"Ugh..."
"Where… am I?"
Ryo still felt the pain and couldn't focus. His thoughts were scattered, but he was thinking about one thing.
"Did I win?"
As he was pondering, he heard the door open.
Ryo quickly sat up and clenched his fists.
A woman in a servant's outfit entered the room.
She was of average height, with brown hair, fair skin, and black eyes, wearing a maid's uniform. In her hands, she carried a tray with a glass of water and some pills.
"Oh, you're awake?"
The servant said as she approached.
Ryo remained cautious, unwilling to lower his guard.
"Where am I? Who are you?"
He said firmly, with a hint of worry.
"Oh, no need to worry. After the tournament ended, the Master brought you here for treatment."
"Because you were so injured during the match that ordinary doctors couldn't treat you properly, Master Mordrin brought you here."
Ryo was surprised by the servant's words. But because of his injuries, he couldn't think too clearly. Then he remembered—the announcer had called someone named Mordrin.
"Ah… that vampire."
He thought to himself.
"What would a vampire want with me? I don't remember much after I punched him and blacked out."
The servant noticed Ryo's confusion and said,
"Take these pills, you'll feel calmer. I'll go tell the Master you're awake."
Ryo still stayed on guard. He didn't want to take the pills, but the pain left him no choice.
The servant gently came closer and said,
"I understand your caution, but there's no need to be so careful. Yes, Master Mordrin is a vampire, but he doesn't drink human blood."
"And don't worry, there's no poison in them."
Even though the servant reassured him, Ryo remained alert.
He took the glass and dropped the pills in.
The servant said, "Why are you hesitating? You need to swallow the pills and drink some water."
Ryo didn't respond and stared at the glass.
His father had taught him: if someone gives you a pill, drop it in water. If it sinks quickly and dissolves, it's safe. If it floats or dissolves slowly, it's probably dangerous.
Fortunately, all the pills were fine.
After taking them, Ryo felt the pain ease, and he could stand.
"You can rest now. I'll inform the Master to come here," said the servant.
Ryo felt it would be disrespectful for someone who saved him to have to come to him, so he decided he would go see Mordrin himself.
"No, wait. I'll go see him myself."
He said this and forced himself to stand from the bed.
"B-But you're not well yet, you just woke up."
It seemed the servant's words didn't matter to Ryo.
"Alright, I'll guide you," she said with a sigh.
Ryo smiled faintly.
"Thanks."
They exited the room. The hall was enormous, with paintings on the ceiling.
The walls were decorated with portraits of vampires, apparently the previous rulers of the mansion.
Every few meters, there were doorways to other rooms.
The wooden doors were adorned with floral patterns.
After walking a bit, they finally arrived at Mordrin's study.
"This is it, Master Mordrin's room," the servant said.
She knocked twice.
"Knock knock."
"Master Mordrin, your guest is awake and requests to see you."
A voice came from inside, neither weak nor stern.
"Let him come in."
The servant opened the door and went in with Ryo.
The room was large and lavishly decorated with gold.
The ceiling was painted with golden lotus flowers.
The floor was patterned differently.
In every corner were bookcases.
A large brown desk faced the windows.
Sunlight streamed through, making everything glow even more golden.
Behind the desk sat a man with black hair, pale skin,golden eyes wearing glasses, writing.
Even though sunlight filled the room, Ryo felt cold.
Mordrin's aura was powerful and icy, lowering the temperature around him.
Mordrin looked up from his writing.
"Oh, you're awake? Sit down."
Two chairs were placed in front of the desk.
Ryo moved slowly and sat on one of the chairs.
There was silence for a few seconds while Mordrin continued writing.
Finally, he set down his pen, removed his glasses, and gestured to the servant, who left the room.
"How are you feeling? Better?"
He looked at Ryo as he asked.
Ryo quickly replied,
"Thanks to you, I feel much better. Thank you so much."
"No need to thank me.
I really enjoyed your fight. And that last move… the way you destroyed that shield with an explosion—I've never seen anything like it."
Ryo paused for a moment, thinking to himself.
"After I saw my attacks weren't working, I remembered reverse energy absorption.
It was my only chance, but it was extremely risky. I put the energy into the shield, not myself, and the shield couldn't handle it. Then, when I went for the next punch, I saw pieces of a broken necklace near the mage's face.
I used reverse energy again to make it explode, which allowed me to win. If I had directed it at myself or the mage, we might have died. That's why both my hands were broken."
Ryo hesitated, wondering if he should tell Mordrin the full truth.
After thinking briefly, he said,
"Umm… after hitting the shield so much, it cracked. I put all my energy into it with a focused aura to break it.
And the explosion happened because the shield shattered."
Mordrin looked at Ryo.
"So what about the second explosion?"
Ryo answered,
"The second… my opponent tried to launch a lightning bolt, but when I punched, he couldn't fire it, and it exploded there, injuring both of us."
"Hmm, interesting. You were lucky to win."
"Your name is Kai, right?"
"Yes."
"Can you tell me where you're from and how you learned martial arts?"
Ryo was smart and didn't want to reveal his identity.
He said,
"I'm Kai. My master is Master Wong, who lives in Sky Trading City."
Mordrin asked,
"If you're from Sky Trading City, why are you here?"
Ryo hesitated for a moment but quickly composed himself.
"The truth is, my master got sick, so I came to find medicine. It was too expensive, so I entered the tournament to win money for the medicine."
Mordrin was silent for a moment.
Ryo, curious, asked,
"May I ask why you helped me?"
Mordrin replied,
"Well, after seeing your dazzling fight with that kid, I liked your fighting style and decided to help you."
"By the way, what was the result of the tournament?"
"You won, but you were unconscious for three days. Your next match is tomorrow."
"Three days?? I thought the tournaments were daily."
"They were. But this year, since each match lasted longer and the winners were injured, they decided to hold tournaments every four days."
"Hmm…"
Mordrin resumed writing, and Ryo stayed there for a few moments.
Finally, he got up with some effort.
"Thank you for your hospitality, but I must go now."
Mordrin said,
"Stay today and go tomorrow."
"No, I'm in a hurry. Three days have already passed, and it's too long to wait."
Mordrin didn't insist. He called the servant at the door and said,
"My guest wishes to leave. Guide him out."
The servant said,
"Yes. Please, this way."
They left Mordrin's room, and the door closed behind them.
After walking for a bit, they finally exited the mansion.
Outside was a training ground.
Someone was training there, about Ryo's age, with black hair, golden eyes, and roughly Ryo's height.
Ryo, curious, asked the servant, "Who's that?"
"He's the Third Young Master Klein. You probably saw him in the tournament."
Ryo remembered—yes, he was in the matches, part of the second group.
Klein noticed Ryo but didn't stop training. He gave a brief glance, and Ryo saw it but said nothing, continuing on his way.
Finally, they reached the exit gate.
"Go straight, and you'll reach the city center," said the servant, then left.
Ryo walked, speaking to himself,
"Huff… finally, I'm relieved. I've never been in a place this luxurious. But…"
"Right… I left from there, but where do I go now? Where is my master, anyway?"
End of Chapter 27