Click.
The door of the cell shut behind me as I entered.
Taking a piece of bread and some meat, I immediately walked toward my bed. Climbing up, I sat down and began eating.
I was exhausted.
The fight hadn't been as brutal as the one against the hundred wolves, but it had still been difficult.
Those boars were real tanks.
And killing them had drained a lot of my stamina.
I was so tired that everything after the fight ended was blurred. The other surviving teens were just as exhausted, and we returned to our cells in silence.
Turning around, I glanced at the wall behind me.
A stone wall filled with numbers written in a brownish red.
Biting into my finger, I leaned forward and added two new numbers.
[214]
[105]
The two teens who had died in today's fight.
I hadn't killed them.
But still, they had died beside me while I survived.
Thud.
After writing their numbers, I fell back onto the mattress and closed my eyes.
It didn't take long before sleep took me.
***
Click.
The sound of the door woke me.
Step.
My eyes slowly opened as I heard the guard's footsteps.
"Go in."
His words confused me for a moment before I turned my head toward the door.
Several figures stood there.
Step.
Step.
The guard wasn't speaking to another guard—but to a group of teens who entered my cell.
Blinking away the sleep, I began counting them.
One.
Two.
…
Eight.
Nine.
Then—
My eyes widened slightly when the tenth teen stepped inside.
Because it was someone familiar.
A tall figure with black hair cut into a buzz cut and distinctive brown skin.
Number 125.
He was the last to enter the cell.
Behind him, a guard carried another crate of food and placed it on the table before leaving again.
For a moment, the teens stood there awkwardly, looking around the cell.
Then their eyes found me.
I had already pushed myself up and was now leaning against the wall while sitting on the bed.
They stared for a moment, whispering quietly among themselves. Then one of them stepped forward.
"Hey, 29."
It was number 125.
He approached my bed and greeted me with a wave and a smile.
"Yesterday's fight was brutal. I slept like a stone as soon as I got back. What about you?"
His loud voice and friendly attitude made several of the other teens glance toward me again.
Step.
Standing in front of my bed with a smile, he waited for my response.
I let out a breath before answering in a flat tone.
"Morning."
My tone made it obvious that I wasn't interested in talking.
But he ignored that completely.
"Can you believe it? I woke up this morning, and they told me to change cells. Now I'm your new cellmate."
I simply nodded while slipping my legs over the edge of the bed and climbed down.
"It's good that we're in the same cell now," he continued cheerfully. "We're part of the same group after all. We can help each other. Oh—is this your bed? I'll just take the one below."
He pointed toward the lower bed and sat down on it.
"Are you going to the arena to train?"
I had already started walking away when he asked that.
Turning my head slightly, I gave a short nod.
"Yes."
He smiled and let himself fall back onto his new bed.
"Okay. I'll rest a bit more and come later. See you."
There was no need to respond.
I simply walked past the other teens standing in the room. Taking some bread and meat from the crate, I left the cell and headed toward the arena.
While eating, my thoughts drifted back to 125.
His entire attitude toward me had changed overnight. Even before, he had been overly friendly despite barely knowing me.
But now—
After yesterday's fight, he seemed even more friendly.
The way he spoke, as if we had been friends for years, even though we had barely spoken a few days ago.
And he had become much more talkative...
In those few minutes, he had spoken more than when he explained the entire Third Stage to me.
I didn't like it.
I didn't like that he acted as if we were close friends.
But—
At the same time, I didn't hate it.
It felt somehow good.
How should I describe it?
For a moment, I felt like a human again.
That was the best way to put it.
For more than a year, I had been treated as nothing more than entertainment. Something that pleased the crowd and earned money.
No one would care if I died.
I would simply become a loss for whoever had bet on me.
But after that short conversation with 125—
I felt like a human again.
What we talked about wasn't important for survival or fighting.
It was just a normal conversation.
Small talk.
And that simple exchange made me feel like a person again.
But it was just that...
A feeling.
It didn't mean I liked that he acted as if we were friends.
Step.
Reaching the arena entrance, I pushed those thoughts aside and walked inside.
Two guards were sitting at a table near the entrance, playing cards. They glanced at me as I passed before continuing their game.
I headed toward the weapon rack on the left. My hand brushed over several hilts and shafts before closing around the familiar grip of my sword.
Shing.
Placing the sword over my shoulder, I walked toward my usual training spot.
But instead of training my swordsmanship, I simply stabbed the blade into the sand and sat down near the wall. Leaning back against the cold stone, I rested for a moment.
There was no reason to train my sword skills further.
Not until I adapted to my new mana.
Shifting my legs until I sat comfortably, I closed my eyes and began my mana training.
***
Hours passed.
Sweat covered my body from the intense training.
I hadn't moved physically.
But pushing mana through my pathways and expanding them to hold the thicker mana drained me mentally.
Haah.
Letting out a breath, I paused and opened my eyes. Looking around the arena, I observed the other teens.
Most of them had already formed small groups and friendships long ago. But even those who had stayed alone or in pairs were now joining larger groups.
Some groups sat together talking. Others trained or sparred with one another.
The reason for this shift was simple.
Group battles.
John had already announced that the duels would end. From now on, we would fight beasts in groups.
It was quite the big change.
The beasts posed a far greater threat than another teen.
But—
I still preferred fighting beasts over fighting them.
Looking around again, I noticed something else.
There were far fewer teens in the arena than usual.
Not because they skipped training.
But because they were dead.
Just like the two members of our group who died.
It wouldn't surprise me if entire groups had been wiped out.
Our numbers would shrink even faster now.
Judging by the number of teens here, I estimated that only ten or eleven groups remained.
At least a quarter had died yesterday.
And if we had to fight one of these battles each day...
The numbers would drop rapidly until only one group remained.
My hands clenched.
Our group has to be the last one.
I have to survive.
Taking a breath, I forced my fists to relax.
It would be difficult.
There was no way to know what beasts we would face next.
I had seen what they kept beneath the arena. Some of those creatures could wipe out every teen here by themselves.
I needed to become stronger.
I couldn't depend on my group members.
I had to be ready to fight alone.
It would be good if they survived as long as possible.
But that was hopeful thinking.
I had long given up on hope.
They would die.
Maybe not all of them.
But our numbers would shrink.
And I needed to be able to fight those beasts alone.
For that—
I needed to fully adapt to my new mana.
Hah.
Deciding that I had rested long enough, I closed my eyes and began again.
But—
"Wanna duel?"