Silver Tear and Dark Fox watched intently from the box, their hearts involuntarily rising to their throats.
They knew that John wasn't unwilling to fight; rather, he was genuinely overpowered.
Facing Victor was proving to be even harder than they had anticipated.
The two wanted to discuss their next moves, but a maid was present in the box, so they dared not speak openly.
"It seems you are not at all worried about this gentleman," the maid suddenly said, startling Silver Tear.
Dark Fox glanced at the maid reflexively, "There are some things you shouldn't ask about."
The maid's face remained smiling, but she spoke gently, "Aren't you here for the Immortal Messenger?"
Their expressions became visibly uncomfortable at her words.
"I'm not quite sure what you're talking about," Dark Fox said coolly, though the maid still smiled.
"It doesn't matter if you don't understand. The gentleman below understands, and that's what counts."
Silver Tear immediately became wary of the maid, yet her facial expression remained flawless, like a robot programmed not to show any variation.
"What exactly do you mean?" he pressed.
The maid just smiled faintly, her expression unchanging, and quietly watched the arena below.
"My meaning isn't important. What matters is why you came here, and why that gentleman has entered the arena to challenge. That's what's truly interesting, isn't it?"
They had initially thought the maid was merely a guide, perhaps there to keep an eye on them, but unexpectedly, she knew much more.
The current situation had become unreadable for them.
The two exchanged a look, silent yet clearly starting to worry about John.
They feared that the Rose Hotel was not as simple as they had thought, and it might not let them leave safely.
Now, their only hope was for John to win this match!
No matter what happened, they had to keep their composure.
The atmosphere in the box became eerie.
Inside the arena, John's nerves were on edge.
He felt Victor's intent to kill truly manifest.
Others might not sense it, but he could distinctly feel the atmosphere throughout the arena shifting; the air pressure seemed to drop!
How could this be...
Victor seemed to have grown stronger!
Back when they were at Hidden Stars, John and Victor had sparred together.
But John had not anticipated Victor being so formidable now.
What exactly is happening here?! Could there be something wrong with this arena?
John narrowly dodged Victor's attack, instantly disappointing the crowd who had been expecting this move to end the fight.
But some among them started to sense something amiss, especially since John had already dodged an attack earlier.
If the first dodge could be attributed to luck, this second escape couldn't be chalked up to chance anymore.
How could anyone be so lucky to evade attacks twice in a row? That seemed far too incredible.
Some spectators exchanged glances and began to whisper among themselves.
In the boxes, some started placing bets on John, sensing something different about him.
.net
After all, the odds for John to beat the Immortal Messenger had reached 1 to 1000!
Even a casual bet of 10,000 federal coins could net them 10 million if John won!
And if he lost, they'd only be out 10,000 federal coins—a drop in the bucket for them.
It was a no-lose situation for them.
Even several people, thrilled by the spectacle and not minding escalating things, threw in a million each!
If John actually won, they would make a fortune!
"What's going on? Did the Immortal Messenger just slip up?"
"Are you kidding? Even if you slip, the Immortal Messenger slipping? Impossible."
"This guy doesn't seem that skilled, but his agility is exceptional, like a slippery eel."
"He couldn't possibly win against the Immortal Messenger, could he?"
Those thoughts began to stir unease among the spectators.
After all, how could a gold-tier awakener dodge the Immortal Messenger's killing moves twice?
It was simply unthinkable!
Yet, it had actually happened.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible, he's just a gold-tier!"
That's what everyone was saying, but John felt his stamina draining nearly twice as fast as usual!
If it weren't for his superior physical condition and stats, he'd probably be completely exhausted by now.
And this was after only two attacks!
He carefully observed and realized that the arena seemed to contain some unknown form of energy.
[Ding! Stamina consumption increased, please be aware!]