The sudden surrender was unexpected, causing the audience to shout in protest. Booing echoed throughout the stadium, but the two participants were unfazed by it.
"Thank you," Gail tossed the short wooden sword to the side and bowed her head. Relief washed over her face, knowing she was one step closer to avenging her friend.
"No worries. I was just getting bored, so I decided to join. Besides, I'm not interested in the prize," the Mysterious Person said with a chuckle.
"Bored?" Gail muttered, staring at M with an incredulous expression. This person is more mysterious than I thought, she mused before shaking her head. "I'll never forget this favor. If you ever need help in the future, as long as it's within my abilities, feel free to find me in Klown City."
"Haha, thanks," M said, turning around and walking away. "Let's meet again someday. I had fun fighting with you."
"Me too," Gail replied, watching him leave.
At the same time, the Referee raised his hand and announced the winner.
"Gail has won this round!"
As the announcement rang out, Gail sighed, her gaze shifting to one of the Winner's Rooms. Her eyes landed on a small figure sitting in a chair, watching the stage.
After this round, I'll probably have to fight Can Deez. Should I talk to him? Gail wondered.
Suddenly, Can Deez waved at her, meeting her gaze.
Gail smiled and began walking towards Can Deez's room.
"So you want me to surrender?" Apollo asked, raising an eyebrow at the woman standing in front of him.
"Yes," Gail nodded, her expression serious. "I don't want to hurt you. Bel seems to value you, and she wanted you to join the Great Serpent Martial School. I don't want either of us to end up hurt; it would only upset Bel more."
"Is that the only reason?" Apollo asked.
"No," Gail shook her head.
"I want to avenge her," Gail said, her eyes growing cold as the temperature in the room dropped. "I'm going to kill the guy who did this to her."
Apollo could hear the determination in her voice. He wasn't surprised. Gail and Filly seemed like the type of people who valued their friendships more than anything else.
But Apollo shook his head. "I can't do that."
Gail tilted her head. "Why? I'm telling you, if we fight at full strength, one of us will end up gravely injured." She wasn't entirely sure of the small masked person's true power, but she had a vague sense that their fight would be either a close match or a draw. It was better to avoid a potentially serious outcome by having one of them surrender.
"No, it's not that," Apollo said, looking outside the room. They were inside, not on the viewing deck, and all he could see were the distant figures of the audience.
"We have the same purpose," Apollo revealed with a smile.
"Purpose? What do you mean?" Gail asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"I'm going to kill that guy, too," Apollo said casually, as if it were no big deal.
Gail's eyes widened, tears threatening to spill. "A-are… you going to avenge Bel, too?"
Why is she crying?! Apollo couldn't help but sigh. "Unfortunately, that's not what I had in mind."
"W-what?" Gail wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, smiling awkwardly. "So why do you want to kill him, too?"
"I hate his face, and I just feel like it," Apollo said with a shrug.
"Isn't that a bit... shallow?" Gail muttered before shaking her head. "But if you also want to kill him, are you confident?"
"I am," the Beggar smirked. "Are you?"
"I'll try my best. If I die, then it's fate," Gail said, her determination returning.
"Then I should be the one to do it," Apollo replied, his expression turning serious. "I don't plan on dying, and I'm more confident in staying alive."
Gail squinted at the small masked man. "Are you sure?"
"A hundred and one percent sure," Apollo chuckled. "Besides, he hasn't seen all I can do, but I've already seen his full strength."
"I see... If that's the case..." Gail locked eyes with Can Deez and nodded. "I'll surrender."
They both felt certain they would fight in the next round as the battles continued below.
Apollo would be the one to face Arke.
Soon, their names were called, and both of them headed to the arena.
The Referee was about to start the fight when Gail raised her hand. "I surrender this fight."
"Are you sure?" the Referee asked, confused. Gail was only one win away from fighting for the top spot in the event, yet she chose to surrender. Though he didn't understand her reasoning, he had no right to make her fight if she didn't want to.
"Yes," Gail nodded before turning to Apollo. "Can Deez, I hope my decision isn't wrong."
"Can Deez wins!" the Referee declared, and the moment his words fell, the audience erupted in protest.
"What the hell is wrong with her?!"
"Why surrender?! Fight!"
Despite the outcry, the winner was declared, and there was nothing the crowd could do.
"Don't worry," Apollo said as he began walking away.
Outside of Klown City, northwest of it, lay a vast expanse of forest. The trees towered hundreds of meters into the sky, and some trunks were so wide it would take dozens of people to encircle them.
Beside the forest was a campsite with five or six tents. People moved about, carrying supplies, while others gathered around a bonfire, roasting skewered meat. They wore silver armor adorned with Klown City's insignia—a castle with a crown on top—as they talked and ate happily.
"It's about time for the Examination to end," one of them said, taking a large bite from the meat in his hand.
"I wonder who will win. Personally, I'm rooting for Bel. Hopefully, she'll take the top spot."
The group continued discussing the ongoing examination, each sharing their thoughts on who might win the Advancement Examination. Most favored Bel as the likely victor, while some mentioned the infamous Arke or other well-known Martial Students.
After they finished eating, someone approached them.
"Hey, it's your group's turn to retrieve the remaining body."
"Alright," the group leader, a bald man with a white mustache, replied. He was known as Noli, a regular soldier from Klown City. He'd been assigned as one of the leaders tasked with gathering the remains of AlphaDusk Shadowtail, a beast slain in the forest. Only five or six groups were left, as the rest had already returned to the city.
Noli and his squad took out their equipment and began walking into the forest. Each of them had at least reached the 1st-Step Foundation Building Stage.
With the moon's brilliance lighting their path, they moved through the forest at a steady pace, not rushing.
"You know, every time I come here, I feel like I'm being watched," one of them said suddenly, a frown on his face as he glanced around the forest.
"Oh? You feel it too?" Noli raised an eyebrow before a playful smile appeared on his face. "Maybe it's the Alpha's spirit wandering the forest."
"Hey, leader, don't scare us!"
The group leader chuckled. "I was just joking. But honestly, I do feel like we're being watched. It crawls on my skin, and I hate it. But we've been here a few times, and nothing bad has happened, right? It's probably just our imagination, trying to scare ourselves."
"Hmm, you're right," his squad members agreed.
They walked for a while before arriving at a clearing where the body of the Alphadusk Shadowtail lay. The massive beast, as big as a mansion, lay lifeless. Parts of its body were missing, especially where its nine tails had once been. Those had been the first things cut off, as they were the most valuable part.
"They lured this monster out of the forest, but it still came back," Noli said, staring at the Alpha. "It would've been better if it had died outside."
Soon, they began their work, using their weapons to cut into the beast's body.
After a while, one of the men paused, wiping the sweat from his forehead. As he lowered his hand, something caught his eye. His body went stiff, and his mouth began to stutter.
Noli, standing in front of him, looked up with an annoyed expression. "What are you mumbling about?!"
The man took a deep breath, pointed into the distance, and shouted, "Ghost!"
"Ghost? I told you, I was just joking!" Noli shook his head and turned to where the man was pointing. "Don't be so scare— Ah! Ghost! Run!"
Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the forest, and the group erupted in shouts. But it only lasted for a few seconds before silence fell over the forest.
As the cloud moved away from the moon, its brilliance encased the shadow inside the forest. It has sharp red eyes, pointed ears, a long nose, and mouth with human bodies still dangling from within. But the most prominent feature is the ten swaying tails behind the creature.