Rhys lay on the cracked stone for a long moment.
Breathing.
Bleeding.
Alive.
Finally, two healers ran toward him with glowing hands. Rhys weakly swatted at them.
"I'm… fine… I think… maybe…"
He wasn't.
He absolutely wasn't.
But he forced himself to sit up anyway.
Because the announcement echoed across the arena:
[MATCH COMPLETE!]
[Remaining contestants: 6]
[Next rounds: Qualification Matches for Top Ten]
The crowd CHEERED.
Students shouted his name.
Upper-years stared like they had seen a ghost.
Teachers whispered to each other in shock.
And Puddle exploded into a cloud of sparkles.
"MASTER SURVIVED THE BALRON!! MASTER IS NOT PANCAKE!!"
Sophia hugged the little water creature tightly.
"He did amazing."
Lyra nodded once.
"He earned his victory."
Caria looked at her ripped notebooks.
"…My notes didn't survive. Again."
Rhys pushed himself up.
His legs shook.
His ribs were screaming.
Every muscle felt like it had been replaced with burning sand.
