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“Oh, before I forget, if there are others who want to spar today, call them. Just give me some time to rest between the fights,” I told him.

“You… fine, I’ll send them a message,” he said, then he looked inside the cage. “Is Larin okay?”

I looked at the guy still slumped in the same place.

“Maybe he’s having a crisis of faith. Physically he should only be tired, and a bit bruised and scratched, so I guess all is fine,” I said, turning away.

“Mm,” was his only answer.

“Let’s go get a meal, Freya,” I said to the girl.

There were a few people who gave some praise as I walked by, then went to clean myself and change out of the armor, while she went to wait in the bar. There were a few spots where the leather was damaged from the fight, but I didn’t care too much. It was a cheap one, and I needed to change it anyway.

After I finished, I went to fill my stomach.

The guild bar only had simple dishes without much to choose from, but it was a fine meal anyway. It was also cheaper than most places.

I was in the middle of my lunch when I saw Larin coming my way.

He took his time. I thought he’d come before I started eating or just didn’t show up at all, so I was feeling slightly annoyed since there was a good chance he’d kick up a fuss. I enjoyed eating, and I didn’t want him to ruin my lunch.

While I ate my food, I took a good look at his face, but he seemed strangely unaffected by what happened before; he looked almost refreshed.

Weird.

“Hey Silvester, do you mind if I join you?” he asked when he reached our table.

“Go ahead,” I said, watching him curiously as I took another bite.

He sat down and looked at Freya.

“Hello, I’m Larin, nice to meet you,” he introduced himself to Freya, who had been watching him warily since he stopped at our table.

“Hello, I’m Freya,” she answered.

“You are…” he said, trailing off and looking at me and her alternately.

“Traveling companions. Is there something you need?” I asked. He didn’t exactly give me the best of impressions, so I was wondering what he was doing here.

“Yes, to eat,” he said with a laugh. “And also to give you this.”

He took out ten silvers from a pouch and put them on the table.

“Sorry for the attitude this morning. I was a bit too hasty to judge, and I thought you were someone who let their talent get to their head. I was like that when I was younger,” he explained as he gave an embarrassed laugh.

“No problem, it can happen,” I said, taking the coins. “I’m surprised you came to apologize, though. I gave you quite the trashing there.”

By hand and mouth. It’s hard to shrug it off so easily.

“Ah, yes, it’s not the first time I met someone more talented than me. It took a moment to get my bearings, but I’m fine,” he said confidently.

It wasn’t my point but if you’re fine then good, I suppose, I thought while I took a sip of my beer.

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“Speaking of talent, how old are you?” he asked.

“Twenty-three,” I answered. “You?”

“Thirty-six. Damn, life’s so unfair. What did you do to get so strong? Kill a dragon?” he asked.

“Other than being amazing? I trained and fought a lot,” I answered curtly.

I still didn’t get why he was here, but since he didn’t come to cause trouble, I didn’t mind having someone to have a casual chat with, so I was waiting until he finished his lunch before going.

“I want to ask you something,” he said after he drank the last of his beer. “You seem to enjoy fighting, right?”

“Well, yes,” I said, not sure of what he wanted.

“And danger doesn’t seem to scare you too much, correct?”

“More or less…” I said vaguely. “Can you tell me what you’re talking about now, or are we going around in circles forever?”

“I’ll get to it, so, what do you think about… people trying to kill you and the other way around?”

I thought about it for a moment.

“I had to do it in the past, but nothing illegal,” I said warily. These questions were not something you asked casually in your first meeting.

“Very well… let’s say, hypothetically speaking, that there’s a place that lets you fight other people for money. One where there’s actual danger of dying. Would you participate?”

I looked at him for a moment.

“You’re not telling me to become a gladiator, right?” I asked.

“No, no. I’m talking about a place where you’ll sign in for a fight and go away with the winnings at the end. No contracts, no troubles,” he said as if it was the best place in the world.

I’m sure some would believe him.

“And not so legal,” I said, clarifying what he wasn’t saying. “Let’s say this 'hypothetical' place is good to get money from fighting. What is the risk of getting caught?“

“No risk. Or, at least, close to zero,” he said.

I thought about it for a moment. It would be nice to have a place where I could make some money with my current abilities, but I also needed to know the risks.

I have some responsibility towards her, after all, I thought as my gaze landed on Freya.

I also didn’t want to throw my life away meaninglessly.

“Don’t worry, it’s really not that dangerous. Just a bit risky, and with your abilities there wouldn’t be any problem,” he said.

“And why would you talk to me about this?” I asked.

“You see, if this hypothetical thing was true, I may, or may not, have lost some money. Like, a bit too much. So maybe I’d need some way to get it back before my wife notices,” he said, with his eyes darting around. “Hypothetically speaking, yes. So, having someone to bet on that I’m sure will win, and with low odds, would be nice.”

A gambling addict? I thought as I remembered how readily he accepted my bet. “Maybe you should hold back from gambling, dude.”

“Hey, you bet too on our fight before! Besides, sometimes losses are unavoidable,” he said defensively.

He wasn’t the type to listen, it seems; not that I cared.

“Whatever. I’m not against it, but I’d have to see this hypothetical place before I decide,” I told him. I needed to see things with my eyes to judge. He may be trying to downplay the danger to get money.

“Wonderful!” he exclaimed. “I can bring you there tonight if you want.”

He’s really in a hurry. I wonder how much he lost.

“Fine, I’ll come to take a look tonight at this hypothetical place,” I said, rolling my eyes.

We then agreed on the time and place to meet before we separated.

Going back to the gym, I found out that I had another fight in the afternoon, and one in the evening. The last one was particularly full of spectators. People got curious after hearing the rumors it seems, so they came to watch.

My opponents weren’t even as good as Larin, so I was a bit disappointed. After seeing their Skills and how they used them, I concluded that they just weren’t specialized in human versus human combat.

It was still useful, but not as much as I hoped.

Talking with Larin during lunch I found out he worked at a party, so while he led me to the place he was talking about, I asked him if we could organize something like that.

He told me he’d have to ask the others, so we left it at that.

The underground arena he took me to was, literally, underground. The entrance we went to was in the back of a house, surveilled by a few people.

“Are there a lot of Earth Mages around here?” I asked as I looked at the massive space. I was starting to wonder if every house had some hidden hole connecting to a room inside the hill.

“No. It’s just that the owners here are rich. I think that nobles are somehow involved in this too. Maybe even the city lord,” he said.

That explains why he was so sure nothing would happen. Though I’m not sure how good of a guess it is. It is surely massive, though.

It reminded me a bit of the arena where I used to fight, though there were differences aside from the closed ceiling.

There were stands up high where we were watching from, and an oval ground filled with rammed earth instead of sand. There were also some glass-covered booths where rich people, or maybe nobles, could watch from without being seen.

Lights filled the ceiling and the temperature was a bit low, though not uncomfortable.

Overall, despite the differences, it reminded me too much of the arena.

I didn’t like it.

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