I turned away.
"Leon, don’t you dare walk out of here like I didn’t just—"
No words left my mouth, completely ignoring her.
I wasn’t angry. Not even close. She cared, I knew that.
But caring and being nosy weren’t the sa thing, and I didn’t have the ti or the patience to stand there and let her feelings beco my problem.
She was just a fling of the old Leon, so I didn’t have any real feelings for her. I’ll admit, though, that I slept with her a few tis in secret.
Living in a place with little to no entertainnt tends to make any man think about... well, horny stuff.
Barn walked beside without a word.
We moved through the corridor together, and I let the cold of the lower sector settle over .
Every bar in this part of the settlent looked like it had been assembled in a hurry and then simply never corrected.
Walls that didn’t quite et at right angles. Lighting strung from hooks at whatever height the installer had managed to reach.
Barn pushed through the entrance like he owned the place, just like he did in Sera’s store. He really lacked manners.
Inside it slled like every other place in the lower sectors: stale warmth, old sweat, and the particular bitterness of cheap alcohol doing its best.
Already waiting at the far end of the bar was the recruiter.
Thin man. Clipboard resting across his knees. A half-finished drink at his elbow that he hadn’t touched in a while, judging by the ring it had left on the counter.
His eyes found . No surprise. No particular curiosity.
It was the kind given to sothing that doesn’t require careful consideration because the outco has already been filed sowhere in the back of the mind.
He looked back down at his clipboard.
I pulled out the chair across from him and sat.
Barn leaned against the bar beside us, elbows back, already wearing the relaxed expression of a man whose involvent in this was nearly over.
"Na," the recruiter said. Not a question. Just the first item on the list.
I gave it.
His pen moved. Scratched the entry in.
He didn’t look up. I didn’t say anything about it. So acknowledgnts don’t need to be spoken to land.
When it was done, the recruiter slid a small pile of goods across—3 canned food, bread, even a bottle of cheap alcohol—without ceremony.
Barn’s hand covered it and made it disappear.
"Pleasure doing business with you," he said, smiling as he already thought about enjoying the alcohol.
Others would’ve probably asked for their share, but I didn’t care. Once I won the tournant, this place would be mine.
I stood, pushed the chair back, and walked out ahead of Barn without waiting to see if he’d follow.
The days after dragged on, all following the sa routine.
Wake. Cultivate. Move.
I kept my scavenging runs quick — just enough to keep Jas fed, nothing more.
No side ventures, no favors, no conversations that didn’t need to happen.
Jas asked questions, because Jas always asked questions, and I gave him the short versions of answers until he stopped asking.
He was smart enough to know when I’d already decided sothing.
Finally, the day of the tournant arrived. I didn’t tell Jas, and I made sure Sera wouldn’t tell anyone.
Barn t at a secret passage entrance without his usual easy going grin.
He still looked relaxed, but it was the relaxed of a man who had ntally separated himself from whatever was about to happen to .
Of course, with my previous track record he must be thinking that I’m dead.
"Hey Leon, if it gets tough, just forfeit so you can at least survive with a broken bones," he suggested.
"Is that even allowed?"
"Not really. But if your opponent feels sorry for you, anything’s possible," he added.
"I’ll take note of that." I nodded, then walked in casually.
The pit itself was circular, maybe thirty ters across, floor poured in raw cent that had been stained in the particular dark pattern that cent gets when it absorbs enough blood over enough ti.
Walls rose sheer on all sides — no grip, no ledge, no escape except through whoever stood in front of you.
Above it, elevated on tiered platforms that ringed the whole space, the spectators.
A VIP area stood out, impossible to miss. People there wore black, pristine coats and casually ate grapes—actual fruit. Talk about flaunting their wealth.
It wasn’t hard to spot the mayor.
A gray-haired man with a black-and-gold cane sat at the center, flanked by three young, attractive won who clearly had access to water.
They looked fresh and clean—a rare sight in this hellhole.
Man, if I’m being honest, I got a little jealous.
These girls looked no older than twenty and could pass for an idol or actress in a normal world.
Sera was pretty too, but these three were the cream of the crop.
And I wasn’t the only one thinking it.
Spectators couldn’t help but steal glances at them, like n starved for days—which, ironically, wasn’t far from the truth.
"Who are those won?" I asked Barn.
"Are you serious?" he raised his eyebrow.
"Don’t you know them? Those three are the prettiest won in the settlent. Two are the mayor’s granddaughters, and the other is his youngest wife."
"How many wives does he have?" I asked.
Barn sighed, not bothering to hide his jealousy. "Five."
Rookie numbers.
However, I had to acknowledge that he had taste.
Unfortunately for him, I would have to steal her young wives later—even his granddaughter—because collecting won was my thunder.
I could give up my status, my wealth, or my power—but I’d never tolerate any man having more won than .
Certain rules of the universe weren’t ant to be broken—and that was one of them.
"Let’s go to the fighters’ area." Barn grabbed my shoulder, but before I followed, I noticed one of the mayor’s daughters looking at .
I flashed her a smile, and she rolled her eyes.
What a feisty girl. Alright, she just beca my main target.
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