Both wardens chanted something to undo the shackles; they were no longer attached to each other. Kane checked his hands as he contemplated.

“My pugilist skill is definitely below that of the Monk Saint, but it shouldn’t be too terrible either, considering my vast experience. Should be more than enough to deal with that kid. Kane had yet to learn high-level martial arts techniques or a fighting style,” murmured Kane. At the very least, he knew where and how to land a punch… or a kick. Every fighter— no, everyone should know how to fight barehanded.

---

“Hey, Kane!” Carlson suddenly called.

“What?”

“You’re also forced to fight, right? Let’s cooperate and find a way out of here!” he suggested.

Kane lifted an eyebrow. “And how do you do that?”

“Err… I’ll think about it—”

*BOOM!* A lightning strike hit between them, almost deafening. They both flinched backward, though Carlson fell over. He quivered, wetting his pants. The crowd jeered at the shameful display.

“Enough talking!” the referee yelled. “The next thunder will hit both of you!”

“So loud…” Kane tugged his earlobe. He then approached his opponent. “Get up, Carlson. Come at me and fight properly!”

“But…”

“Don’t you want to be free? If not, you’re welcome to stay there and take my beating instead.” Kane assumed a sideways stance. He put the right fist beside his right cheek and the left fist slightly below his left hip. Since he lacked bare hand fighting knowledge, the usual weapon stance was his only choice.

Carlson gritted his teeth, clenching his fists. He roared. He pounced at Kane and delivered barrages of punches. Kane was slowly getting pushed back by every strike. The crowd grew louder as he kept throwing his relentless straights.

Meanwhile, Sharon, who was watching from above, ran her finger across her lips. Her previous smile had disappeared. She glowered at the cage arena, specifically at Kane.

Then, a young man drew closer. He’d looked like a charming prince if not for his rough stubbles and lazy eyes. Standing near her, he said, “Well, well, well. Your newest champion isn’t doing too well, is he?”

“Oh hello, Sir Edward. Do you require something with me?” she asked in a gentle tone.

“Nothing — except maybe spending a night together.” He grinned.

Sharon’s eyes twitched. “Much apologies, Sir. I—”

“I’ll forget our bet and pay one-third of your debt.” He leaned closer, almost touching her face. Then, pulled back. “What do you say?”

“Sounds wonderful.” She smiled.

“Good. Very good. I’ll remember that. Heheheheh…” Edward snickered, but immediately interrupted by the announcer.

“What’s this!? Kane is retaliating!” His shout caused both Sharon, Edward, and other spectators to turn their attention to the fight.

---

Ten seconds before, Carlson was lashing out, craving for freedom. He gave no chance for Kane to attack.

While receiving the assaults, Kane noticed something. Some of the punches were glancing off due to his upper arm. He could exploit this! He began adjusting his shoulder according to the attacks. It worked. He no longer took any damage.

“Take this!” screamed Carlson.

An incoming punch straight to his face. Kane crouched slightly, tilting his body. When the fist touched, it redirected toward Kane’s forehead instead. Bowing his head in reflex, his left horn stabbed Carlson’s finger.

“Argh!!” Carlson recoiled, grasping for his bloodied hand and panting. “That’s… That’s cheating!”

“Anything goes, remember?” Kane rotated his shoulder. “My turn.”

“Wait—”

Kane pounded against his opponent’s cheek. Hard. As Carlson was knocked back, sweat splashed about. He followed up with a downward chop to the back of the neck, similar to splitting a log. Carlson dropped onto the floor with his face first, laying prone. No signs of movement were detected as blood seeped from his mouth.

The referee stepped down and examined Carlson’s condition. Finished checking, he raised Kane’s arm above and declared,

“The winner is Kane!”

The crowd cheered. Some crumpled a piece of small paper coupled with a disappointed look on their face. Kane guessed that they had just lost their bet. It was a common thing to bet in any sport after all. Looking above again, Sharon was talking with a disgruntled man and receiving dozens of gold coins. Kane immediately understood the gist of her motive.

The shackle joined again. Kane walked back to the previous boring hall, except the warden took a different turn. After ascending a flight of stairs, he found himself in a wider, better hall. The floor was covered in carpet. Confused, he asked, “Where are we going?”

“To yer new room, since ya won.”

Some moments later, they arrived at the aforementioned room. It was the same door as before sans the lack of steel bar. After the warden unlocked and opened it, Kane saw a whole different room. A clean bed, dining table and chair, privy, and even proper ventilation. There was also a mirror that resembled the one in Liana’s room. His dormitory was less cozy than this.

“Surprised?” The warden grinned.

“I thought I was gonna end up sharing a room with others,” commented Kane.

“Every Champion’s separated into different rooms to prevent conspiracy and cheating.” The warden closed the door and turned around. “Consider yerself lucky, boy. Many others ain’t gettin’ this privilege.”

Alone in the room, Kane sank into the soft bed. He stared at the ceiling and his hands, contemplating. Was he that lucky? His freedom was restricted yet also treated nicely. Perhaps to some degree, yes. In any case, he shouldn’t let his guard down by the sense of comfort. If the situation became worse, he would have to escape from here.

Sharon unlocked the door. She was carrying a peculiar rectangle box that hid her slim hip from his view. It was made of a valuable tree known as the Jadewood tree. Based on his father’s knowledge, they were much more expensive than the Bloodwood trees that grew near his home village, Deven. Unfortunately, Kane forgot its special properties other than the jade-like appearance.

Back to her, she sat on the dining chair, placed the box, and confronted the resting Kane.

“Good job on your first match, Kane. Are you hurt anywhere?” she asked with kind eyes.

“My left upper arm is a little bit bruised, but it’s nothing,” replied Kane.

“Oh, my.” She kneeled beside him. “Let me take a look.”

Kane hesitated at first despite him ending up offering his injured arm. Holding his wrist, Sharon cast a spell. Startled, he tried to pull away before feeling the warmth and soothing sensation. She cast a healing spell of Light element. The bruise became smaller. After treating him, Sharon returned to her seat.

“You’re strangely acting kind,” he said.

“I’m acting as a proper master would. I’d rather not be responsible if you were to lose a match because of that.” She pointed at the injury.

“Oh.”

“Why did you hold back, Kane? I know you’re much stronger than him.”

“You told me to entertain. I don’t think they like a very quick match.”

“It’s the opposite. As for me and many others, we like to see a strong champion overpowering the weaker champion. It’s always satisfying to watch, especially if they’re an underdog.”

“Really? That’s new.”

“Also, it’s for your own sake. I’ve seen some seasoned but arrogant champions toying with their opponent only to be defeated by sheer luck. Let’s prevent that from happening, shall we?”

“Hmm, great point. I’ll keep that in mind.” Kane nodded.

Sharon crossed her slender legs. “As I promised before, you may ask anything while waiting for your next match. Although, I may not answer if I deem it inappropriate or sensitive.”

“How did you manage to poison me? We were drinking the same wine.”

“I smeared your goblet with a special poison concocted from the ingredients in Botany Lab,” she said.

“So, you stole the key from the janitor after we were done cleaning,” deducted Kane.

Sharon smiled as a reply.

“Why did you steal the feather and how did you know its whereabouts?”

“To lure you. I’ve had a feeling that you were not interested in me, so I had to take an extreme measure. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you the identity of my informant.” Sharon touched her cheeks as her eyelashes twitched.

Kane furrowed. She had to be hiding something. Pressing further would be useless, so instead, he remarked, “There’s no need to drug and kidnap me.”

“I apologize, Kane. I was afraid of you saying no and resisting. That would be troublesome.”

“Why did you pick me as your champion?”

“Aside from your unknown background, it’s because you’re great in physical fights. Your victory against Leon in a swordfight also proved that you don’t simply have brute strength.”

“Why are you interested in this brawl? There’s not much difference between the official one, right?”

“I do enjoy both. However, this brawl is more… lucrative and fair. I’ve gained much more income compared to other matches. Apparently, many nobles have the same opinion as mine.”

“But you’re also drowned in debt,” guessed Kane.

“That’s where you come in. Win five more times without any losses, and I’ll give you the Black Feather. My previous champions couldn’t even win three matches before breaking down.”

“How do I know that you’ll keep your promise?”

“I’ll bring you this after every match.” Sharon opened the box. An ominous aura oozed from it.

“That’s… the feather!” Kane gaped. Its aura, size, and shape matched the feather he saw back in the academy. There was no mistake. Then, she closed it.

“Does this convince you?”

“Yes, but not enough. I want an immediate reward,” said Kane.

Sharon narrowed her eyes. “You do realize that you’re not in a position to bargain, right?”

“I need more motivation. The feather is just a bonus to me.”

A black magic circle manifested from her hand. “How about I end your life when you lose?”

“You misunderstand. I can walk freely after three wins, and you can’t stop that.”

“Fine.” Sharon sighed as the circle vanished. “What do you need?”

“I want—”

“Miss Sharon, the brawl’s gonna start.” The warden’s voice interrupted their conversation.

“Seems like our time is up.” Sharon stood up while carrying the box.

“Wait, I haven’t—”

Before he could say anything, she leaned closer and pecked Kane’s cheek.

Sharon licked her lip. “There. That should motivate you. Give your best in your next match.” She winked before leaving.

Kane gawked, frozen in place for some time. He wiped off the lipstick mark and lay down again. Although it was nice to receive a kiss, he had to remind himself that she was a seductress.

He pondered on Sharon’s words. Don’t hold back. Sound advice, but Kane personally had little to no satisfaction in triumphing against weak and helpless foes. That was the main reason he gave Carlson a chance to struggle a little. In the next match, he wouldn’t do that.

“Ah, I forgot to act anxious in front of her. Well, whatever.” He shrugged.

---

Sharon traced her steps back to the second floor. A tall, sloppily-dressed man rested against the railing, staring at her with a pair of sharp eyes from a superior height.

She halted her steps. “Ral? Why are you here?”

“Father sent me. He wanted your report and ‘that’.” He approached her.

“I already have it.” Sharon tapped the box.

“Then, what are you waiting for?”

“Give me more time. I need to convince my champion, otherwise—”

“You dare disobey him?” His gaze turned stone-cold.

“N-no! Of course not! I’ll definitely bring back the Black Feather after I pay back my debt.”

Ral pinched one of the chairs then lobbed it beside her. “Whatever. It’s not that urgent anyway.”

He sat down, resting his foot on the railings.

“Might as well watch the brawl while waiting. What’s so interesting about weaklings fighting each other, hm?”

“You’ll see.”

Inside the cage, the arena announcer spoke, “Ladies and gentlemen! The next match will be between Kane the Newcomer versus Sylphina the Weak! Place your bet now!”

“Kane… he’s your champion, isn’t he?” Ral turned his head toward her. “Hm? What’s wrong?”

Sharon bit her lip. “Oh, no.”