Arena Chapter 17:
Chapter 17 Bloodshed (Part 1)
Now that the fight is over, the smell of blood was wafting everywhere . The heaps of red ape carcasses that was now laying around was oddly unreal .
In the first exam, killing just the one was enough for me . After barely managing to strangle its neck with a vine, I was in a shocked daze for a while .
But today, 11 of them died at my hands . It was much easier than it was in the first exam .
‘I’m supposed to become used to this **** feeling? Do I look like that kind of person to you?’
‘Yes, you do look like that kind of person . ”’
In the end, the baby angel was right . I’m a person capable of doing that and more . But there are those that seemingly are not .
“Oo-eck!” (Puking noise)
Lee Hye-su was gagging . Seeing her face smeared in tears, the sympathy floods over .
“Are you okay?”
“Yes… . I’m sorry…”
She could barely hold in her crying to reply .
“Why wouldn’t she be okay? All she did was stand around in the back and spectate . ”
The openly sarcastic Park Go-chan . Perhaps those words were hurtful enough because Lee Hye-su’s crying gets louder .
‘You didn’t really have a big part either, okay ajusshi?’
Park Go-chan’s clear intentions make me hate him more .
Not just because he’s a dick, but he continues to smother Lee Hye-su this way and suffocate her .
I will protect you but in turn, give me your body; to justify a kind of deal like that .
‘This is big . In order to overcome a situation like this, I myself have to take up the courage and actively fight . ’
Lee Hye-su was more useless than I thought, which worries me .
If she continues to be a burden this way, a place for her in the team will disappear . The gazes from the other team members, who see her as just a hindrance, continues to grow colder and eventually it may become just the situation that Park Go-chan wants .
“Hyung, do you think this was it?”
“No way . ” I shook my head . “If it was to end like this, they wouldn’t have given us the mission to survive for a week . ”
“Anyway, it was like you said, the enemy to fight turned out to be the red apes . ”
“It’s a good thing at least that it wasn’t an enemy we didn’t know . But…” I look around at the corpses strewn before the cave and sigh . “We cannot stay here anymore . ”
“Can’t we just stay here? We can fight like we did today and endure for a week . ”
Perhaps . I am of the mind that we have to hurry and leave this place, but I guess I should ask for everyone’s opinion .
I ask them all .
“I think we should leave before more of the **** come, but what do you all think?”
“This place is safe . ”
Kang Chun-seong disagrees . It’s an important matter so this guy is putting forth an opinion .
“If we fight in the forest, I can’t guarantee anything . ”
That is true . This cave here has an expansive space in front of it and makes it easier to fight . But the forest is different .
There are too many things the **** can hide behind and it’s not only left, right, front, back but they may attack from above from the trees . Such a 3-dimensional attack is much more beneficial to the bastards, who have numbers on their side .
“But staying in this place is just as dangerous . ”
“And why is that?”
“First, I will point out the red apes’ intelligence . They not only set up an ambush attack, but they will also wait until nightfall to strike . They also have the decision making skill to go after the fire first . ”
My explanation continues .
“In that case, instead of coming out and attacking us first, might they not surround the place and attack us when we go out to gather water or food?”
“… . Indeed . ”
Kang Chun-seong agrees .
At my opinion, everyone’s faces freeze in seriousness . It’s not a time to rejoice because we won one fight .
“But the fortunate aspect of this is that we killed them all and didn’t leave a single one . We have some time before they may attack again, so how about in that time we look for another base?”
“Okay . ”
“Me too, hyung . ”
“Me too…”
Kang Chun-seong, Jun-ho, Lee Hye-su all vote yes and lastly, Park Go-chan nods his head too .
And so, we decide to leave the cave but before departing, I take off the three sets of underwear and socks, one by one .
I wrap them around the ends of the sticks we collected for firewood and put it in the fire .
Hwa leo leok – (swoosh)
‘Oh **** ho, it works . ’
I look at my makeshift torchlight and am proud of myself .
“Hyung, is this why your underwear and socks…”
“I wore three pairs . ”
Can you not treat me like I’m obviously going commando?
“Wow, hyung, your preparedness is really incredible . I hadn’t thought that far at all . ”
The day was still dark, so I hold up my torchlight and lead the way .
“Sylph, can you find out if there is another cave nearby?”
-Meow
Sylph flits away . In a short while after searching the entirety of a 1 . 1 km diameter, Sylph shakes her head . Of course, caves probably aren’t that common here .
Thankfully, the red apes are not within this perimeter .
“For now, we will have to walk . Earlier, the **** tried to flee in that direction so we will go in the direction opposite that . ”
As I led the way, the group blindly follows . Perhaps it is due to my role in killing 11 of the apes that even Park Go-chan isn’t hostile and has become compliant .
Somehow, it seems I have become the leader of the group . I didn’t want to be in this position, but the situation strangely became so . Kang Chun-seong was originally disinterested and Park Go-chan’s inhospitable attitude naturally left the leadership role to me .
As we continued to walk, the sun began to rise . As the day grew brighter, I threw away the torchlight and continued to walk .
I did not forget to summon Sylph every 5 minutes and scout the area for 60 seconds .
According to Sylph’s reconnaissance, there are plenty of herbivores like rabbits, deer, and monkeys within this forest .
“It seems there are a considerable number of the red apes here . ”
“Have they appeared?”
At Park Go-chan’s question, I shake my head .
“We have been going through the forest since yesterday and we have only discovered herbivores . Compared to how plentiful the prey is here and aside from snakes and owls, the only predators that remain are the red apes . ”
“This forest is their area . ”
Kang Chun-seong speaks up .
I nod my head .
“If indeed they use this space as their area, they will be a considerable group . ”
And there will definitely be a head to command them all .
That head may be, at this moment, looking on at his 21 dead comrades and consumed in rage .
***
“Ki-aaaaaak-!”
It is a roar of anger .
The red apes are in fear in concert and cringe .
A physique up to 2 meters . Fur as red as blood .
The outward appearance brags an overwhelming majesty and its owner is full of wrath .
There is a type of red ape called Rode . Every generation there are but one or two that are born with this mutation and they are twice as big and strong as the average type . They have no choice but to be destined to be the leader .
But of course, to get there, they have their own trials they must face .
The current leader had to go through them too .
The red ape, Rode, appeared no different than the average type at birth, but as time went on, the characteristics of the special type start to show .
The existing leader had expressed strong hostility towards his potential competition . Because of this, before the young one was trampled, he had to flee .
Separated from the group, Rode survived alone in the forest through a bitter adolescence .
Then one day, Rode realized he himself had grown as big as the leader and returned to the group . The leader he met was not scary the way he had been when Rode was younger .
He challenged, and he won .
From then to now, it was an omnipotent rule .
Another special type was born, grew and challenged, but Rode won . After defeating two challengers and preserving his seat as leader, Rode emerged as the strongest ruler there ever was .
And this Rode was in a full rage .
“Ki-aaaaaak-!
Hundreds of red apes shivered in horror . There were plenty of beasts of prey and monsters that flowed into this rich forest . And every time, Rode eradicated them . Leading the pack and at times, using his own strength, he showed the majesty of being a leader .
Their area continued to grow and, without precedent, they reproduced to great numbers . And then from this forest, their breed began to die .
An enemy had come into their domain and so he had sent his subordinates .
But the time had passed and without any word or news, he came out himself and his subordinates were but corpses . And it happened on their own land .
It cannot be forgiven .
He must punish those who ignore his authority .
“Ki-eeeeeek!” Rode gives out an order .
“Ki-eek!”
“Ggi-ek!”
“Ki-eeek!”
Hundreds of red apes barked and growled their agreement .
Revenge for blood!
The bloodbath to protect their group’s domain was about to begin .
***
We followed the flow of the small river and walked . On account of not having a canteen, I felt it was a good idea to stay close to water . The river had plenty of large fish and so it was easy to get food too . Using Sylph, rabbit hunting is easy, but prepping and cooking a fish is even easier .
Using a wooden stick, I shaved it sharp to create a simple knife, and using this, Lee Hye-su prepped and cooked the fish . Per my suggestion, she was trying to take care of the small things .
In the fight the previous night, she was a burden and she must have been aware of it . If she doesn’t help even with things like this, she won’t receive any karma and will continue to be of no use .
‘Anyway, it’s weird . ’
Observing from yesterday and today, her body physique doesn’t look any different to me than the average woman . It was obvious when she trying not to show that she was tired and her feet were hurting from the walking .
‘Didn’t she say she got the entry level 1 physical strength buff?’
I heard that the entry level 1 physical strength buff was the level of a healthy adult male . It means it’s better than my crappy health condition .
Sylph and I started a fire and she grilled the fish and handed it out to everyone . As soon as the cooking was done, I quickly put out the fire . It’s possible our location can be given away from the rising smoke .
“If you’re all done eating, let’s go . We have to get rid of the smell on our bodies so please don’t forget to wash as well . ”
“Ugh, how annoying . ”
Park Go-chan is mumbling and washing his hands in the brook . The rest of the group follows my words obediently .
The biggest reason for following the brook is this .
If we follow the flowing water, I’m hoping our body scent might dissipate a little bit .
Normally, carnivores have an acute sense of smell and I think the red ape is no different . It uses tools and has intelligence, but they do look closer to beast than to humans .
As we begin to move, I summon Sylph and send her out to scout .
Like her namesake, she flies away like the wind and returns after scouting and very much unlike her, she isn’t being aegyo* and instead, screams .
(TN: There isn’t an English equivalent word for this . It means to act in a cute manner . Watch this video)
-MEOOW!
“Is there something wrong?”
Sylph draws a number in the dirt .
“293 meters?”
-Meow!
Sylph shakes her head . Then do you mean…
“293 of them?”
-Meow!
Sylph is nodding her head .
“What is she saying? There’s 300?!” Park Go-chan freaks out .
“Maybe she means something d-different? Like a group of ants or mice…” Jun-ho asks in disbelief and I ask Sylph to be sure .
“There are 293 red apes?”
-Meow!
“Where are they?”
Sylph spins round and round . I couldn’t tell what that means and I ponder for a while . As Sylph spun around us in circles, I finally understood .
“All around us?”
-Meow!
“Have they surrounded us?”
Sylph is shaking her head .
“So they are dispersed and searching through the forest for us?”
-Meow!
After the fight last night, we had briskly escaped . But the **** are already all around us!
“Hey you shit, what’s going on! You said we had some time before they came again!” Park Go-chan gets angry at me .
Why are you asking me?
The answer is simple!
They’re moving faster than we are .
–
Turns out his name is actually Kang Chun-seong, not Kang Chan-seong . I’ll have his name as Chun from now on .