"This is more nerve-wracking than I thought."
"I felt the same way at first. But with you, you'll get used to the cheers of the crowd before long."
Aven, who was standing beside him, offered some advice.
Standing beside Newbie, he was directing the aerial acrobatics, whipping the crowd into a frenzy.
Just like a fighter jet show, the Wyvern Palum and countless pets and monsters flying in formation put on a spectacular display.
He looked every bit the boxing champion in the Colosseum, but surprisingly, true to his reputation as a former tournament winner, his showmanship was also outstanding.
In addition, the Colosseum participants won the crowd's favor with all sorts of stunts.
The actual champion, Newbie, didn't know what to do and just waved his hand.
"Waaah! The champion waved at me!"
"Shut up! He waved at me!"
"Champion, look this way! Woo, woo-ah! He looked right at me!"
That was enough.
Just like the great singer Michael Jackson of old, even a simple gesture was enough to drive the crowd wild.
In fact, if he'd done anything more at that point, it could have sparked a riot.
Thanks to that, Newbie had the chance to scan his surroundings before the operation began.
True to the name "Parade of a Hundred Ghosts," the parade floats were all shaped like giant pets and monsters.
Those parade floats were lined up in tight formation.
'The gaps between the parade floats are definitely narrow. It looks like I could just run right through them.'
Just as Wonhyo had said, it looked like he could reach where Olli was in no time if he ran over the parade floats.
In fact, Wonhyo had even prepared another ace up his sleeve to ensure the operation's success.
Just then, his eyes met those of the giant alligator monster below.
Newbie gave the creature a wink, just as planned.
Wink.
Wink.
Then, as if it had been waiting for that, the crocodile winked back.
It was a clear sign that it was Wonhyo's friend.
Now, if he winked twice, that creature and Wonhyo's other friends would simultaneously attack the security personnel and the remaining participants in the Colosseum.
'I suppose there's no need to fight them.'
Maybe from their perspective, this counts as betrayal.
That thought did make me feel a bit uneasy.
There's a saying about not trusting anyone too easily for a reason.
Then a thought occurred to me.
'Do those guys know? That we're injecting bugs into and controlling every animal in this city.'
You can never know the true intentions of people—or rather, NPCs—but I figured they wouldn't know.
In Newbie's opinion, those guys didn't look like the type to inject bugs into their own comrades and family.
Whoooosh! Boom!
Anyway, the biggest firework exploded, and after that, countless others began shooting up into the sky.
"Alright."
"Yeah."
Just as Newbie and Excel were about to move, the two tried to make eye contact with Wonhyo's friend again.
If they both blinked twice, the operation would begin.
Squeak! Squeak-squeak-squeak!
But his eyes weren't the kind that could wink at all.
Moreover, even though it was dark at night, the creature's skin—which had clearly been green—was now black.
The creature glared at them with those fiery red eyes.
Squeak-!
Opening its mouth wide, it began crawling toward Newbie and Excel.
Looking closely, they saw something black sizzling on its belly.
That sizzling sound and black form. It was definitely a bug.
"Oh, no...!"
The creature swiftly bit into one of the parade float's wheels, causing the float to collapse.
As a result, most of the Colosseum participants and security guards riding on the parade float lost their balance and either fell over or tumbled off.
"Hey!"
"I'm okay! What the hell is going on here?"
"I don't know!"
Newbie couldn't make heads or tails of what was happening either.
Just a minute ago, these people were perfectly fine—why are they suddenly moving like zombies?
Whatever else might be going on, Newbie felt certain that the cause was a bug.
'Hey, status window.'
Newbie called up the status window as if whispering cautiously.
[How may I assist you?]
'Hey. That's a bug, right?'
[Verifying... Verification complete. Correct.]
'No way, did multiple bugs just trigger all at once?'
[Analyzing cause... Cause analysis complete. The current bug is a single bug created through a single code.]
A single bug? All of that?
At that moment, Newbie recalled Wonhyo's explanation.
The bug injected into every pet and monster in the city revolves around one person.
'Something must have happened to Wonhyo's friend. It's obvious.'
Just then, that crocodile monster from earlier swam toward Newbie.
"Grrr..."
It opened its jaws wide and charged at Newbie, ready to swallow him whole.
Excel raised his sword to block it, but the creature's massive jaws reduced even his sword to a toothpick.
Just then, the creature's body froze.
Palum, the wyvern who had been performing aerial acrobatics, had grabbed the creature by the back and flung it aside.
"Are you okay!"
At that moment, Even, Salo, and Ione approached from behind.
Fortunately, they and their pets seemed unharmed.
However, few were as lucky as they were.
"Hae, Happy!"
"Kyu-uuuaaaa!"
There was also a cute little incident where the puppy that had been the first to be eliminated at the Colosseum earlier bit its owner in a fit of jealousy.
"Ugh, uwaaaa!"
"Help!"
"Kwaaaaah!"
In the case of the giant monsters, it was nothing short of horrific.
*
At first, the audience actually cheered at the sudden turn of events.
Since they were sometimes treated to shows they'd never seen before, they initially viewed it as a daring attempt.
"Ugh, ugh! What is this! Hold on, I have no intention of participating in that event!"
As the giant bear monster grabbed the spectator, he, still in a daze, tried to refuse.
But the bear refused his refusal.
"Uuuuugh, Waaaaaah!"
Crunch!
"Huh? Ugh! Guh! Guh-huh!"
The spectator, caught in the bear monster's grasp, began to squish like an orange in a juice press.
Only then did the spectator realize this wasn't a game; he struggled and resisted, but by then, every bone in his body had already shattered.
His body gradually turned into a white, sugar-like powder and scattered.
It was fortunate that this was a game suitable for all ages; otherwise, he would have fallen to the ground as red chunks of flesh.
But even that was enough to drive the watching audience mad.
"Ugh, aaaah! The beast monster has gone mad!"
"Security! Where's the security team?"
Usually, this kind of chaos broke out right at this moment.
In fact, when everyone was under the illusion, they had been calmly lining up, but once chaos set in, things spiraled out of control.
The spectators became entangled and jostled, frantically pushing and shoving one another.
At that sight, the monsters and pets, consumed by the bug, grew even more agitated and began charging at the crowd.
[Hold on, everyone! Calm down!]
The announcer tried to calm the situation using the megaphone prepared for the broadcast, but...
[Wait, hold on! What is that? Up there... in the sky! Ugh, aaaargh! Boom!]
Monsters and pets flying through the fireworks covered the sky.
Then they attacked the host and others who were trying to calm the situation from above.
As the host's screams and the sound of tearing flesh echoed through the megaphone, the chaos only grew worse.
The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons had truly transformed into a procession of monsters in a whole new sense.
Amidst the carnage caused by those monsters, the four-person party—including Newbie—continued their arduous advance toward their goal.
"Three on the left! Two from above!"
"Ione! You block them! Salo, keep charging to clear a path, and I'll handle the two coming from above! Champion! You keep holding the center!"
At first, Even and the Four Heavenly Kings didn't understand Newbie's actions.
"Where are you going! It's dangerous!"
"We're going to where the Festival Conductor is!"
"What? Are you talking about the Maestro?"
Certainly, the Conductor of the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons was one of the most prominent figures in the city.
But what on earth does that man have to do with this situation?
Nevertheless, Even nodded.
'He certainly wasn't ordinary.'
Clearly, he was someone who had stood up to a proxy wielding divine power, shattered that power, and emerged victorious.
Though his true identity was unclear, he seemed to know something about this matter.
"Alright. We'll help you."
"It could be dangerous."
Newbie warned him, but Even was determined.
And the other Four Heavenly Kings stepped forward as well.
"If Even says so, there must be a reason~" -Ione (Master of the Iron Lion, Nemaya)
"If we don't do this, we'll just end up running away anyway! I'm not running!" -Salo (Master of the Fire Lion, Urakan)
The two of them also drew their weapons for self-defense and joined the fray.
And so, the four heroes of the Colosseum began their advance.
"Sweep them all away! Urakan!"
"Grr! Roooar! Grrrr!"
True to his name, Urakan, the Fire Beast, unleashed flames, roasting the swarm of monsters charging at them.
"Now's your chance, bite!"
"Guhhh!"
The massive monsters that Urakan couldn't handle were torn apart by the Iron Lion, Nemaya.
"The sky is our domain!"
"Screeeeeeech!"
The flying beasts that were already darkening the black night sky were dealt with by Palum, the King of the Sky, and his master, Even.
It seemed as though the path was clearing without a hitch, but the monsters of the White Ghost Night Parade were not merely beasts rampaging out of control.
"Kyaa! Kyaaaaaa!"
"Aaaaaaah!"
Below, wolf and dog monsters, and above, bird monsters including crows, formed a swift encirclement.
'What? Do these bug-infested creatures actually use tactics?'
The newbie was horrified but tried his best to stay calm.
Fortunately, the two groups had only formed a perimeter; they didn't charge directly at them.
The flock of birds, led by the crows, flew in a circle to create a living tornado, while the wolf and dog monsters occupied every inch of ground on both sides, closing in like a tightening wall.
Like it or not, Newbie and his party had no choice but to advance.
As the four of them moved forward atop the parade carriages instead of the ground writhing with bugs, beings intent on crushing them began to approach one by one.
"Kwaaaaah!"
"Ugh, what the—?"
The giant crocodile that Even had dealt with earlier bit into the horn of the Fire Urakan, which was charging.
The Fire Urakan advanced while spewing fire, but the crocodile showed no sign of letting go.
"Damn it! Hurry up!"
Salo shouted as he lashed his whip at the crocodile.
The remaining three had no choice but to move out, but the pressure continued.
"Wrooooar!"
The giant bear monster, which had been busy slaughtering the crowd moments ago, charged in.
Only the Iron Lion, Nemeia, could block its massive body and front-paw attacks.
"Don't even think about it! A bear trying to beat a lion! Everyone, get out of here first!"
Ione, the Iron Lion's owner, shouted as she mounted the bear and thrust her spear downward.
While the two bought them time, Even, Newbie, and their group had already nearly reached the command carriage where the Maestro was.
"Ee-heh! Ee-hee-hee-hee-hee-ing!"
Originally, they had been pure white wings, but now they were Pegasus, sizzling and scattering black bugs.
It was obvious who would have to deal with them.
Eaven nodded silently.
Riding on the wyvern's back, he drew his bow.
Before they knew it, only Newbie and Excel had barely made it to the command wagon where Maestro was.
But as if they'd been waiting, the crows and wolves that had formed a cordon closed in from both the sky and the ground.
Stranded on the wagon—neither on the ground nor in the sky—Newbie and Excel, now caught in the middle, prepared for battle.
'Is this going to be okay?'
There was no way this would be okay.
What's more, the creatures weren't attacking; instead, they were closing in on them.
It was a strategy to crush them without even giving them a chance to fight.
The crows closed in all at once, forming a dome made of feathers.
Unless they could take out that entire horde at once, there was no way forward.
The problem was that Newbie and Excel didn't have the ability to take out a pack of beasts that looked like it numbered in the hundreds all at once.
Even so, the two didn't give up.
"Excel! Let's break through at a single point first!"
"Alright! Just stay right behind me!"
Just as they were advancing, trying to break through that encirclement somehow.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a blue light flared up among the flock of crows.
That blue light grew like a flame that starts by burning a piece of paper and then quickly spreads.
"Caw! Caaaaaw!"
The crows screamed, and the circular encirclement began to gradually break apart.
Then, an even bluer flame blazed up, and the heart of that blue flame fell downward.
Kwoong! Kwaaaang!
The flame struck the carriage with the massive sound and force of a meteorite.
As it did, the flame spread out, incinerating the pack of wolves that had been quietly encircling them from the ground.
The wolves and crows began to flee in all directions, leaving behind the half-destroyed parade carriage, Newbie's party, and...
Crunch! Grrrrrrr!
Wonhyo was standing there, looking down at the two of them.
He was no longer the pathetic-looking skeleton he usually was.
The strongest being in the city.
It was the form of the Horror Crypt Lord.
He slowly approached Newbie and Excel.
Thud!
Bending one knee, he lowered his body and offered his back.
Unlike usual, he didn't say a word, but Newbie and Excel, as if they understood, climbed onto his burning back.