor: Survive.]
A warm welcome is a common occurrence.
Survive in the arena filled with hostility directed at you.

THUD—!

The chains binding the black lion snapped.
The lion, seemingly starving for days, drooled as it charged at us.

CRUNCH—!

It swallowed a player whole.
With a sickening crunch, the body was torn apart, blood splattering everywhere.

“AAAAAHHHHH!”

The scene exploded into chaos.
Players scrambled to flee or fight back against the overwhelming terror of the lion, their survival instincts kicking in as fear filled the air.

We needed a plan, and we needed it fast.