Murmurs rippled through the crowd, tension still thick from the last bout.
No one could quite believe how it had ended – the underdog had won.
Scarlet raised her hand sharply, her voice cutting through the noise. "Next match–begin the lineup!"
The chatter died instantly. She pointed toward a burly man in the front, then at a young boy standing timidly in the back.
Unlike before – when laughter and scoffs filled the stands at the sight of a child facing a grown fighter – this time, no one said a word. The memory of the last fight hung over them like smoke.
No one dared to underestimate anyone again.
The boy swallowed hard as he climbed onto the stage, his steps shaky, his hands trembling at his sides.
"Hey…" someone whispered from the crowd. "Isn't that the kid who tried to cheat the push-up test?"
"Yeah," another voice answered quietly.
"That's him."
A wave of murmurs followed, half curious, half doubtful.
...…
From high above, the hooded man leaned forward, eyes glinting with interest. "I wonder…" he muttered. "How this one's going to go."
His voice dropped to a murmur, almost to himself.
"Will you also… let your fear build you?"
He clasped his hands together, elbows resting on his knees – a predator's patience in his posture as the next match began.
...…
"Hey! Did you just try to cheat the pad!?" Scarlet's voice echoed in his head – sharp, commanding, impossible to forget.
"No I didn't!" The boy had shouted back then, his face burning as everyone turned to look.
That moment still clung to him now like a stain he couldn't was off. He clenched his fists, remembering how Scarlet's glare had cut through him – how the whispers followed him for hours after that test.
'Tch… this exam hasn't gone well for me at all,' he thought bitterly. 'Even in the last test, that guy just got lucky – carried across the track. I wish it was me. At this rate… I'm not making it into the Guild.'
His chest tightened. 'All the wars, all the conflict… it's left my family hanging by a thread. The only way I can save them is if I become an adventurer. But with how I've been doing so far…'
"Hey! Kid!" The shout snapped him out of his thoughts. His opponent stood across the ring, sword gleaming under the light."I've been yelling for a while now."
"I–I'm sorry," The boy said quickly, straightening up.
The man grinned coldly, rolling his neck as he pointed the blade toward him. "What's your name, kid?"
"Takeru," he answered, voice barely steady.
The man's smirk widened.
"Alright then, Takeru…" He lifted his sword and rested it on his shoulder.
"I'm coming to kill you."
The sound of Scarlet's command cut through the tension.
"Begin!"
The man shot forward instantly – no hesitation, no restraint. The air split with the force of his swing as his sword came crashing down.
CLANG!
Takeru barely managed to block with his dagger, his arms trembling violently from the impact. The blow sent him sliding backward, boots scraping against the arena floor.
"Not bad for a cheat," the man sneered. Takeru didn't answer. He rushed in again, desperate–dagger flashing for the man's side–but his strike was swatted away like nothing.
BAM!
A heavy kick slammed into his stomach, knocking the air clean out of him. He hit the ground hard, rolling once before stopping flat on his back, His ribs screamed in pain.
"Get up, Kid!" the man barked. "You said you weren't a cheat, right!? Prove it!"
Takeru gasped, forcing himself to his knees, clutching his dagger with trembling fingers. He swung upward – too slow.
CRACK!
The man's elbow met his jaw, sending him sprawling again. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he slid across the dirt.
The crowd winced. Some even turned away. It wasn't much of a fight anymore – just a beating.
"Tch," Scarlet muttered under her breath, her eyes narrowing. "He's losing focus."
Up in the stands, the hooded man leaned forward slightly. "He's terrified," he murmured, voice almost amused. "That fear's freezing him solid."
Then his tone dipped into something colder.
"Let's see how long before it breaks him completely."
Down below, Takeru's thoughts were chaos. 'It hurts…It hurts…It hurts so bad… why did I even come here?' He spat blood, vision swimming. 'Mom… I can't even…keep a promise…'
The man walked toward him slowly, dragging the sword along the floor. "Pathetic," he said. "You don't even look like a fighter – just some scared little kid who thought he could play hero."
Takeru's breath shook as he tried to stand, his knees buckling under his own weight. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest. The man raised his sword again, a cruel grin cutting across his face.
"Let's put you out of your misery."
Takeru looked up, eyes wide, blood dripping down his chin – frozen between fear and desperation.
The blade came swinging down – fast, merciless.
Takeru barely rolled aside, dirt spraying across his face as steel bit into the floor where he'd just been. He stumbled to his feet, legs trembling, heart hammering so loud he could barely hear.
The man didn't slow. He followed immediately, blade carving the air again and again.
CLANG!
CLANG!
Each strike sent shockwaves through Takeru's arms. His dagger felt like a toothpick against a broadsword.
His breathing grew ragged, panicked–his fear so clear that even the crowd began to murmur.
"That kid's terrified…"
"He's not gonna last another minute."
The man grinned through the chaos. "You're shaking, boy. That all you got?"
Then–SLHCK!
A flash of pain ripped through Takeru's side. He staggered back, clutching the wound as blood seeped through his fingers. "It hurts… it hurts so much…" he gasped, voice cracking. His knees buckled, but something inside him refused to drop.
"Why… why do I have to go through this…?" he whispered, half to himself, half to the gods. "I didn't want this… I'm tired of all this fighting…"
The man sneered, raising his sword for the finishing blow. "Then die tired."
Takeru's teeth clenched. A spark flickered in his eyes.
"No."
He pushed forward with a desperate yell, pain forgotten, adrenaline taking over. His dagger flashed upward–quick, clumsy, but by raw survival.
SHHK!
The blade sank into the man's abdomen. The crowd gasped as the man froze, eyes wide, the color draining from his face.
Takeru stood there shaking, blood – his and his opponent's – dripping from his hand. His breath came in short, broken bursts. He hadn't meant to do it.
He just… reacted.