As soon as they got transported back to the arena, the referee announced them as the winners of the day's tournament and congratulated them.
His eyes grew in size when he saw Haze. "Our ruthless contestant, you impressed most of all".
Haze was so exhausted he didn't reply, he went to a corner and sat down there, panting heavily. He looked up and saw Hades staring at him with a curious look on his face.
"I wonder what's going through his mind right now", Haze thought and Hades' smirked at him.
Haze realized Haze's hair had grown longer than it was when he saw him. He was wondering why when the wide-eyed girl popped up in his periphery.
"Why did you do that, he didn't deserve it", She said angrily.
Haze looked at her with boredom. "Who didn't deserve it?"
"Don't act smart!", She snapped. "The boy in the forest, why did you slit his leg?"
Haze shrugged. "I already told you, there was always going to be a loser, I just helped make things easier".
"Yes but it didn't have to be him", She replied, still crossed.
"He could have made it, maybe another person would have come in last instead".
Haze looked at her intently. "Only fools and cowards rely on luck and chance, I stopped being a coward when I died, from now on I create my own luck".
She looked at him in confusion.
"Why did you save me?", Haze asked. It had kept him up the previous night and he really had to know.
"I don't know", She replied truthfully and sat beside him. "I didn't even think about it, it just sorta happened, I saw the sword and kicked it towards you".
"It was a dumb thing, risking your life to save a stranger", Haze said. "What if Hades had decided to disqualify you?".
He got up to his feet. "Anyway, I've saved you in return, the debt is paid and I no longer feel indebted to you".
He walked away from her and headed for Gatti and Hades.
Hades' lips curled up in a smirk when he saw him approach.
"I didn't know you were so ruthless", He said.
"I didn't either", Haze replied honestly.
"This place, I think it's doing something to me".
Hades' eyes flickered to the sword that hung from his belt.
"I see you're a man of taste as well".
Haze touched the sword briefly and shrugged. When he first took the sword, he had struggled to get use to carrying its weight around and using it, but now he had come to appreciate its presence and depend on it as well.
Gatti whispered something in Hades' ear and pulled away, he bowed deeply.
"I request leave now, my lord".
Hades waved him away and Gatti took his leave, Haze walking behind him. But Hades called out to them suddenly, they turned back and he tossed something at Haze.
Haze caught it and checked it, it was a green stone.
Ding! The system sounded.
[Time stone acquired]
"A gift from me to you", Hades said. "For your bravery and innovation".
Haze bowed in gratitude and resumed walking with Gatti.
"What is it?", He asked.
"It's a time stone", Gatti replied.
"It can only be gifted to you from the five great gods and you can only use it once".
"Really?" Haze held it up and examined it, the stone shone in the dim light of the hallway.
"Yes, so be careful with it", Gatti replied. "It is a great honor that my lord gave you this gift".
They walked on in silence for a while. Then Haze remembered something that had pestered his mind in the night.
"Why do you devote special attention to me?", He asked Gatti. "Why are you always with me and not the others?".
Gatti sighed and adjusted his collar. "Could we save the questions for later?"
"I'd prefer we didn't", Haze said. "It's suspicious and I want to know now".
Gatti sighed again. "I'm on thin ice", He said eventually.
Haze cocked his head. "What do you mean?"
"I told you my lord has been searching for a heir for a while now without luck", He waited till Haze nodded before he continued.
"Well, my lord found a heir that was almost completely worthy, she was so worthy that she didn't need a tournament to prove herself. We all rejoiced because we finally found a heir and my lord sent me to carefully retrieve her and bring her to the underworld".
Haze watched him intently. "What happened then?"
Gatti's face squeezed in pain as if he remembered a particularly bitter scene.
"I organized the event that would cause her death, I was to bring her back to life just before her soul slipped away so she can be an immortal but I lost it somehow".
"Lost what?"
"Her soul", Gatti said. "It didn't make sense, I did everything right, I felt her soul, held it tight and when I wanted to bring it back, it just disappeared", He sighed and raised his hand like he wanted to fiddle with his collar but he changed his mind and put it back down.
"I tried everything, but I couldn't find her soul, then when I did, it was too late to bring her back".
"So you lost the only legitimate heir Hades has had in millennia", Haze said quietly.
Gatti bowed his head like he was disappointed and ashamed.
"So you decided to use me as redemption", Haze continued.
"It's not as simple as that", Gatti said and stopped walking.
"After I lost her, I felt great guilt. My lord never castigated me but I could feel his disappointment and slight irritation. I had to do something, so I started searching earnestly for heirs, I found as many as possible but my lord was not satisfied by them, they were not worthy".
"Okay", Haze cut in.
"Nevertheless, we desperately needed a heir so I suggested my lord host a tournament for all the potential heirs. The winner should be worthy enough to be the heir".
Gatti continued. "My lord agreed and we looked for more heirs to make it ten. Then I saw you".
"You saw me?", Haze asked confused.
"Your mark was pure, purer than any other heir, almost as pure as the one I lost", Gatti replied.
"I was worthy?"
"Yes, i immediately rushed to tell my lord that he could cancel the tournament, I've found a worthy heir, but my lord doesn't go back on his word and he already said there will be a tournament", Gatti said with an exasperated sigh.
"So I still have to compete", Haze said.
"Yes and that's why I stay by you at all times, ready to help in whatever way I can".
They had gotten to Haze's room by now, he opened the door, bade Gatti goodnight and closed it behind him.
Show me my profile. Haze said aloud.
[Here's your profile]
[Name: Haze]
[Level: 1]
[Rank: Human]
[Strength: 10]
[Speed: 10]
[Stamina: 10]
[Senses: 10]
[Hp: 7/10]
[Exp: 30/100]
[Skills: None]
What does human rank mean? Haze wondered but the system didn't respond.
He also wondered what Gatti meant when he said he was worthy.
I'm worthy?, He thought as he closed his eyes to sleep. How can I be worthy? I've never been worthy of anything before.
He drifted off to sleep.