The guild arena was already crowded when I entered.
Word had spread faster than I expected.
Dozens of adventurers leaned against the wooden railings surrounding the circular arena. Some were drinking. Others were placing bets.
Apparently watching someone get beaten up was good entertainment.
Torren leaned beside the railing with his arms crossed.
"You're famous now."
I glanced at him.
"For the wrong reasons."
He shrugged.
"Fame is fame."
Hector stood nearby shaking his head.
"I still think this is stupid."
Lena added quietly,
"Rank E against Rank B isn't exactly fair."
Rogan remained silent.
He was watching the arena floor carefully.
Darius stood on the opposite side of the arena.
His posture looked completely relaxed.
Like he wasn't about to fight at all.
When he noticed me stepping into the arena, he smiled faintly.
"You're actually here."
I walked to the center of the stone platform.
"You expected me to run?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"I expected you to realize how pointless this is."
The Guild Master stepped forward and raised his hand.
The noise in the arena slowly faded.
"This duel is a formal resolution to a dispute between adventurers."
His sharp gaze moved between the two of us.
"Rules are simple."
"No killing."
"First fighter unable to continue loses."
Torren muttered from the railing.
"So basically… don't die."
The Guild Master continued.
"Begin."
Darius moved first.
Not fast.
Just calm.
Confident.
His sword slid from its sheath with a quiet metallic sound.
"You know something, Kazu?"
His voice sounded casual.
"I never understood why people like you try so hard."
I tightened my grip on the sword Rogan lent me.
"What do you mean?"
He stepped closer.
"You were weak from the beginning."
CLANG.
His sword struck mine.
The impact shot through my arms like lightning.
I barely managed to block.
The difference in strength was obvious immediately.
"You couldn't keep up with the party."
CLANG.
Another strike.
Faster this time.
I stepped back quickly.
"You couldn't handle the monsters."
CLANG.
I tried to counterattack.
My blade scraped across his shoulder armor.
He didn't even flinch.
"And now you're standing here trying to prove something."
He kicked my leg.
The sudden impact knocked me off balance.
I stumbled backward.
"What exactly are you trying to prove?"
I steadied myself and raised my sword again.
"...That I'm not dead."
For the first time, Darius actually laughed.
"You really are stubborn."
He suddenly moved faster.
His sword flashed toward my chest.
CLANG.
I blocked again.
But the force pushed me back several steps.
The crowd began murmuring.
"Kid is going to die."
"This won't last long."
"Rank E against Rank B… what did he expect?"
Torren shouted from the railing.
"Move your feet!"
I circled slowly.
Watching his shoulders.
Watching his stance.
Looking for any opening.
But Darius fought like someone who had done this a thousand times.
Every movement was efficient.
Every attack controlled.
He swung again.
CLANG.
My arms trembled from the impact.
"You survived the Crimson Goliath."
His voice sounded almost curious.
"I still don't understand how."
I tried a quick stab toward his side.
He knocked my blade aside easily.
Then his elbow slammed into my ribs.
Pain exploded through my body.
I staggered back.
"You see?"
He pointed his sword toward me.
"This is the difference."
"The forest teaches you how to survive."
He stepped closer.
"The guild teaches people how to fight."
His sword slashed across my shoulder.
The blade cut through my clothes.
Warm blood immediately soaked the fabric.
I clenched my teeth.
The crowd grew louder.
Some were cheering.
Others were laughing.
Torren slammed his fist against the railing.
"Stand up!"
I forced myself to move again.
My breathing had already become heavy.
Darius looked completely relaxed.
"You should have stayed in the forest."
I lunged forward suddenly.
My sword aimed directly for his throat.
For a moment—
The crowd gasped.
But Darius simply stepped sideways.
His hand grabbed my wrist.
Then his knee slammed into my stomach.
The air exploded out of my lungs.
I collapsed to one knee.
The old wound from the Crimson Goliath burned like fire.
Darius sighed.
"This is getting boring."
He raised his sword.
"You wanted to prove something."
His blade came down.
I barely raised my sword to block.
CRACK.
The sound echoed through the arena.
My sword shattered.
The broken blade fell to the stone floor.
For a moment…
Everything became quiet.
Darius looked down at me.
Then he drove his sword forward.
The blade pierced through my side.
Pain consumed everything.
My body collapsed onto the arena floor.
The stone felt strangely warm beneath my face.
Blood slowly spread across the ground.
Somewhere far away I heard voices.
The Guild Master.
"Enough."
"He cannot continue."
The duel was over.
When I woke up again…
The first thing I noticed was the ceiling.
White stone.
Wooden beams.
The smell of medicine filled the air.
"...Where…?"
"Guild infirmary."
Daniel's voice answered.
I turned my head slowly.
Robert's son sat beside the bed with his arms crossed.
"You really enjoy nearly dying, don't you?"
I tried to laugh.
It came out as a weak cough.
"...Apparently."
Daniel shook his head.
"The healers said you lost a lot of blood."
"And your ribs are cracked."
"That sounds expensive."
He snorted.
"Very."
The door to the infirmary suddenly opened.
Someone stepped inside.
I recognized the figure immediately.
Mira.
She walked slowly toward the bed.
For a moment she simply looked at me.
Her expression was unreadable.
"You really fought him."
I shrugged weakly.
"Bad idea."
She sat down beside the bed.
"You knew you would lose."
"Probably."
"Then why do it?"
I stared at the ceiling.
"...Because he said I died."
She was quiet for a moment.
Then she spoke again.
"You are strange."
Her fingers lightly touched the bandage on my arm.
"You nearly died twice."
"And you still stand up again."
Her voice softened slightly.
"Most people would give up."
I turned my head toward her.
"Maybe I'm stupid."
She smiled faintly.
"Maybe."
But something about her eyes looked different.
Like she was studying me.
Measuring something.
"Get some rest, Kazu."
She stood up slowly.
"You'll need your strength."
Before leaving, she looked back one last time.
Her smile remained gentle.
But behind it…
There was something colder.
Something calculating.
And for some reason…
That expression made me feel more uneasy than the duel itself.