Arena

Chapter 126 – Synthesis (Part 2)

-Synthesis successful. Foresight (Synthesis skill) has been unlocked.

-One magnum 357 bullet has been used.

-Foresight (synthesis skill): sense an enemy’s long distance attack before it reaches you.

Seeing how there was no level listed, this must be like the reload skill in that it’s a skill with a level I cannot raise.

‘What a fun skill.’

Being able to anticipate an enemy’s long distance attack.

Then when someone is trying to attack me, I’ll be able to track that trajectory and see it coming.

‘Huh? Isn’t this too good of a skill to be true?’

An enemy in hiding, that I can’t see, preparing to attack with a weapon from far away, that’s a scary thing.

That’s exactly the kind of person I am!

In that last 7th exam, with cheat like shooting skills, I was able to murder 6 corrupt examinees!

Not knowing when or how I will attack or even with what weapon kind of weapon I was using, they had no choice but to die a futile death at my hands.

On the other hand, I could also be in the same kind of danger. Even though there aren’t really any guns in the Arena, there were still arrows and magic or someone who throws daggers like Marie.

With that in mind, this foresight skill was an incredible defense mechanism.

If someone who was hiding far away tried to attack with a weapon, foresight would appear. I could be aware of it and run away or avoid it.

“Show me all my skills.”

-Showing all skills obtained by examinee Kim Hyun-ho.

-Main skill: spirit summons (superior level 1).

-Assist skill: physical strength buff (intermediate level 5), guider (entry level 1), teleport (intermediate level 1), vision buff (entry level 1).

-Specialty skill: synthesis skill

-Synthesis skill: Divine Protection of the Wind (master), Divine Protection of Fire (entry level 1), reflex (superior level 1), flame of life (intermediate level 4), penetrate (entry level 1), virtual space (intermediate level 1), shooting (entry level 1), bullet revision (master), reload, dynamic visual acuity (entry level 1), see-through (entry level 1), foresight.

-Remaining karma: +1,400

I was satisfied with myself.

I used 1,300 karma to raise my dynamic visual acuity to intermediate level 1.

And the remaining 100 karma I left alone.

“Miss Marie!”

“Yeah!”

“Let’s spar again. It’ll be different this time.”

“Okay, let’s play.”

To her it seems our sparring sessions are nothing more than playing a game of tag.

Marie, without hesitation, started attacking.

She didn’t come in at once, she staggered her approach and her strange rhythm flustered me.

‘It was always like this which is why I couldn’t get the right timing of it.’

Since I couldn’t get the timing right to go in, I couldn’t help but naturally be led on by her.

But this time it was different.

Boong!

I thought she stopped for a moment but in an instant she was at my chin and threw a punch.

The punch flew in like some bullet.

But I dodged my head to the side. At the same time, with my hand I grabbed her nape.

“……!”

Surprised, Marie did a somersault in place in the air, and shook off my hand. As swift as a swallow.

Marie put some distance between the two of us, thought something was weird and shook her head to the side, then attacked once more.

Pa pa pat!

Left, right, left, right, with a zigzag step, I almost saw a double of her.

But I knew before it happened that her kick was coming from the right.

The intermediate level 1 foresight has given me some time to react.

By the split of a hair, I could see the initial movement of Marie’s attack so I was prepared for and was able to defend myself.

It was like Cha Ji-hye said, time moving more slowly.

In a short time I could see more and can even think about how I needed to act.

After just dodging, I counter attacked with some left jabs.

Fighting back with jabs and slowly inching forward, I decreased the distance between us and I effectively disrupted Marie’s flow of movement.

The sparring eventually finished in a tie.

“It’s not fun anymore.”

Marie complained and pouted her lips.

She can’t easily just win the game now so of course it’s not fun.

But on the other hand I was very satisfied.

With the effect of that raised dynamic visual acuity intermediate level 1 skill, I was able to see the results right away that’s why I could feel satisfied.

After that we had a simple day.

After we woke up and had breakfast, I sparred with Marie, then Cha Ji-hye in turns.

Nearly all of the house chores were done by Cha Ji-hye.

Atypical of her.

She was good at buying groceries and cooking. She even used the oven to bake bread and cookies.

‘Did she get some cooking skill?’

It was enough to warrant such suspicion. It’s a skill very unlike her usual image.

“Um, should I employ a maid?”

“There is no need.”

“This must be a lot of work for you though.”

“It’s not at all.”

“But I still feel bad.”

“I like to cook.”

“That’s unexpected.”

“That is rude.”

“Oh, right, sorry.”

I broke out in a cold sweat and Cha Ji-hye gave me an ambiguous smile for a split second.

“I didn’t like it originally, but now that there’s more mouths to feed, it’s gratifying.’

With perfect timing, Marie ran into the kitchen and shouted.

“Make me macarons!”

“It is almost mealtime.”

“I don’t want rice! Macarons!”

Throwing a tantrum like a child.

“Would you like to eat 3 macarons or eat a meal and then eat 6 macarons?”

For a moment, Marie became indecisive and looked like a plotting monkey.

“Food and then 6 macarons……”

“Okay then.”

Marie looked like she had been tricked as she walked out of the kitchen.

“You’re good with kids.”

“When I was at the orphanage, there were more than a few kids.”

“Ah….. You must have went through a lot.”

“Not really. After I learned Muay Thai, everyone listened very well.”

“…..”

I wondered what the connection between Muay Thai and watching kids well was but I got scared. She might have been born a soldier.

Anyway, we spent our days quite peacefully.

***

Lee Chang-wee was berated day after day and was not in a good mood. The communist party cadre was fretting.

An examinee with the skill to cure any disease!

After it became widespread that Chairman Park Jin-seong recovered, they all came to Lee Chang-wee and grilled him.

“Quickly deliver that examinee to me.”

“He is an individual necessary to the future of China!”

It’s not that Lee Chang-wee didn’t know their true motives.

The old party executives were, more than anything, trying their best to preserve their own lives.

With substantial power and money, with so much at stake, the thing they were most greedy for was more life.

‘They think Kim Hyun-ho can deliver them eternal life? Those lazy pigs don’t even exercise.’

They can’t even fix their own habits and waddle around pretending to do Tai Chi. Every time he saw them he wanted to beat them to death.

Lee Chang-wee himself didn’t have his own righteous reasons but getting orders from a group who he didn’t have an ounce of respect for made him quite unhappy.

Getting orders to do this or that from those insects whose skulls he could crack in two with one hand. It made him angry every single time.

How was it that he was being ordered around by those that weren’t the strongest?

‘For the sake of giving Chinese examinees a pillar of support, I aligned himself with them, but I have no intention of being a pawn forever.’

Lee Chang-wee was growing his power and waiting for the right time.

Lee Chang-wee was waiting patiently to upturn the current power structure and climb atop it.

‘But for now I have to kneel.’

Even if it isn’t the party’s commands, he has to take care of Kim Hyun-ho.

He’s grown excessively.

His rate of growth was too fast.

To grab him and bring him to China or to cut down the sprout.

Lee Chang-wee went to the Beijing international airport. He got his ticket and was waiting when.

A sudden phone call came on his phone, he took it out.

‘Who is this?’

An unknown number.

He picked it up.

“Who is this?”

-Lee Chang-wee?

A young man’s voice spoke out in the Arena language.

“Who is this?”

-Odin.

Lee Chang-wee’s eyes grew cold and flat.

“Odin from the Nordic exam group;”

-Yes.

“You caused us some trouble at the Deport docks the other day.”

-I’m not sure about that. We just nabbed some pirates, were there some of your guys amongst them?

“If you don’t know, that’s fine. We can deal with what happens in the Arena while we’re in there.

-Do whatever you want.

“I’m sure you didn’t call just to aggravate me, what is it?”

-I see you’re at the airport right now.

Startled at those words, Lee Chang-wee looked around at his surroundings.

‘Is he watching?’

But Lee Chang-wee replied unfazed.

“And?”

-I don’t suppose the plane you’ll board will head to Korea?

Kim Hyun-ho crossed his mind. He had heard that he had aligned himself with the Nordic exam group.

“And if I am?”

-What do you mean? If you’re going to tour Korea, that isn’t something for me to get involved in. But……

Odin’s words continued.

-I have a friend with a debt larger than life in Korea, I wanted to ask you to tell them hello on my behalf.

“Hello……”

Odin’s message was clear.

Don’t touch Kim Hyun-ho.

‘Are you giving me a warning right now? To Lee Chang-wee?’

Lee Chang-wee’s eyes suddenly had a violent glint in them.

“I’ll let it hang as it is. You’ve moved up a bit and now you’re overconfident. You wish to die? Even if two or three guys like you came at me, do you think you could beat me?”

-I don’t think it would take two or three of us.

“Oh? I’d love to see if that’s true in the next exam.”

-If it is in the Arena, I’m much less scared.

‘What does he mean by that?’

The inside of Lee Chang-wee’s head became complicated.

Did he gain something that would make him immensely stronger?

Without something like that, he wouldn’t dare to be so brazen.

No matter if it was in real life or in the Arena, no matter how famous he was, this was Odin.

‘Odin isn’t a careless man, why is he being this way?’

-Anyway, I’ve said it clearly. Do not try to harm a dear friend of the Nordic Exam Group.

Lee Chang-wee roughly hung up the phone.

The rage had passed but unlike that emotion, the inside of his head was cold.

‘The Nordic exam Group is going to these lengths to protect Kim Hyun-ho?’

It’s not just a personal relationship.

No matter the debt Odin may have, for him to put the Nordic exam group’s name on the line and actually call China, he can’t do that.

This meant the Nordic exam group had formally decided to protect Kim Hyun-ho, and if so, why?

‘Enough to monitor the hostility between China and Kim Hyun-ho, is he worth that much?’

Something was off.

‘There’s something I don’t know.’

This just cements the fact more that he should go to Korea himself.

The time came and Lee Chang-wee boarded a plane to Incheon.

***

A leisurely dinnertime.

I lay on the sofa and watched TV, Marie was playing with the spirits I summoned.

Cha Ji-hye was looking intently at something on the laptop and when I asked she just replies oh its nothing.

We were passing time like this when.

Ring, ring.

My smartphone started to vibrate and Marie suddenly got up.

“Hyun-ho’s phone!”

Then she stole my smartphone and checked the caller ID.

“Who?”

Marie tilted her head.

I took the smartphone back from her and checked and it’s the unknown caller ID sign.

Usually with these its suspicious people.

I went back and forth wondering if I should answer and decided to just take the call.

“Hello?”

-Mr. Kim Hyun-ho?

Suddenly, a young man’s voice asked.

I winced.

Because it was in the Arena language.

Who is this?

But seeing as he asked in informal speech, an opponent.

And a young man……

“Lee Chang-wee?”

-So you know.