The Last Road Home

Chapter 6

Aren planted his foot firmly against the arena floor and launched himself forward, his right fist already clenched. As he reached Ogru, he jumped and drove his fist into the monster's jaw with enough force to snap its head to the side.

BOOOOM!

“Ugh!” Ogru groaned, staggering as the blow landed. Its tusks rattled, and its massive body swayed while it struggled to regain its balance.

In the royal section, King Galen rose from his seat. He had watched Aren dodge the thrown club and strike his monster twice without suffering a single injury. Now, he studied the young man with growing interest.

“Why does every punch he throws land, and how does he keep avoiding Ogru's attacks?” Galen asked. “Could he be a skilled magic user?”

Magnus, the king's aide, stood beside him with his hands held respectfully in front of his body. He watched Aren for a moment before bowing his head toward the king.

“It doesn't appear so, Your Majesty. I haven't detected any signs of magical ability from him. Judging by his level and the way he fights, he seems to rely entirely on physical strength.”

Galen nodded slowly, his curiosity deepening. “Interesting. He doesn't seem to possess any magic, yet he's holding his own against Ogru.”

He returned to his seat, never taking his eyes off the arena for long.

“If he wins, bring him to Esteria Palace,” the king ordered. “I want to speak with him personally.”

Magnus bowed. “As you command, Your Majesty.”

He then made his way toward the arena entrance, intending to wait for the battle to end before approaching Aren.

Meanwhile, Ogru had recovered enough to resume its assault. The enormous monster charged at Aren, throwing one powerful punch after another, but Aren kept slipping out of reach. Whenever Ogru tried to catch him with a wide swing, Aren moved aside or ducked beneath its arm, forcing the monster to turn and attack again.

The repeated movements began to wear Ogru down. Its breathing grew heavier, and its attacks became less controlled, while Aren remained alert and ready to counter.

“What's wrong?” Aren called as he dodged another wild swing. “Are you getting tired already?”

Ogru roared in frustration. “I'LL KILL YOU!”

It rushed at him again, determined to crush the irritating human who had humiliated it in front of the king. But Aren was no longer as weak as he had been at the beginning of the battle. His two successful punches had triggered his Retaliation Growth trait twice, increasing his strength with each hit.

The system's display confirmed that his strength had risen from 5,000 to 125,000.

Aren glanced at the figure, barely able to believe how quickly his power had grown. If he continued landing blows, the difference between his strength and Ogru's would become even greater.

Time to finish this.

He remembered a combination of attacks from the video games he used to play. It was a simple move, but if he timed it correctly, he might end the fight before Ogru could launch another attack.

As the monster charged toward him, Aren dodged to the side and sprang into the air. He twisted his body and drove his left fist into Ogru's right jaw, snapping the monster's head sharply to the side.

Before Ogru could recover, Aren used the momentum of his jump to rotate his body through a half-turn. He brought his right leg around and struck the same spot with a powerful kick.

CRACK!

The impact echoed across the arena. Ogru's eyes rolled back, and its enormous body finally collapsed onto the ground. The monster struck the floor heavily and lay motionless, its defeat leaving no doubt about the outcome.

Aren landed several steps away and steadied himself. He looked at his hands, then at the fallen Ogru, hardly believing that he had defeated an S-rank monster without being injured once.

The entire arena fell silent for a brief moment as the spectators struggled to comprehend what they had witnessed. Then the silence shattered beneath a deafening roar.

“WOOOOAAAHHH!”

Thousands of spectators leaped to their feet, shouting in disbelief as they watched Aren stand over the monster he had defeated with just three punches and one kick. Even those who had doubted him could no longer deny his strength.

Aren smiled proudly and raised both hands as the enormous screen above the arena displayed his unharmed face for everyone to see. The spectators erupted into cheers, celebrating his victory over Ogru, while the system recorded the results of his battle. His combat ability and endurance had improved, and his level had risen from 40 to 50.

Before Aren could fully enjoy his victory, the women who had welcomed him after his first match appeared again. This time, however, there were ten of them instead of three. They wore revealing outfits, and their beautiful faces and graceful figures immediately attracted his attention as they approached him with welcoming smiles.

Aren turned toward them, his face brightening. After the terrifying battles he had endured, their warm welcome felt like a reward he could finally enjoy.

Ten beautiful women this time? Is this how they celebrate every victory here? he wondered, his imagination already running ahead of him. Perhaps tonight won't be so bad after all.

He was still enjoying the thought when a bald man walked through the group, his shiny head reflecting the arena lights. The man approached Aren with a respectful expression, completely unaware that he had interrupted the young man's pleasant daydream.

“Excuse me, Lord Aren. My name is Magnus, and I serve as an aide to King Galen. His Majesty has requested your presence.”

Aren's smile faded slightly. “Me? Why? Where does he want me to go?”

“To Esteria Palace, my lord,” Magnus answered.

Aren turned toward the royal section, where King Galen sat behind a wall of glass with the young woman in the white gown beside him. The king appeared to be watching him, but Aren's attention quickly settled on the princess. She was still looking in his direction, and the sight of her brought back the strange excitement he had felt earlier.

“Can I meet the princess too?” Aren asked, pointing toward the woman beside the king.

Magnus followed his gesture before looking back at him. “Of course, my lord, provided His Majesty permits it.”

Aren considered the invitation for a moment. He had no idea why the king wanted to see him, but refusing a royal summons seemed unwise, especially when he was still trying to understand the rules of this world. Besides, the chance to meet the princess was enough to make the journey seem worthwhile.

“Alright. I'll go with you.”

With that decision made, Aren left the ten women behind and followed Magnus away from the arena. He had barely taken a few steps when Liora hurried after him, her golden wings beating rapidly as she caught up.

“Hey! Where are you going?” she asked, looking from Aren to Magnus.

“King Galen has summoned me,” Aren replied.

Liora's eyes widened. “What? The king himself? Is this because you defeated his pet monster?”

“I don't think he's angry about it,” Aren said thoughtfully. “When I looked at him during the match, he seemed impressed. Maybe he wants to know how I managed to defeat Ogru.”

He spoke confidently, but his mind was already working through other possibilities. The king might want to recruit him, question him, or discover the secret behind his unusual strength. Whatever the reason, Aren knew he needed to be careful about what he revealed, especially concerning the system and his origins.

While they spoke, Magnus walked a little ahead of them, giving Aren and Liora enough space to talk privately without leaving them behind.

King Galen and the princess had already departed in a royal carriage. Aren followed with Magnus in another carriage, while the white-haired, bearded official who had informed him about the match stood outside the arena and bowed as the royal party prepared to leave.

Once the carriage began moving, Aren looked out through the window. He had spent most of the day inside the arena, surrounded by stone walls, roaring crowds, and dangerous monsters. Now, for the first time since arriving in this world, he had an opportunity to see more of the land beyond it.

He was surprised by the beauty of the scenery. Tall trees grew thickly along the road, their leaves displaying different shades of green, gold, and red. Sunlight filtered through their branches, casting shifting patterns across the ground as the carriage passed. Although he remained worried about his situation, he found himself watching the unfamiliar landscape with genuine curiosity.

After some time, he turned toward Magnus, who sat opposite him.

“How long will it take us to reach Esteria Palace?”

“Two days,” Magnus answered.

Aren stared at him. “Two days?”

Magnus raised an eyebrow. “Did you expect us to arrive in a few minutes? We're traveling by horse-drawn carriage, my lord.”

Liora, who had settled near Aren, shook her tiny head in disbelief. “You really don't understand how things work here, do you?”

Aren ignored her remark and looked back at Magnus. “You can use magic, can't you? Can't you open some kind of portal and take us straight to the palace?”

Magnus gave a short laugh. “My level is only 200. Creating a teleportation gate requires a wizard who has reached at least Level 500, and even then, it isn't something every wizard can do easily.”

Aren leaned back in his seat, disappointed. Two whole days in a carriage sounded exhausting, especially when he had just finished fighting for his life. He glanced out at the endless trees and imagined spending the next forty-eight hours watching the same scenery pass by.

Then he remembered the ten beautiful women he had left behind.

“I should have spent the night with those women before leaving!” he exclaimed.

His shout was so loud that several birds perched in the nearby trees startled and flew into the air. Magnus turned to stare at him, while Liora covered her face with one tiny hand.