I Bought the Male Lead with Money

3.

Enraged by the slave’s attack, the slave trader sends the protagonist to the Colosseum as a duel slave. The first thing he experiences upon becoming a combat slave is a culling.

In the Colosseum, before the official duel begins, rookie slaves are sent out as appetizers for a massacre. The opponents are sometimes monsters and sometimes high-ranking duel slaves.

Typically, 1 to 20 slaves are sent out, and only those who survive are collected and raised.

Sometimes, all of them die. In such a culling, the protagonist, Jinhyeon, kills all the others and survives. The slave trader hoped for Jinhyeon’s death, but coincidentally, the director of the Colosseum took a liking to him.

Thus, Jinhyeon’s position in the Colosseum gradually rose. However, he was not satisfied with that level, and an unrecognized greed began to move him.

‘At that time, the Lucid family will come out.’

Yu Jin’s sister, Roena, visited the Colosseum and fell in love with Jinhyeon, purchasing him for a hefty sum. At that time, it was fashionable among noble ladies to have a handsome slave.

‘The problem is that Roena has fallen for the protagonist.’

Roena became infatuated with Jinhyeon and wanted to give him everything. Jinhyeon also agreed to Roena’s intentions.

In the process, everyone from the Lucid family, except for Roena, ended up dead. The murderer was Jinhyeon. The goal was to elevate Roena to the head of the family.

Yes, that is the protagonist. It was exhilarating to read in a novel, but in reality, it was nothing short of psychopathy. Most importantly, among those killed by Jinhyeon was Yu Jin.

‘Am I going to die?’

Yu Jin pressed his cheek with his hand.

‘This is bad, isn’t it?’

It was easy to laugh while reading it as a novel, but when it became reality, there was nothing to laugh about. Moreover, it was not just any ending but a massacre ending.

Yu Jin did not want to die yet. He had just come to his senses. There were countless things he wanted to try.

That couldn’t happen. He had too many things he still wanted to do; he couldn’t just go like this.

‘Let’s think of a way.’

Yu Jin desperately racked his brain. Then he thought of one method. If the timing was right, couldn’t he buy the protagonist before Roena did?

‘Then I can try to persuade the protagonist, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll have to take Roena’s place.’

To secure the position of head of the family, he would have to harm others, but surviving was the priority. Finding the protagonist here would be as difficult as finding a needle in a desert, so Yu Jin decided to go to the Arcane Colosseum first.

It was the largest Colosseum in the capital and the place where Jinhyeon was sold to Roena in the original story. He could send someone to check, but he couldn’t just sit still out of anxiety.

What if Roena bought him while he was checking?

That would be a disaster. Yu Jin immediately demanded of Kees.

“I’m going to the Colosseum!”

“Pardon? The Colosseum?”

“Yes. I have something to check.”

Kees seemed curious about what Yu Jin wanted to check but didn’t ask. He just quickly helped him prepare to go out.

“Aren’t you curious about what I want to check?”

When Yu Jin, feeling impatient, asked first, Kees replied.

“Recently, duel slaves have been in vogue among the nobles. You mentioned wanting to buy one last time, so I thought it was that. Am I wrong?”

“No, you’re right. I do want to buy one.”

Thinking back, he realized he might have said that while drunk. Yu Jin sighed in relief and got into the carriage.

“But if you go to the Colosseum, you’ll see blood. Are you okay with that?”

Yu Jin had become afraid of blood after witnessing his nanny die in front of him when he was young. But if he ran away out of fear, he would truly die. He steeled his resolve, clenched his fists, and nodded.

In the meantime, the carriage set off. In the novel, there were complaints about the uncomfortable ride, but this was an expensive carriage, so it felt good.

It turned out that the carriage was enchanted. Most households with some money would enchant their carriages. With so much magic involved, the development of science was also slow in comparison.

Highly developed magic effectively stifled the advancement of modern science. Since magic could solve everything, there was no perceived need to study science.

‘Speaking of which, Haruna could use magic too.’

Even if it was just light household magic, the fact that she could use magic seemed impressive. Yu Jin had no talent for magic.

While Yu Jin was lost in thought, the carriage arrived at the entrance of the street where the Colosseum was located. Shops lined both sides of the street, and whoever set up the locations was quite clever.

After enjoying the battles in the Colosseum, excited people would indulge in food and drink at the shops on the street, and sometimes they would buy something.

First of all, bringing alcohol into the Colosseum was prohibited. This rule was established to prevent excited spectators from going wild after watching the duels.

However, gambling was still allowed. A building was attached to the outer wall of the Colosseum, where one could see the names of the fighters for that day and place bets.

As Yu Jin glanced at the bustling building, Kees reached out of the carriage. A boy quickly ran over and cupped his hands.

After dropping a silver coin, the boy quickly opened his mouth.

“Thank you! In today’s first duel, Jinhyeon will fight against a bear called Al from the distant land of mystery. Al is a level 3, but Jinhyeon is still a beginner. The one who applied for the duel first is Al. Usually, the beginner would refuse in such cases, but Jinhyeon accepted!”

“What’s the odds?”

“Currently, nine out of ten are betting on Al. However, one is betting on Jinhyeon because he is seen as a promising candidate. They’re hoping for a possible upset!”

“I see.”

“Thank you once again. If you’re thinking of placing a bet, I can act as your agent. It would be difficult to get through those people otherwise.”

The boy smiled widely. Those who provided information and encouraged betting were all employees of the Colosseum. They took 90% of the money they received, but still, people flocked to this job.

Even if they only earned 10% of the money, it was not a small amount. If they happened to catch a noble, they could make quite a decent income. Their spending was different from that of commoners.

Moreover, the Colosseum guaranteed their safety. If someone tried to take the money the boy received, they would face the Colosseum’s punishment. Naturally, it was a popular job.

“Will you do it?”

Kees asked Yu Jin.

“Bet the maximum on Jinhyeon.”

The boy’s expression brightened even more. Customers’ bets meant they would also receive a small cut.

“Thank you!”

The boy, once again expressing his gratitude, took the money to the Colosseum and brought back a token. It was proof that a bet had been placed.

Next, they easily found their seats with the Colosseum’s guidance. The Lucid family had reserved seats in all the Colosseums in the capital. And any direct descendant of the Lucid family could use those seats without any conditions.

‘It’s nice to have a lot of money.’

Yu Jin entered a fairly spacious room. Inside, luxurious chairs were arranged, and finger foods and wine were prepared on the table. As Yu Jin sat down, a person who had been waiting stood up and drew back the curtain in front of him.

“Wow!”

As the view opened up, a loud cheer erupted, and the high platform in the center of the Colosseum came into view. Then, with the sound of a large drum, a clown climbed onto the platform.

It seemed they were not doing a culling today. Instead, the clown appeared to be there to entertain the crowd. Balancing on a giant ball and performing tricks was impressive, but it didn’t really catch the eye.

After what felt like a long time, the main event finally began.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The drum sounded again, and the announcer picked up a megaphone. Given the era, it wasn’t a real megaphone; it was likely a magical item.

“Hello, everyone! It’s finally time for today’s duel! First, please look to the right!”

Following the announcer’s words, Yu Jin looked to the right, and as the iron bars rose, a large man stepped out. This man, towering over a meter tall with a muscular build, held an axe chained to a chain.

“Introducing, Bear Al! He earned his nickname by dyeing his weapon red with the blood of those he has killed! Currently a level 3 duel slave, he is waiting for the upcoming promotion battle. Now, please look to the left!”

Walking out from the left, Jinhyeon appeared smaller in comparison to Al. Moreover, the weapon he held was a broken old sword, causing laughter to erupt from various corners.

“There are many masters using strange techniques in the Dragon Continent! We call them geniuses, and Jinhyeon is from there. Although he is still a beginner, he has been classified as a promising candidate after several duels! However, no one knows why this promising candidate accepted Al’s duel!”

While there might be some who placed bets on Jinhyeon, the number was small, and thus, the jeers were louder.

“What a waste of ticket money! What kind of duel is that!”

“If that’s the case, they might as well show us a culling!”

“Al may tear people apart well, but that looks boring.”

Complaints poured in, but the announcer remained unfazed.

“Oh, the match hasn’t even started yet! Although Jinhyeon is a beginner, he has never lost until now! Moreover, he has toyed with his opponents like a mouse with his cruel hands!”

“No, but he’s still a beginner!”

Still, the atmosphere remained harsh. I understand.