Chapter 73 — Old Hag
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<3 Days Later>
Socrates' eyes fluttered open as he slowly raised his upper body while yawning and stretching loudly.
'I feel so refreshed and relaxed.'
He announced to himself as he cracked his finger knuckles, producing a series of crisp snapping sounds. Then his eyes drifted down to his body and he found out that he was only in an underwear which exposed his thighs and long legs. He wasn't putting on any clothes at all.
He recalled the harsh conditions of the Underworld as he quickly jumped up to pick up something to wear, only for him to realize that the room he was currently in was warm and comfortable. There was no snow or biting cold unlike Kamira's room.
"Kamira..."
The image of the purple-haired lady formed in his mind as he recalled everything that had happened three days ago...
"Elder Hestruin..."
He folded his fist instinctively as his body alerted him at once. He looked around the room cautiously but couldn't find anyone. There was only a bunker bed which he had been sleeping on and a table with a candle flame burning softly on it.
Socrates guessed the candle was the reason why the room felt warm.
He looked around again until he found a brown door which was slightly opened.
"Where's he? Is he inside the room?" Socrates asked as he took a careful step forward and slowly approached the door.
'But I can't sense anybody in there... Or can he conceal his presence?'
Socrates asked himself, though he already knew the answer to that question.
A man that could suddenly appear beside him without him noticing could surely conceal himself.
He pushed the door slightly, creating enough space for him to peep in. The first thing he saw was the blue candle which illuminated the place with an eerie blue flame and then an aroma drifted straight into his nose.
His stomach grumbled instantly and his mouth watered at the sight of food which caused him to fully enter the room.
It was a dining room with just one table and one chair and there were lots of hot meals surrounding the blue-flamed candle. Steam rose gently from the meat while the scent of roasted spices lingered heavily in the air.
Whoever prepared this had just done so recently...
'Is it Elder Hestruin... Why is he...'
Socrates' stomach tightened painfully as he nearly collapsed. He had been doing fine without the sight of food but now that he had seen and smelled such a rich aroma, his body refused to let him go.
'I'll think about that later... Let me fill my stomach first.'
With that thought, he rushed toward the table, sat on the only chair and immediately started consuming the already prepared food which consisted entirely of meat garnished with potatoes and cabbages.
Socrates lifted the jug of water and drowned it in one go before dropping the empty jar back onto the table with a loud bang.
The banging sound disrupted the candle flame as the blue fire suddenly flared up violently, causing Socrates to panic as he watched the flame slowly take the shape of a silhouette.
A familiar face...
'Elder Hestruin...'
Socrates kicked against the floor instantly, retreating backward together with the chair he was sitting on.
"Calm down. I couldn't wait for you to wake up so I passed this message for you instead. The Elders have decided that with your current feat, you've been recognized as the Champion of the Sky Pavilion of the Northern Gladiator Guild. Your robe and insignia are in the third room."
"This room formerly belonged to a disciple of the Northern Gladiator Guild who's currently in the Inner Ranking. He's no longer in this district but in the capital city of the Underworld. So the room belongs to you now. You'll be fighting and challenging others as the Gladiator and Champion of the Northern Gladiator Guild."
"You're currently ranked 51. Your rank went up due to the assessment of your strength... The Top 50 in the Outer Ranking are all Foundation Establishment experts. The Elders are curious about how far you can go... A bet has been placed on your head. I personally bet that you'll die before the next three days... Don't disappoint."
Elder Hestruin's projection vanished and the blue flame returned back to normal.
Pheew~
Socrates released the breath he had been holding all this while, a breath he didn't even realize he was holding.
'I'll die in three days... What a joke...'
Socrates scoffed bitterly as he stood up from the chair.
He turned around and walked into the next room when his gaze caught sight of a bathtub steaming with hot water. Thick curls of steam drifted lazily into the air while droplets rolled down the edge of the black tub. At the corner laid a new pack of clothes neatly folded.
He quickly rushed into the tub while pulling off his only underwear.
"Gosh... This is heaven..."
He proclaimed as the heat of the water bit gently into his skin while he relaxed his back against the wall of the bathtub. His tense muscles loosened almost instantly beneath the warmth.
There was a black soap resting at the edge which he grabbed before sliding deeper into the tub and scrubbing every part of his body carefully.
He got to his wrist which was still slightly sore when a smile slowly formed on his face.
"I've finally gotten rid of that burden... Now I'm finally free."
He giggled happily as he realized just how light his body felt now.
"I won't say you're free..."
Socrates' heart skipped violently at the sound of that familiar voice.
"Lady Achillia?"
"Seems like your puny strength is now making you self-aware."
The voice replied again and Socrates no longer had any doubt. It was the Gladiator King.
"You're supposed to be in the bracelets and I've already gotten rid of the bracelets. How is your consciousness still here? And where are you exactly?"
"I'm in your body..."
The voice announced calmly, causing Socrates to stagger backward before resting his back against the edge of the bathtub. Water splashed lightly around him.
"The electric bolts opened a passage in your body and my four consciousness fragments penetrated into it and gathered together... I'm currently in your Sea of Consciousness and I can tell you, it's very small and lacking energy..."
'This is bad... She can read my mind... She'll be seeing everything I'm doing. I won't have any privacy anymore.'
Socrates lamented inwardly with an ugly expression on his face.
"You don't need to get worked up. I can only read your mind when you allow it but I won't tell you how. That's something you'll have to work on yourself."
Achillia spoke to him directly from his Sea of Consciousness.
'Old hag... Not me thinking I'm finally done with her.'
Socrates unhappily stepped out of the bathtub. The idea of someone occupying his body didn't sit well with him at all.
"What do you want?" Socrates asked as he approached the pile of clothes.
"I'm afraid with your current strength, you're not entitled to know... So either grow stronger or die so that I can occupy your body instead."
Achillia replied casually, causing Socrates to sneeze loudly.
"They all keep mentioning death..."
Socrates cried out inwardly as he grabbed the folded towel and wiped his body dry with it. Warm steam still clung to his skin while droplets slid down his chest.
He put on the underwear first and then the black leather pants that hugged his lower body tightly. He also wore the snug, high-collared silver tunic before grabbing the blue robe which bore the insignia of the guild and putting it on. Finally, he wore the black boots which stopped above his ankles.
"Wow... I look perfect..."
Socrates said to himself while checking out his reflection on the polished metal beside the wall only to notice that the robe around his shoulder bone was already damp.
"Shit... I forgot to dry my hair..."
He cried out as he quickly grabbed the towel again and started roughly ruffling his wet red hair.