[Preparing for a New Birth]

I found myself in the void between dream and reality. I could hear my breath dying away, whilst hazy images floated in the space before me, like tiny stars suspended in the sky that I could not reach.

Although they were far away, I felt that if I tried to reach out and catch them, I could.

In truth, even if I’d wanted to, I couldn’t. Something was holding me back, even warning me not to go near them.

So I remained floating in the void, feeling my body gradually return to normal.

I could even feel the fingers of my right hand. In fact, it wasn’t the only thing I could feel; even my left hand, which had previously been severed, felt as though it were forming anew. Indeed, my entire body was returning to normal.

But suddenly the void around me shook, and I felt something pulling my body with great force.

As my body was sucked towards the unknown, it collided with what was likely a shiny object, and in the next moment I fell hard onto the back of my head.

At that moment, I felt a very slight pain.

Even so, it didn’t seem as though I’d be emerging from this void any time soon. It felt as though it would go on forever, and that made me reflect on everything that had happened...

Am I really still alive? 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Of course I am; otherwise, how could I feel my body like this?

Damn you, author, and damn me, and damn everyone.

To be honest, I was cursing everyone without exception, even though I knew full well that what had happened was entirely my fault.

If my self-confidence hadn’t been so high, I’d be asleep in my room right now, waiting to go on the trip tomorrow.

Isn’t that what they always say? Don’t let greed get the better of you, or it will lead to your downfall.

In reality, I wasn’t arrogant or greedy. I just expected things to go as I’d planned.

It’s true my plan wasn’t perfect, but who could have imagined what happened?

I mean, this wasn’t even an event that was supposed to happen within the game.

So how did it happen? And who on earth were those people? Were they from the Etran Organisation?

Hmm... I don’t think so.

What on earth would they gain from attacking an illegal place like this? It would make more sense if they were affiliated with one of the Empires, but if that were the case, why were they hiding their faces like that?

And if it wasn’t them, then who was it?

Damn... damn...

I can’t even begin to imagine who would attack a fighting arena in the first place.

Unless some rich bloke lost a huge sum on the bets and wanted revenge.

To be honest, even I might have done the same if I’d lost a lot of money...

"Oh"

Suddenly, the void around me shook once more.

The next moment, a sharp pain shot through my limbs.

It was an excruciating pain, beyond description. Fortunately, it lasted only a few seconds, because if it had gone on any longer, I would have lost my mind.

I noticed that the void was gradually beginning to crack, as if I were about to return to reality, and suddenly I was engulfed by a blinding light, whilst I caught a glimpse of a strange creature for a moment.

I felt as though I recognised it.

Yet I couldn’t place it.

And before I could think any further, the void around me vanished completely...

...

...

...

"Sir, where are we going?"

Mike asked, dripping with sweat, as he looked as though he’d been walking non-stop for ages.

In fact, no one would have blamed him if he’d known just how far he’d come.

And although the distance itself wasn’t the real problem, it was the route he’d taken that had made him sweat so profusely.

He was currently walking through a narrow trench barely wide enough for one person, and every so often he had to stop and change direction again, as if he were stuck in an endless maze.

It was also extremely hot. Mike wasn’t sure whether it was because they were deep underground, or whether his master had deliberately made the passage like that.

Mike preferred the latter possibility.

And why?

Because he was wearing an extremely tight-fitting suit that clearly highlighted the contours of his body; it was probably protecting him from the intense heat here, and, luckily for him, there was no one there to see him, otherwise he would have frozen to the spot out of sheer embarrassment.

The suit he was wearing was made of a dark black material with a subtle sheen, clinging so tightly to his body that it looked as if it had been painted directly onto him.

It clearly highlighted the contours of his muscles, from his arms and shoulders right down to his legs, leaving little to the imagination.

What bothered Mike most was not the tightness of the suit itself, but the fact that it revealed almost every movement his body made.

And with the stifling heat inside the tunnel, he began to feel as though he were walking around naked rather than actually wearing clothes.

That was why he avoided looking at himself whenever his shadow was reflected on the metal walls around him, whilst silently hoping he wouldn’t meet anyone else before this nightmare was over.

Fortunately for Mike, as if the world had answered his prayers, they finally stopped in front of a giant circular door, which looked as though it had been built to protect something extremely precious lying behind it.

However, his master took another turn and changed direction completely.

Mike didn’t ask why, as he knew his master preferred to hide his true treasures in the least well-defended places, where no one would expect to find them.

Mike could see his master feeling the nearby wall with his hand, so he looked away.

It was only a matter of moments before he heard the sound of heavy metal rising slowly.

He turned towards the passage that had opened up before them, then followed his master in silence.

With every step he took into the new passage, the glimmer seeping from the depths grew clearer.

And when he finally reached the end, the happiest smile he had ever seen appeared on his face.

And how could he not?

For before his eyes lay the wealth that he and his master had amassed over the years; it was still there, not buried beneath the rubble along with the fighting arena, and it had not been lost.

As he gazed at it with joy, he suddenly heard a faint sound.

He felt a moment’s panic, then hurried after his master until they reached the source of the sound.

And there... his blood ran cold.

For heaven’s sake, how could he not react when he saw what was happening before him?

A figure so disfigured that at first glance it did not appear human.

But as the seconds passed, his body was gradually regenerating.

As if he were being reborn.