Thmp.
Thmp!
THMP!
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed out of the dark corridor, growing louder with each step as the beast drew nearer.
THMP!
A small silhouette emerged from the darkness, growing larger with every passing second.
THMP!
Then I saw it.
Something white appeared.
Until—
THMP!
Its final step into the light of the arena revealed the beast fully.
ROARR!
A ripple of mana spread through the air as the beast roared, marking its arrival.
After roaring, it turned its head toward us and looked at us with its black eyes—as if we were already its prey.
A shudder crawled up my spine as I took in the beast before me, but I forced it down with a clench of my jaw.
I can't falter.
Not now.
Not until I meet her.
Not until I take my revenge.
With my jaw still clenched, I looked at the beast again.
The first name that came to mind—
Bear.
It stood on four legs at the threshold of the door, staring back at me.
The beast was massive, though, while standing on all fours, its height was about the same as ours. Thick snow-white fur covered its entire body, but it wasn't enough to hide the muscles beneath.
The sharp claws on its paws dug into the sand as it slowly lifted its front legs and rose. While before it had only been as tall as us, now standing on its hind legs, it towered over every one of us.
Opening its maw and revealing its fangs, it let out another roar.
ROARR!
Then it slammed its forelegs into the ground.
THUD!
A cloud of dust rose upward as the ground shook under its weight.
And then—
ROAAR!
THUD!
A second bear answered from the opposite gate as it stepped into the arena.
"Snowbear."
A whisper escaped one of the teens' lips.
I stood still, staring at it.
A wave of mana left the bear with every breath and rippled through the air.
It didn't feel like the Frostwolves, who had that icy aura around them. The Snowbears felt different. Their strength seemed more physical. Each movement carried a sense of raw power.
The bear opened its maw again, showing us its sharp fangs. Strings of saliva flowed down from them and dropped onto the ground.
Drip.
Hunger.
I saw it in its eyes.
It had already decided what we were.
Prey.
Still staring at us, the bear placed one of its paws onto the ground and stepped forward.
THMP.
"How… how are we supposed to fight that… thing?"
The short teen beside me whispered while staring at the beast.
The situation seemed hopeless.
There was no mistaking it.
The bear was strong.
I was quite sure that even one strike from those paws would be enough to kill us.
Fighting only one of them might somehow have been manageable.
But two?
That felt impossible.
What if our weapons couldn't even pierce their thick fur and muscle?
Could we really kill even one of them?
That was—
When I realized something was wrong.
I had always fought against impossible opponents.
I was one of the youngest, and still am.
I had no clear information about the world and its powers.
And still—
I had survived every battle they threw me into.
I won.
Again and again.
I survived and survived.
Reached countless tomorrows.
For over a year, I had endured.
But—
Had there ever been a time when I wanted to give up before even trying?
No.
I had fought with everything I had, even while injured or sick. If I couldn't use my arm, I used my legs. If my legs wouldn't move—I used my teeth.
That was me.
The only survivor of five Bloodings.
So, since when had I become someone who accepted losing?
A glance toward the teen beside me gave me the answer.
Rash.
Every duel we fought—
I lost.
I gave it my all and still lost again and again.
It even reached the point where I no longer tried to win.
I only tried to last longer.
To see more of his moves.
So I endured a bit longer than the day before.
I had accepted losing as the natural outcome.
Clenching my fingers around the hilt of my sword, I thought.
'That wasn't like me.'
Anger began to rise.
And with it—
Mana.
Warmth spread throughout my body, growing hotter with every second.
A mixture of anger and mana.
I felt the strength in my arms and legs rise as more mana surged through my pathways.
The anger I felt wasn't directed at Rash.
Nor at the beast.
Not even at John or the crowd.
It was solely directed at myself.
I had promised to survive.
For her.
No matter how many tomorrows it took.
I would survive and find her.
And—
That promise had slightly changed during my time here.
At first, it had only been for her.
But now—
It was also for the others.
For the teens I had killed with my own hands.
And for the ones who had lost their lives in this arena.
To survive for them.
To carry the memory of them with me.
It was the only thing I could do for the dead.
But above even that stood one reason greater than all the others.
Revenge.
I wanted revenge on the ones who ruined my life.
They had to pay for what they had done.
Lisa was the reason I hadn't given up.
The reason I held on.
But revenge—
Revenge was the reason I forced myself to grow stronger every single day.
It moved me forward.
With only one of those two reasons, I would already be dead.
Both of them combined have made me who I am today.
That was why I was so angry.
Because I had given up.
No.
I thought about giving up.
I had accepted losing as the natural outcome.
But it wasn't.
I don't lose.
I win.
Again and again.
No matter how long it takes.
I will win.
Until the day I leave this hell.
Until my tomorrow ends.
Step.
Pushing more mana through my pathways and into my limbs, I took a step forward.
My senses sharpened to their highest intensity.
There was a sort of pain and headache I felt from all the mana I used to enhance myself.
But—
Pain was something I was already familiar with.
Step.
My grip around the sword tightened as I slowly began walking straight toward the Snowbear.
Step.
My enhanced senses let me perceive everything around me.
Step.
The stares of the other teens. Their widened eyes and parted lips as I walked alone toward the beast.
Step.
How the crowd had fallen silent, watching me with anticipation.
Step.
The Snowbear in front of me fixed its gaze entirely on me as I drew closer.
Step.
Only a few meters separated us.
Step.
Close enough for either one of us to strike.
"Adonis!"
Rash's shout tore through the heavy silence.
"Retr—"
But whatever he was about to say was drowned out by the beast.
ROOAARR!
Swish.
It roared and attacked in the same breath, swinging its right forepaw toward my chest, claws extended to rip me apart.
Step.
Seeing the strike coming, I simply stepped in and crouched low, letting its paw sweep over my head.
Swoosh.
A rush of wind brushed through my hair as I dodged its attack.
Step.
Then I stepped left, directly beneath its right arm, my sword already raised.
Shing.
I swung with everything I had and slashed into the thick fur at its armpit.
Slrrsh.
Grrah!
The bear cried out in pain as my blade cut through the fur and into its flesh.
Swish.
Ignoring the pain, the beast had already raised its other paw and swung again.
Step.
But I was already gone.
I had taken several quick steps backward, retreating.
Drip.
Seeing drops of blood fall from the wound and stain its white fur red, I was sure.
Drip.
I didn't know about the rest of its body.
Drip.
But the weak points a normal bear would have—this beast shared them.
Thick muscle and fur couldn't properly form in places like the armpits, elbows, or knees, as it would hinder its movement.
I wasn't sure yet whether I could pierce through its thick muscles.
But—
Its weak points were a different matter.
And my other guess had also been right.
The reason why I had attacked it in the first place.
A bear was faster than a human.
That was normal.
But only—
When it ran.
Attacking and dodging were different.
There—
I was the faster one.
I stared at the clearly angry bear in front of me.
A small cut on its armpit.
Drip.
Small drops of blood falling to the ground.
That was enough.
My lips curved.
We could win.