Number 125 had walked away before I could say anything and vanished into the crowd of teens.
After staring for a moment at the place where I had last seen his back, I placed my hands on the ground and pushed myself up.
Standing, I pulled my sword out of the sand and headed toward the weapon rack. After returning it, I left the arena.
There were a lot of things to think about, and I had received a lot of new information.
Sniff.
But smelling the stench of sweat coming from my shirt, I decided to take a bath first.
The bath wasn't empty. A couple of teens were already inside and threw me some glances as I entered. I ignored them and walked toward one of the free faucets before starting to undress.
It was always the same.
A lot of the teens kept staring at me, and I already knew why. Having stripped off my clothes, I looked down at my wrists and ankles.
The shackles and the collar.
I was the only teen who wore shackles like these, and most of the teens stared at me because of that.
The shackles themselves no longer felt like shackles after such a long time.
They had become a part of me.
Sometimes I even forgot they were there.
Turning on the water, I stopped thinking and began to clean myself with soap and water. I turned around after washing off all the sweat and walked toward the pool before stepping in.
The water rippled into waves as my body slowly sank deeper until only my head remained above the surface, resting against the rim of the pool.
Bathing was one of the only times I could truly rest here. The exhaustion that clung to me seemed to just wash away as my body relaxed in the warm water.
Haah.
Letting out a breath, I thought back to the teen in the arena.
Number 125.
He spoke in a very mature way and looked a lot older than me as well. The things he told me about the Path of Mana had been a great help.
The new information confirmed it.
I knew almost nothing about the Path of Mana.
It was interesting to find out that I had already created my own Mana Pathways without even knowing what it was, even giving it a different name.
'So Mana Lines had been Mana Pathways the whole time?'
And they would stay permanent from now on?
It was good that I had discovered how to enhance my senses. Otherwise, I might have never been able to create a pathway leading into my head.
I had already connected all my limbs and most of my muscles with my mana lines during my training. There was no real reason behind it. I simply did it out of boredom, and maybe in hopes of finding another hidden use of mana as I had with my senses.
That would now come in handy if pathways truly stayed permanent.
Another revelation was that my core and heart had fused.
I had already guessed it while focusing on my core during training, but having it confirmed was still helpful.
And just as I had already planned, I needed to expand and reinforce my Mana Pathways in order to let the denser mana flow through them.
But the last thing 125 said had piqued my curiosity the most.
Affinities.
I raised my arm out of the water and let a bit of mana flow into it while watching how a faint red glow appeared around my hand.
Mine was Flame.
I wanted to ask 125 more about affinities, but he had already left.
Affinities.
I had already heard about them from Mother.
The thought made me almost chuckle.
'Who would have thought that those bedtime stories could give me a hint about affinities?'
Stories like the one about a knight who created a massive tsunami with every swing of his sword and washed his enemies away in battle.
Back then, I had thought it was only that—
A story.
A heroic tale.
Something fictional.
Creating a tsunami with a single swing?
That sounded impossible. Like something straight out of fantasy. But now, after hearing that everyone possessed one affinity that would be revealed upon reaching the Third Stage, I began to think differently.
Not completely.
But something inside me kept nagging at me that affinities were important.
I didn't know why.
But there was no reason to rack my brain over it now.
I simply had to ask someone.
My thoughts drifted back to 125.
I could just ask him tomorrow.
Then—
Something inside me stirred as I thought about him again.
A teen only a few years older than me with a unique appearance that I had never seen in this world.
Brown skin that stood out amongst everyone around me.
His knowledge of the Path of Mana. The way he had asked me for a duel the first time he spoke to me, and how friendly he had been toward me, explaining everything to me.
It was strange.
Even suspicious.
He was too friendly for a slave in the colosseum. And his whole behavior made it seem like he wanted to befriend me.
I didn't like it.
And I didn't need it.
It was a lesson I had learned at the very beginning.
There are no friendships here.
Alissa had died on the very same day we met.
31 had betrayed me for his own gain.
I didn't need more reasons.
Lisa would appear when I needed her.
That was enough for me.
I would survive on my own and keep going.
Just like I had until now.
***
I had finished my bath and was already back in my cell, lying on my bed.
The fatigue from today's training had mostly faded since I had only worked on my mana control and nothing else. My body was in a good-enough state to keep going, so I decided to continue.
I focused on my core and pushed the dense mana through my pathways as I slowly, bit by bit, expanded them.
I didn't focus on only one pathway.
I worked on several at the same time.
There was no reason to take it slow, as the faster my pathways expanded, the stronger I would become.
Pain rose with every additional pathway I used as I forced the thick mana through them, but it was only pain. That wouldn't hinder me if there was a fight today.
The colosseum wouldn't give me the time to slowly adapt to my new mana.
It wasn't that kind.
And there was that feeling again.
The same one I had during the first Blooding season shortly before the fight against the beasts.
Something bad would happen.
I needed to prepare myself.
***
Click.
The sound of the door made me stop my training, and I turned toward the door.
A guard stood in the doorway, his eyes drifted through the cell before settling on me.
"Follow me."
That was all he said.
I climbed down from my bed and followed him out of the cell, walking behind him through the corridor.
My bad feeling hadn't left.
The fact that I was being called for a fight only confirmed it further.
At least I had slowed down my training during the last hours in order not to drain myself in case I was called.
My body was in good condition, and I had partially adapted to my new mana. By now, I could fight at roughly the same level as before the advancement.
It would still take more time until my pathways expanded enough for me to use the full power of the denser mana I now possessed.
But for now—
It would be enough.
Step.
My eyes widened slightly, and I halted a few meters away from the gate.
My bad feeling had been right.
In front of the gate stood a group of teens.
Yes.
A group.
Seven teens were already waiting there.
With me, eight.
"Walk, slave."
The guard pushed me lightly forward, and I started walking again.
Step.
He was right.
It didn't matter what would happen next.
I only had to take another step forward.
Like I always had.
Another step.
Until I reach tomorrow.
Then again, the same.
It was as simple as that.
Step.
Stopping a few meters away from the others, I waited for the door to open.
Thud.