Yay 100 chapters!
1/5 for September. I’m still trying to catch up. School’s starting 😱
$2/50 in the donation bar
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Arena Chapter 100 – A New Birth (Part 3)
First off, Cha Ji-hye went towards a nearby tree.
After checking out what the enemy was, her plan was to avoid it from atop a tree.
"Shiik……!"
The monster that appeared making a wily sound was the expected lizardman.
Its stature was only slightly smaller than a grown man.
Except for the abdomen, nearly the entire body was covered in scales.
A flitting tongue and sharp fingernails and toenails.
This was the real version of the thing she had only seen illustrated before.
It is only just the one.
Cha Ji-hye decided to fight.
The opponent was one that she could defeat.
She only needed to survive for 30 minutes, but if she fights and beats it that would be even better.
'I just have to be watch out for the nails and teeth.'
With her guard up, Cha Ji-hye slowly approached the lizardman.
"Shik!"
The impatient lizardman rushed forward first.
Instantly, she dodged with a side step and then a left jab.
Shu pak!
"Shwik!"
The jab landed on the lizardman's protruding jaw.
Continuing on, she kept hitting him with left jabs followed by right hooks to the mouth.
Puk puk!
"Shwiik!"
The lizardman shook its head back and forth and shakily started stepping back from her.
The shwik shwik sound rang out loud as if it was getting angrier.
A lizardman's weak points were the jaw and the scale-less abdominal area. That's why she targeted the jaw.
'It's all going according to plan.'
The lizardman's eyes starting looking towards her slightly extended left hand. It started to recognize her punching pattern.
If that's the case, this just became a lot easier.
As if she was about to throw a jab, she lightly feinted with her left fist. The lizardman's body flinched a bit at that motion.
Within a split second, her right hand threw a straight at its jaw.
Bbuk!
"Shwik!"
The straight landed perfectly on its jaw.
The jaw wasn't a crucial weak point but the point was to disorient the lizardman.
Using that timing, Cha Ji-hye lunged forward and boldly clinched his head with both arms, then threw a knee at his midsection.
Bbuk!
Her knee went in hard straight to its abdomen!
The look of agony finally appeared on the lizardman's face.
"Shwik! Shiiik!"
Now that he was really pissed off, lizardman haphazardly flung his nails around.
But she had already let go of her clinch and backed away so his attack wasn't able to reach Cha Ji-hye.
"Shwiik!"
With a really angry demeanor, the lizardman chased after her.
Cha Ji-hye again lifted her left fist.
She got its attention with her fists and with her right leg that was firm as a deer she put all her power into a kick.
Bbuuk!
A perfect kick to the solar plexus!
"Shik!"
The lizardman that had been running towards her was suddenly sent flying backwards.
Puk!
She kicked again and it landed on its chest.
As the lizardman's body faltered backwards, Cha Ji-hye quickly lowered her body and kicked out the lizardman's back legs.
The lizardman lost its balance and tumbled to the ground.
Cha Ji-hye quickly looked around her.
She grabbed the closest rock she saw.
With the sharp end, she smashed down on the lizardman's face.
Bbuk!
"Shwiik!"
"Hu aab!"
Using both hands while yelling, she smashed the rock down again and again.
Bbu kuk!
The sound of flesh ripping apart permeated the air.
The lizardman's face was covered in scales as well, but the right eye had no such cover.
"Shiiiik-!"
A strange screaming sound came from the lizardman's throat.
Jjuuk! Jjuk! Bbuuk!
Cha Ji-hye grit her teeth and kept smashing down on the lizardman's face with the rock.
She kept smashing at the part she's ripped.
Green blood spurted out.
At last, there were no more sounds of screaming. The lizardman had stopped moving and was lying there dead underneath her.
"Huuk, huk!"
While she tried to catch her breath, Cha Ji-hye stood up.
"Board retrieval."
She retrieved her board and checked out how much time was left. There's roughly 17 minutes remaining.
Cha Ji-hye climbed up a tree and passed the rest of her time up there.
It was because the bloody smell of the dead lizardman might attract other monsters or wild animals.
When all 17 minutes were up, a door appeared in front of her.
'The exam door!'
She fearlessly opened the door and walked into the blinding light as she approached whatever was waiting for her inside.
She got a cozy feeling as the environment changed.
The sky and the ground, everything was white.
A completely empty white space with nothing in it.
Cha Ji-hye looked around her.
When she looked up, even she couldn't help but be startled.
A baby angel was right above her head and looking straight down at her. From a distance where it could nearly touch her.
"Are you well?"
Playfully, the baby angel greeted her.
Cha Ji-hye looked the baby angel up and down.
An oddly revolting face.
A mocking tone of voice.
And a dangling small……
"The angel in charge of examinee Kim Hyun-ho?"
"Wow, have you heard lots about me?"
"Mostly bad."
"Hehehe."
The baby angel chuckled.
With small wings like a sparrows, flapping hectically, flying around.
Cha Ji-hye could understand why Kim Hyun-ho had to grit his teeth and hated the baby angel so much.
"Aw, that isn't so. He pretends not to like me but he actually really does."
'Understandably unlikeable.'
Cha Ji-hye got more affirmation of such.
"Well, anyway, I was surprised. You are the first to so aptly pass the first exam. You showed the experience and skill of a veteran examinee."
"Do I need to retrieve the board to check my results?"
"Whoa, you know about that as well too."
"Board retrieval."
-Name: Cha Ji-hye
-Class: 3
-Karma: +400
-Mission: rest until the next exam
-Time limit: 10 days
Class 3, 400 karma.
It's a decent grade.
"Karma prize. I wish to acquire the physical strength buff."
Cha Ji-hye used her karma without any hesitation.
The words on the board started changing.
-Physical strength buff (assist skill) entry level 3 has been acquired. Acquisition possible from entry level 4. Do you wish to acquire?
-Physical strength buff (assist skill): strengthens all physical aspects
*Entry level 4: gain the body of a specialty trained soldier. (-250)
-Remaining karma: +400
"Acquire."
Pat!
A light came out from the board and seeped into Cha Ji-hye's body.
-Using 250 karma to raise the physical strength buff (assist skill) to entry level 4.
-Remaining karma: +150
Cha Ji-hye inspected her body and repeatedly clenched and unclenched her fists.
'I can definitely feel that I got stronger.'
A feeling of confidence and strength.
This is what the examinees must have always felt.
'I should leave the remaining karma for now.'
Having made the decisions easily, Cha Ji-hye started talking to the baby angel.
"I have a request."
"What is it?"
"You can probably read my thoughts but seeing as how you're asking me, of course Kim Hyun-ho dislikes you."
"Hehehe, is it a request to become a team with examinee Kim Hyun-ho? You can't."
Right.
Cha Ji-hye, having become an examinee, wanted to become teammates with Kim Hyun-ho.
She thought it would be of great benefit to Kim Hyun-ho who had lost all his teammates.
"I really can't?"
"You have now only just passed the first exam, you cannot be teamed with examinee Kim Hyun-ho."
The baby angel disgustingly started fishing in his ear as he spoke.
"Even if you were a 6th turn examinee, getting to a level similar to examinee Kim Hyun-ho is unknown."
"What does that mean?"
"That person, you see, is setting a new record every exam. Also very recently during his resting period he has used a strange method to obtain more karma."
Cha Ji-hye was astonished by Kim Hyun-ho's potential.
Going on through the 6th exam with new records all the way!
So even though by exam he's a 6th turn, in practical terms he may be stronger than an examinee with twice the amount of exams under their belt.
Cha Ji-hye though things over carefully.
A bit later she said.
"Then I have a different request."
"That one's okay."
This time, the baby angel read her mind instead of listening to her request and answered right away.
Ddak!
When the baby angel flicked his finger, the exam door appeared.
"An examinee that wants to go straight into the second exam without resting after the first exam. This is a first."
Without hesitation, Cha Ji-hye opened the exam door and went through. Without a second thought.
"Oppa, don't you think I got a bit fat lately?"
Min-jeong was in front of the vanity looking at her body in the mirror.
A yellow lingerie with a pretty design dizzily was simulating my eyes.
"Not even a little."
I gave a plain and model answer.
Min-jeong's body is far from a body firmed from working out and exercising.
But her waist is skinny and a little fat on her hips and lower belly is cute, just the perfect body.
….if I said that then all she would hear is 'fat' which is why I gave the good and casual answer.
"Aw, actually take a good look. I think I've got fat lately. It must be because I'm eating more after learning how to cook."
She wanted to get rid of that little bit of fat, do you want to look like a clothes hanger?
"Right now is just perfect. I just want to save you just the way you are right now."
"So you're saying I did get fat? Right?"
Damn!
Is she saying she wants to fight? Have we been so uneventful that she's bored?
After thinking it over I tried one answer.
"Come over here, so I can take a good look."
I pulled Min-jeong closer to me and looked over her pale standing body. Every time my eyes rested on her body she felt embarrassed.
"Hmm, I think I'll have to touch to now."
"Aw, trying that again!"
Min-jeong began to fuss.
But with my extreme strength, I lifted her up and laid her down on the floor.
As I kissed her firmly on her neck, Min-jeong let out a gasp.
An astonishing reflex at superior level 1! Without restraint, I used my new mastery on her.
Min-jeong, who tried picking a fight with talks of being fat, is now losing her mind.
In the midst of having a really great time.
Ring.
My smartphone buzzed.
I kissed Min-jeong and with one hand I picked up my phone.
Hugging her with the one arm and with the other hand I checked my text message.
[Be careful of the Chinese. Careful and alert for everything. No contact.]
A number I didn't know.
But I knew instantly who this text message was from.
'Cha Ji-hye?'
If my identity has been divulged, then the leak must have been from the Korean arena research agency.
And the only person who would send me a warning like this at the Korean arena research agency was Cha Ji-hye.
'This means someone at the research agency is selling my identity to the Chinese!'
There was Odin's warning too but I had no idea that my identity would be divulged to the Chinese examinees this fast.
'Damn them!'
Remembering the Korean Arena Research Agency, I grit my teeth.
I was prepared for it but now that it's happening, it just made me angrier.
'I wonder if Cha Ji-hye is okay.'
Seeing as how it was a number I didn't know, I think she's warning me secretly. If she is found out, won't she face disciplinary action?
But knowing her, she will be able to take care of herself. She is a rather smart woman.
"Oppa?"
Having been completely immersed, Min-jeong was calling to me with dissatisfaction.
I quickly deleted the text message and put down my smartphone.
"Sorry. Were you waiting?"
"Humph, whatever."
"What do you mean whatever? Now, let's see how fat you got."
"What, gross!"
"Weren't you the one that asked me first?"
"Ah, no. Now that I think about it, I'm not fat anywhere."
"No, if I take a close look I might see you did get fat somewhere."
"No, I haven't anywhere! I'm perfect!"
"There is no one in the world that is perfect. And you've already been aggroed by me."
"Kyak!"
A sweet time passed.
But the inside of my head was filled with complicated thoughts about the corrupt Chinese examinees.
To dismiss those thoughts, I started hanging on to Min-jeong more.