Ragnarok: Alpha and Omega-Chapter 18 - 17: Recovery

At the medic station, Rankers with healing abilities placed their hands on me, and a golden glow spread across my body. A soothing warmth washed over me, easing the pain and fatigue, but it wasn't instant. It took nearly an hour for me to fully recover.

When I finally sat up, one of the healers whistled in surprise. That's impressive. With the kind of beating you took, most people would take days—maybe even weeks to recover.

Jason smirked. That just proves he's special.

Once we were left alone, free to leave whenever we wanted, I turned to Jason.

"Why did you almost quit?" I asked.

Jason hesitated, his jaw tightening. "I don't know," he admitted. I saw him beating you up, and... I didn't want him to hurt you even more.

I softened my expression and gave him a reassuring nod. "I know you meant well, but don't give up next time." Then I grinned. "By the way, what was that power? That was incredible! You have weapon mastery, but you usually suck at actually making weapons. But during that moment, you were unstoppable—like some kind of god. You even kept up with that guy's time-slowing ability. That means... you're something else entirely."

Jason scratched his head, frowning. I don't even know myself. I don't feel like I could do it again. But in that moment, all I could think was, Is this really the kind of god you want to be? Pathetic. And then... it was like I let my ego take over.

He paused, staring at his hands. "But now that I think about it... it didn't even feel like my power. It felt like something else guiding me." His voice dropped to a whisper. "And that's what's bothering me."

Before I could say anything, the axe wielder suddenly walked in.

"Hey, guys. How are you doing?"

Both Jason and I instinctively tensed, ready to fight again, but he quickly raised his hands. "Relax, I'm not here to fight. I just wanted to say... sorry. For how I treated you both."

We exchanged a glance, a little surprised.

The axe wielder shifted on his feet, rubbing the back of his neck. His usual confidence seemed absent. Look, I'm not great at this kind of thing, but... I was out of line. It's just a habit of mine. Anytime I'm in a battle, I sometimes take it too far. When I was young, I was trained to treat every fight as if my life depended on it.

Hearing his side of things, it actually made sense. The world was dangerous, and some people naturally approached every fight like a battlefield. It reminded me of when a rogue Ranker once destroyed our orphanage, forcing us to relocate for a while. So, in a way, I understood him.

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Jason and I both nodded. "Don't worry about it," I said. "At least nothing went too wrong."

Jason added, "And sorry for taking it too far, too."

The axe wielder shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. If not for that blast, I probably wouldn't have calmed down."

Then, curiosity got the best of me. "What about the other guy?"

Huh? Oh, you mean the weird one? He chuckled. Yeah, he's still recovering. They said he'll be fine in two days.

His expression shifted slightly, though, and he hesitated before adding, "Though... something about him didn't seem right. Even when he was unconscious, it felt like... he was aware of us."

A strange chill ran down my spine, but I pushed the feeling aside. "Well, at least we don't have any opponents until then," the axe wielder muttered.

We chatted a bit more before the axe wielder left. After a few more laughs and stories, he gave us a nod and walked out, leaving us with a lot to think about.

After a while, we decided to head home. I had wanted to stay and watch the other fighters, but exhaustion was creeping in, so I agreed to leave.

As we stepped out of the medic station, we spotted David and the guy he had hired. They were checking each room as if searching for us. When David finally saw us, he smirked.

Oh? You guys are pretty interesting, he said. At least you didn't lose. It would've been a shame if I couldn't be the one to beat you myself. Don't forget—the only way you'll lose is by my hand.

Then, without waiting for a response, he stormed off.

By now, I was already too tired to even think about him. Why does he even see us as enemies in the first place? Sometimes, it almost feels like he acts like a tsundere.

We went straight to the apartment, and the moment I saw the bed, I couldn't have been happier. As soon as I lay down, exhaustion took over, and I was out in an instant, knowing our next match was in two days.

Jason, on the other hand, stepped out. I wasn't sure where he went or what he was up to, but I really hoped he was getting food.

The night passed without issue—until I woke up to someone knocking at the door. Not Jason. The knocks were slow, deliberate. Whoever it was, they weren't in a hurry.

I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "Jason?" I called out, but there was no response.

Another knock.

And then a voice—one I didn't recognize.

Open up. We need to talk.