"Damn it... that hurts!"
"So it's not over yet, huh?"
"This is hell."
When I woke up, I wasn't in my cramped cell anymore. I was lying on something that looked like a bed or a bench. Actually, that previous room wasn't my cell either, but I'd grown attached to it. The setup of this new room was a little strange. It wasn't as rundown as my old cell, nor was it like the combat arena. The ceiling was incredibly high, resembling an ancient palace, but it felt more like an operating room. Why was this entire place so dark? Does the sun never rise here? If only there was more light, I could see the whole room.
"I'm topless... and there's a huge scar right in the middle of my chest."
My chest wound had closed up, but my arm was still missing. How am I supposed to fight in the next battles with a severed arm? What surprised me was the four figures in black robes standing on either side of me. And just as I suspected, they were all identical. They weren't human. Puppets? Robots? I don't know, but they definitely weren't human. Was there no one else here besides them?
As far as I could see, there was a large bath tub not far from me. The water in it was red and bubbling. They wouldn't put me in there, would they? And was any of this even real? After talking to that demon, I'd learned a lot. This room must be the healing place he mentioned. Why didn't they heal me after the first battle? Why now? And who was the demon, him or me? Was I even the one stabbing myself with the sword?
If I hadn't made quick decisions, my head would probably be separated from my body by now. I was no match for that demon. Were there people who could even send a creature like that demon to a healing place like this? On the bright side, the guy I fought, the demon, was dead. On the downside, I had no idea what kind of creatures I'd have to face next. And what were these guys? How did I end up in this hellish place? Who was controlling them from behind the scenes? The more I thought, the more I learned, the more confusing it became. Ugh, I can't stop, but I'm really tired. I've lost an arm. I don't want to stab myself anymore. I want to go home. I want to see them.
"I am only 22 years old. I need to earn a lot of money and make sure Mom and my sister can live comfortably. Are my dreams even real, or are these guys fabricating everything? Am I even still myself? I think ever since I killed that first person, I stopped being me. If it were truly me, I would have pulled the dagger out the moment I heard he had a daughter."
"No... just kill me."
"Huh... what's happening to me?"
"Who am I? Who's waiting for me? Is there even a home for me to return to?"
"Shit... what's going on?"
"Why am I so demoralized?"
"Arghhhhh!"
I stabbed myself in the chest again. Even though the wound had closed, the scars were still there. That's when I regained my senses. But was it too late? One of the four figures dragged me away by my leg. At least they weren't pulling my hair anymore.
"Don't! I choose to reattach my arm!"
"Hey! Can you hear me? Reattach my arm!"
"I know someone's controlling you! If you kill me, I'll kill all of you back!"
I was speaking with my own will now, and I knew that if they truly wanted to kill me, I'd be helpless. But I truly didn't want to die yet. I didn't know why I suddenly felt like giving up earlier. But unfortunately, they threw me into the bubbling red liquid I had seen earlier.
I expected it to be scorching hot, but it felt surprisingly good. I could feel my strength gradually returning. Eating food healed me, and soaking in this tub also healed me. Where exactly was I? Was this a simulation or reality? Luckily, they didn't seem to want to kill me. So if I didn't choose, they would just pick the first option themselves, huh? What was their objective? Were they just watching us kill each other? How many more people would I have to kill? Whatever, I'll survive to the end, and then I'll go home. Who dares to stop me?
Why did I get so demoralized earlier? Was it because of the fight with the demon? Even after fighting that other guy, I only felt sadness. And what was that "shadow" that demon mentioned? Where did it put it? Anyway, I'm still alive.
Now that my physical strength will increase after soaking in here, I need to focus on Explosion Skill when I get back to my room. It's the most useful for me right now. I can evade, and I can attack. Does it only explode on the feet, or can it be used on hands and head too? And I need to keep practicing controlling the dagger. After tonight, I want to extend my control range to about five meters. I don't know how to train Unstoppable Mental Power. Even if I don't understand, I'll keep studying the book. And is the demon's sword I took still with me? Alright, for now, I'll rest. I'll get up when they wake me.
"Squeak... Clang..."
I don't know how much time has passed. That's another bad thing, I have no sense of time here. The surroundings are always dark, and only the combat arena has a little light. I was just lost in thought when one of them came and pulled me up by my hair. Wait... there aren't four of them anymore, only two. And wasn't I soaking in that tub? Now I'm back in my room. And these two aren't like the four from before. Those guys pulled my leg, these guys pull my hair. God damn it... So I was asleep the whole time? The sons of bitches didn't wake me up! Aren't they going to feed me anymore?
Damn it... The demon's sword is in my hand. I must have fainted holding the sword. Yeah... So I wasn't in that other room after all. My chest wounds have healed though. What is all this? Can I even control that sword? I'm overthinking it. As soon as I realized I had to fight, I tucked the dagger into my waist and held the long sword with my one remaining hand.
"I'll have to test if I can control it on the way."
"Don't pull my hair... I'll come on my own."