Arena

Chapter 78 – Leaving the Nest (Part 2)

I woke up and jumped off the sofa.

Min-jeong, overcoming all of the obstacles, managed to hang onto the tiny sofa, sleeping well, stuck right next to me.

Why are we like this?

Ah.

I remember.

In the middle of the night, we had connected the laptop to the big 85-inch screen TV and were watching a movie.

Leaving a king size bed empty, we spent our first night in the new house here, my goodness.

I easily lifted Min-jeong and moved her to the bed. I tried to leave after doing so when Min-jeong fidgeted and grabbed ahold of me with both her arms.

Our lips met and I slipped her shirt using my right hand. She must not have liked that because she lightly brushed it away. Still sleepy I see.

I gave her a light kiss and grabbed my smartphone and left the room.

The 60-meter sq. terrace is as big as a yard I walked around it as I made a phone call.

-Did you do well in your exam?

The person on the other line was Odin.

“Yes, I cleared it safely.”

-That is good. I am the same. There was not anything difficult but it somehow felt like the calm before a storm.

“…?”

-Do you remember Viscount Bastian?

“Of course.”

-They told me to prepare for war against him. That was the last exam.

“War?”

-Indeed. Last time, to help you, the dispatched army lost to them. I can’t just let it pass.

I’m getting a feeling that the situation in the Arena is flowing rather unnaturally at the moment.

“If that was the exam, would it be correct to assume that the Arena gods want Viscount Bastian to be attacked?”

-That was my guess as well. The exam was probably like that since the goal is to mount an attack against Viscount Bastian.

“I think everything that is happening is centering around the elves on the brown mountain.”

-Elves? Are you by any chance with the elves over that way?

“Yes.”

-Surprising. There probably isn’t another examinee who can contact the elves.

I gave him a simple explanation of the happenings around the brown mountain.

The silver clan lycanthropes to the east of the brown mountain.

Viscount Bastian to the north.

To the south, the disgusting undead that are creeping up the cliffside.

I could not get rid of the feeling that there were attacks from all sides of the elves.

“If Viscount Bastian makes a deal with the silver clan, the humans that recently tried to kidnap the young elf can be accounted for as deeds done by Viscount Bastian.

-Hmm…

“Do you know about a black magic wizard?”

-Black magic is already one of the forbidden magics from the previous nation. Originally, it was a field that it came about from researching eternal youth and immortality.

“The undead are attacking the elves’ territory in hordes, how about thinking of the silver clan and Viscount Bastian and black magic as all linked?”

-You mean to see it very broadly. For sure if we look at it that way, we can also say that the situation being orchestrated from behind involves some kind of group or influence that is targeting the elves.

“Couldn’t they be the ultimate goal of the exam?”

-That would be a hasty conclusion.

“I suppose.”

-No need to make things so difficult for ourselves. In the end, all we need to do is clear the exams we are given.

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Odin continued to say.

-I will annihilate Viscount Bastian in the next exam. On your side, you will probably fight with the undead or the lycanthropes.

“Yes, more than likely.”

-Then destroying two of the three will break the alliance.

“I see. I just have to clear the exam I’m given.”

-The direction we should be going in, we should expect that the exam will specify that for us.

“Yes.”

I had a different opinion on that part.

I think we have to anticipate ahead of time about what the gods want.

The reason I was able to make such an explosive growth was because I did that.

-Anyhow, I expect good things in the next one from you as well.

“Yes, you too.”

-And…

“Go ahead.”

-I hear chairman Park Jin-seong has made a full recovery.

“Yes.”

-What is your given length of rest period this time?

“It is 60 days. I have 58 left now.”

-Can I make one request?

“Your daughter?”

-You are quick to catch on.

It was obvious since he brought up chairman Park Jin-seong’s complete recovery first.

“Would it be possible for my daughter to stay with you until the end of the year?”

“That would be fine.”

“Thank you. What would you like in compensation?”

I thought about it carefully.

First off, not really money. I have plenty now.

If possible, I wanted it to be useful in Arena. He is a lord in Arena after all.

“I heard that elves are being distributed as slaves in Arena.

-There are such bastards out there. It is always noble families that are full of themselves. They think that a rare slave that is difficult to catch, like an elf, shows their status. I believe in human rights from a modern earth so that sort of thing makes me gag.

“Would it be difficult for you to gather as many elf slaves as possible and buy them and send them my way?”

-Elf slaves?

“Yes, and with that opportunity, Odin’s family and the brown mountain elves can make an alliance.”

-That is a good idea!

Odin loudly votes yes.

-I am in the middle of war preparations, thus attaining elf slaves will not be easy, but if we can build friendly relations with the brown mountain elves, it is definitely worth trying.

“Then consider that as my compensation.”

-Is that all? This makes me a profit.

-Good is good. If we do that and it is a help to the elves then that is my contribution as well.

-Understood. I will do that. You are laying a bridge for me and the elves.”

“Good.”

-I will let you know before my daughter gets there.

The phone call ended like that.

I returned to the bedroom and Min-jeong had thrown off her clothes and was gesturing to me.

Does she think I went outside because I was sulking for being turned down earlier?

Seeing her nude, I forgot all worldly thoughts.

Good is good.

I decided to pretend I was upset for the rejection earlier.

***

The other empty room was going to be a guest room like Min-jeong suggested.

We got a small bed and a vanity so that no matter who comes that it would be a good atmosphere for a few days.

When Odin’s daughter comes, she can sleep here.

While we’re at it, I decided to decorate the terrace too.

For my training, I got a sandbag and a mu ren zhuang* and set it up outside.

It appears often in Chinese martial arts movies, with arms, legs, and trunk made of wood.

I’m not sure it’ll make for good practice but I thought that it might so I went ahead and bought it. I had lots of money and the impulse to buy it was strong.

I thought why not and bought the mu ren zhuang but I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.

As a martial arts newbie, I didn’t know how or what to do with this thing, but by watching martial arts videos on YouTube, little by little, I was able to copy it.

Reflex intermediate level 1.

I was easily able to follow the movements from the YouTube videos.

I was quickly able to figure out the motions and I began to practice actual fighting from those movements.

I had a gun in each hand and practiced on the mu ren zhuang.

By applying the movements, as I went between the jangsu*, I aimed the guns at the body.

(TN: I have absolutely no idea what that is. It might be a Korean stone mat but that doesn’t make sense in this context.)

Pa pa pat!

My arms got faster and faster.

With my physical strength buff at intermediate level 5, my body was like steel and even with my wrists bent, I held the guns while shooting since there was no way they would get hurt from the recoil.

Because of that, I fought freely with the mu ren zhuang as my opponent while using guns for close combat fighting.

‘Although I don’t know if this will be effective in real fight.’

For now, I do it as a way to kill time.

Not only that, I practiced kicking on the sandbag.

Pu pu puk!

I kicked with all my might and jumped and tried a triple kick.

In midair, I twisted by body and kicked, with one hand on the ground, I landed and did that two more times in a row.

The reason I kept practicing a difficult move like this was that when I was fighting the undead while hanging on a cliffside, I used a lot of kicks.

I was practicing this in case I ran into a situation where I couldn’t control my body’s center of

gravity well while kicking.

“Oppa, come eat!”

I could hear Min-jeong’s voice coming from inside.

Only then did I stop exercising and went into the kitchen and saw the feast prepared on the table and I was blown away.

“You did all this?”

“Hehe, it’s a special day, I marinated this yesterday.”

Braised short ribs.

I gave Min-jeong a kiss on her cheek and ate like a madman.

Min-jeong looked at me happily and, at that moment, almost looked like a wife.

This really made us feel like newlyweds.

Even though this relationship started without much thought and just from temptation, the more I dated her, the more I thought that Min-jeong was a fine woman.

‘If I clear all the exams, getting married wouldn’t be bad.’

Later, I don’t know how our feelings might change.

I didn’t dare to think about it too deeply

Because now, I don’t know when I might suddenly die in the exams and I couldn’t make promises of the distant future. So I didn’t want to bother with it. That’s all.

“Oh right, Min-jeong.”

“Yes, oppa.”

“I’m going to have a foreign guest soon.”

“Foreign?”

“Yeah, it’s the daughter of a person I know and I said I would watch her until the end of the year. Is that okay?”

“Someone’s daughter… well how old is she?”

“Not sure? I’m guessing pretty young?”

“Whew.”

Min-jeong let out a sigh of relief. Haha.

“Then that’s okay. And no if she is over 15.”

“What do you mean over 15, aren’t you giving me a way too big of a zone range?”

At my dissatisfaction, Min-jeong giggled.

Then, a few days, I get a call from Odin.

-In Korean time, Isabella will arrive tomorrow at 8:40 am.

“Isabella?”

-You can call her Bella. If you see the most beautiful blonde child, that is Bella.

What is this sudden change.

Him saying such stuff so sincerely took me by surprise.

The next morning, I went to Incheon airport like Odin said. Min-jeong insisted she come along and got in the passenger seat.

“Before I see her with my own eyes I cannot believe she won’t be an adversary.”

“… it is not like all the women in the world pass me notes into my breast pocket.”

“Hmph! You’re not contacting this gal, are you?”

“Like I said, I’m not.”

“Then show me your smartphone.”

“Have at it.”

I unlocked the phone with the code and handed the smartphone to Min-jeong.

Min-jeong flipped through the call log when suddenly she started doing something to it.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s not anything.”

“You’re not doing anything weird?”

“Nope.”

Then my smartphone vibrated.

“Huh? You have a call.”

“Give me.”

The caller id is…

[Cutey Wife <3]

“… …”

“Hehe, aren’t you going to pick it up?”

She was hard at work clicking away and it was this.

I answered the phone.

“Hello.”

“Hello.”

“Yes, is this the person that is my wife?”

“Hehe, this is.”

“This is the person that roams around clubs with Hyun-ji, yes?”

“Aw come on, it’s been a long time since I quit that. It’s not fun anymore.”

“Did you really though? Won’t the true nature of going to play at clubs come out at some sudden point?”

“No can do. My husband is a bit of a stalker.”

“Oh darn, that must be exhausting for you.”

“No one says otherwise. He bothers me so much every night, my hips are aching lately.”

“… …”

“Not only that, but suddenly he’s gotten much better at it. Isn’t it suspicious? What bitch would he have practiced with?”

That, my girl, is because my physical strength buff level increased. Who would have known that that would have had its effect in that department as well.

“That… is because your husband is a genius.”

Finally, Min-jeong exploded in laughter while grabbing her stomach and bent over laughing.