Chapter 6
Inside the pyramid, there was a mixed martial arts arena.
There were familiar races like elves and orcs, and also incredibly bizarre beings.
“All of them are the successful candidates recognized by Triangle Head.”
In this world, otherworldly races are powerful from level 1. And here, the promising members of each race had gathered. They must have exceptional talent and unique potential.
“I really am the weakest one.”
What did Triangle Head mean by “destiny power”?
The other races were observing Sihoon as well. Mostly out of curiosity rather than caution.
Earthlings were just rookies in the Stream. A rare, weak race from the fringes.
“What the… That’s an Earthling? Just a hairless monkey!”
A participant emerged from the shadows, and Sihoon almost lost his composure.
Their swaggering walk, sharp gaze, and bluish-green face… how could he ever forget this guy?
‘Space Captain Berg!’
To think they would meet here! Berg was destined to become a pirate king. Not a romantic pirate, but a reality pirate who committed human trafficking, looting, and murder.
Berg’s arena was space, and Earth was like his rest stop. Every time, he caused massive damage.
“Hairless monkey! I’ll give you a banana—show me some tricks!”
“U★kki☆kki.”
Sihoon immediately got to work.
Hahaha! Berg grabbed his stomach and laughed.
Berg wore a purple hood proving his affiliation with the Space Pirates. The Stream’s greatest villains, the Space Pirates, had simple requirements: like looting and killing.
For Berg, this was paradise. Though now just a deckhand, he would rise rapidly.
“Monkey~ Monkey~ What are you doing~”
“U★kki. Nice to meet you!”
“Wahaha! This monkey is hilarious!”
Berg laughed heartily, and Sihoon laughed too.
Space Captain Berg kidnapped millions of Earthlings and annihilated skilled players. But that was when he was a captain. Here, he was still a lowly deckhand, far from reaching the top.
A small robot flew around handing out notes—it was the operator of the second tutorial.
“You just fight the numbers written on your notes~ Battles are single-round! The winner takes the loser’s tutorial rewards~ Big win or bust~”
“What are the victory conditions?”
“Kill the opponent or force them to surrender~”
“Captain Berg chose number 4! Player number 4, write your will! I’ll just kill them!”
Berg was ridiculously cheeky.
Sihoon was furious. He even slammed his chair.
‘Damn it! I’m number 6!’
This battle was a single-round duel. Once the opponent was decided, there was no second round.
At that moment, an orc approached Sihoon. Orcs were neither purely good nor bad—they could rip someone apart, but they also negotiated and communicated well.
“Hey there, hairless…”
“Earthling.”
“Ah, my apologies. Earthling, didn’t you just draw note number 6?”
“Yes.”
How did he know my number? Clearly a perceptive orc, meaning he was strong.
“Let’s swap. I need to kill the number 6 opponent, no matter what.”
Revenge burned in the orc’s eyes. Number 6 was a half-man, half-bear named Urkan.
“What happened between you two?”
“His grandfather ate my grandfather.”
“Ah.”
A tragic story! Hard to respond to.
“Don’t worry. If I take revenge, that’s enough. So I request the swap. By the way, I’m number 4.”
“Number 4!”
Sihoon jumped up. The orc interpreted it as:
Are you daring to bribe me right now?!
“Wait, wait. Calm down. I won’t give it freely. I’ll gift you the bear cub’s hide. Since he comes from a combat family, the hide should be decent.”
“…Hmm! Agreed. For your revenge, I’ll generously yield.”
“Ah! Earthlings are truly honorable!”
Sihoon and the orc shook hands firmly, secretly exchanging the notes through their palms. The orc, now with note number 6, roared:
“Urkan of Deserian! Bring it on! I drew number 6! I will avenge my grandfather!”
“Heheh… your grandfather was tasty.”
For a human, that style of conversation was far too early! The Stream’s world was brutal.
The two warriors entered the arena. Urkan the battle bear was very strong—durable hide, sturdy body.
But the orc’s fists ignored all that.
“Wait! Orc, I mis—”
Crack! The fight ended instantly.
Urkan became a headless bear. The orc started cleaning up his corpse—an ending fitting for the rude bear cub.
“Earthling, thanks to you, I avenged my grandfather. Here, take this hide as a gift.”
It was now Sihoon’s turn. Even entering the arena, he skillfully hid his deep malice.
“U★kkikk. Shall we start?”
“Hahaha. Let’s! Monkey!”
Berg suggested it, in a good mood.
“Monkey, I like you. Attack first. I’ll give you three chances. It’s the method used in martial arts.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Sihoon immediately stabbed Berg in the neck.
Berg staggered back, a hole through his throat.
Sihoon shrugged. Not dead from that—so even in his rookie days, Berg was still Berg.
Sihoon continued the assault.
“Grrr… you monkey bastard!”
Berg’s form blurred, and the neck wound healed at super speed.
The spectators murmured, but Sihoon remained calm, barely hiding his delight.
It was Berg’s skill, Ghost Form, which temporarily nullifies attacks and fully heals wounds.
‘Took Ghost Form cheaply.’
Berg’s signature skill was gone from the start. Fully healed, he threw dozens of daggers into the arena.
Daggers filled the arena! Sihoon swung Urkan’s hide like a cloak.
⎯⎯⎯ Item: Urkan’s Hide ⎯⎯⎯
“Brave Urkan. Killed by bare fists. Left behind his hide in death.”
Song of the Bard –
Urkan’s family, Deserian, were renowned hunters. This hide was a high-quality legacy.
(Perfect as a gift.)
Light, sturdy, and dignified. That was Deserian hunting.
<Grade: A>
Urkan’s hide deflected Berg’s daggers. Berg sneered, thinking his daggers would pierce twice.
Clang! The daggers bounced back toward Sihoon—malicious, deceptive combat.
“Become a beehive!”
But Sihoon dodged every dagger, as if expecting them. He even caught the flying daggers and returned them to Berg. Blood spurted from Berg’s body.
Ooh! The crowd marveled. Sihoon’s movements were flawless—practically toying with his opponent.
“Y-you monkey!?”
“Now let’s see… Ghost Form’s gone. Bouncing daggers useless. My lifeline dwindles. This is trouble, haha…”
Sihoon approached like a demon, daggers in both hands.
“Damn it! Come out! Claw Master!”
Berg donned massive mechanical gloves, named Claw Master, resembling heavy construction equipment powered by the rainforest itself.
The crowd gasped. The arena had reached a high level.
The 12-cylinder claws channeled rainforest energy—massive output. Berg was like the rainforest incarnate.
The spectators swallowed nervously. The Earthling fought well, but against this nightmare machine, victory seemed impossible.
“Heh. Hairless monkey. Shocked into silence? Don’t think about dying peacefully.”
Berg laughed wickedly. Daggers flew, but the claw easily blocked them.
“Haha! Think that’s enough?”
“I feel embarrassed. Should I really win this easily?”
“Nonsense!”
The claw struck. As if ready to tear mountains apart, it aimed at Sihoon—he collapsed helplessly.
“-What’s that?”
The spectators clearly saw: all 12 rainforest claws withered simultaneously!
“The thrown dagger hit the claws!”
“You mean… killed them with a dagger?”
“Better to say killed the rainforest with a dagger!”
But it was real. The claws lost all power. A mass-killing weapon turned to scrap.
“Is that the power of a rare race?”
Relief spread through the spectators. Lucky they didn’t draw number 4.
“My claw! How!”
“Disconnected from the rainforest.”
Berg was losing his mind. He’d been toyed with, like facing an expert who’d studied him for decades.
“There’s no way such a guy exists!”
Berg was still a deckhand. Who would be observing him so carefully, let alone a stranger?
Berg spat poison. Pshhhh! Sihoon took a direct hit.
“Hahaha! Finally, you’ve been hit, trash!”
Even poison that could kill a space whale in 3 seconds was powerless. Sihoon exhaled purified breath; all toxins were neutralized, damage zero.
Berg’s morale broke. He couldn’t handle this opponent, tutorial reward or not.
“Surrender! I lost!”
“Does this end the match?”
“You just need to declare victory—gurgle?!”
Berg’s mouth opened wide; pain surged through him.
Daggers stabbed him everywhere.
“Feels just like a game, stabbing daggers to make pirates pop out.”
Ha. Sihoon laughed. The game was luck-based, but pirates always lost. A fixed rule.
“Damn it! I declared surrender! If you kill me, you lose your reward too!”
“That’s my dilemma too.”
Berg momentarily relaxed. Surely he wouldn’t give up the tutorial rewards…
The daggers sank in, knee-deep.
Ha. Sihoon kept laughing, but his eyes were dead serious. From the first encounter, the smiling monkey already had deep eyes.
Berg realized: this insane monkey planned to kill from the start, not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
A chill ran down his spine.
‘W-why?!’
Berg couldn’t fathom it. Killing him now would forfeit the rewards—why take the loss?
“Eek!”
Berg crawled away. He needed distance.
Behind him, in a harsh backlight, the demon followed.
Daggers struck again, deep into his back.
“Whaaa!?”
Berg lamented his fate. How did such a demon attach to him? Unknown evil targeted him.
Evil is never free. There must be a cause. Berg lost his mind and wailed.
“We just met!”
Daggers pierced again, through his soul.
“Judges! Somebody! Please save me! Let me out!”
Berg shook the metal arena, pleading—no one helped, just observing keenly.
Ah. Berg realized: he was an experimental rat.
The Stream had no mercy; spectators sacrificed Berg to gauge Sihoon’s skill.
Berg wept blood and tears. Why this fate? A repeated question.
After rising in the Space Pirates, he wanted to plunder the weak peacefully—yet even that simple dream was denied.
“Haha, foolish guy. Big dreams.”
Finally, even his thoughts were read.
Daggers pierced him. He couldn’t even tell where he was hurting.
Berg was carried out of the arena. His eyes were frozen in fear.
“Not bad for tidying up.”
Sihoon was satisfied. He considered crippling him, but it wasn’t enough; countless raiding parties had failed against Berg before.
Every attempt built data: habits, breathing, skills, weaknesses, mindset.
All of Berg’s details recorded by raiding parties became a sharp weapon in Sihoon’s hands.
“Raid complete.”
Sihoon informed the raiding party. The strategy reached the target’s nape.
‘Caught an unexpected giant. Things are going to get busy.’
Earth’s destruction was still inevitable. Defeating Berg didn’t change the future, but it marked the beginning.
Triggers of catastrophic omens! One by one, they must be erased.
Meanwhile, the arena’s atmosphere cooled. The participants’ eyes were fierce even in the dark.
“Orc, what’s with this atmosphere?”
“Admiration for the Earthling’s honorable battle! I was impressed too!”
This orc praised anyone that fit his taste as “honorable.”
“They’re probably reconsidering Earth’s threat level, thinking how to convince the higher-ups.”
Murmurs. Participants debated intensely.
“Killing the enemy even forgoing rewards… stupid monsters enjoying slaughter more than profit, huh.”
“Like spawn of hell. Earthlings might be weak against holy skills.”
“Should we act polite in diplomacy?”
“Polite? They die if in my hands.”
Criticism, hostility, concern, interest. Reactions varied, but the Earthling’s debut was clearly shocking.
“They’re young heroes; every race will spread rumors! The emergence of honorable warriors! Wahahaha.”
The orc shouted “Honor~ Honor~.”
Beep. A small robot flew over.
“Participant Sihoon~ Additional stats detected~ Scanning now~”
“Additional stats?”
“In Earth terms, <Vision>~ Maximum in Earth’s vision test is 2.0, right?”
“Yes.”
“But <Universal Vision Test> has a higher ceiling~ Scanning now~”
The robot shot lasers at Sihoon, updating his status screen.
⎯⎯⎯ Status Screen Updated ⎯⎯⎯
Stat added:
Vision: 99 (measurement failed)
“Impressive~ Reached the ceiling of the Universal Vision Test~ Displayed 99, but not exact. Take a separate test later for accuracy~”
The orc and crowd were astonished. Vision 99? And that was only an estimate. Actual vision must be higher.
What a race… Some spectators were even annoyed, hoping for a nerf.
The robot announced the match result:
“Despite surrender, opponent was killed~ Rules violation: tutorial reward voided~”
“No.”
“Beep~?”
“I will claim my reward.”
“Beep! Participant Sihoon, you are contesting the judge’s decision?!”
The robot’s eyebrows shot up.
Now. Sihoon presented his argument:
“Berg was a deceitful cheat, knowing no honor.”
“Criticizing someone you killed!? What a character!”
“Berg’s surrender was a trap to deceive me. To avoid it, I had no choice but to kill him, despite tears.”
“Preposterous!”
“Evidence.”
Sihoon presented proof.
Rewards:
Greatly increased racial authority and reputation.
Obtained 100 Mythical Shards.
Collect 300 Mythical Shards to unlock the shop.
