I stood in the middle of the large arena, and the blood just kept coming out of the open wound where my left arm used to be attached. The fierce battle against Nahtriat was completely finished, and his body had exploded into pieces, but the physical damage done to my own body was still very real and dangerous. I still kept bleeding quite heavily from my shoulder. I took a deep breath and tried to use my remaining right hand to squeeze the top of my left shoulder, hoping to stop the heavy flow of dark red fluid. It did not work very well, and the warm blood kept leaking through my fingers, dripping rapidly onto the loose golden sand below my boots. My vision began to blur slightly, and my head felt heavy from the sudden loss of blood. The loud cheering of the massive crowd in the stadium started to sound like a distant hum as I struggled to keep my balance and stay standing upright on the floor.
Then, without any warning, everything changed in a single fraction of a second. Celdrich suddenly teleported me to them. There was no bright flash of light that hurt my eyes, and there was no long delay or walking through the stone hallways. One single moment I was looking at the empty space where my opponent had just died, and the very next moment, the air around my body shifted violently with a quiet snapping sound. My surroundings changed completely, and I found myself standing right in front of my close friends in a private, quiet resting room located deep inside the building. The sudden change of position made my legs shake for a brief moment, but I managed to hold myself up without falling to the floor.
Elphyete and Salphy were standing right there, staring at me with wide, worried eyes. The moment they saw the heavy stream of blood soaking through my torn clothes, Elphyete did not waste a single second asking questions about the fight or talking about what had just happened in the arena. She looked directly at the empty, raw space on the left side of my torso and stepped forward immediately to help me. She raised both of her hands and Elphyete used her Creation magic to create a new arm for me.
A soft, clean white light began to glow around her palms as she focused her mind on my shoulder. She placed her glowing hands just an inch away from my bleeding flesh. The very moment her Creation magic touched the open wound, the heavy flow of blood stopped completely, freezing in place as if the injury had been sealed shut by an invisible wall. I watched with open eyes as the magical light began to build a brand new limb out of absolutely nothing. First, strong white bones grew outward from my shoulder socket, forming the frame of an arm. Then, thin red veins, layers of solid muscles, and clear skin began to wrap tightly around the bone structure, moving down rapidly until a full hand and fingers were formed. The entire process did not cause me any pain at all. Instead, it felt like a warm, incredibly soothing wave of energy washing over the left side of my body, removing all the remaining soreness and exhaustion from the wound.
Within just a few short moments, the bright white light faded away completely, and a whole new left arm was attached perfectly to my shoulder. I raised the new limb up in front of my face to look at it closely under the room lamps. I wiggled all five of my fingers, bent my elbow back and forth, and clenched my hand into a tight fist several times to test its strength. It felt like the same as my old arm. There was absolutely no difference in the weight, the texture of the skin, or the amount of physical power I could use. Every single movement felt completely natural and smooth, as if the arm had never been sliced off by a long knife in the first place. I looked at Elphyete and gave her a nod of appreciation for saving me from the injury.
Right after my arm was completely healed and fixed, the loud, booming voice of the arena announcer cut through the quiet air of the resting room, coming out of the large iron speakers mounted on the wall. The announcer said that we'll have 1 hour to get ready. The announcement echoed clearly through the room, letting everyone know that the next round of the tournament would not begin immediately. This gave us a solid, valuable block of time to leave the stressful environment, recover our energy, and relax after the intense and violent match we had just gone through.
Salphy looked up at me, her eyes completely bright with a sense of relief now that she could see my new left arm was completely fine and working normally. She ran over to me and grabbed my right hand with her small fingers, a very large smile spreading across her face. "Daddy, let's go get something to eat right now! You must be really hungry after fighting that scary person," she said, her voice full of pure excitement and happiness.
Elphyete nodded her head in complete agreement, looking much more relaxed now that the immediate danger to my life was gone. "Yes, we should definitely leave this crowded area for a little while," she said in a calm voice. "I know a very good place nearby where we can sit down, get away from all the loud noises of the stadium, and enjoy a proper meal together before you have to fight again."
We decided to use our free time to leave the main stadium building behind. Elphyete led our small group through a series of quiet, dark side streets and narrow, hidden alleys that were located just outside the main arena grounds. The paths were mostly empty, away from the massive crowds of spectators who were still talking about the previous match. After walking for a few minutes through the turns of the alleyways, we arrived at a nearby illegal restaurant that was tucked away safely from the main roads. The restaurant was hidden behind a large, heavy wooden door that had absolutely no signs or labels on the outside. To any regular person walking past, it looked like nothing more than an old, empty storage building.
When we pushed the heavy door open and stepped inside, the atmosphere was completely different from the busy and loud stadium. The room was small, cozy, and softly lit by a few simple lamps hanging down from the wooden ceiling. There were only a few dark tables and chairs placed across the floor, and the entire space smelled incredibly good, filled with the rich scent of deep spices and freshly cooked meat. This nearby illegal restaurant was known among a select few people for selling rare food that you could not find anywhere else in the city, operating completely outside the normal rules.
We walked over to a quiet, empty table located in the back corner of the room, away from the entrance, and sat down on the wooden chairs. A quiet worker walked over to us immediately and handed over a simple menu that listed all the rare ingredients and special dishes they had available for the day. Now that the intense fight was completely over and my body was fully healed by the magic, I could feel a massive wave of hunger hitting my stomach. We decided to order a large variety of the rare food items from the menu, wanting to enjoy our one hour of break time as much as possible.
Within a very short time, the worker returned to our table carrying several large, heavy plates filled with hot, steaming food. The dishes looked and smelled completely unique, unlike anything sold in the regular markets. One large plate held thick, juicy slices of meat from a rare mountain creature, cooked perfectly until it was incredibly soft and tender, covered in a sweet, dark sauce made from rare jungle berries. Another wide bowl contained glowing blue grains of rice that had been steamed with special herbs, giving off a very pleasant and refreshing scent that filled the air around our table. There were also plates of crispy, golden vegetables that only grew in deep, dark underground caves, and tall glasses filled with a cold, sweet juice squeezed from rare desert fruits.
Salphy's eyes went completely wide with absolute excitement when she saw the massive feast laid out right in front of us. She did not hesitate for a single second. She immediately picked up a small spoon and started tasting the different rare dishes, making happy sounds as she chewed the food. "Wow, this tastes so good, Daddy! You really have to try this one right now!" she said, laughing happily as she pointed her spoon at the glowing blue rice. She took a very big scoop of the blue grains and carefully held it out toward my mouth, wanting to feed me herself to make sure I ate enough. I leaned forward with a smile and took the food from her spoon, enjoying how happy and playful she was being. The rice tasted incredibly light and sweet, instantly making me feel a burst of fresh physical energy inside my body.
Elphyete watched the two of us with a soft, warm smile on her face, completely enjoying the peaceful moment. She picked up her own fork and began to eat some of the rare cave vegetables, nodding her head in complete satisfaction with the quality of the cooking. "The flavor here is actually very good," she said, her voice calm and happy as she took another bite. "It is definitely worth coming to a secret place like this during a short break. It helps clear the mind and lets us relax before the next round begins."
For the next forty minutes, the three of us simply focused all of our attention on the break and having a great time together. We completely forgot about the dark arena, the loud crowd, and the violent matches happening back at the stadium. Salphy kept trying out different combinations of the rare meats and the cold juices, giggling loudly every single time a new or surprising flavor touched her tongue. She was having so much fun that she even picked up a small, tender piece of the mountain meat and tried to balance it carefully on top of Elphyete's fork when Elphyete was looking away, which made Elphyete laugh out loud when she finally noticed the little trick.
Salphy then turned her attention back to me, using her hands to make funny faces to try and make me laugh while I was chewing my food. She puffed out her cheeks and opened her eyes wide, pretending to look completely serious, which made both Elphyete and me burst into laughter at the table. Elphyete joined in on the fun by using her fingers to gently tickle Salphy's sides, causing the little girl to twist around in her chair and squeal with pure joy. The entire corner of the illegal restaurant was filled with the sound of our shared laughter, creating a warm and safe environment that was a complete contrast to the dangerous fighting pit we had left behind just a little while ago.
I sat right between them at the table, using my newly created left arm to lift my heavy glass of desert fruit juice and pick up pieces of the cooked food. Every single time I moved my fingers or gripped the handle of my cup, I felt a deep sense of relief and satisfaction. The new arm worked absolutely perfectly, responding to my mental commands without a single second of delay or any strange physical stiffness. Watching Salphy laugh and play around the table made all the remaining stress, physical pain, and mental exhaustion from the previous match completely disappear from my mind. The dark stadium felt like it was miles away while we were sitting together in this quiet, hidden room, enjoying the rare food and each other's wonderful company.
Elphyete picked up the large pitcher and poured some more of the cold, sweet desert fruit juice into my empty glass, looking at me with a very friendly and supportive expression. "Make sure you drink plenty of this juice," she said gently, sliding the glass closer to my hand. "The rare fruits used to make it are known for helping people recover their full physical strength much faster. You need to be at your absolute best before the one hour ends." I thanked her genuinely and took a long, deep sip of the cold drink, feeling the refreshing liquid cool down my throat and settle comfortably in my stomach, making me feel even stronger than before.
After eating a large amount of the delicious food, Salphy leaned her head gently against my right shoulder, her stomach completely full from the massive feast we had ordered. She looked up into my face with a very satisfied and peaceful expression, her small hands resting quietly on her lap. "I am so glad your arm is completely fixed and better, Daddy. You looked so incredibly cool and strong when you won the match," she whispered softly, her voice full of pride, love, and absolute happiness. I reached over carefully with my brand new left hand and gently patted the top of her head, enjoying the soft texture of her hair under my palm and feeling glad that I was able to win the fight for her.
We stayed sitting at the wooden table for the remaining minutes of our one-hour break, talking simply about the unique and strange flavors of the rare food dishes we had tried and enjoying the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of the hidden restaurant. The simple and relaxed moments spent laughing and playing with Salphy and Elphyete were exactly what I needed to clear my mind and rest my muscles after such a difficult challenge. We kept eating and sharing stories until every single plate on our table was completely clean, leaving nothing behind but empty bowls, clean forks, and empty juice glasses.
As the minutes ticked closer to the very end of the sixty-minute break, the relaxed and playful feeling in the small room slowly began to shift back into a sense of quiet readiness. We all knew deep down that our free time was almost over and that we would have to walk back to the massive stadium very soon for the next part of the tournament. I took one final deep breath, stood up from my wooden chair, and stretched both of my arms out wide to make sure my body was fully ready for action. My new left arm responded beautifully, feeling strong and completely full of life. My stomach was totally satisfied from the rare, nourishing food, and my mind was completely focused and calm. With Salphy and Elphyete standing right next to me, happy, smiling, and safe, I felt entirely ready to face the boss back inside the arena. If I were got chosen,