"Jin!" Will shouted with joy.
"Damn it!" The man holding the large hammer glared angrily at Jin, lifting his weapon over his head, preparing to smash it down onto Will, who lay helpless on the ground.
"Die!" With a furious yell, he swung the massive hammer toward Will's head. Instinctively, Will raised his hands to protect his skull, bracing for the impending impact, too terrified to imagine the horrors that might follow.
"Whoa!" The audience in the stands gasped in unison.
"Croak, croak, croak." Slowly, Will removed his hands, and to his astonishment, he saw the hammer lying on the ground—its wielder nowhere to be found. In his place, a small frog was hopping aimlessly around Will. Will remained silent, staring blankly at his companions, who seemed equally taken aback. He noticed Lisa reaching out her hand toward him.
"Who... who are you people?" The last of the Cutters, now backed into a corner, stared at Lisa and Jin in terror, his voice quivering.
"Well, you've backed yourself into a corner," Jin said, stepping toward the frightened man.
"Tch!" The Cutter scoffed in defiance.
"Will, come here," Lisa called, turning to the slowly rising Will. Will placed his hand on the spot where he had been struck and walked cautiously toward Lisa.
"Will, it's up to you to deal with him," Jin said.
"Me?" Will asked in surprise.
"Of course. It's your decision how to handle him," Jin explained.
"Old man, I'm sorry, I surrender! Please spare my life!" The Cutter suddenly dropped to his knees, begging and knocking his head against the ground.
"This..." Will looked unsure, taken aback by the sudden change in the Cutter's demeanor.
"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!" Just as Will hesitated, the crowd erupted in a chorus of bloodthirsty chants, shouting for death.
"I think he's surrendered. How about... we let him go?" Will said, glancing at Jin and Lisa.
"Well... fine, since you've made up your mind," Lisa replied.
"However, that weapon he's holding is still dangerous," Lisa said, pointing to the sharp gauntlet on his right hand.
"Oh... oh, I understand, I understand. I'll get rid of it right away." The Cutter quickly removed the gauntlet and tossed it in front of Lisa.
"Don't you need it?" Jin asked, picking up the gauntlet from the ground.
"No," Lisa replied.
"Thank you. Well, since our kind-hearted friend has decided to spare you, it's time for us to leave. Or rather, perhaps we shouldn't even say goodbye," Jin said with a shrug and turned, heading toward the exit. Will and Lisa followed closely behind.
The crowd responded with boos, their discontent palpable.
"No! There's no surrender in the Bone Crusher Arena!" The malicious voice of the dwarf echoed once again through the arena, as he yelled in fury.
"He must be punished!" the dwarf shouted viciously.
Will and his companions, nearing the exit, stopped and turned around when they heard the dwarf's words.
"Release Otru!" the dwarf bellowed.
Suddenly, a gate in the arena wall swung open, and the entire arena fell into an eerie silence, as a scene unfolded before them that they had never witnessed before.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom." Slowly, deep, heavy footsteps echoed from the room beyond the gate.
"What is Otru?" Will asked, his face serious.
"I... I don't know, but from the dwarf's tone, it can't be anything good," Jin answered uneasily.
"Ah! Ah!" The Cutter on the ground suddenly screamed in terror.
"What is he—" Will began, but his words were cut short as a massive beast charged from the dark room, leaping onto the Cutter.
"A... lion?" Will gasped in horror.
"And it has two heads," Lisa added gravely.
The beast, named Otru, was colossal—its size ten times that of a normal lion. Even more terrifying, it had two heads.
Otru swiftly bit down on the Cutter's leg with one head, while the other tore into his skull. The two heads yanked in opposite directions, tearing the man in half. Blood spurted from his body, staining the arena.
"This... is the punishment!" the dwarf shouted, pointing at Otru with malice.
"Though you won, I must remind you of the rules of the Bone Crusher Arena: victory or death! There is no surrender here," the dwarf said, his gaze turning coldly to Will and his companions at the exit.
"Now, let the winners exit. We must prepare for the next match! Hahaha!" The dwarf's tone abruptly shifted back to the mocking, sinister manner it had been before.
...
Back in their room, Will sat quietly, his expression grim. He said nothing, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"Will, Will, are you okay?" Jin asked, sitting beside him, concern evident in his voice.
"Is this your first time witnessing such brutality?" Jin asked again.
Will remained silent, merely nodding.
...
The next morning, the chaotic noise from the arena woke Jin and Lisa from their sleep. Since there were no beds in the room, they had been forced to sleep on chairs or the floor. As for Will, the events of the previous day kept him awake all night. He sat in the chair, hands on his lap, staring blankly ahead. His mind was a void, unable to focus, and every time he tried to think, the bloody scene of yesterday replayed in his mind. The scent of blood seemed to still linger in the air.
"Hmm... Will, you're up early?" Jin asked, stretching casually as he woke up.
"No, I haven't slept at all," Will replied, turning his gaze to Jin.
"Still troubled by yesterday?" Lisa asked, setting aside the book she had been reading.
"Yeah. Every time I close my eyes, yesterday's scene keeps flashing before me," Will said, clutching his head in pain.
"Don't think too much about it. You might face more today," Jin comforted him.
"Oh! By the way, thank you for saving me yesterday," Will suddenly said.
"Ah? Save you? No, we were just completing the match," Jin replied.
"By the way, how are you two so strong?" Will asked, looking at Jin and Lisa with curiosity.
"I'm a hunter. Compared to those beasts, yesterday's opponents were a breeze," Jin said.
"And what about you, Lisa? You seemed to use some strange magic," Will turned to Lisa.
"It's not some strange magic. It's called sorcery. Obviously, I'm a sorceress," Lisa said dismissively.
"Sorcery? My father once spoke of sorcerers... so you're from the Magical Kingdom Union?" Will continued.
"No! Absolutely not!" Lisa's demeanor suddenly changed. She stood up in anger.
"Sorry... sorry, Lisa," Will immediately apologized, seeing her sudden outburst.
"It's... it's nothing," Lisa said, realizing she had overreacted. She sat back down slowly.
"Hey, hey, hey, no need to get so worked up. Save some energy. We might have to fight again soon," Jin interjected, sensing the tension between Will and Lisa.
Just as his words left his mouth, the door to their room suddenly creaked open, revealing a fully armored figure. They all knew what that meant.
"Told you so," Jin said, pointing at the door.
"Jin, you really do have the worst luck," Lisa said, shaking her head.
"Alright, let's go," Jin sighed.
"But... I don't want to do this anymore! I don't want to hurt anyone else!" Will suddenly yelled, his voice breaking.
Jin and Lisa froze in their tracks, staring at Will in surprise.
"Will, I know you don't want to kill innocent people, but if we don't go, we might be stuck here forever. I don't want to spend my life here, and I'm sure you don't either," Jin said, bending down slightly, speaking softly to Will. But Will didn't respond. He kept his eyes shut, sitting motionless in his chair.
"If you don't want to fight, you can just stand in the arena. But we're still going," Jin said, pulling Will's arm with force, dragging him out of the room.