Dojin looked around once.
“Six chariots in total.”
With Dojin joining, all ten Player slots for the Chariot Race Quest had been filled.
There would be no more challengers.
“Three chariots have one person each, one has a two-person team, and the last has a three-person team.”
After counting the competitors, Dojin met Haewon’s gaze.
He bent slightly at the waist, bringing himself roughly level with the petite girl.
“I’m going to do this with you…… You’re okay with that, right?”
“…….”
For some reason, Haewon lowered her head again and fell silent.
Watching her, Dojin suddenly remembered the distant past.
Long ago.
Even further back than before his regression.
Back when Dojin himself had been a child.
When he had lived in an orphanage and had not known whom he could trust.
……When he had not known what he was supposed to say in front of other people.
“…….”
Dojin scratched his head slightly.
But time kept passing.
The other Players on the field had already begun finishing their preparations for the Quest one by one.
-Oh, look at that! The stars of ! The brothers Park Dongil and Park Donghun have arrived!
-And over there, isn’t that Team Bandit? The famous three-man team of prize hunters!
-Now this is getting interesting……! The gamblers are going to be split over who wins!
The Players competing as teams were equipped with fairly decent gear.
They whispered among themselves, apparently discussing strategies, and the relaxed look in their eyes suggested they had plenty of experience.
‘Those people seem to be professionals who operate entirely in this world.’
By contrast, the Players standing alone beside their chariots were in poor condition.
Their ages and genders varied, but none of them had much in the way of Items or even ordinary human-made equipment.
They were probably in circumstances not much different from Haewon’s.
‘Next.’
Dojin glanced down at the crown of Haewon’s bowed head before sweeping his gaze around the field.
Unlike the spectator stands, the Arena field itself was extremely broad.
Why the space inside the stadium was larger than the spectator stands surrounding its edges was probably something no one could explain.
But right now, Dojin was more interested in the condition of the field where the Chariot Race would take place.
He sharpened his senses.
“Strange…… Is this what being D-Grade means?”
Each Arena Grade had its own distinctive Quest characteristics.
F-Grade Arena Quests were closer to variety shows.
They provided targets that were strictly objects, depending on the Quest.
Whether Players formed teams among themselves or attacked each other had absolutely nothing to do with clearing the Quest.
E-Grade Arena Quests were simulated battles.
All opponents that appeared were puppets.
At the lower end, Players fought object-shaped targets.
At the middle levels, animal-shaped targets appeared.
At the upper end, they faced humanoid targets in combat Quests.
D-Grade Arenas encouraged competition between Players.
That was why their Quests might restrict clears to the first few Players to finish……
Park Dongil, Park Donghun (2-Person Team)
Han Myeongseok
Song Jisuk
Bandit (3-Person Team)
Kang Hyeon
Seo Haewon (+1)
-Look at today’s Players! Who will the spectators choose?
-The excitement is already heating up!
-Which of those six will become the winner who clears the Quest?
At that moment, something appeared beside the notification window floating in the air.
“……!”
It was not a notification generated by the Arena.
Park Dongil, Park Donghun (2-Person Team): 1,350
Han Myeongseok: 18
Song Jisuk: 5
Bandit (3-Person Team): 1,414
Kang Hyeon: 20
Seo Haewon (+1): 13
The enormous display, shaped like a hanging banner, was being held aloft by Low-Grade Wind Spirits.
-The votes are finally locked in! No more changing your picks!
-As expected, the votes have piled onto the two favorites!
-Who will emerge victorious?
……In this way, both entry and Quest completion were strictly limited, restricting the number of Players who could receive rewards.
‘Until now, Players could clear Quests just fine on their own. But starting from D-Grade, that changes. More importantly…….’
After looking at the display, Dojin turned his head toward Haewon.
“……!”
Seo Haewon had cautiously lifted her head and was looking up at Dojin’s face.
But the instant Dojin looked back at her, she hurriedly dropped her gaze again.
‘What is she, a cat……?’
Dojin sighed deeply to himself before speaking again.
Until now, he had mostly dealt with adults, so there had been no problem.
But trying to approach an old comrade—one who was now an abused child—without making her wary meant he had to be extremely careful with every word.
“Hey, Haewon.”
“……Yes.”
“Judging from the notification, it looks like we’re already on the same team……”
“…….”
This time, Haewon gave no verbal answer.
But Dojin saw her give the faintest nod.
“All right.”
He had barely managed to get her consent just before the Chariot Race began.
It might have seemed like an unnecessarily cumbersome process.
But if he wanted to approach Haewon, this was the best way.
He needed to show her that her wishes would be respected in everything.
It was different from how he had approached Rahi or Tyron, but considering that Haewon was neither of them, there was no avoiding it.
Dojin quickly brought Haewon aboard the chariot.
‘The Quest’s about to begin. I lost time convincing Haewon!’
Dojin coldly surveyed the competitors.
Then he examined the chariot beneath them.
This was the first Team Quest he had experienced since regressing.
D-Grade Arenas were the first to officially allow Players to form teams through the System.
Some people might wonder—
Couldn’t Players cooperate even in Low-Grade Arenas?
Was there really any need for the System to add a formal team function?
“Grab the reins! I’ll handle support!”
They would soon understand why experienced Players formed teams in D-Grade Arenas.
***
Start!
The instant the Arena notification announced the beginning of the Chariot Race—the chariots shot forward like bullets.
“Huh?! Huh?!”
“AAAAAGH!!!!”
And immediately, Players were eliminated.
-Oh no! As always, we already have eliminations right at the start!
-Two Players are out at the opening of today’s Chariot Race! Numbers 2 and 3!
-Congratulations to everyone who correctly predicted the starting eliminations!
It truly was an impressive Gambling Kingdom.
They were even betting on when Players would be eliminated and how many would fall.
Dojin frowned, then shouted toward Haewon.
“Just focus on holding on!”
“Y-Yes!”
Seeing two Players fall from their chariots the instant the race began snapped Haewon fully alert.
‘I think I saw blood.’
This was an Arena, so even if a Player was injured, they would recover quickly.
Still, even Haewon had never seen someone become covered in blood the moment a Quest began.
GRIP.
As tension and fear slowly crept over her, Haewon tightened her hands around the reins.
‘This Arena…… was D-Grade, right?’
Haewon was still only E-Grade.
She had cleared countless Arena Quests since Awakening, but because she had never been able to obtain proper equipment, she had been forced to remain in Low-Grade Arenas.
Arenas restricted higher-Grade Players from entering lower-Grade Arenas, but they did not prevent lower-Grade Players from entering Arenas above their own Grade.
Even so, Low-Grade Players almost never entered higher-Grade Arenas.
The reason was simple.
Clearing them was nearly impossible.
Higher-Grade Arenas were already filled with higher-Grade Players.
What was a weaker Player supposed to do after receiving a Quest far beyond their abilities?
And once Awakening Department officials began managing Arenas, that tendency gradually hardened into an unwritten rule.
In that sense, there were only two reasons why an E-Grade Player like Haewon would be logged into a D-Grade Arena.
To fill an empty slot.
And to serve as entertainment when she was spectacularly eliminated.
“……!”
The spectators cheered as they watched Players fall from their chariots because they could not endure the speed at the very start.
At that moment, even the memories of being ostracized at school for being poor flashed through Haewon’s mind……!
“……Hah!”
“Focus!”
Just as she unconsciously began losing her grip on the reins—a large, strong, warm hand closed around both Haewon’s hands and the reins at once.
It was Dojin.