Old Ashvarn – Arena District –

It stood as an ancient architectural masterpiece, a blood-soaked battleground that had witnessed thousands of clashes over the years ...

between humans and beasts alike.

A colossal colosseum, its towering walls forged from obsidian-black stone ...

stones that devoured all light, reflecting nothing, no matter how intense the illumination cast upon them.

This was the arena of Old Ashvarn.

Once, it had hosted Maria’s reckoning trials for the children of the Heart clan.

Now, it had fallen into ruin ...

reduced to a feeding ground for monsters... and a prison for men.

Beneath the arena, within the suffocating depths of its cells,

Ethan spent long hours in captivity, quietly planning his next move ...

all while bound to a wager with a man he knew nothing about.

With no sun, no sky, no sense of time,

day and night became meaningless.

The prisoners slept when they wished,

and woke without reason ..

their only measure of time being survival itself.

Half a day slipped by in the blink of an eye,

bringing with it a suffocating silence—

one that lingered long after Ethan’s reckless bet with the mysterious man.

Many hunters remained imprisoned nearby.

Some chose to align themselves with Ethan’s group,

recognizing them as the third strongest among those present.

Others kept their distance—

unwilling to involve themselves in whatever was about to unfold.

The next day arrived swiftly.

And with it ...

a violent uproar.

Heavy footsteps thundered above their heads,

shaking the very ground beneath the prisoners.

The moment they heard it ...

every hunter understood.

"There’s no doubt about it..." Raiden muttered, tension creeping into his voice.

"There will be matches today."

He exhaled slowly, unease settling deep within him,

his gaze drifting toward Ethan ...

hoping for clarity... for a plan.

But Ethan merely shrugged.

"I’ll figure something out once I’m in the arena."

That careless response left Raiden speechless.

"...Are you even taking this seriously?"

"Relax," Ethan said with a faint smile.

"Just trust me."

Despite his doubts, Raiden nodded.

He trusted Ethan ...

trusted what he was capable of.

So for now...

he chose to watch and wait.

Meanwhile, the noise grew louder by the second,

until preparations for the battles finally began.

From the far end of the corridor,

a procession of masked beasts clad in black entered ... one after another.

Each approached a cell, dragging out prisoners to serve as combatants.

They weren’t particularly powerful,

but their massive physiques made them effective wardens.

And with Ethan and the others’ powers suppressed—

they posed no threat to them.

Ethan stepped out quietly, without resistance,

unlike many hunters who fought back—

only to be brutally beaten into submission.

His crimson gaze swept across the prisoners ahead of him.

Raiden. Chai. Alicia.

All still alive—

and close by.

Relief flickered across his face.

He was about to move forward when—

He froze.

A towering figure passed before him.

The man was enormous—

so tall Ethan had to tilt his head just to see him fully.

’I didn’t even know a human could reach that height...’

The thought struck him instinctively.

The man’s build was monstrous ..

a massive, muscular frame, bare-chested, clad only in torn black trousers.

His skin was pale ... ashen, almost lifeless.

His long, fiery red hair was tied back,

his features sharp...

and his crimson eyes—

half-lidded, like a serpent’s.

It was a presence one could witness only once in a lifetime.

Not even Raiden came close.

The giant turned slowly toward Ethan,

a terrifying smile stretching across his face.

"So there you are, boy..."

"I was wondering what you looked like."

He leaned in slightly—his aura suffocating.

"But now that I see you up close..."

"You’re far too scrawny."

The moment he spoke ...

Ethan understood.

That voice—

It was him.

The same man who had made the wager.

The giant bent forward, drawing closer—

his presence overwhelming.

His sudden stop disrupted the flow of movement,

prompting the beast behind him to strike him repeatedly.

But the creature looked insignificant beside him.

Its blows barely stirred him ...

leaving not even a mark.

For a moment, even the beast seemed uncertain

whether this man’s power was truly sealed.

The giant ignored it entirely.

His attention never left Ethan.

"Pray they don’t match you against me, boy..."

"Or our little bet will end far too soon."

With that, he straightened ...

still smiling ...

and walked forward on his own.

Everyone who saw him was stunned.

By his sheer size—

by his presence—

by his very existence.

"Red hair... crimson eyes... pale skin like ash..." Raiden muttered in disbelief.

"...He’s one of us."

"One of the Heart."

But how?

That was the question echoing in Ethan’s mind.

What was a member of the Heart clan doing in Old Ashvarn ...

a place buried for centuries?

The mystery gnawed at him.

But he had no time to dwell on it.

Soon enough, he was dragged forward—

led out toward the arena.

The moment they emerged ..

Ethan’s eyes widened.

Hundreds of monsters filled the stands,

roaring with excitement ...

their frenzy fueled by a man standing atop a towering platform,

like a twisted announcer presiding over the spectacle.

The prisoners were paraded before them.

A grotesque reversal of roles.

"...It’s like we’re the monsters..." Ethan muttered flatly.

"...and they’re the humans."

Countless types of creatures occupied the stands.

Yet among them—

Ethan saw none of the ones

who had cast the curse upon them.

So, slowly, Ethan closed the distance between himself and Chai, who walked just ahead of him.

"Chai..." he whispered into his ear.

The boy turned immediately, but Ethan stopped him with a subtle gesture, signaling him to keep walking and speak naturally ...

anything to avoid drawing suspicion.

"What is it, big brother?" Chai asked quietly, already prepared to follow whatever instructions came next.

His instincts were right.

That readiness pleased Ethan, making things far easier.

"Listen carefully, Chai. We don’t have time," he said, his voice buried beneath the roar of the crowd.

"I need you to do exactly as I say if your match comes before mine. If you go after me... then forget everything."

"What if they match me against you?" Chai asked, presenting a third possibility.

"That would be even better," Ethan replied without hesitation.

"In that case... the plan will work even more smoothly."

Chai frowned slightly, but said nothing, waiting for the rest.

"Once you step into the arena, the seal on your abilities will be lifted temporarily," Ethan continued.

"I want you to use your Archer Eyes to locate the creatures that cast the curse on us."

Chai nodded slowly, processing every word.

"The masked ones... carrying those sacks, right?"

"Exactly," Ethan confirmed.

"I want as many of them located as possible. Then, before you leave the arena, transmit all their positions to me using your telepathy."

"The more you find... the better. So give it everything you’ve got."

"I will!" Chai answered firmly, without the slightest hesitation.

Ethan nodded in approval, though inwardly, he wasn’t optimistic.

The task was difficult—far more than he let on.

Fighting while tracking targets...

Inside a confined arena...

For an archer like Chai, it was an unfavorable battlefield.

But even so ...

Ethan trusted him.

After all, Chai was one of the few he had seen reach the advanced stages of the game.

Soon, the prisoners were divided.

Matches were assigned.

"Looks like my luck hasn’t run out yet..." Ethan muttered.

Fortunately, Chai’s match was scheduled before his, making the plan viable.

None of them were matched against each other ...

nor against the giant man.

But Alicia...

Her opponent was another hunter.

Which meant—

She might have to kill a human today.