The arena floor trembled with every step Jung Joon-young took. His frame was massive, his presence overwhelming, a mountain of muscle and steel that made the crowd thunder his name in unison.
Do-jin planted his shield before him, the rim pressed to the ground like a fortress wall. His heart hammered against his ribs, but his grip was steady.
"You look nervous, kid," Joon-young's voice boomed, deep and mocking. He hefted his great sword onto his shoulder as if it weighed nothing. "Don't worry. I'll make this quick."
Do-jin's lips tugged into a grin, shaky but defiant. "Guess we'll see who lasts longer."
The opening bell rang.
Joon-young lunged forward with terrifying speed, his great sword sweeping in a brutal arc. Steel slammed into steel. The impact echoed like a cannon shot, Do-jin's shield shaking violently in his grip. The sheer force pushed him back two steps, boots digging trenches in the dirt.
Hold steady, he told himself. Absorb. Redirect.
The second strike came faster, heavier. Sparks erupted as sword crashed against shield. Do-jin gritted his teeth, bracing his shoulder behind the metal wall. His arms burned from the strain.
"Not bad," Joon-young grinned, teeth flashing beneath his helmet. "But let's see how many of those you can take."
The third strike nearly broke his guard. Do-jin staggered, shield tilting, but he snapped it back up just in time to block the fourth. His ears rang with the thunder of every blow, the cheers of the crowd merging into a dull roar.
From the waiting hall, Min-seo slammed his fist into his thigh. "Damn it, he's too strong"
"Watch," Renji muttered, eyes sharp on the screen. "Do-jin hasn't shown his counter yet."
Back in the arena, sweat ran down Do-jin's temple. His knees buckled with each crushing blow, but his grin widened.
"Is that it?" he spat, breath ragged. "All muscle, no brains?"
Joon-young's eyes flashed with irritation. With a roar, he raised his great sword high and brought it down in a vertical cleave meant to split Do-jin in two.
Do-jin shifted. Just enough. The edge of the blade slammed against the reinforced ridge of his shield and slid off with a screech. In that heartbeat of imbalance, Do-jin shoved forward with his entire weight.
The rim of the shield crashed into Joon-young's chest.
Joon-young staggered back half a step, surprise flashing across his face.
Do-jin's grin widened. "Got you."
The crowd erupted, half in cheers, half in gasps but Joon-young only laughed, low and rumbling, as he straightened. "Not bad. You've got bite, little shield but you'll need more than a shove to stop me."
Do-jin braced as Joon-young came at him again, great sword sweeping in a brutal arc. The impact rang out, sparks flying as the shield bent under the strain. His arms screamed with every blow, but Do-jin refused to lower them.
Another strike. Then another.
The arena floor cracked beneath his boots as he absorbed the storm.
"You're still standing?" Joon-young snarled, twisting his blade free and circling like a predator. His grin was gone now, replaced with irritation. "Most men crumble after three hits. You've taken ten."
Do-jin spat blood onto the dirt, raising his shield again. His breaths came ragged, but his eyes burned. "Guess I'm not most men."
The crowd roared at his defiance, the chants of his name clashing against the guttural cheers for Behemoth's juggernaut.
Joon-young's lips curved into a thin smile. "You've got guts, rookie. I'll give you that." He pointed his sword toward Do-jin. "But guts alone don't keep you alive."
He surged forward, each step shaking the earth. His strikes blurred together, faster, heavier, a relentless storm of steel. Do-jin's shield rattled violently under the onslaught, every bone in his arms threatening to splinter. He stumbled, regained footing, stumbled again.
From the waiting hall, Min-seo's voice cracked. "Hyung, he can't keep that up"
Renji's jaw clenched. His hands curled into fists so tight the knuckles whitened. "Hold it together, Do-jin"
Back in the arena, Do-jin caught another strike, the shield denting under the force. His legs buckled, pain screaming through his muscles. Still, he planted his feet again, dragging in a breath.
"You hit like a mountain," he growled, his voice raw, "but I'm not moving."
For a heartbeat, silence fell. Even Joon-young paused, his great sword hovering mid-swing. His eyes narrowed, and something shifted amusement tempered into respect.
"You're tougher than you look." The words left him like a reluctant concession.
But then his face hardened, killing intent rolling off him in waves. His voice dropped low, dangerous. "I don't like fights that drag on. I wanted this done in seconds."
He raised his great sword with both hands, mana crackling along the blade. The weight of his aura pressed down on the arena, suffocating, heavy as a storm about to break. The crowd's cheers faltered into gasps at the sudden shift.
Do-jin staggered under the pressure, his shield trembling in his grip. Every instinct screamed at him to run, to yield but instead, he slammed his shield into the ground and roared, forcing his body upright.
"Come on then!" he shouted, voice cracking but fierce. "If you're going to knock me down, you'll have to break me first!"
Joon-young's lips twisted into a snarl. "Then I'll break you."
The great sword came down, a mountain of force and intent crashing toward Do-jin.
The arena shook as Jung Joon-young's greatsword fell, mana wrapped around it like a blazing storm. Do-jin raised his shield with both arms, planting his feet into the cracked earth. "I won't fall!"
The blade slammed down.
The sound was deafening. Steel shrieked against steel, sparks exploding in every direction. The shockwave rippled through the arena, scattering dust and rattling the barrier walls that separated the combatants from the crowd.
Do-jin's knees buckled. His shield dented inward, the reinforced edge splitting under the sheer force. Blood rushed from his nose, his arms screaming as if they'd been shattered from the inside out.
For a heartbeat, he held.
The crowd gasped could he really withstand it?
Then the shield cracked.
The great sword drove through, hammering into Do-jin's chest with bone-crushing weight. The impact launched him backward, his body skidding across the dirt until he slammed against the arena wall.
Silence.
Dust swirled in the aftermath, hiding his figure. The MC's voice caught in his throat, words stalling as the arena waited to see if the rookie would rise.
The dust cleared.
Do-jin pushed against the ground, shield arm limp at his side, but his other hand clawing to lift him. His legs shook violently, blood dripping from his lip.
The crowd erupted not in jeers, but in awe.
Joon-young lowered his sword, eyes narrowing. "Still trying to stand? You should've stayed down."
Do-jin coughed, a grin flickering on his bloody face. His voice was hoarse, broken—but steady. "If... if I can stand... then I haven't lost yet."
The words echoed, defiant but his body betrayed him. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the dirt.
The bell rang.
"Winner Jung Joon-young of Behemoth Guild!"
The crowd's roar shook the coliseum, a mix of triumph and sorrow.
The hallways beneath the arena were quieter than the roaring coliseum above. The air carried the sharp scent of blood and mana, mixed with the faint echo of hurried footsteps.
Renji, Min-seo, Hye-rin, and Jae-hee followed the medics through the tunnel, their pace quick but heavy with worry.
Do-jin's body lay on the stretcher, battered and bruised, his once-imposing shield arm hanging limp at his side. Every now and then, his eyes fluttered open before sliding shut again.
"Hyung" Min-seo's voice cracked, his fists clenched tight. "He fought so hard. That bastard from Behemoth, he didn't have to go that far!"
Beside him, Hye-rin's eyes were wet, her staff clutched so tightly her knuckles were pale. "Do-jin oppa he looked like he was going to win for a moment. I thought" Her words broke off, swallowed by a sob she tried to hide.
Jae-hee just looked at Do-jin tears falling down seeing her teammate be beaten hard
Renji walked steadily, his gaze fixed on Do-jin. His steps weren't rushed, but every movement carried the weight of restrained anger.
At last, Do-jin stirred. His cracked lips parted, a hoarse whisper escaping. "Renji... hyung..."
Renji leaned closer, walking beside the stretcher.
Do-jin's eyes barely opened, but the shame in them was clear. "I... I couldn't... hold my own. I let you down."
The three rookies tensed at his words, their expressions breaking.
But Renji stopped, his hand resting firmly on Do-jin's shoulder. His voice was low, steady, and warm the kind of voice that cut through doubt like sunlight breaking storm clouds.
"Idiot," Renji said with a faint smile. "You stood your ground against a monster twice your size. That's nothing to be ashamed of."
Do-jin's lips trembled, but his eyes widened faintly.
"You gave it everything you had," Renji continued, squeezing his shoulder. "That's all I could ever ask of you."
For a moment, silence lingered then Renji's eyes hardened, a quiet fire burning in them.
"I'll win this festival," he said, not as a boast but as a promise.
The rookies froze. Min-seo's breath caught, Hye-rin wiped her eyes, and even Jae-hee looked up, hope flickering where guilt had been.
Do-jin let out a weak laugh, more air than sound, before closing his eyes again. "Then I'll be... watching, hyung."
The stretcher carried him away into the infirmary, leaving the others standing in the tunnel's dim light.
Renji exhaled, long and heavy, before turning back to the three rookies. His usual calmness returned, but his words carried a sharper edge.
"Stay sharp," he said. "From here on out, we fight not just for ourselves, but for him too."
Min-seo nodded hard, Hye-rin gripped her staff tighter, and Jae-hee whispered, "You can do it oppa"
The arena had little time to rest. Matches rose and fell like waves quick, brutal affairs, each over almost before it began. Steel clashed, spells burst, bodies fell. A chorus of roars and gasps kept the coliseum alive, but most duels were already fading into memory by the time the sand was swept clean again but not all battles were equal. The crowd knew when to lean forward. When to hold its breath.
Do-jin's fall still hung in the air, the taste of it bitter and heavy. Whispers rippled through the stands about the Association's so-called rookies. Were they just lambs sent to slaughter?
For a while, those whispers were left unanswered. A handful of matches played out clean, efficient, forgettable. A mage burned through a swordsman in seconds. A beast tamer's wolf crushed a healer too slow to defend himself. Victors raised their arms, losers were carried out, but the crowd's hunger remained.
Then the announcer's voice cut through the noise, and the atmosphere shifted in an instant.
"Next match! From the Association Min-seo, the rookie swordsman! Versus Yong Jun-hyung of the Behemoth Guild!"
The reaction was immediate. Some jeered, already predicting another one-sided fight. Others cheered louder, eager to see whether this boy, the second of Renji's trainees, would show the endurance that Do-jin show.
Renji stood at the mouth of the tunnel, flanked by Hye-rin and Jae-hee. Both younger hunters pressed close to him, faces drawn tight with worry. Hye-rin's hand gripped her staff so hard her knuckles whitened. Jae-hee lowered her gaze, lips trembling though she made no sound.
Renji said nothing, but his presence was steady. His eyes followed Min-seo as the boy stepped into the light.
Min-seo walked with measured breaths, each step carrying him further from the shadows of his comrades. He wasn't Do-jin, all muscle and shield. His strength lay in speed, in the sharpness of his blade, in the fire that drove him to prove himself worthy of the Association's emblem sewn on his chest.
Across the arena, his opponent emerged.
Yong Jun-hyung of Behemoth.
He didn't loom like Joon-young had. His frame was leaner, his movements cleaner a hunter honed not for brute force, but for precision. Twin blades gleamed in either hand, their edges already whispering promises of swift endings.
The crowd roared at the sight of him, and somewhere high above, in the guild balconies, Seungri leaned forward with a thin smirk, eyes narrowing with satisfaction.
Jun-hyung stopped in the center of the arena, rolling his shoulders once, casually, as though loosening knots before a dance. His eyes met Min-seo's.
There was no malice there only appraisal, cool and sharp.
For Min-seo, the weight of that stare was suffocating. His hand drifted to the hilt of his sword, sweat already prickling his brow. But he held his ground.
The announcer's voice rang out one last time, cutting through the roar of the crowd.
"Hunters! Begin!"
The signal rang, and Min-seo lunged.
His blade cut a clean arc, sharp and fast, the kind of strike drilled into muscle memory after endless hours in the Association's yard.
Jun-hyung met it without effort. His right-hand sword deflected the blow, his left hand already moving, thrusting low.
Steel shrieked against steel. Min-seo twisted, barely catching the second blade on the flat of his sword. The force rattled up his arm, numbing his fingers.
Jun-hyung pressed forward. One strike, then another, the twin blades moving in a rhythm both graceful and merciless. Each slash carved through the air with surgical precision, a predator testing the limits of its prey.
Min-seo backpedaled, blocking high, then low, sweat breaking across his brow. The crowd roared at the flurry, half cheering for the Behemoth swordsman, half gasping as the rookie managed just barely to stay alive.
Renji sat in silence in the waiting room, eyes sharp, every muscle in his body taut. Beside him, Hye-rin gripped her staff so hard her knuckles whitened. Jae-hee didn't blink, hands trembling in her lap.
Min-seo's breath came heavy, but his stance never faltered. His sword was no longer striking for glory it was surviving. Each block, each parry, each desperate twist of his wrist was another heartbeat stolen from defeat.
And slowly, Jun-hyung's expression shifted.
What began as a smirk, as a man carrying out orders, began to fade. His eyes narrowed, the corners of his mouth tightening.
This boy he's still standing?
He feinted left, blades crossing in a deceptive flourish, then struck from the right. Min-seo caught it by instinct, the steel sparking as their weapons clashed. He staggered under the force, boots carving lines in the sand but he did not fall.
Jun-hyung chuckled under his breath, voice audible even to those in the front rows. "Not bad, kid. Not bad at all."
Min-seo gritted his teeth, sweat stinging his eyes. "I'm not backing down."
The answer only seemed to fuel Jun-hyung's interest. His strikes grew faster, sharper, no longer aimed to humiliate but to test to see just how long this rookie's spirit could endure.
The blades blurred. The crowd roared louder and through it all, Min-seo refused to yield.
The rhythm of steel against steel had become a storm. Min-seo's arms ached, his shoulders screamed, and every breath burned like fire in his chest yet he refused to loosen his grip.
Jun-hyung pressed harder, twin blades weaving in merciless arcs. Each strike was faster than the last, heavy enough to rattle the bones of any ordinary hunter but Min-seo met them, step after step, dragging his body past its breaking point.
The crowd, once dismissive, had begun to lean forward. Whispers turned to shouts. Every parry, every desperate block, was no longer expected of a rookie it was something they hadn't thought possible.
Jun-hyung's grin had vanished. His expression was sharp now, eyes narrowing as the fight drew longer than Seungri's orders had ever intended. This kid should've been crushed by now.
"Stubborn," Jun-hyung muttered, his voice like gravel. "I'll end this."
His killing intent surged. The air thickened as he swung both blades in a crushing cross-slash.
Min-seo barely managed to catch one strike, but the second tore through his guard and slammed into his side, his armor denting under the force. He coughed, blood spraying across his lip, knees trembling.
The referee's hand twitched ready to step in but Min-seo roared. A sound not of fear, but of defiance.
With his last reserves, he twisted his body, sword flashing upward in a desperate arc. Jun-hyung leaned back, too slow this time steel carved across his shoulder, biting deep enough to draw blood.
The arena erupted.
Jun-hyung froze, then glanced at the crimson dripping down his arm. Slowly, almost reluctantly, a smirk spread across his face. "You've got guts, rookie."
Min-seo tried to raise his blade again, but his arms gave out. The sword slipped from his grasp, clattering against the sand. His knees buckled, and before he could hit the ground, darkness took him.
The crowd roared again some in shock, some in admiration.
Jun-hyung planted his swords in the dirt, bowing his head slightly toward the unconscious hunter before turning to the officials. "He fought like a man," he said, his voice carrying weight even through the noise.
In the waiting room, Renji smiled like a dad proud of his son but it still angered him that behemoth was deliberately injuring the people from the association
The crowd barely had time to settle from Min-seo's collapse before the announcer's voice boomed again, sharp and electric.
"Next match! Representing the Association Renji! Versus Han Dong-wook of the Black Fang Guild!"
The tunnel opened, and Renji stepped out under the floodlights, his dark coat trailing behind him. Across the arena, his opponent entered with the swagger of a man built like a mountain. Dong-wook rolled his shoulders, veins bulging across his arms, each step heavy with confidence.
He pointed his massive great axe toward Renji and sneered. "Don't think a swordsman scares me. Strength crushes technique and I've got more of it than you'll ever see."
Renji stopped at the center, his expression unreadable. Slowly, he lowered his hand to the hilt of his blade then shook his head.
"I'll apologize in advance," Renji said quietly, his voice carrying only because the stadium had fallen silent to hear him. "I'd like this to end quickly."
A ripple of murmurs swept through the stands.
The referee gave the signal.
Dong-wook roared, charging forward like a bull, greataxe raised to cleave Renji in two and in the blink of an eye, it was over.
Renji hadn't even drawn his sword. His body moved with fluid certainty, his fist slamming into Dong-wook's chest with a crack like thunder. The giant's eyes went wide, his feet leaving the ground as he was sent flying backward. He landed in the dirt, unconscious, the great axe buried meters away from him.
Gasps exploded across the arena.
The referee rushed in, checking Dong-wook before raising his arm toward Renji. "Winner Renji of the Association!"
The crowd erupted, voices split between awe and disbelief.
Renji stood still, lowering his hand back to his side, expression calm as if nothing remarkable had happened. His eyes flicked once toward the waiting tunnel where Min-seo had been taken away, and then he turned his back on the chaos, walking off without basking in the glory.
Later that night after the matches of the hunter festival
The Behemoth Guild hall was heavy with silence, broken only by the flicker of crystal screens replaying the day's matches. Do-jin's battered shield, Min-seo's desperate strike, Renji's overwhelming fist all burned like insults carved into stone.
Seungri's hand crashed onto the table, shaking the goblets and plates.
"Pathetic! I told all of you to crush those rookies, and now the Association walks away draped in glory! Do they not see how this makes us look?!"
The air quivered with his fury. No one dared breathe too loudly.
Then, a low laugh smooth, playful, almost musical broke the tension.
Hyuna lounged in her chair, legs crossed, her chin resting lazily on her hand. "You're too hard on them, oppa," she said, voice sweet but edged. "The crowd doesn't fall in love with strength. They fall in love with struggle. Those rookies bled, they endured, and the people swooned."
Seungri's glare shifted to her, but she only leaned forward, letting her fingers trail across the rim of her wine glass before she met his eyes with a smirk.
"But tomorrow," she murmured, her tone turning silken, "their little mage steps into the light. So fragile so untested and when I break her, the people will remember why Behemoth stands above all others."
Seungri's anger eased, replaced by a dark gleam in his eyes. "You sound confident."
Hyuna rose, slow and deliberate, the soft rustle of her dress drawing every eye in the hall. She moved closer, close enough that her perfume curled in the air between them, and leaned down until her lips nearly brushed his ear.
"Of course I am," she whispered. "Let me handle this, and I'll give the crowd a show they'll never forget. For you."
Seungri's lips curled into a grin, his earlier fury melting into something far more dangerous. He reached up, his hand brushing lightly against her arm before resting possessively at her waist.
"Good," he said softly. "Crush her. Break Renji's spirit and make it beautiful while you do."
Hyuna straightened, satisfied, her smirk widening as the guild hall filled with uneasy laughter. She had soothed the beast and promised blood in the same breath.