Rio collapsed beside Bai Chen with a smile.
After the winner was announced, everyone stood up and began cheering.
They weren't cheering only for the victor, but for Bai Chen as well.
The battle, which had lasted for more than an hour, left such a deep impression on the audience that the only thing they could do was keep cheering.
"Kai!!!
Kai!!!
Bai Chen!!!
Bai Chen!!!"
The excitement continued until the healers finally arrived.
After examining them, they realized that neither of them had suffered any serious injuries.
A relatively young doctor with long hair and ordinary clothes, who was checking their condition, spoke to his assistant, who was holding the healing equipment.
"These two never intended to seriously injure each other from the very beginning.
They were only trying to knock each other unconscious."
In a battle that could have even determined their future, they fought in a way that allowed them to enjoy it.
They showed no mercy toward each other, yet they never tried to deal serious damage.
The doctor and his assistant were genuinely surprised by this and continued the treatment.
First, they used healing techniques to treat their wounds, and once they were done, they gave them several pills to help them regain their strength.
Rio was the first to stand up.
He sat upright, and after a few moments, Bai Chen also stood.
"That was one hell of a fight."
Bai Chen said with a laugh.
Rio finally felt happy.
It wasn't because of the victory.
It was the sense of friendship that had slowly formed between him and Bai Chen.
Rio smiled and said,
"Yeah."
"Well then, we should probably leave the arena."
Rio said this and stood up.
Bai Chen tried to stand as well, but his strength still hadn't fully returned.
Rio helped him up, and the two of them left the arena.
The next match began shortly after, but because Rio and Bai Chen were both exhausted, they couldn't stay to watch it.
After parting ways and returning to their rooms, they headed to their private baths.
After washing the blood off their bodies, they finally relaxed.
Rio came out of the bath, and since he was extremely tired, he wanted to rest.
In the corner of the room, he spotted a bed.
It was an old wooden bed, as if it had been placed there long ago and hadn't been used in a long time.
After wiping the dust off the bed, Rio lay down and quickly fell asleep.
He had slept in places like this before, so falling asleep wasn't difficult for him.
After some time, a loud knocking echoed through the room.
"Kai, hurry up!
The interesting matches are about to start!"
Bai Chen shouted while continuing to knock on the door.
Rio got up and opened the door with a sleepy expression.
"Come on, Bai Chen.
You fought just a few minutes ago.
Go get some rest."
Bai Chen replied loudly,
"What do you mean a few minutes?
I've rested for more than three hours!"
Rio said with a surprised look,
"So I slept for more than three hours?"
"Yeah.
Let's go.
The matches are about to begin."
They went to the seating area reserved for spectators and fighters.
It was a section where only fighters were allowed to watch the other matches.
Only three matches remained.
The first was between an elf girl and a simple magician.
The elf girl had golden hair, green eyes, and pale skin.
She held a bow that was slightly larger than normal.
The arrow in her hand was covered in engraved symbols.
On the other side, the magician looked like an ordinary human.
He wore simple clothes, had brown hair, and slightly tanned skin.
He seemed afraid of the elf, and his hands were trembling.
Three.
Two.
One.
"Start!"
As soon as the match began, the magician hurriedly began firing magic bullets.
He had no aim and no focus, simply launching them toward the elf's position.
In the blink of an eye, the elf disappeared.
She reappeared at the edge of the arena and fired an arrow.
It struck the magician's leg directly, knocking him to the ground.
Without hesitation, the magician surrendered.
The match ended in just a few seconds.
It was a decisive victory, and the elf headed toward the exit.
The next match was between a vampire and a swordsman.
The fighters entered the arena.
Klein stepped onto the field without showing any emotion.
His opponent, however, clearly looked frightened.
Rio was genuinely confused by their fear.
He asked Bai Chen why they were so scared.
Bai Chen replied,
"They're from three races that consider themselves strong.
In the previous match, they completely crushed their opponents.
That's why the others are afraid."
The match began.
Without hesitation, Klein rushed forward and cut off his opponent's arm with a single motion.
"AAAAAAH!"
Blood sprayed into the air.
The swordsman's severed arm fell to the ground along with his sword.
The match ended just like that.
Seeing this, Rio felt irritated.
Your opponent is clearly terrified, yet you attack with such brutality and cut off his arm?
Without saying a word or showing any reaction, Klein left the arena, as if he had known the outcome from the very beginning.
The final match was next.
The dragon.
The strongest among them.
First, his opponent entered.
He was a second-rank martial artist.
Unlike the previous two, he wasn't afraid.
He was calm.
Then it was the dragon's turn.
Kalian, a dragon in human form.
He had red hair, a wild appearance, and a tall build.
The moment he entered, an overwhelming aura spread out, making everyone's hair stand on end.
Dragons could be considered the most powerful beings on the continent.
Or rather, they used to be.
After the rise of the first humans, humans became the strongest.
They managed to defeat the dragons.
Of course, not all humans.
Only those who reached the peak of martial arts or magic were capable of such a feat.
Both fighters stepped into the arena and took their positions.
Three.
Two.
One.
"Start!!"
The martial artist rushed toward the dragon, intending to end the fight with his very first move.
He gathered all of his energy into his fist and charged forward.
"I'll end this with one blow!"
"AAAAAA!"
The energy around his fist shifted from blue to deep blue, wild like a raging ocean.
He aimed directly for Kalian's face.
When the punch connected, a wave of energy burst outward.
For a few seconds, no one could see anything.
When the martial artist tried to pull his fist back, he realized he couldn't.
No matter how hard he struggled, it wouldn't move.
At the very last moment, he realized it.
Kalian had caught his fist.
The martial artist was stunned.
How could he stop it so easily?
"That's not how you throw a punch.
Let me show you how it's done."
Kalian raised his fist and struck.
The blow sent his opponent flying.
He lost consciousness midair and slammed straight into the arena wall.
The impact was so violent that it shook the entire building and the arena itself.
"The winner is Kalian!"
After the match ended, Kalian turned and headed toward the exit.
Rio was watching him when, suddenly, Kalian glanced back at him.
It was only a brief look.
Then he was gone.
The matches ended, and Rio and Bai Chen left the arena.
After walking together for a while, Bai Chen finally said his goodbye, and Rio headed back toward his room.
He was originally planning to return to the hotel, but along the way, he spotted the library again.
"Well, I guess I should go to the library first."
He entered and exchanged greetings with the old man inside.
"You came early today.
Looks like you have time to read properly."
Rio replied,
"Haha, yeah.
I feel pretty relaxed today."
He headed toward the books, wanting to learn more about magic.
End of Chapter 30