When I arrived at the meeting place, it was already past 8 o’clock.
In the distance, under a streetlight, a woman wearing a pressed-down hat stood with an expression full of discontent.
Upon closer inspection, she was even wearing sunglasses.
From her appearance alone, it felt like she was advertising, ‘I’m a suspicious person.’
“Hello.”
“…You know you’re 10 minutes late, right?”
Han Se-yeon muttered while looking at me.
Even though her eyes were hidden behind the sunglasses, I could feel her intense gaze.
I awkwardly smiled.
“Sorry. The roads were jammed during rush hour.”
“I’m a very busy person.”
“I know. Who doesn’t know how busy you are, Han Se-yeon?”
“…Anyway, take this.”
Han Se-yeon handed me a black case bag.
With such a suspicious-looking person handing over something like this, it felt like I was in an illegal transaction scene straight out of a movie.
“These are the potions you requested. There are ten in total, made with sacred bloom mixed in.”
“Heh. You did a great job.”
“I made them myself, so you can expect great effects. However, since sacred herb was added, the effects are amplified, but so are the side effects, so keep that in mind.”
I nodded and opened the bag.
Inside, ten blue potions were neatly secured between foam cushions.
━━
[Amplified Mana Elixir (B)]
Category: Potion
Description: Increases mana recovery rate by 500% for 5 minutes upon consumption.
After the duration ends, the user will experience mana exhaustion for 30 minutes.
━━
“Oh.”
The effect was excellent.
It increased mana recovery by a whopping 500% for 5 minutes.
Of course, the strong side effect of mana exhaustion for 30 minutes afterward had to be considered, but the outstanding effect made it worth it.
“They look good. The effect seems solid too.”
“How can you tell without drinking it?”
“I can tell just by looking.”
“Oh, right. You mentioned you’ve studied potions before.”
Han Se-yeon mumbled as if she just remembered.
“But why do you need these? A mage of your level shouldn’t need something like this.”
She looked at me with a puzzled expression.
‘A mage of my level, huh.’
For some reason, her words felt amusing.
She must have formed that impression from the images of me that appeared in the media.
But in reality, I wasn’t that great yet.
“I have my reasons.”
“Really? People don’t use these much nowadays.”
Han Se-yeon still seemed doubtful as she muttered to herself.
Well, it was understandable.
Most mages usually carried an amount of mana that matched their skill level.
Even if potions artificially boosted mana recovery, it didn’t necessarily mean they could wield magic better or use more spells.
Just then, Han Se-yeon lowered her sunglasses slightly and examined me closely.
“You’re not planning to go like that, are you?”
“What’s wrong with my outfit?”
“What do you mean? Here, take this.”
She pulled out sunglasses and a hat from her handbag and handed them to me.
“The underground fighting arena is illegal. You’re quite a well-known figure now after the recent demon subjugation. Are you going in like this?”
Oh, she’s well-prepared.
I accepted the sunglasses and hat from her.
“You’re not charging me for these, are you?”
“…What do you take me for? I wasn’t going to mention it, but remember the Crimson Dragon’s Soul you had me sell? The total sales commission and tax were over 3 million won, but you gave me 3,500 instead. You know that, right?”
“You would’ve been cooler if you didn’t bring that up.”
“…Anyway, just saying.”
“Yeah, thanks. Oh, these are both designer items.”
I put on the sunglasses.
They say the essence of sunglasses is in their weight, and as expected of a luxury brand, they were incredibly light.
“Do they suit me?”
When I looked at her, she shook her head.
“No. You looked younger because of your eyes, but now you just look like an old man.”
“…”
“How about shaving? You just look older with that. And, is that even real facial hair?”
Han Se-yeon tilted her head curiously.
“Ahem. It’s real. And I have no plans to shave it.”
At my answer, Han Se-yeon shrugged and mumbled, “Suit yourself.”
I chuckled and took off the sunglasses.
“By the way, your preparation is impressive, but these aren’t actually necessary there.”
“Huh?”
She looked puzzled.
I pulled out a mask from my inner pocket.
“In the underground fighting arena, wearing a mask is mandatory.”
The underground fighting arena was held secretly in a small city on the outskirts of Seoul.
I got into the luxury car Han Se-yeon brought and we headed there together.
“By the way, I’m curious about something.”
While driving, Han Se-yeon spoke casually.
“What is it?”
“How did you find out about my brother’s weakness? And how did you know I wanted Hanseong Group?”
She asked as if she still couldn’t understand.
I pondered how to answer, then decided to just mess with her.
“If you give me 5% of Hanseong Pharmaceutical’s shares, I’ll tell you.”
“…Just say you don’t want to tell me.”
Han Se-yeon pouted.
That expression was cute, so I chuckled and turned my gaze to the window.
Suspicious-looking black cars began appearing outside.
Since they were heading in the same direction, they were probably also going to the underground arena.
The underground fighting arena was a place that appeared in the original story, and several villains were known to frequent it.
There might be some familiar villains in those cars right now.
“Oh, by the way, is it okay for you to move around without bodyguards?”
I asked her something that had been on my mind.
Han Se-yeon had learned magic but wasn’t very skilled at it.
Her field of expertise was pharmacology, not combat.
It seemed risky for someone like her to be here without protection.
“I came here secretly, so how could I bring them? Besides, as I mentioned before, only one companion is allowed inside.”
“Oh, right.”
I understood immediately.
As we continued talking, we finally arrived at a small abandoned building where several luxury cars were parked.
“We’re here.”
“Good job. Here, put on your mask.”
I handed her a mask.
She stared at the mask for a moment before putting it on.
“Is this mask design your personal taste?”
She asked me after putting it on.
The masks we were both wearing were plain white rabbit masks.
Honestly, I didn’t choose them for any special reason. They were just the first ones I saw.
“I just picked them without much thought. Looks like we’re ready, so let’s go.”
“……Alright.”
Han Se-yeon and I got out of the car and entered the abandoned building.
At the entrance, a man in a white mask, neatly dressed, was standing.
“I’ll need to verify your membership card.”
At his words, Han Se-yeon handed over her membership card.
The man checked it and looked at Han Se-yeon.
“Is this you?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll need to confirm. Please lift your mask for a moment.”
Han Se-yeon slightly raised her mask. The man glanced at her and nodded.
“Confirmed. Is this person accompanying you?”
“Yes.”
“Understood. Please wear these bracelets.”
The man handed over bracelets that emitted a faint purple glow.
“These are VIP member bracelets. With these, you can use all facilities inside for free.”
We nodded and put on the bracelets.
“Enjoy your time.”
With that, we passed the man and entered the building.
There were multiple pathways inside, but there was only one leading to the underground arena. Naturally, we had to take the stairs going down.
Descending into the underground, we saw a crowd of people wearing masks.
Among them, many villains were likely hiding, but with everyone masked, it was difficult to identify them.
“It’s bigger than I expected.”
Han Se-yeon muttered as she looked around.
The underground arena was designed similarly to the Roman Colosseum.
A large circular fighting pit surrounded by tiered spectator seating.
As I was observing the arena while walking, someone bumped into me.
“Ugh!”
Whoever it was, they had an incredibly solid body.
It felt as if I had collided with Jang Ancheol, who reinforced his body with mana.
I looked up to see a man wearing a red devil mask staring at me.
“My apologies. Are you alright?”
A deep male voice.
The man in the red devil mask bowed his head and apologized.
And at that moment—
My entire body froze.
‘This man…’
I knew him.
And the ominous energy faintly emanating from him was clear proof that he was exactly who I thought he was.
In the original story’s underground arena episode, a man wearing a red devil mask appeared.
‘Ha-ryeong.’
An S-rank dark mage and a top-tier villain with significant presence in the original story.
I had expected to encounter some villains here, but I never thought I’d run into Ha-ryeong.
“I’m fine. No need to worry.”
Though I was momentarily flustered by the unexpected encounter with a major villain, I responded as calmly as possible.
Drawing unnecessary attention from him would do me no good right now.
Ha-ryeong nodded as he observed me.
“It’s a relief then.”
His gaze subtly shifted to my wrist.
Since he was the organizer of this underground arena, it was likely a habit of his to check customer membership levels.
“A VIP member, I see. I hope you have an enjoyable time.”
With those words, Ha-ryeong walked away.
I stared blankly at his departing figure.
“……Wow.”
“What’s wrong?”
Han Se-yeon asked, noticing my tension.
Unlike me, she remained as composed as ever.
Probably because I’m the only one here who knows Ha-ryeong’s true identity.
“It’s nothing. I just felt a sudden chill.”
“……A chill?”
Seeing her puzzled expression, I glanced at my watch.
“Damn, we’re running late. Let’s hurry up, or we’ll miss the betting.”
“Huh? There’s still plenty of time before betting closes.”
“To stir the pot, you need to set the bait early.”
On the third floor of the underground arena, in the VIP observation room—
A place where the entire arena could be seen at a glance.
Ha-ryeong sat in a chair, resting.
Then, the door opened, and a man wearing a white mask entered.
“Boss, thirty minutes until betting closes.”
“Understood. Any unusual activity?”
“There was one.”
“There wasn’t…… Huh?”
Ha-ryeong narrowed his eyes.
“A customer placed an unusual bet.”
The man handed him a document.
Ha-ryeong scanned through it and stopped at one particular line.
“……This.”
The third match of tonight—
It featured ‘Yang Hong-ju,’ who had held the champion title for three years.
Yang Hong-ju was the most popular fighter in the underground arena.
His combat skills were so formidable that he could hold his own against an A-rank mage.
However, despite his popularity, the total betting amount on his matches was typically low.
Since everyone bet on him, the winnings were minimal even if he won.
“This person… bet 5.3 billion on Yang Hong-ju’s opponent?”
“Yes. And they placed the bet immediately after betting opened, causing quite a stir among the guests.”
“So now everyone’s betting on Yang Hong-ju to claim those winnings?”
“Exactly.”
“……Yang Hong-ju’s opponent today, he’s a rookie, right?”
“Yes. It’s his debut match today.”
A rookie in his debut match, yet someone bet 5.3 billion on him?
“Who exactly is Yang Hong-ju’s opponent?”
“His name is Liang Liang, 23 years old, from a Chinese slum. He possesses an awakening-type ability, but there’s no sign he’s received formal magical training.”
“And someone still bet 5 billion on him?”
High-risk bets were common in gambling venues, but Yang Hong-ju had maintained an undefeated record for three years.
It was safe to say that a rookie debuting today had zero chance of defeating him.
Yet someone had placed such an enormous bet. What kind of crazy confidence did they have?
Unless they were so rich that they had money to burn…
“Who did it?”
“The staff said it was someone wearing a rabbit mask.”
“A rabbit mask? Oh.”
Ha-ryeong recalled the man he had bumped into earlier on the first floor.
Despite wearing a mask, the man had exuded a sharp sense of tension.
‘Come to think of it, that guy was a VIP…’
Perhaps that explained the bold bet.
VIP status at these underground events required assets in the trillions. For someone like that, 5 billion was mere pocket change.
‘So that’s why.’
Ha-ryeong nodded, his curiosity finally satisfied.
Still, betting such a large sum on a long shot like this…
“……What a unusual hobby.”
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