In the moments just before chaos erupted on the stage, a tall man with ordinary brown hair and a strangely blurred appearance was addressing the first arrivals, who had just come to participate that day.

"So, it seems everyone has come here for money, right?"

"Well... yes..."

This included young Awakeners, friends of Jack and members of the Star of Nagran, and a few Awakeners who had been tempted by the promise of paying off their debts. Their stories were diverse, but their ultimate goal was the same: money.

Despite their grave resolutions in coming here, they couldn't hide their tension in the face of the unusual atmosphere they encountered on the day itself. However, the man before them, with his extraordinary eloquence, had quickly interjected himself into their midst, easing the mood. Before they knew it, they were spilling details about why they were here, their ages, and even where they were from.

A question arose in their minds: should they be engaging in such intimate conversation with someone they were supposed to fight? But the tall man made even these concerns feel trivial. In hindsight, they hadn't even discussed anything particularly special.

"Then, what do you think is more important, life or money?"

The tall man's manner of speaking was peculiar. Despite dressing in ancient-style clothes, no different from the others, and wearing only a shabby overcoat, his noble-like manner of speaking seemed as if he had been using it all his life, making it impossible to guess his age or identity.

One of the participants who had come with Jack hesitantly spoke up.

"Obviously... it's life."

"And the others?"

"If I really had to choose, it would be life, but..."

"You have to be alive to make money, don’t you?"

Everyone naturally responded that life was more important than money. The tall man nodded and smiled as if that was the answer he had hoped for.

"Ah. That's a really good answer. It's one of the most important things we should never forget in life."

"But... why do you ask?"

"It's simple."

The man rose from where he had been comfortably leaning, speaking in a cheerful voice. The moment his gaze moved towards the stage, the various noises that had been reaching the waiting room began to fade away.

What's happening? The first arrivals exchanged puzzled looks, while the man continued speaking calmly.

"Everyone here won't be fighting today. This place is about to shut down."

"What are you talking about..."

"Hex! Bout! Where are you? You guys!"

Just then, the door burst open as if it would break, and men with fierce looks rushed into the waiting room.

At the same time, the original participants who had been silently keeping their seats stood up all at once, following the tall man. Before the first arrivals could even react, the tall man effortlessly spun the worn-out sword he had been casually resting on his shoulder, seizing it with grace.

"What's this? Where are Hex and Bout, and why are you guys here?"

"Wait... those guys aren’t supposed to be here!"

One of Nukijo's henchmen, upon spotting Reneve and Elpkins in a corner, pointed at them. The atmosphere instantly turned cold. The henchmen all imagined their boss's reaction upon learning of this situation, picturing his fury.

'If he finds out they all escaped, we're all dead!'

The most powerful among Nukijo's henchmen yelled out loud.

"You fools... have you lost your minds? Daring to escape? You must be craving death! Who's responsible? Who brought you here?"

"It was me," declared the tall man, raising his hand.

"I freed them because they were pained and loathed being forced into combat. Is that a problem?"

"What...?"

"No one has the right to imprison free people here, you know."

His smirk was infuriating, completely undermining the severity of the situation. Nukijo's henchman, momentarily stunned, finally managed to shout.

"You know there's no way out of here! Except for this madman, the rest of you can still turn back now and be spared! If you don’t want to die, get back now! Especially you, woman! Don’t you want to see your friend? Huh? Why cause trouble when you barely manage to obey? Do you really think you, a frail woman, can leave here alone?"

"..."

"Come over here now, while I'm still asking nicely!"

They naturally expected Reneve to comply.

However, Reneve didn't move. Nukijo's henchman, suspecting she might be deaf, reiterated, “Don’t you want to see your friend?” It was a mere ploy to get her to obey, without even knowing who her friend was.

But Reneve, who had always been docile at the mention of ‘friend’, for the first time, stiffened and retorted.

"You've never shown me Cyril. Why should I return to a hellish place like this?"

"What?"

"Why should I?"

A deep-seated anger resonated in her vehement outcry, echoing through the waiting room.

Reneve, trembling with rage and her face flushed red, yelled.

"I have no reason to listen to you. I won't heed the words of scum who kidnap people and force them to fight and die. Go ahead, kill me! I don’t care if I die! I’m leaving! I will leave!"

Nukijo's henchman concluded that Reneve had completely lost her mind.

"That woman has gone mad. Fine. Just kill them all! Go tell the boss right now...!"

In that instant, a flash of light sliced through the waiting room.

Nukijo's henchman didn't even realize what had happened to him. As he turned to speak to the others, he was struck down.

"...Aaagh!"

The other henchmen screamed a beat too late. Amidst the chaos, the man with the unstained sword calmly sheathed it over his shoulder and addressed the Awakeners watching him.

"Now, I believe everyone understands why this place needs to shut down. Shall we try to escape now?"

Even those with the slightest sense knew that this was no ordinary fighting arena. The first arrivals, trembling and wordless, nodded their heads.

At that moment, a thunderous sound and impact, as if something on the stage had shattered, shook the waiting room.

"Ugh!"

"What, what's that?"

While Nukijo's henchmen panicked, the tall man gazed towards the stage with a slightly different look. It was a tender and caring gaze, filled with concern and trust, yet fleeting. He then returned to his composed and confident demeanor.

"Now, Elpkins. Lead the way. It’s your turn. Leave the rest to us."

"I understand!"

In the midst of a tremendous vibration that shook the entire building, Elpkins let out a powerful scream and, flapping his wings, rushed towards the stage.

"Where do you think you're going? Capture that man!"

Nukijo's remaining henchmen shouted as they grabbed their weapons.

Despite seeing one of their own already fallen, they were not overly frightened. In their perception, the Awakeners were always powerless, bumbling weaklings, inept in using their strength and helpless before debts and money.

The person who fell had fallen to the sword, so they thought that as long as they were cautious of that madman, everything would be fine. But they were wrong.

Familiar perceptions create traps.

Rushing in without considering that this was no longer the third basement floor, and that threats and coercion no longer affected the Awakeners, they soon paid a painfully high price for their oversight.

"Who says they're capturing who?"

"You will never leave."

Quiet until now, the Awakeners erupted in fury, charging in. The swords wielded by Nukijo's gang were no threat to the physically superior Awakeners.

The Awakeners, screaming in rage, freely vented their frustrations on Nukijo's gang. Their cries of anger echoed in the lounge for a long time.

Victory, of course, belonged to them.

Elpkins, leaving the other Awakeners behind and rushing forward energetically, passed by Jack, who was heading towards the lounge, and soon arrived on the stage.

Whenever he stood there, he always wished he could rather die. Pain and the smell of blood were all he remembered from the fighting ring.

But now, it was different.

In this place where everything he remembered had crumbled, Yuder, standing proudly with a sword in hand and his fist and face stained with the blood of others, turned towards him.

"You've arrived."

A single emotionless sentence, yet hearing it strangely made him feel like crying.