Chapter 39: Moonlight Sculptor – My Dad Is a Legend
A 100-man battle unfolding in the arena.
The fact that only one person would survive was enough to satisfy the modern viewer’s thirst for challenge and emotional dryness.
Of course, that was true only for the spectators.
— A 100-man battle? Damn.
— Weed has gone crazy.
— This is it. He couldn’t possibly abandon a girl who helped him even when he couldn’t see.
— If we’re being honest, she didn’t really help him that much.
— Just being someone to talk to counts. For us old geezers, having someone to talk to is important.
— Only Weed could pull off this kind of challenge. Even with low odds, he charges in.
— Weed never hesitated in Royal Road either. He cleared quests that were thought to be impossible.
— Wow… I’m dying to watch this.
The players who were only able to hear Weed’s live stream were practically rioting.
In this age of advanced technology, to not even be able to see the screen?
Only sound. Which actually made imagination run even wilder.
— I have no idea how good Weed is now. Judging by the crowd’s reaction, he seems to be doing well though.
— If he dies fighting for the girl… that’s the most noble death.
— From the way the other gladiators are reacting, she must be beautiful.
— It’s worth risking your life for a beauty.
— What does beauty matter? Weed can’t see anyway.
— Even if he can’t see, beauty is important. Why wouldn’t it be?
Then the news spread like wildfire.
— KMC Media just announced: They’re live-broadcasting Weed’s Hellfire Level 5 match.
— Live?
— Like a radio-style sound broadcast?
— No, Abyss Corporation is directly providing the video footage.
— It’s a festival! A festival!!
Weed, about to enter the 100-man battle, wasn’t particularly worried about dying.
“A hundred people, including me, fight to the death in the arena. I won’t have to face all of them at once.”
Only one would survive in the end.
Which meant that it would be difficult for gladiators to cooperate continuously.
There might be temporary alliances, but betrayal would come quickly.
(This match involves 17 participating arenas. Considering the culture of the Delphiria Empire, the strong will likely be targeted first.)
He had instructors summoned from Hellfire Stage 4, and the Mirror of the Abyss skill.
Of course, he didn’t intend to use those skills now — his plan was to defeat as many of the 99 as possible to rack up achievements.
(I analyzed the sounds generated in the previous match.)
“Sounds?”
(I tracked, detected, and objectified the noise made by 30,000 spectators. I can identify enemy shapes and positions through the arena acoustics.)
AI Versa had analyzed all the sounds in the arena.
Each spectator produced a different level of noise, but Versa tracked them all.
By studying how sounds bounced and spread, she reconstructed the situation inside the arena.
(I will transmit the arena image reconstructed via acoustic tracking to your brain’s neural network — 9,800 frames per second.)
“Isn’t a TV only like 140 frames?”
(It’s a difference in technology. You’ll perceive the location and movement of enemies in spatial images you can’t even see with eyes.)
“How accurate is it?”
(Down to 0.01mm. More precise than sight. Think of it as a hyper-precise acoustic radar.)
Even without his eyesight, Weed could fight — and thanks to Versa, his blindness was practically nullified.
In fact, he could now sense things more clearly than he ever could with sight.
“I’ll be using this a lot.”
(My processing capacity is beneficial in almost any situation on Earth.)
“You’re worth your electricity bill.”
Coming from Weed, that was high praise — he’d never even used an electric blanket above setting 2 to save on bills.
“Gathered here are 100 brave gladiators, fighting in a battle where only one will survive!”
The final match of the day.
Gladiators emerged from the tunnel to honor the emperor’s birthday through bloodsport.
Muscular warriors clad in heavy gear.
“Kill them all!”
“Kill, kill, kill!”
“Show us BLOOD!”
The crowd roared for violence.
Weed walked the corridor, holding Britina’s hand.
“This is all because of me,” she said softly.
“You don’t need to apologize.”
“If you die… I’ll die with you.”
Her resolve was firm.
She’d never felt affection from anyone — only Weed had treated her warmly.
“I guess if I die, then it’s okay for you to follow me.”
“What?”
“Because I’m not going to die.”
He accepted a sword from the arena blacksmith.
It was the first blade he’d ever held that was properly balanced and finely sharpened.
“Not bad.”
“I’ve been here for nine years ‘cause I love gladiator matches. Never seen anyone fight like you. If you survive this, even blind, I’ll recognize you as a true warrior.”
“I’ll defeat them all.”
Weed stepped into the arena, its dirt and stones soaked in blood.
Britina scanned the surroundings.
“There’s a warrior from the Hellad Tribe.”
“Hellad?”
“They’re barbaric warriors from the Barbarian tribes. Strong — and they hate the empire.”
She pointed out the most dangerous contestants in the arena.
(The Hellad are a battle-hardened race with superior physical capabilities.)
“How do they compare to Rodoein?”
(Rodoein are superior in every stat. Stronger than Barbarians, more durable than Dwarves.)
“I like that.”
Britina reluctantly left the arena after hesitating.
Weed heard the heavy breathing of 99 other warriors.
“Spectators, behold! 100 hearts are pounding in this arena… but soon, only one will beat!”
Some gladiators were backed by noble families.
Wielding swords, maces, axes, round shields, and steel armor — they glanced around, sizing each other up.
Some looked at Weed, too.
“How desperate is the Creta Arena to put out a blind guy missing an arm?”
“A walking corpse. I could kill him anytime.”
“Forget him. Our real enemy is the Rosenbaum Gladiator Corps. Take them out first.”
No one saw Weed as a threat.
A blind, one-armed gladiator didn’t scare anyone.
So they turned their attention to others who might actually be dangerous.
Weed simply waited, leaning slightly to the side.
“I can see it all so clearly.”
Even though he was blind, the arena unfolded vividly before his mind’s eye.
He had expected the acoustic radar to provide flat visual feedback like a jet-fighter’s HUD.
But Versa had reconstructed a fully 3D model of the arena — enemies, objects, even the crowd — and sent it to his brain.
(It may not be a perfect representation, but it’s optimized for you to fight effectively.)
Though the arena was over 100 years old and crumbling, it now looked like a modern colosseum to him.
In the blazing heat of midday, the weapons and armor had been modified to reduce glare and increase visibility.
“Are the armor visuals accurate?”
(Yes. They are unique to this world, but their condition and forms are exact.)
(Once the battle starts, I’ll analyze armor types further.)
“That’ll help.”
If he attacked areas without armor, he could inflict 100% damage.
It was practically a special buff just for him.
And then…
The conditions for an epic have been fulfilled in this ancient historical battlefield.
In this 100-man battle within the Delphiria Empire’s arena, where only one may survive… your epic begins.
Weed had acquired epic authority by clearing Hellfire Level 4.
His chosen epic keywords were “sword” and “blood.”
Not enough for a full epic — a weakened epic would activate.
Suddenly, lines of verse filled Weed’s mind:
A knight who lost his sight
Listens to the wind
Though blind, another sense awakens
And the enemies’ presence becomes known
“This is…”
(The epic effect has activated.)
“Epics can do this?”
(An epic causes miraculous effects according to its lines.)
Hellfire Level 5.
As Rosar, he had now gained Wind Sense — something only obtainable after dozens of fights.
The epic continued:
Though the sword is heavy in a single hand
He lifts it by his will
A knight who wandered the battlefield
Has only memories and longing
His sword, once his comrade
Weed’s left arm glowed faintly — and so did his sword.
The last knight standing bleeds
But will not die
Will not die
Will not die
The sword that carved Roanoke’s history
Honor, pride, strength
Fight
Until your breath ceases
Until your shattered sword sticks in the ground
Then came a flurry of notifications:
Ding!
The epic grants you the ability to use Sword Energy!
Attack power increases by 300%.
Strong slashes or skills fire energy waves for ranged damage.
Ding!
Your swordsmanship mastery has temporarily risen to Advanced Level 4.
Attack power greatly increased.
Ding!
The epic grants special vitality.
Your health increases by 300%.
Weak or cowardly attacks are reduced by 80%.
Ding!
You are now the protagonist of the epic.
Failing to meet expectations may result in loss of keywords.
The gladiators from the Creta Arena grouped up.
“We’ll be targeted by the others. Form a defense formation — our goal is survival until 50 remain.”
Rocktyre led eight Creta gladiators.
They all considered betrayal inevitable but stuck together for now.
One of them asked:
“What about Rosar?”
In the arena, loyalty was a luxury.
Still, Weed’s performance so far was impressive.
Rocktyre glanced at Weed, then shook his head.
“He fights well, but it’s hard to work with someone who’s blind. Ignore him.”
Live or die — it was every man for himself.
The gladiators formed their own formations and waited for the battle to begin.
Everyone was watching, waiting to see who would strike first.
“Dear spectators, thank you for your patience! Let the 100-man battle… BEGIN!!”
The announcer shouted.
And the fight began.
