The crowd roared as I ended the match.
"29!"
"Yeah!"
"Make me rich!"
I ignored their cheers and shifted my gaze toward the podium.
John stood there, watching and waiting.
The pain in my back flared up again as the adrenaline of the fight lessened.
Every breath sent a string of pain through me.
I was barely standing, legs trembling, breath unstable.
But I couldn't fall.
Not now.
Not here.
I forced myself through the pain, standing upright, and waited for John to speak.
His red eyes stared down at me, expression hidden behind the mask.
He let the crowd's cheers ring for a moment longer before finally speaking.
"Magnificent!" his voice echoed. "29 had shown us a splendid display of skill—despite being heavily injured!"
Another round of cheers broke out from the crowd.
"Now, my dear guests… you will decide once again. Will 31 die today—granting 29 his revenge?"
A pause.
"Or will mercy be granted once more?"
The arena erupted at once.
"Blood!"
"Spare him!"
"End it!"
"Mercy!"
Some stood up and raised their hands while others stayed seated.
It was hard to distinguish who the majority were, but it seemed like more decided on blood.
Just as I thought that.
"Oh? It's hard to say... mercy or blood? It seems like I have to decide again!"
John's hand rose as he spoke, thumb pointed upward.
Boom.
Drums thundered across the arena while his thumb tilted left and right.
Boom.
Slowly.
His thumb tilted.
As the last drum hit—
Boom.
—came his decision.
His thumb was pointed upward.
"It is mercy."
Some cheers broke out of the crowd.
Others groaned.
Mercy...
I knew.
I knew deep inside me that he had chosen mercy because of me.
But his decision didn't matter to me.
Because I had already decided what I would do.
My gaze lowered toward number 31.
Relief flooded his face.
He let out a shaky breath, and his tense shoulders dropped a notch.
His arms shifted, palms placed against the ground as he pushed himself up.
But—
As he halfway rose.
I moved.
There was no hesitation.
Shuk.
I pushed my sword forward, piercing his throat.
He froze in that position with the sword lunged into his throat.
Realization came late as his eyes slowly widened.
It seemed like he didn't even feel the pain.
His trembling eyes stared at my blade before shifting toward me.
His mouth opened and closed again and again.
As if he didn't find the right words to speak.
It didn't matter.
Because—
"There is no mercy for you."
I wouldn't allow him to speak.
Slrrt.
I pulled the sword out.
And—
Thud.
He collapsed.
Like a puppet having its strings cut.
Silence swallowed the arena.
No one spoke.
Thud.
The silence shattered as I let go of my sword, dropping it to the ground.
Step.
I turned and walked to the gate, not caring about their reactions.
His death—
Step.
—was already decided as I saw him standing in front of the gate.
From the beginning to the end, I had not once forgotten what he did to me.
'Selling me to the guards for one day of rest?'
That bastard only thought about himself, blinded by greed.
The crowd never mattered.
John's decision never mattered.
He betrayed me.
I killed him because he deserved it.
There was nothing more to say about it.
And if they punished me for that—so be it.
But I couldn't live knowing that this son of a bitch was still alive.
Then—
Just as I reached the gate.
One shout broke through.
"Son of mercy!"
The others followed.
"SON OF MERCY!"
They chanted.
"SON OF MERCY!"
"SON OF MERCY!"
I ignored their roars and waited for the gate to open.
The guards hesitated, glancing toward John.
As I waited—
The anger inside me morphed.
31 was already dead.
But the anger stayed.
It changed direction.
Not toward the teen who lay dead on the ground.
The Colosseum.
The ones who watch my misery with curved lips.
For whom my death was nothing more than a failed investment.
One day.
When I make it out alive.
I will come back stronger—
Thud.
The gate opened.
—and I will pay them back for everything I received.
Step.
The corridor felt longer than usual.
Step.
Each step sent a sharp pulse of pain through my back.
Halfway toward my cell—
My legs wavered, I stumbled, almost falling, but held myself upright and used the wall as support.
Step.
I forced my legs forward even though my vision started to blur.
The guard walking before me had already reached the cell and waited patiently for me.
I was lucky.
If the guard were a human, he would have already dragged and thrown me inside the cell.
Click.
I entered the cell with heavy legs, bordering on collapse.
I barely made it to the lower bed before collapsing onto my stomach.
Thud.
The pain was just too much.
Each movement was accompanied by agony.
Adrenaline had made it at least bearable, enough to clench my jaw and push through it.
The mana helped as well, making me barely win.
Now—
It came back.
Stronger.
Sharper.
My body grew numb, but the pain stayed.
My limbs trembled uncontrollably.
My back burned.
Sleep didn't come immediately even though I was tired, the pain kept me awake.
Time passed—
And I finally fell asleep.
***
Click.
My eyes snapped open at the sound of the door.
I turned my head slowly.
A guard brought a new crate of food.
It was already morning.
Not that I knew the time.
I just called it that.
I placed my hands on the mattress and swung my legs out of the bed while pushing myself carefully up.
Even that small motion brought pain, but I had to stand up.
I staggered to my feet and walked toward the table after regaining my balance.
A piece of bread and some meat.
I grabbed the food and walked out of the cell.
The food was already gone as I reached the bath.
There was no reason to train with these injuries.
I would need to fight again today.
Training would only reopen the wounds.
Today—
I focused on recovery.
At least enough until I could fight again.
Step.
Inside the bath, I slowly removed my clothes.
Carefully.
The shirt clung to my wounds.
When I pulled it over my head, the fabric peeled away from my back.
Hisses of pain escaped me.
The shirt alone took a few minutes.
The rest was easier.
I didn't wash my body and immediately stepped into the pool.
The water was warm, comfortable even.
Exactly what I needed.
But the moment it touched my back—
Pain flared up.
The water seeped into my wounds, it felt as if my back was burning.
I clenched my jaw and crouched down.
The pain intensified as my entire back was submerged in the water, but I didn't move.
I endured.
Because it was needed for my recovery.
Cleaning the wounds.
The surrounding water slowly turned red.
And—
Gradually, the pain lessened.
The warmth came back, wrapping itself around me.
My tense body slowly relaxed, and I sat down comfortably.
The pain stayed but grew softer with each passing second.
Until—
It was gone.
My eyes closed.
***
I don't know how much time had passed.
This was one of those moments where I wished for some sort of clock or watch.
It was really strange.
That feeling of time not even existing.
Or rather, it existed, but not in the same way as outside.
Morning was when the guards brought food.
And night came after your duel.
That was all.
I didn't even know if my morning was also morning outside.
In the end, I decided to leave and stood up.
Cold air hit my body at once.
Pain spread across my back, a bit weaker than before but still there.
I stepped out of the pool and dressed myself.
Every movement of my torso brought another string of pain.
The pants weren't a problem.
But the shirt.
It took a few minutes until I was fully dressed.
I left the bath and walked back to the cell.
It was empty.
The others must be in the arena.
The duels wouldn't start before the teens came back, which gave me a new sense of time.
I took another piece of bread from the crate and walked toward the bed.
I gripped the bedframe tightly and pushed myself off the ground, jumping onto the bed with one clean motion.
Pain flared up sharply, but I forced my way through it.
I had something to do.
I turned toward the wall and lifted my hand before biting my finger.
Blood gushed out of the wound.
I pressed my thumb against the wall and wrote.
[31]
My gaze stayed on the number for a moment longer.
Anger rose again, but I forced it down and let out a deep breath.
Haah.
Thud.
I let myself fall headfirst onto the mattress before closing my eyes.