Chapter: 16
Through the loosely woven threads of the sack, a reddish glow could be glimpsed. Paul tried to take a closer look at those eyes, but his mouth fell open, his face looking as though he had seen a ghost.
“Who… are you?”
“Does that matter?”
The sack answered as its wearer loosely pulled at the string tied around his neck. The way the sack had been tightly fastened around his neck to keep it in place made him look unmistakably like a scarecrow.
“It doesn’t matter, but…”
Still, having a conversation with him eased Paul’s tension somewhat. He glanced around the room, which had been reduced to a complete mess, then stepped inside and closed the door.
“Kill Crow… isn’t dead, is he?”
“Kill Crow?”
When Paul gestured toward the man lying on the floor, the sack made an “Ah” sound.
“He’s unconscious. Still, he won’t be able to participate in the match.”
Definitely. There was no way someone in that condition could stand in the arena. Paul stroked his chin as he looked down at Kill Crow, whose nose appeared to have been broken.
‘Did this person really defeat Kill Crow?’
The unease in his eyes gradually settled. Having quickly recovered from his initial shock, Paul, in his position as deputy manager, began considering whether he should send the sack-wearing man into the match or have mercenaries punish him for daring to attack one of Lomd’s fighters.
‘We’ve never replaced a fighter like this before, but…’
He glanced at the sack again. The lack of a visible face made the figure creepy, but his build was so small that he could easily have been mistaken for a woman. Standing beside Big Bear, the two would look like an adult and a child.
‘If someone with that build really reduced Kill Crow to this state, then he must be incredibly skilled.’
Paul’s cold, calculating businessman side quickly finished its calculations after comparing Kill Crow and the sack-wearing man several times.
“I’ll ask you again. Who are you?”
At Paul’s question, the sack tilted its head.
“Didn’t you just say with that mouth of yours that who I am doesn’t matter?”
“No, this is important. You need a name if you’re going to participate.”
“You make decisions faster than I expected.”
Paul shrugged.
“When I smell money, I have to grab it, or the boss will chew me out.”
With Black Storm already refusing to participate, if one more fighter dropped out, they wouldn’t be able to hold the match at all. It would become a one-on-one match between Big Bear and Hammer Hand, and it was obvious that all the money would pile onto one side.
“Even if the fighter names are tacky, I still get scolded, so I’d appreciate it if you picked something impressive.”
Worried that the sack in front of him might come up with a name like Scarecrow or Matchstick, Paul quickly listed the names the fighters used in the arena.
Nightmare, Blood Fairy, Big Bear, Black Storm…
“Do they really have to have such tacky names?”
“I wouldn’t call them tacky. Let’s say they’re straightforward. It makes it easier for people to tell them apart.”
At that, the sack lowered its head as if thinking for a moment before asking Paul,
“Who is the champion?”
“Big Bear.”
“Then I’ll use this name.”
After pausing for a moment, he said,
“Bear Hunter.”
The sack around his mouth moved. For some reason, Paul felt as though he was smiling.
“…Then Bear Hunter.”
Paul was about to tell him that the name was tacky, but he simply turned around instead.
“The fighter introductions are in ten minutes, so get ready.”
As Paul opened the door, Bear Hunter quietly asked him,
“Kill Crow was wearing a ring.”
“A ring?”
“Can I wear it too?”
Paul glanced back at him and answered that he could do whatever he wanted before leaving the waiting room. He immediately headed toward the entrance to the arena and entered the sponsorship booth, where people were crowded around.
“There’s going to be a fighter named Bear Hunter. Put ten gold on him.”
Paul had already put fifty gold on Big Bear.
Ten gold versus fifty gold.
That was exactly how much confidence Paul had in Bear Hunter.
“Twenty-one gold, correct?”
Richard nodded at the booth employee’s words. Anyone entering the fighting arena had to deposit the money they intended to bet on the fighters before the match began.
The employee put the money Richard handed him into a large box, then gave him two sheets of paper with the fighters’ names written on them and explained.
“The fighters will come out ten minutes before the match begins. Mark the name of the fighter you wish to sponsor, then hand one of these sheets to an employee. If you want to sponsor multiple fighters, mark all of them and write down how much you wish to sponsor each fighter. And please be careful. Once you submit a sponsorship form, it can never be changed, even if you’ve written something incorrectly.”
As Richard returned with the sponsorship form, the attendant who had been waiting for him hurried over.
“You’re going to put it all on Big Bear, right?”
“Of course.”
Richard’s resolve was firm. He carefully folded the sponsorship certificate and entered the designated spectator section with his attendant. The spectators who had already taken their seats were holding glasses and chatting about today’s match.
“I hear a hunter who supposedly caught a bear bare-handed is fighting today. Isn’t he the perfect opponent for Big Bear?”
“You actually believe that? It’s obviously just boasting. Why, wasn’t there some guy last time who claimed to be a descendant of a hero?”
“Diamond Eye? Hah, descendant of a hero, my foot. When Big Bear took off his mask, his eyes were black.”
“Tch. I fell for that guy’s story and lost five gold.”
Listening to them, Richard drew a circle around the name ‘Big Bear’ even before the fighter introductions had begun.
‘There’s no need to look at the other fighters.’
He wrote his name in large letters on the back of the sponsorship form and raised his hand to call an employee. It probably wouldn’t happen, but he was worried that the order might get delayed and he would somehow miss the chance to bet on Big Bear.
“Are you submitting it already? The fighter introductions haven’t…”
“It’s fine. I won’t change it, so hurry up and process it.”
The employee stared at Richard with a bewildered expression before writing Richard’s name and the name of his chosen fighter on the document he was holding. Only after seeing his name at the very top of the sponsorship list did Richard finally relax and accept the beer his attendant had brought him.
“I suppose they’re going to introduce the fighters now.”
No sooner had he said this than someone stepped onto the central arena.
It was a man named Paul, the person in charge of this place.
“Thank you all once again for visiting the Sponsorship Association today.”
Paul, who had a neat appearance and was dressed in a tailcoat as though he were attending a sponsorship party, politely bowed at the waist.
“Before we begin the fighter introductions, I’d like to announce a few changes. Unfortunately, Black Storm, who was scheduled to participate today, will not be appearing in the match. In addition, something has come up with Kill Crow, so another fighter will be taking his place.”
The spectators began murmuring at Paul’s explanation. It wasn’t unusual for a fighter to occasionally drop out, but having another fighter replaced at the same time was rare.
“Something feels chaotic today.”
The attendant whispered. Richard, however, paid little attention. His focus was solely on Big Bear.
“Then, let us begin the fighter introductions. Please welcome today’s warriors with a big round of applause.”
Paul pointed toward somewhere, and a door at the back of the spectator stands opened. Fighters wearing long robes began walking out.
They passed along the path running beside the spectator stands and climbed into the arena, receiving a wave of cheers.
“Participant Number One!”
The man standing on the far left took off his robe before the announcement had even finished. He had been barefoot from the moment he came out, and now he strode forward with his bare upper body proudly exposed.
“The undefeated champion, Big Bear!”
The champion’s appearance was met with thunderous applause that seemed to shake the ears. His fans repeatedly whistled at Big Bear’s relaxed wave.
“Participant Number Two! The hunter who beat a bear to death with his bare hands, Hammer Hand!”
Hammer Hand, who had been expected to be the second strongest contender, received an equally enthusiastic response. Richard could hear people who had bet on him shouting that a new champion would be born today.
The noise abruptly died down when the final fighter was introduced.
“Participant Number Five! The mysterious warrior who appeared like a comet, Bear Hunter!”
Bear Hunter?
It was obvious who he had come to challenge, but despite his bold name, he was the smallest of the three.
Looking at a fighter who seemed as though one punch from Big Bear would send him flying from one end of the arena to the other, everyone in the spectator stands had the same thought.
‘A replacement who was dragged in at the last minute.’
And he was wearing nothing but a shirt and vest in a place like this.
As though proving that he wasn’t a proper fighter, Bear Hunter had been given number five, and it seemed that no one was willing to bet on him.
“Well, I suppose I should give him some sponsorship money for medicine.”
Except for the sympathy money of a wealthy man like that.
Once the fighter introductions were over, employees went around collecting the sponsorship forms. The fighters walked around the arena, showing off their muscles, but Bear Hunter simply stood in one place, staring intently at something.
For some reason, Richard felt as though that gaze was directed at him, and he nervously looked around.
‘Why… why is he looking at me?’
But the chilling gaze soon moved away.
The employees approached the arena and locked the gates of the fence surrounding it.
Only then did Bear Hunter turn around and completely throw off the robe that had been hanging halfway off his body.
“Then, I hope you enjoy today’s match.”
Ding!
With the clear ringing of a bell, the match began.
