Chapter 1.2

Chapter 1.2

What mattered most was money.

No matter how much they were considered filtered-out trash by the state, they still had to live—and living meant needing food and resources. People who belonged to no country, when viewed another way, were people who could trade with any country.

That was why money held real value for them as well.

And Do Sa-gyeom, ruler of Sodom, did anything if it paid.

Most of his work involved killing. Mercenary jobs. On the side, he occasionally sold his body. Even then, he never slept with women who weren’t to his taste, and compared to what he earned as a mercenary, it was little more than pocket money.

He liked sex. So it was less about selling himself, and more about enjoying it—while incidentally squeezing material compensation out of women who wouldn’t be able to forget a night with him.

That was how openly Do Sa-gyeom indulged in sex, and how much more he indulged in money.

Knowing this, the fact that Go Hee-seong was taking so long to circle around the details while bringing up a job with such enormous pay meant only one thing: there was something deeply off about it.

Something that could make Do Sa-gyeom refuse, no matter how much money was offered.

“The one who needs protection is…”

Watching Do Sa-gyeom’s expression darken behind his impassive face, Go Hee-seong thought that if things went wrong, he might actually end up taking a punch from him.

If it weren’t for the people pulling back the curtain at that moment to announce the start of the match, Do Sa-gyeom might really have thrown a fist at Go Hee-seong’s face.

Even as the announcement echoed, Do Sa-gyeom stared silently at Go Hee-seong for a while longer before finally starting to walk.

Down the long corridor, toward the place where the cheers of savages roared.

The fight between the small war dogs had ended.

Now, it was time for the battle between the giant war dogs to begin.

***

“Ian, what are you doing here?”

Following her father as he came out to rally the soldiers, Ian stood atop the towering wall, looking down below.

“Were they really… people?”

Ian asked, pointing at the figures beyond the wall.

“Yes. Once, they were people.”

Outside, monsters swarmed; creatures in which not a shred of human intelligence could be found.

To explain their existence, one would have to go back to a point in history long before Ian was even born.

It was something that happened when her father was still a young man.

People said that, one day, humans began turning into monsters for no apparent reason.

Those who became monsters not only attacked other humans, but also possessed enhanced physical abilities, making them difficult to study.

Cults spread, preaching that the end of the world had arrived. Monsters came to dominate the world, the population declined, and ordinary people fled. Naturally, the national territories of every country began to shrink.

Later research revealed the cause to be radiation exposure.

Radioactively contaminated water was released into the ocean, and humans consumed seafood harvested from those seas. Humanity’s advanced technology, combined with its careless handling, ultimately brought harm back upon itself.

To the point that people had to build walls with their own hands and remain in a constant state of combat readiness.

Those exposed to radiation were first called mutants, and now were referred to as contaminated beings. And among them, there were inevitably anomalies.

“Still, how fortunate it is. More complete evolutionary forms have appeared as well.”

Humans who retained their original form and intellect, but with enhanced physical abilities, emerged. Most of them made their living as soldiers, but not everyone who became superhuman chose to use their power solely for good, like in hero movies.

“They are the reason we are in danger.”

Those known as Transcendents, Awakened or Absolumens, formed armed forces and attempted to overthrow nations or seize power through violence.

Recently, their armed groups had been growing especially rampant.

In times like these, not only her father but Ian as well, the president’s daughter, could not be considered safe. She constantly faced threats of kidnapping and assassination.

“Do not worry, Ian. Your father will make sure…”

He gently cupped the cheek of his only daughter.

“I will be bringing in one excellent hound.”

Though he was the president of a nation, his love for his daughter was absolute, and for her sake, he was willing to do anything.

Even if that meant letting a disturbing hound into his own home.

***

A series of powerful uppercuts slammed into the tattoo-covered face. The opposing fighter adjusted his distance with footwork and leg kicks. Having barely regained his rhythm, he seized an opening and threw consecutive left and right hooks.

Despite his size, Do Sa-gyeom possessed sharp reflexes and speed, but today he failed to evade the hooks and took them head-on, one after another.

Almost as if it were an act of self-harm.

If an ordinary human had taken punches from an Absolumen, the bones and muscles of the face would have been destroyed, and death would have come long ago.

But Do Sa-gyeom savored the pain raining down on his face as he recalled Go Hee-seong’s words.

“The president’s daughter. You could say she is the princess of what was once our homeland.”

Do Sa-gyeom had no homeland.

If a nation was a place that used him to its fill and then discarded him like a consumable, it was a place he had no need for.

It was not only the nation that had abandoned him. He had abandoned the nation as well.

But still, still.

“You fucking bastard…!”

The counterattack came in an instant.

Do Sa-gyeom broke his opponent’s balance with a takedown and slammed him to the ground, securing half guard.

Pressing down and successfully defending, he used the opponent’s attempt to escape to lock in an arm triangle choke.

Trapped within thick, powerful arms packed solid with muscle, the fighter twisted desperately, struggling to survive.

In a normal match in a peaceful era, the opponent might have tapped out, or the referee might have stopped the fight.

But in the barbarian city of Sodom, matches were decided solely by death or survival.

Many coveted the position of ruler of Sodom. Since an ambush could come at any time, such challenges to authority were allowed periodically. If Do Sa-gyeom died, the challenger would take Sodom. If the challenger died, Do Sa-gyeom’s authority remained intact. This fight could only end with one death.

As he felt the man trapped in his arms stop breathing and the frantic pulse fade away, his competitive fervor slowly turned into satisfaction.

“Do Sa-gyeom!”

A foreign referee announced his victory, calling out his Korean name in an awkward accent.

In the Colosseum of Sodom, he was always the victor.