Another beast fight took place.
And once again—
We survived.
While the previous battle had been somewhat difficult, this one was not. The beasts fell quickly, and not a single one of us was injured.
***
I was at my usual training spot.
This time, however, I stood with my sword already in hand.
The knowledge I had gained about the Path of Mana allowed me to structure my training more clearly.
Since I was still in the Condensed stage, there was little I could actively do to advance further. My core had already transformed during my advancement, but it had not fully adapted yet. That process would take time.
Advancement would come naturally.
Still—
Even if I could not progress immediately, I could prepare for the next stage.
During the fourth stage, the body would gradually grow stronger through the constant leaking of mana. If that process depended on how much mana flowed through the body, then the solution was simple.
Use more mana.
The idea was that I could use more mana now and fasten my advancement through stage four.
Because of that, I adjusted my training. I focused on swordsmanship while heavily enhancing my body with mana. The leaking process itself was passive. My only role was to keep the mana flowing.
Beyond that, I made several smaller side goals that I had already started before my advancement.
Like my mana lines, or rather pathways, which I tried to constantly fill with a small amount of mana. Or adapting to the enhancement of my senses.
Both things had already become familiar to my body. At this point, it was more of a passive training.
My real focus remained on two things.
Mana and swordmanship.
Slashes.
Stabs.
Feet movement.
That was all I did.
I practiced the basic techniques of swordsmanship once more while dense mana flowed steadily through my pathways.
***
As usual, Rash eventually approached me.
"Duel?"
But today turned out different from the days before.
For the first time—
Swoosh.
My sword pointed at his throat.
I won.
A smile spread across my face as I declared victory.
After losing countless times, a single win might not seem important. But to someone who had lost again and again—it meant something.
It meant I had grown stronger.
Not only had my perspective of the sword changed, but my entire style had begun to shift.
Using the sword as an extension of my body instead of a mere tool had helped tremendously. But the bigger change was something else.
My fighting style.
Rash's unpredictable movements and dirty tricks had become familiar to me after experiencing them so often. And without even realizing it—I had started to use them as well.
In the end, it was the accumulation of everything I had done until now.
My fighting style.
My changed perspective.
My mana training.
All of it led to a single result.
My victory.
Rash looked at me while my sword pointed at his neck.
Then he smiled.
"Again?"
It seemed like the loss had bothered him. He pushed himself harder, making the following duels far more intense than the ones before.
And I lost every single one of them.
But that didn't ruin my mood.
Not at all.
I was still smiling.
Still happy over my one victory.
And if I could win once—
I could win again.
But that would be tomorrow's goal.
Right now, Rash and I sat side by side, backs leaning against the cold stone wall of the arena, resting after our duels.
Rash had asked for one duel after another.
As if he would only feel better after cementing a ten streak victory after his one defeat.
I gladly accepted each duel.
Which eventually led us to our current state—
Both of us completely exhausted.
My grin slowly faded as I stared ahead at the other teens training in the arena. Beside me, Rash was still smiling, clearly satisfied with his continuous victories.
Then, suddenly, he broke the silence.
"Adonis… were you born in Drakoria?"
Surprised, I turned my head toward him.
The question caught me off guard. At the same time, however, I had expected something like this to come eventually. We had spent a lot of time together.
And even though I didn't want to admit it—
We had somehow become something like friends.
Sleeping in the same cell. Training together. And fighting in the same group against beasts.
Spending that much time with someone inevitably brought people closer, whether they wanted it or not.
At first, I had found Rash's openness and friendliness irritating.
Now—
I appreciated it.
Even welcomed it.
Amidst the death and brutality of the colosseum, Rash sometimes felt like a pause button. When I was with him, I could almost forget the arena and the shackles that bound me.
For moments—
I felt human again.
And without even realizing it, I had slowly begun to open up. Our conversations had changed as well.
At the beginning, I ignored most of what he said and only gave brief answers.
But over time, that shifted.
I began asking questions.
I answered with more than just a few words.
It felt strange.
As if it had only been yesterday that I first noticed the strange-looking boy. And now we sat side by side, watching the other teens.
With how close we had grown, I knew our conversations would eventually turn toward our pasts.
While I didn't particularly like the idea.
I also wasn't completely opposed to it.
That was why I answered.
Turning my head forward again, I said.
"No. I was born in Aldaria. You?"
But a part of the reason I answered was curiosity.
Where had he come from?
Why was he the only one with dark skin?
Rash still looked forward as he answered.
"I'm from Labet."
My head snapped back to him, eyes wide.
A memory rose at once.
It was about Lucien.
One of the rare moments when he had taken time out of his busy schedule and brought me to the library. We hadn't spent long there, but he had explained a few things about the world—about Terros, its continents, and the different humanoid races that inhabited it.
Looking at Rash, I asked.
"Labet… so you aren't human?"
The surprise in my voice was obvious.
Not just because he belonged to another race. But because he looked almost completely human. The only difference between us was his darker skin tone.
It even sounded a bit racist to me, but Rash wouldn't mind.
"Hahaha."
And he didn't.
He even laughed.
Rash laughed for several seconds before wiping tears from his eyes and finally turning toward me.
"Wow... really? I thought you knew. Man, you really know nothing. Where were you raised?"
Another laugh broke out of him.
After catching his breath, he pointed to his own skin.
"Yeah, as you can see… I'm a Sahari."
His tone seemed serious, but the twitching of his lips told a different story. Soon, another laugh escaped him.
"Oh, sorry—I just can't! Hahaha!"
He raised his hands helplessly.
"The way you looked at me! So serious, asking if I'm not human!"
He even tried to mimic my expression, though he kept breaking into laughter.
Haah.
He let out a breath as he brushed another tear out of his eye.
"You must have been raised on a mountain far off from any people to not even know what the Sahari looked like."
I remained silent the entire time, watching him with a straight face. Though I could feel my eyebrows twitch.
Was it really that funny not to know what a Sahari looked like?
Lucien had only said that I would recognize one when I saw them.
While Rash seemed to enjoy the situation immensely, I only grew more annoyed. And maybe even a little bit embarrassed.
Eventually, Rash calmed down. But the moment he looked at me again, his lips twitched.
'I shouldn't have asked.'
That was my only thought.
Then, after a moment, he asked another question.
"So if you knew about the Sahari… what did you think we looked like?"
A part of me thought that I shouldn't answer. But his now serious expression made me reconsider.
So I answered honestly.
"I thought they had golden skin… and horns that—"
"HAHAHA!"