The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 184

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Auto Looting Range Too Wide Episode 184
Chapter

Episode 184: Crimson Arena (3)
The moment Hae-in saw the woman, a thought crossed her mind.
‘Impressive.’
A member of the Goseong Group’s bloodline, and one of the few upper-tier Awakened in South Korea.
Even to someone of Hae-in’s caliber, this woman was far from ordinary.
I couldn’t pinpoint her exact level, but there was no doubt she was an upper-tier Awakened like myself.
The problem was that I had no idea who she was.
I’d met most of the reasonably famous Awakened, yet I had no recollection of her.
‘Suspicious.’
Crimson Arena was a fighting pit operated in the Underworld.
An unknown powerhouse appearing in such a place?
It was a situation that raised red flags no matter how you looked at it.
“Your name is Cheongchul, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right. I manage Crimson Arena.”
“I thought the hotel manager oversaw this place as well.”
“That’s a recent change. The manager’s workload had become too much to handle.”
Hae-in’s gaze grew even more suspicious as she studied Cheongchul.
While Crimson Arena was certainly large in scale, it wasn’t significant enough to warrant assigning an upper-tier Awakened as its manager.
“Managing Awakened must be difficult. They’re all so hot-blooded.”
However, Hae-in decided not to dwell on it.
Suspicious? What did that matter?
If problems arose, she could simply tear everything apart and rebuild.
This confidence didn’t stem from being part of the Goseong Group’s bloodline.
One of the few upper-tier Awakened in South Korea.
It was the confidence that came from being Hae-in, counted among the strongest of them all.
“It is difficult. Still, fortunately, no major incidents have occurred so far.”
Meanwhile, Cheongchul was also assessing Hae-in.
‘I was curious about what kind of person became champion during my absence…’
Hae-in had conquered Crimson Arena under the ring name Tuigui just two years ago.
At that time, Cheongchul had been away and missed Tuigui’s exploits.
So I was intensely curious.
Crimson Arena ranked among the top fighting pits in the Underworld.
An Awakened who reached champion in record time at such a place.
I had considered recruiting her into Hope Society, but…
‘She’s an absolute monster.’
That was Cheongchul’s first impression of Hae-in.
Based on her track record, Hae-in had clearly been a middle-tier Awakened two years ago.
But the current Hae-in had become a figure so formidable that even Cheongchul, an upper-tier Awakened, found her difficult to gauge.
‘An unaffiliated Awakened couldn’t possibly grow this quickly. She must belong to some organization.’
There were exceptional cases, of course.
The most prominent example was Butcher—an unaffiliated Awakened who surpassed the promising talents of major Guilds.
And that wasn’t all; she had even slaughtered middle-tier Awakened.
But one couldn’t make an exception among exceptions the standard.
‘Which organization does this Awakened belong to? And what purpose brought her to our Arena?’
One of Cheongchul’s eyes gleamed with an eerie light.
Like a serpent lowering its body upon spotting prey.
“Is the person who came with you a disciple?”
Cheongchul spoke while surveying the Arena.
The Arena had already been cleared efficiently.
The victor, Mincheol, had walked out on his own two feet, while the loser was carried away on a stretcher.
“Hmm….”
Hae-in trailed off.
A disciple? If I’ve taught him something, I suppose that term could apply….
But being bound to Mincheol in a master-disciple relationship didn’t sit right with me.
Above all, considering Mincheol’s potential, he would surpass me in a short time.
“He’s a friend.”
So Hae-in unhesitatingly called Mincheol a friend.
He was the first person with whom I had shared a genuine bond in my life, so the word “friend” suited him well.
“You have quite a remarkable friend.”
Cheongchul’s words were sincere.
Watching Mincheol’s combat, Cheongchul felt as though facing an enormous iceberg.
The head that had burst through the sea was merely a fraction.
Beneath it lay something far more colossal, hidden from view.
Having seen only a single match, I couldn’t make a precise judgment.
But one thing was certain—he possessed talent that would rank among the best in the Hope Society.
‘How unfortunate, though.’
The man’s potential was exceptional, yet his resolve was lukewarm.
Wielding an iron rod in a place where killing was the norm.
‘Whether to call it pure or weak.’
Either way, it didn’t matter.
‘I wonder if he could truly refrain from killing even when his own life is threatened?’
Cheongchul’s curiosity had already been piqued.
‘And when he first stains his hands with blood… what reaction will he show?’
Like the desire to sully an untouched field of snow.
Cheongchul was seized by a fervent longing to corrupt this pure and noble Awakened.
“Ah, I almost forgot. The reason I came here isn’t something else, but….”
Thus, as the Arena’s Manager, Cheongchul voiced a request that she should have originally refused.
“There’s someone who wants to meet you.”
* * *
“Hae-in! It’s been ages!”
A man with a cigar between his lips spread both arms wide as he spoke.
It was the gesture of someone greeting an old friend, but Hae-in’s demeanor remained glacial.
More precisely, I felt no emotion whatsoever.
Only bewilderment.
“What brings you here? I heard Red Bullet was deployed to the Middle East.”
Red Bullet.
One of the few private military corporations operating in South Korea.
Though recognized abroad, it held little fame domestically.
The reason?
PMC in name only—in reality, they were butchers who suppressed rebellions erupting in authoritarian regimes.
Why such regimes specifically sought them out was simple.
An era where anyone could become an Awakened.
Confronting Awakened required Awakened of your own.
They were a breed I held no fondness for.
Men who fed themselves on the price of human blood.
Especially the man standing before me.
Kim Gwang-gyu was the owner of Red Bullet. A type I could never bring myself to like, no matter how hard I tried.
“Hahaha, what a reunion. Yet your tone is so cold. We were rivals competing for the Champion title, after all.”
The reason the two of us knew each other was because we had fought for the Champion position.
The result was my victory.
However, he had not been an easy opponent. I had struggled considerably against him.
Of course, that was then.
Kim Gwang-gyu remained trapped at the Middle Layer of Awakened.
Meanwhile, I had long since ascended to the Upper Layer.
“Cheongchul, thank you for doing me this favor!”
“Not at all. It’s only natural to oblige a VIP’s request.”
In truth, it was Cheongchul’s troublesome curiosity that had orchestrated this meeting.
Unaware of this, Kim Gwang-gyu simply beamed with delight.
“Then I’ll take my leave so as not to intrude on you two.”
With those words, Cheongchul vanished.
Thus the room held only two people.
“You asked why I’m here? I managed to get some leave, so I’m resting in South Korea.”
“So you came here out of boredom, like last time?”
“Exactly! After finally getting some time off, my hands were itching something fierce. Couldn’t stand it.”
Kim Gwang-gyu laughed heartily as he spoke.
Bored, so he participates in a deadly fighting arena.
No sane person would say such a thing. Yet what sane individual would run a company like Red Bullet?
“Ah, but don’t misunderstand me. I’m merely watching the match. It’s my son who’ll be stepping into the Arena.”
“Your son?”
“As it happens, the next match is my son’s. Let’s watch it together.”
Kim Gwang-gyu spoke while surveying the Arena.
Hae-in turned his gaze as well. That’s when he spotted a young man basking in the crowd’s cheers.
Age-wise, he seemed roughly the same as himself.
His lean frame was packed with muscle, leaving no gaps.
And draped diagonally across his neck was a champion’s belt.
“Don’t tell me the current champion is your son?”
“Heh heh heh, impressive, isn’t it? The boy’s already reached the Middle Layer despite his young age.”
Even a hedgehog dotes on its own offspring.
Honey dripped from Kim Gwang-gyu’s eyes as he gazed upon his son.
“So why did you call me here? Just to boast about your son?”
“As if.”
The smile vanished from Kim Gwang-gyu’s face.
“That young man who performed in the third match… you brought him here, didn’t you? Is he perhaps your disciple?”
“A friend.”
“You two didn’t seem like friends.”
“Then think whatever you like.”
Hae-in spoke with indifference.
Whether he believed it or not was of no concern to Hae-in whatsoever.
But Kim Gwang-gyu didn’t seem inclined to let it go so easily.
“I still can’t forget the match we had two years ago.”
Kim Gwang-gyu unfastened his shirt.
A vivid scar was etched across his chest.
“The wound I received that day still throbs. It’s made it difficult to sleep properly.”
Kim Gwang-gyu’s eyes gleamed with a sinister killing intent.
It was an unsettling sight, but Hae-in remained unmoved.
A lion doesn’t fear the barking of a dog, after all.
“So you want to fight now?”
“That would be nice! But even if I defeated you now, my scar wouldn’t disappear. So I thought of something better. I’ll pit my son against your disciple.”
I said he wasn’t my disciple.
In that instant, displeasure flared within me.
But instead of correcting him, Hae-in rose from his seat.
“I have no intention of indulging your childish games. I’ll be taking my leave.”
That’s when it happened.
The door opened, and two Awakened entered, blocking the way.
Hae-in glared at Kim Gwang-gyu and asked.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“It means you should recognize your position. Do you really think you can refuse my proposal?”
Kim Gwang-gyu tilted his chin upward, his gaze dripping with arrogance.
Hae-in exhaled a silent sigh.
‘What gives him such confidence?’
The two Awakened blocking his path were at best middle-tier level.
Even with Kim Gwang-gyu joining them, they couldn’t stop him.
‘Could they really not grasp the disparity?’
That seemed to be the case.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared approach like this.
‘The Hotel staff… they’ve already left, so they don’t seem interested in getting involved.’
Hae-in recalled Cheongchul’s face. The sudden irritation he felt was no mere coincidence.
‘I should just overturn this entire situation.’
That was when Hae-in had this thought.
“I’m not one for empty-handed requests either.”
Kim Gwang-gyu retrieved an item from his Inventory and held it out.
Hae-in’s pupils dilated slightly upon seeing the item.
“A Memory Stone. Legendary grade, no less.”
Hae-in examined the Memory Stone’s information.
And he couldn’t help but be surprised again.
“A Mana Engine Memory Stone? Where did you obtain this?”
“I received it as a reward for completing a commission.”
Hae-in’s brow furrowed immediately.
There could be no other commission from Red Bullet.
“So, does my proposal interest you now?”
Hae-in deliberated for a moment.
A legendary-grade Mana Engine?
Even the Goseong Guild had only obtained it a handful of times—a treasure of immense rarity.
Moreover, this was a Memory Stone. It was so rare that its very existence remained unknown.
But Hae-in’s hesitation stemmed not from the Goseong Guild, but from Mincheol.
‘My older brother still hasn’t acquired a Mana Engine, as far as I know.’
A Mana Engine was an essential skill to advance to the upper layers.
If he could obtain it, it would be an enormous boon to Mincheol’s future.
Hae-in turned his gaze toward the Arena.
The current champion was driving his opponent into a corner with brutal technique.
If Mincheol were standing there instead—could he win?
After a moment’s deliberation, Hae-in spoke.
“Very well. I accept.”
* * *
“So starting now, you need to prepare to fight the champion.”
The athlete’s lounge.
Immediately after his first match, Mincheol’s jaw dropped at the revelation that he would be fighting the champion.
‘Me? Why?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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