Stell returned around what he guessed was midnight and found Felix lazing around the flat, looking bored.
"I knew it. You didn't train, did you?" Stell looked at Felix with an amused expression, noticing the contrast between Felix's clean clothes and his own dirty ones.
Felix smiled upon seeing Stell, then closed his eyes and drifted into sleep on his bed.
'Strange fellow.' Stell mused, shaking his head, and then ignoring Felix, he proceeded to take a shower. After attending to his personal hygiene and other needs, Stell reclined on his bed, gazing out of the window.
"Tomorrow, huh?" Stell was nervous. It was his first fight with the protagonists, and he wanted to make sure that he wouldn't be a burden.
Closing his eyes, he controlled his anxiety as he fell asleep.
In the morning, Stell and Felix got out of bed and brushed their teeth. As Stell observed Felix, he couldn't resist comparing the two of them.
On the surface, Stell didn't look much weaker than Felix, but Stell was sure that anyone who thought that made a grave mistake. It was rather straightforward. Felix's luck virtually guaranteed that Stell would lose, even if Felix were powerless.
What was worse was that Stell was sure the other protagonists had their own ways of dealing with him as well. Even if he won today's fight, Stell wouldn't believe that he was close to their level.
It was a difference between potential. It was a difference between a protagonist and an extra.
And so, Stell left the flat with Felix, anxiety deeply hidden inside himself. Pretending to be confident, he smiled as he looked at Felix. "Let's beat their asses."
'At least I can roast them when I am not near them.' Stell chuckled.
After walking for a while, Stell and Felix spotted a line of people in front of the Death Arena.
"What's that?" Stell looked at the scene with wonder in his eyes. Then, as realization struck him, he glanced at Felix with suspicious eyes.
Felix chuckled before answering Stell's silent question. "I didn't do anything." He raised his hands, pretending to be innocent.
Stell didn't entirely believe him, but he chose to give Felix the benefit of the doubt.
As they joined the queue, a person in armor approached them before saying. "This way, sir Felix. Participants enter through the other door."
Felix bitterly chuckled as he felt Stell's death stare. Pretending like he didn't just lie, he followed behind the person.
After they entered through the door, Stell and Felix met Rey. He approached Felix with a laugh.
"Oh dear, what a beautiful day.
Oh dear, what money will we make?
Dear Felix, all the money that will here lay.
Dear Felix, all the money that we can make."
Rey happily laughed as he recited a horrible poem. Stell's expression turned almost disgusted as he observed Rey. Ignoring the strange fellow, Stell turned his gaze back to Felix.
"And you still claim you didn't advertise?" He ground his teeth as he shot Felix a deadly glare. He didn't even care about Felix's status anymore, as he wanted to give Felix a good beating.
Felix laughed, approaching Rey. "Hey, Rey! How are you? Haven's seen you in a while. What were you talking about again?" He gave all kinds of secret signals to Rey to pretend like they hadn't conspired a day earlier.
Rey only laughed as he looked at Felix strangely. "Don't you remember? It was yesterday when you came to me for an advertisement. We even planned the betting."
Felix facepalmed, a habit he got from Stell. With a sigh, he turned to Stell, grinning. "Oh yeah, I did do that. What do you think about the surprise?"
Stell's eyebrows twitched as he could feel veins appearing on his forehead.
'He's a protagonist. Don't provoke him. Don't.' He repeated his secret mantra in an attempt to calm himself.
After some time, curiosity overwhelmed his other emotions. Approaching Rey, he introduced himself. "I am Stell, Felix's best friend."
Stell almost smirked as he craftily slipped in the word 'best'.
Rey shook Stell's hand as he introduced himself. "I am Rey, the owner of Sword in Rose Tavern."
'So that's the name of the tavern. It seems to have more influence than I thought, considering the squad of people with the emblem.'
"I see. Anyway, what's that betting you talked about?" Stell asked.
Rey looked at Stell strangely before pointing at Felix. "Didn't he tell you?"
Stell's eyebrow twitched in response.
Realizing that was Felix's 'surprise', Rey bitterly chuckled. "Sorry, Felix."
Felix waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care about it that much. After receiving permission, Rey explained.
With a sigh, Stell decided to stop dwelling on the entire matter.
After bidding Rey farewell, Stell entered the waiting room.
"Feels familiar, huh?" He sighed as he was about to fight another fight, with possibly many spectators as well.
The only thing that was missing was the old architecture and the ridiculous referee with his advertisements.
"This time, it's not going to be so easy." Felix laughed, reigniting Stell's anxiety.
It was a two-on-two. In Stell's view, it felt more like a two-versus-one-and-a-half scenario. Bitterly chuckling, he looked at Felix.
With a nod, they exited the waiting room, approaching the center of the arena.
As the murmurs of the spectators could barely be heard, Stell saw a few familiar faces.
On the opposite side of the arena were Tian Fen and Aaron, waiting for the duo.
Tian Fen looked calm as if he hadn't suffered a defeat the day before. Stell somewhat understood him. After all, Tian Fen hadn't even moved from his place.
'Maybe he can't fight while moving?' He thought as he watched Aaron's serious expression. In contrast to Stell's expectations, Aaron's face held no smirk.
'He's taking this seriously.' Stell experienced both a sense of accomplishment and fear simultaneously. He was about to face off against two protagonists!
While approaching the center of the arena, he looked at the stands. In the VIP spot, Rey was sitting, drinking lemonade.
'So much for the formidable tavern boss.' Stell chuckled inwardly while scanning the surroundings, his attention catching Damian's presence.
Upon catching Stell's gaze, Damian burst into laughter. "What brings you here? Spare Felix the annoyance. He'll fare better without your interference."
Narrowing his eyes, Damian continued in a serious tone, "Here, you're just an extra."
Stell could feel his feelings turning chaotic. With an angry expression, he turned his head, trying to ignore Damian.
Stell couldn't believe Damian's change. At the start, Damian was so easygoing and funny. However, after Damian had seen him with Felix, he started treating Stell like trash.
With a furious expression, Stell looked at Aaron and Tian Fen. He will win. He will prove himself. He won't let himself be outshined by protagonists!