We were all sitting around the rough wooden table in the middle of that old cabin hidden deep in the forest. The air was warm and heavy, and I was still trying to process what Mili had just told me. My thoughts were racing—until my mouth took over.
— "ARENA? WHAT DO YOU MEAN, ARENA?!" I shouted, standing up with my heart pounding in my chest.
— "LOWER YOUR VOICE, DAMN IT!" Mili snapped, her face red with frustration. Every word from her hit me like a slap.
— "Ah... sorry..." I mumbled, scratching the back of my head.
— "Yes. Arena," she repeated with a sigh, crossing her arms. "The fastest way for your body to adapt is through battle. Real combat. Fighting all kinds of opponents... and after that, you become an adventurer."
Arena? Adventurer? She had to be kidding.
— "But... I could die!"
— "JOHN, SHUT UP!" she roared, now completely unfiltered. "Ever since you got out of that prison, you knew it wouldn't be easy! How about you grow up and face the shitstorm you're in?!"
Her anger was real. But so was mine.
— "I didn't ask to be here!" I yelled back. "It's not my fault my family is a mess! I didn't even know about all this crap!"
I stood up completely. The air was heavy, my head pounding. I walked straight to the door, determined to get out—but just before I could leave, it slammed shut in my face. Magic. An invisible force locked me in.
— "Sit down. We're not done talking," she said, her voice cold and sharp.
— "Mili... let me go."
— "Or what?" she challenged, glaring at me.
I was already at my limit.
I felt the mana gathering in my hand, chaotic and electric. It surged up my arm like lightning begging to be released. In an instant, I let it out. A blue bolt exploded from my palm and blasted the door to pieces. Splinters flew. Burnt wood filled the air.
— "I need some air."
And I left without looking back.
I wandered aimlessly through the forest, trying to calm my mind. The trees around me seemed to breathe with me. Eventually, I heard it—the soft sound of rushing water. I followed it until I found a small waterfall hidden between the trees.
Without thinking twice, I stripped off my shirt and dove into the cold river. The water wrapped around me like a cool blanket of silence.
— "Ahhh... this is exactly what I needed..."
I floated on my back, staring at the bits of sky between the leaves. For a moment, the world felt still.
But peace never lasts.
— "AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A scream—high-pitched, female—ripped through the forest.
I turned my head, heart already racing.
At the riverbank, I saw three men surrounding two women. They were laughing, closing in. It wasn't just a robbery. It was something worse.
— What do I do...?
Fear crept up my spine. My body trembled. My fingers felt cold. But something inside me wouldn't let me turn away.
— Well... guess it's time to play the hero. I took a deep breath.
— "HEY, YOU GUYS! LEAVE THEM ALONE!"
The three turned toward me. One of them snorted and laughed.
— "This scrawny kid? What's he gonna do, cry?"
— Scrawny...?
Rage flared inside me. My mana flared with it. I snapped my fingers and a bolt of blue lightning shot from my hand, hitting one of the thugs right in the arm.
He screamed.
The others didn't wait. They bolted, disappearing into the forest like scared rats.
— That was... easy?
The two women rushed over, relief written all over their faces.
— "Oh, thank you, brave hero... thank you so much," one of them said, voice trembling.
— "Uh... you're welcome..." I muttered, still unsure how to feel.
After thanking me, they disappeared into the woods, leaving me alone once more.
I looked around.
Everything looked the same.
— Shit... I think I'm lost...
I sighed deeply. Suddenly, the forest seemed a whole lot bigger.