The healing room was filled with the soothing scent of herbs. Golden light from the healing crystals reflected off the white marble walls as the tournament participants lay on specialized beds. Leon sat propped up, waiting for the antidote from the healer. His body still felt heavy, but it was much better than before.
Ding!
〈System: New Passive Skill Acquired!〉
〈"Cursebreaker" – Can neutralize negative effects (poison, curses, hindering magic)〉
Leon frowned. "So I can remove the poison myself?" Without hesitation, he activated the skill.
Whoosh!
Like cool water flowing through his veins, the poison dissolved in an instant. His breathing eased, and his stiff muscles relaxed.
Ding!
〈Level Up!〉
〈55 → 70〉
〈New Skill Acquired: "Singularity Grasp"〉
Leon smirked. "Not bad."
Suddenly, the door opened.
"Still alive, Zero?"
Keen Observer stood at the entrance, holding a small vial of purple liquid in his right hand. "I brought my antidote. Even if you're an enemy, I don't want you dying—it'd be a hassle."
Leon shrugged. "No need. Your poison's already gone."
"...What?" Keen Observer's eyes widened.
"Impossible. That poison takes three days to—"
"What kind of monster are you?" he hissed, his face twisting in disbelief.
Leon chuckled. "I'm not a monster. I'm just strong. Poison like that can't hurt me."
Click.
Keen Observer's grip tightened around the vial. "Are you mocking my skills?" His voice trembled.
Seeing his reaction, Leon sighed. "Just joking. Where I'm from, kids are trained to resist poison from an early age. Nothing special." A lie, but better than revealing the truth.
Keen Observer fell silent for a long moment. Then, abruptly, he bowed deeply.
"I apologize for my behavior in the arena." His voice was rough.
"I underestimated you... and now I know there are stronger people out there."
Leon was surprised but quickly smiled. "I should thank you too. Without that fight, I wouldn't have known techniques as impressive as yours."
He narrowed his eyes. "That mist... was it magic?"
Keen Observer lifted his head. "Not just magic. It's... an assassin's technique."
The air in the room grew heavy.
"I used to be part of a group trained from childhood to kill under the orders of the Sacred Race."
Leon tensed. "Sacred Race? Which one?"
Keen Observer shook his head. "Not here. If you want to know, meet me tomorrow after the match. I'll tell you everything."
"Fine. I know a safe place," Leon replied.
Keen Observer nodded and left.
As soon as he was gone, Leon hurried out. "Kazan needs to hear this."
=== BLUE FLAME TAVERN ===
The moment he stepped inside, the aroma of roasted meat and spices filled Leon's nose. Raina, the small fox-eared slave girl he and Kazan had saved, greeted him with a bright smile.
"Big Brother Zero! You won today, right?"
"How did you know about the arena match, Raina?"
"Everyone's talking about the super-strong guy people either love or hate!"
Leon grinned and ruffled her hair. "Relax, I won. Though I almost lost to poison."
"Is Kazan here?"
Kazan emerged from the kitchen, a towel over his shoulder. "You recovered fast. Your opponent must've been weak."
"Gave me some trouble, but I was holding back," Leon said as he sat down.
Kazan took a seat across from him. "Any info on her?"
"Not yet. But there's something more important." Leon lowered his voice.
"Did you know the Sacred Race has a group of assassins trained from childhood?"
The knife in Kazan's hand stopped mid-slice. "...First I've heard. Who told you?"
"Keen Observer—one of the arena fighters. He was a former member. Tomorrow, he'll explain everything."
Kazan exhaled deeply. "Fine. But be careful—if this involves the Sacred Race, it's dangerous."
Leon nodded. As he stood to leave, his steps were heavy, his mind clouded with thoughts of a conspiracy darker than Keen Observer's poison.
Ding!
〈System: Warning!〉
〈Unknown entity detected observing player.〉
Leon froze. "Someone's watching me?"
He turned, scanning the street—
Nothing suspicious.
But his instincts weren't wrong.
Someone... or something... was watching him.
=== CHAPTER 24 END ===