The announcer stepped forward, voice booming through the coliseum as the crowd's cheers slowly settled into an excited chatter.

"WHAT AN OPENING MATCH!!" he shouted, practically vibrating with hype. "Let's give our brave contestants another round of applause!"

The audience roared again, banners waving, feet stomping against the stone benches.

"Let's recap that unbelievable showdown!" the announcer continued, gesturing animatedly toward the arena floor. "First—Felix, with that OVERWHELMING, brute-force strength! Every swing of that massive axe looked like it could split the whole damn platform!"

The crowd howled in agreement.

"And on the other side—Young Master Jufus! Showing off the Darkinn Swordsmanship, passed down through generations! Graceful, deadly, unpredictable—THAT First Form nearly ended the match right then and there!"

A cluster of spectators from Glimmerfen cheered proudly.

"But then…" The announcer paused dramatically, raising his hand. "The moment that turned this entire fight upside down—Felix's skill…"

He pointed at the giant crystal screen as the replay flickered to life.

"PHANTOM COUNTER!!"

The crowd exploded with noise as the replay showed Felix turning intangible, Jufus's blade sliding straight through his body, and then the instant blink behind him.

"That split-second counter! That teleport! That punch straight to the gut! Ladies and gentlemen, THAT is how you make an entrance on the first day of the tournament!"

More cheering. More stomping. Felix lifted his axe from the arena floor and smirked.

"The bar has been set," the announcer finished. "And it's HIGH!"

The coliseum buzzed with scattered noise—angry groans from losers, relieved laughter from winners, and the noisy clatter of people recalculating their next bets.

"Tch, I put everything on the noble kid…"

"HAHA! I knew the axe guy would crush him!"

"THAT COUNTER THOUGH—did you see that?!"

Amid the chaos, a sharp whistle pierced the air from the healer's section.

"That's our cue," the old healer muttered, stretching his back with a tired groan. "Alright, who's taking this one?"

Ahrie shot up immediately, hand raised so fast it was basically a blur. "ME. Me me me me—"

But someone stepped forward before he could even finish.

"I'll do it."

A calm, confident voice cut through the noise.

A girl—slender build, olive cloak, healer's band around her arm—walked past Ahrie without even glancing at him. Her boots echoed against the stone as she climbed the platform stairs.

Ahrie froze mid-reach.

His eyes twitched.

"Oi—" he muttered. "Who the hell is she—she cut my line—old man did you SEE that—"

But the old healer just waved him off. "First come, first serve. You were too slow, boy."

Ahrie's soul left his body.

Meanwhile the girl knelt beside the injured contestants, hands already glowing with a soft teal light. The crowd leaned forward, murmuring in interest.

The crowd leaned forward as the beautiful healer glided toward the two injured participants.

Her steps were soft. Her smile was gentle. Her hair fluttered like a blessing from the gods themselves.

"Wooow…"

"So pretty…"

"She must be a top-tier healer…"

Dozens of eyes sparkled with admiration.

Then she lifted her hand.

A soft chime echoed.

IronHug!Iron Hug!IronHug!

A massive iron maiden materialized behind her—towering, ornate, shimmering with holy light. Its surface gleamed like polished silver, etched with elegant vines and angelic symbols.

"So elegant…"

"So pure…"

"She must be—"

CLANK.

The maiden's doors swung open, revealing rows of spikes—hundreds of them, glistening.

One grotesquely long metallic arm snaked out, grabbed Jufus by the leg, and dragged him inside.

"WAIT—WAIT—WAIT—"

SHHHHK—SHH-SHHHK—SHHHHK!

The sound of multiple spikes stabbing into flesh echoed like someone repeatedly kicking a metal toolbox full of knives.

A faint, serene green glow seeped through the cracks of the iron maiden.

Then, with zero dignity, the iron maiden spat Jufus out like an unwanted gum wrapper.

He bounced on the floor.

Twice.

And somehow…

all his wounds were healed.

The crowd was silent.

Koko's jaw hit the floor.

Rocky choked on a piece of corn.

Ahrie stared, wide-eyed, whispering, "Okay—okay, what the actual hell—"

The old healer nodded sagely.

The crowd collectively screamed inside.

The entire coliseum went dead silent for a full second.

A collective, shell-shocked pause.

Even the announcer's jaw was hanging open.

Then—

"WOOOOOOOAHHHH!"

The crowd exploded, half amazed, half terrified.

"Did you SEE that?!"

"He got skewered—and came back shiny!"

"What kind of healing spell is that?!"

"I want her in my party—no wait, I don't—yes I do—NO I DON'T—"

Spectators argued between awe and trauma as Felix's unconscious, perfectly healthy body was dragged off the arena like a corpse.

The girl calmly walked back to the healer's row, steps light, posture graceful—like she didn't just commit an act of therapeutic violence.

The old healer grinned at her proudly.

"Well done, lass. Clean execution."

She bowed her head politely.

"Thank you.

Ahrie stared at her with wide eyes.

"…holy shit."

The announcer cleared his throat, still visibly shaken from the iron-maiden healing spectacle.

"E-… ehem… L-let's… proceed to the second match…"

He shuffled his cards, hands trembling slightly, before raising his voice again.

"A tough Seeker from Glimmerfen! Fast as—uh—very fast… the Tank… Min Jae!!"

Min stood up from his seat, exhaling once before stepping forward.

The crowd immediately erupted into confused murmurs.

"Tank??"

"Huh? Where's his shield?"

"Oi, announcer, wrong category?"

"He got a dagger… that's— that's not a shield, right? That's NOT a shield?"

On the spectator stands, chaos.

Koko shot up from her seat, waving both arms.

"THAT'S RIGHT! CHEER FOR MY BOY!!!"

Rocky bounced on her head like an angry mascot, squeaking and throwing pieces of roasted corn like confetti.

Back in the healer section, Ahrie cupped his hands around his mouth.

"LET'S GOOO MIN!!! DON'T YOU DARE GET SCRATCHED OR I'M GONNA HEAL THE SHIT OUT OF YOUUU!"

A few healers scooted away from him.

Min stepped into the walkway, ignoring the noise, his newly made dagger reflecting the lights. His expression sharpened—not nervous, but focused. A strange, calm energy rolled off him.

His opponent…

The rising star from the Everest Guild—one of Velshara's top guilds—

A spearman so clean it pissed people off.

The guy who dominated every rookie bracket

Agus.

A hush rolled across the coliseum.

Will Agus stay on top…

Or will Min shatter his image?

The announcer milked the pause.

Spotlights slid across the arena floor, catching Min's confused-but-determined face and Agus' calm, blade-straight posture.

Koko cupped his hands around his mouth, yelling,

"MIN JAE! BREAK HIS REPUTATION

Rocky squeaked,

"SMASH HIM—BUT LIKE, IN A SAFE AND SPORTSMANSHIP WAY!"

"Heh… 'shatter my image,' huh? What a disgusting thing to say," Agus muttered, rolling his shoulders like he was warming up to punch someone instead of fighting properly.

Min blinked at him. "Eh? The only disgusting thing I've seen today is your face."

A beat of silence.

Then the coliseum erupted—small laughs, whistles, even a loud "DAAAMN!" from somewhere near the back rows.

"Hah?" Agus snapped, pointing his spear at him. "And who do you think you are?"

"Wuuut is thiiiiiis…" Min said, dragging his words out like he was bored. He even lifted a finger to his ear and twisted it. "Pretty boi went deaf? Didn't you hear the announcer? They already introduced our names. Loud and clear. Even goblins in the back heard it."

A kid near the fence burst out laughing. A couple of gamblers who bet on Min slapped each other's shoulders. Someone clicked their tongue and muttered, "This tank's got attitude."

Agus twitched. His eye, his mouth, something in his jaw—everything tightened at once. "You… bas—tard…"

"Ohhh here we go," Min said, almost cheerful. "Did I poke your pride? Want me to apologize? No? Great."

The announcer leaned into the crystal mic, clearly enjoying the growing chaos.

"OHHH look at this, folks! Our fighters haven't even started and the arena's already boiling! Words sharper than a spear—who knew Min Jae had this kind of mouth on him!"

Koko stood up from the stands and screamed, "THAT'S MY BOYY!!"

Rocky howled too, banging his cup on the railing.

Agus pointed the tip of his spear at Min, eyes burning.

"You better back those words up."

Min grinned.

"Oh don't worry. I plan to."

"That dagger of yours better be as sharp as your tongue…" Agus growled as he lowered his stance, spear tilting forward like a drawn arrow. His whole posture screamed: I'm done talking.

Min rolled his neck, cracking it once, twice.

The crowd oooooh'd. Someone yelled, "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

Both fighters stepped in—feet digging into the dirt, breaths syncing with the tension in the air. The announcer raised his hand dramatically.

"Aaaand—!"

But right before the starting signal dropped—

A beam of light sliced through the arena.

A thin, clean, vicious line of blue-white laser.

It shot across the entire coliseum in a blink.

And struck the prince.

Direct hit.

Dead center of his chest.

For a split second, nobody processed it.

Then—

BOOOOM—?!

The stands erupted. People screamed, chairs toppled, cups flew. A woman fainted. A man dove behind his friend like that would help. The gamblers who bet on Agus swore at nothing. The ones who bet on Min swore louder.

"THE PRINCE!?—THE PRINCE GOT— WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" someone yelled.

Guards rushed the royal box, weapons out. The announcer's voice cracked so hard it sounded like he hit puberty again.

"E-EVERYONE—STAY CALM! WE—WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY—"

Min froze mid-step, daggers still raised.

Agus lowered his spear, eyes wide.

Both stared at the smoking spot where the prince sat.

"What the… hell was that…?" Min whispered.

Then the crowd surged like a wave—panic, chaos, bodies pushing, voices merging into raw fear.

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