Bad Born Blood Chapter 13

Translator: FenrirTL

Editor: Greedy

========================

< Chapter 13 >

The na Luka was common in the Empire. Even at the orphanage where I stayed, there were two Lukas.

When I was young, they called “Little Luka.” Only after I ca of age did they start calling Luka. Around that ti, another kid nad Luka arrived. They called him “Little Luka,” just like they once did with .

Old mories ca back. Throughout my cadet life, I kept the mories of the orphanage locked away. It was a place I would never return to.

‘I never once ate until I was full.’

Once or twice a month, an imperial official visited the orphanage. The vehicle would be loaded with supplies, but half of them would disappear the next day. Those diverted supplies ended up scattered across the lower districts.

Even when I was starving, I didn’t neglect my training. I read whatever dusty books were lying around, untouched, and built my strength by lifting rusty hunks of tal.

‘Are you an idiot? Don’t waste your energy. You’ll just get hungrier.’

At first, there were many kids who laughed at .

I smashed my fists into their faces and took their als. If I wanted to get stronger, I had to eat more than the others. It was better for it to beco my flesh and blood than to rot in the stomachs of losers.

‘You think doing this will make you anything? You’re just another two-digit like the rest of us. If you were really special, you would’ve been sent to a single-digit orphanage by now!’

With a bloody nose, the kid cursed to the end, sniveling.

In the end, I proved them wrong. When I was twelve, I went through the second selection exam. My na made it onto the candidate list for the Imperial Guard, and at fifteen, I officially beca a cadet.

‘I am not a loser, and I never will be.’

Muttering to myself, I opened my eyes. Reality ca into view.

‘The colosseum of the black market, my opponent is Gabriel of the Steel Fist. My current prosthetic limbs are low energy output, non-combat models.’

Conditions couldn’t have been worse if I tried.

“......Seems like Aleph overdid it with the drugs today. To be matched with a brat like this—whatever, as long as I get paid.”

Gabriel was saying this as he strode toward . I watched him in silence.

‘An asymtrical, unbalanced modified body. He probably can’t even sleep at night without painkillers.’

Gabriel’s prosthetic limbs were all from different manufacturers. It seed like he’d sohow managed to get them to work together, but it was a temporary solution at best. The oversized arm and fist especially pulled his shoulder forward, making him hunch. His spine was probably just as twisted.

The exterior wasn’t any better than the interior. His weight distribution was off, causing him to lean as he walked. His skin, stretched to the limit to bear the excessive weight, was torn in places, and where flesh t machine, he suffered from chronic inflammation.

‘But he’s strong.’

He was a man who’d torn his body apart solely to beco stronger. Maybe I could have ended up like him.

“Hah, can’t even open your mouth, huh? Are you scared? You’ve got a pretty face—why not just serve at night?”

Gabriel stood before , waving to the cheering crowd. He scanned my body, then smirked. He’d figured out my limbs weren’t combat-grade.

“You’re going to need so help, all right. Today, you’ll be crippled. Better hope you’ve got so money saved up.”

I glanced up at the stands as I spoke. Through the glass-fronted VIP box, I could see Aleph and Kinuan together.

Gabriel only raised an eyebrow at my provocation. To him, this was no more than a greeting. Nothing to get upset over.

“Hah, I’ll stomp you down nice and slow until you’re begging to serve .”

Gabriel stepped back, and I noticed angel wing tattoos on his back. With that hideous look, angel wings were just laughable.

I shrugged, taking five steps back myself.

Bzzzzt!

On the display wall surrounding the colosseum, the betting odds flashed. Just as I expected, my odds of winning were set at around fifty to one. The betting pool was barely balanced.

-Ladies and gentlen, here begins the brutal and ruthless world we live in, in miniature! Will you be trampled underfoot, or will you rise and trample others?!

Aleph grabbed the mic and shouted, while Kinuan watched the colosseum with his arms crossed.

Beep!

A worn-out buzzer marked the start of the fight.

“Hoo.”

I steadied my breathing and took a stance, spreading my limbs slightly and facing Gabriel.

‘If I block, I die.’

The power difference was overwhelming. If his fist hit , I’d be dead. Gabriel wasn’t slow just because of his size, either.

Thud!

A sound like thunder erupted as he leapt and brought his fist crashing down from above, aiming to flatten .

‘That’s not a trained fighting or combat thod. His moves are broad and full of openings.’

If I had my original prosthetics, Gabriel would be dead in a second. A slight dodge to the side and a quick jab would’ve made his head burst like a soft fruit.

‘Adapt to what’s given.’

I recalled Kinuan’s instructions. Wishing for what isn’t there won’t solve anything. No matter how desperately I wish, a gun won’t just fall from the sky.

I had to face Gabriel with only the strength I currently possessed, no matter how lacking it was.

I stepped back. The colosseum was too narrow to simply retreat; I had to circle around him as well.

Crack!

The spot where I had just been was smashed in. The sheer destructive force was impressive. Mass and speed don’t lie.

‘I trained under Kinuan for a month.’

At that ti, I hadn’t managed to lay a hand on him. He deflected every one of my attacks. Now, I had to recreate that here.

Whoosh!

Gabriel’s fist whistled past , grazing just in front of my face. The air pressure alone was enough to make waver.

“What the hell are you doing? Playing tag? Are you kidding ?”

“If this is it, give us a refund! You think we ca here to watch this?”

The crowd’s boos echoed all around. They’d co for violence and bloodshed.

I didn’t take my eyes off Gabriel. I wasn’t here to play circus clown. Whatever those people wanted to see was none of my concern.

And I’d just finished my assessnt.

‘...Seems Kinuan didn’t bring here to get killed after all.’

This was the first ti I’d fully analyzed soone during a fight.

Now, I could see Gabriel’s movents ahead of ti. He moved exactly as I expected. Focused solely on output, ignoring balance, Gabriel couldn’t execute complex maneuvers.

Looking past his bulk and raw power with a cool head, Gabriel was just a slow-moving cannonball.

“This is it.”

With confidence settling in, I allowed myself a smirk. It seed to rile Gabriel up even more. His swings beca wild.

An odd exchange ensued. When Gabriel’s shoulder twitched, I moved in sync with him. To anyone watching, it would look as if Gabriel had simply missed , not that I had dodged his blows.

“What ‘Iron Fist’ are you talking about? Looks like even your brain’s rusted through!”

“Just die already, you idiot!”

“Go get your eyes checked if you can’t see, moron! What are you doing?”

The crowd’s jeers were now directed at Gabriel.

I was able to dodge even before Gabriel threw a punch. In a way, it was only natural. When I pushed my senses to their limit, I could even predict trajectories.

A subtle twitch of the shoulder was the trigger, his line of sight was the barrel. Arm length was the effective range. Compared to a gun, his movents had ridiculously long preparation tis, limited range, and a blatantly obvious trajectory.

Tak!

I pushed Gabriel’s arm aside, deflecting it. It was exactly what Kinuan had done to countless tis during our training.

If you read and understand the direction of force perfectly, even a small force can deflect a greater one.

Stumble!

Gabriel’s fist, driven by his own montum, struck the ground, causing him to lurch as if he might topple over. The precarious balance and symtry of his form were shattered.

I could clearly see where to strike to make Gabriel fall. There was no need for overwhelming force.

‘So this is how Kinuan always saw .’

Damn it, no wonder my attacks never reached him!

Thud!

I kicked Gabriel’s knee with the ball of my foot. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have worked. My ager strength couldn’t bring down Gabriel’s solid legs.

But with his balance broken, it worked.

Crash!

Gabriel staggered and dropped to one knee. Confusion flashed across his face as he tried to rise and brace himself. But my follow-up strike ca first.

Crunch!

I struck out again, slamming my knee into Gabriel’s face. His right eye shattered. He still had one eye left, but his depth perception would be thrown off.

My body flowed around Gabriel like water. He was the one moving and acting, but I was the one in control.

‘In the colosseum, everything is under my prediction.’

The space between Gabriel and was entirely mine. Thanks to the controlled environnt of the colosseum, there were no outside variables or interference.

If this were a real battlefield, I wouldn’t be able to maintain this level of focus. On a real battlefield, countless variables and interferences exist. But here, in this controlled environnt, I could maintain an almost prophetic level of concentration.

I couldn’t deny it. Kinuan was an excellent teacher.

‘This should be about enough.’

I shifted my gaze and backed up against the wall. Gabriel charged at , thinking he had his chance.

“Uaaaahhh-!!”

With a roar, Gabriel swung his fist wildly. Propulsion units activated at his elbow, venting gas as he did. It was probably his best move.

Whoosh!

I dodged it by a hair on purpose, giving him the chance to go all out to the very end.

Screech!

A tallic tearing noise sounded as Gabriel’s fist sank deep into the iron wall behind .

‘This part was especially rusted and warped.’

Taking a few steps back, I watched as Gabriel’s arm lodged itself in the tal wall, which clung tightly around his fist, trapping it.

“You... you rat bastard-!!”

Gabriel tried to pull his arm free. His strength was so great that the tal wall creaked, and the connected screws began to shake.

“I told you, you’d better have a lot of money saved up.”

I slipped behind Gabriel as I spoke.

“You damn....”

Gabriel couldn’t finish his sentence. I leapt up, wrapped my legs around his head, and twisted. It was a twisting motion that used the rotation of my entire body.

Crack-crack-crack-!!

One by one, his neck bones misaligned with a satisfying sound. I was probably smiling right now. After all, I was a human modified to enjoy combat.

“Good boy! Good boy!”

The crowd’s cheers filled the colosseum as if they’d tear the place apart. They praised the victor and hurled curses and insults at the defeated.

As the tension released, a wave of fatigue swept over . My mind felt thick and stiff, as if I hadn’t slept for days.

I waited for the door to the waiting room to open.

As soon as the door opened, the dical staff ca rushing in. Smiles were plastered across their faces. They were likely planning to squeeze every penny out of Gabriel, whose neck was broken.

“Well done, Good boy. Congratulations on your initiation into Arkies Victima.”

Kinuan, who had co down to the waiting room at so point, looked at as he spoke. I frowned at the phrase “Good boy,” then let out a sigh.

“...It seems that adapting doesn’t necessarily an losing.”

“And take this to cover Gabriel’s dical costs. I won so money betting on you.”

Kinuan handed a credit chip. When I saw the amount displayed on the chip, my eyes widened.

“Even so, Gabriel’s probably going to hate .”

“You’ll have to et him and see for yourself. If there’s an opportunity to win soone over, it’s best not to create unnecessary enemies. Show just enough kindness not to be underestimated.”

“I want to beco a warrior and a soldier, not a saint.”

Kinuan placed his hand on my head and whispered.

“You’re still young when it cos to relationships, Luka. The kindness I’m talking about isn’t goodwill—it’s an investnt. Little by little, you build it up so you can draw on it when you need it. Today, I simply collected my investnt in Torah.”

Kinuan’s smile was chilling. I realized I’d been seriously mistaken about sothing.

I’d subconsciously thought Kinuan valued my talent and taught because of that. We shared the sa background, which gave a sense of kinship. What an arrogant thought.

One day, my ti would co, too. Kinuan would collect his investnt in . And probably in a way that I couldn’t refuse.