'Ugh...' I was breathing heavily as I fought my fifteenth opponent in the chain fight. My muscles were quaking at this point from the continuous strain it put on my body. They didn't even give me a minute to rest before another fighter showed up. There was no end to them. I had beaten the last guy half to death and kept him like that so I could take a breather. A commotion was stirred in the audience when they saw my actions, but I couldn’t care less.

I was under way too much stress. My regeneration has become considerably slower as more and more damage stacked on my body. Not to mention, the exhaustion was gradually creeping on my mind. Overexertion was not healthy for anybody. It was unfortunate, but I'm not invincible. Maybe 1 more opponent and then I’ll reach my limit. My muscles were aching, head pounding and my fighting ability was decreased by half. Not to mention how sluggish my movements had become.

Fifteen consecutive fights to the death will do that to you.

I've faced many different opponents from rank C to rank A. Some even used magic and strange abilities, like the damn shapeshifter. There were a few close calls, but luckily I was able to win. I was forced to fight in many different ways. Some I just couldn't defeat without pulling dirty tricks. I overtook stronger opponents with speed. The faster ones, I took down with strength and tricks. The mages I was forced to take on directly. My endurance was better than theirs and none were as destructive as the bitch from the Pits.

I had to let the fights drag a bit. If I didn't bide my time, I would have already dropped from fatigue. I preserved my energy instead. It proved to be a good choice. My current fight was both difficult and annoying.

The eel-like monster had pink, slippery skin and creepy bulged out eyes. A humanoid aquatic type that had both lungs and gills. His bloated body looked disgusting, the beady, black eyes revealing nothing. He wore strange enchanted armor that stuck to his skin like a body suit. He was rank B. The weapon in his hand was a long spear which he used splendidly with his water magic. The interesting thing was, monsters rarely boosted their magic with chants or used runes. Normally, spells can be strengthened with chants, I but I’ve learned not all spells had to be chanted. This one was using his instinct more than his knowledge of water magic.

His magic was considerably weaker. That was understandable since the other races educated and trained themselves in magic. It was seriously unfair to monsters that weren't even able to enter a school.

I was drenched from head to toe. He had attacked me with icy spikes, water blades, whips, arrows and so on and so forth. His arsenal of magic was wide, resorting to the spear only when I got too close. I had managed to dodge his spear attacks, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't grab hold of him. His skin was covered with a thick layer of colorless mucus. I could only make small wounds because of it and those healed immediately.

His regeneration was similar to my own, but currently his was better. I was battered, bruised and worn down. I knew that I couldn't fight much longer. I was holding myself up with sheer willpower as I slightly wobbled and panted from exhaustion.

My reaction speed was sloppy, even a damn Amphibian could get an upper hand like this. I could barely evade his continuous attack spells. However, the slippery bastard wasn't unscathed either. I had cut off one of his ears and severely wounded his left leg. He was barely standing, the regeneration gradually fixing his body. For now, he couldn't move from that spot. Since I had successfully severed the nerves in his leg, he was forced to stay put and couldn’t push his healing to the maximum.

It was fascinating. Regeneration worked for organs and flesh almost instantly, but not as quickly on bones and nerves. I couldn't cut him deep enough. That pesky slime was covering his body, removing all friction, stopping me from releasing him from his limbs. Glaring at him in irritation, I dodged the sharp projectiles he sent my way. I was bleeding all over but managed to avoid the fatal attacks. I cursed viciously as another ice shard embedded itself into my side.

'Damn! I've become too slow. I'm not healing fast enough.' If I were in my prime condition, he would already be dead. Shit, I need to finish this. As the ice attacks stopped, I limped towards him with gritted teeth and a pissed expression. Lifting his hand, he swung it around with a grin, weird noises coming from his mouth. I couldn’t defend or dodge this stupid spell! The last time he used it I almost drowned!

A glowing light flowed around him in a spiral, slightly sparkling and shifting from silver to blue while he prepared the attack. If he managed to cast that spell again, I was a goner. Mustering the last of my strength, I struck out with my claws and tail at the same time. He dodged the claws and blocked my tail with his spear without letting his concentration drop.

“Motherfucking bastard!” I growled as rage and frustration gripped me. I tried again and again, but I either missed or was blocked by the slime. Only shallow wounds appeared on his slippery skin. He didn't even feel it and just kept preparing his spell. It was like attacking water.

He smirks at me with ridicule, feeling confident as he taunted with a jeering noise that was like a wake-up call. I stopped blindly attacking and took a few steps back, taking a deep breath to calm my anger. I need to get my act straight and focus. Lowering my body, I dash at him once again and turn my aim to his spear. As he tries to keep me at a distance, I grab his weapon in a tight grasp and pull. Unable to bear my superior strength, he was dragged over in the process. His concentration broke like glass as he was yanked away from his position. The ball of water he had been gathering in the air fell down with a splash.

I smirked with satisfaction. Nobody would willingly let go of their weapon in a fight. That little fact was something I learned in my time here, thought there were a few morons. Without his weapon, he wouldn't be able to keep me at a distance. As he flew over, I leaned forward and gave him a quick, hard head-butt. His head snapped back as blood flowed down his face. My face was covered in goo, but I ignored it. Putting my fingers together, I pierced his chest with success this time, grabbing his heart with a hateful sneer. His face was twitching in shock, the flabs of his lips moving wildly. I ripped it out and held it outside so he could see, then squashed it like a tomato.

The horn sounded, marking the end of the chain fight. With a tired sigh, I let what was left of his heart drop. Frowning, I knew I needed a bath as soon as possible. I was drenched in all kinds of bodily fluids.

Relief washed over me almost instantly at the end of the fight. It was finally over. As soon as my body relaxed, sudden dizziness made my vision grow fuzzy. I swayed and fell on my ass as my consciousness left me.

***

Waking up dazed and disoriented has become an annoying routine for me, but this was the first time it happened to me on the same damn day. Sitting up with a groan, I grabbed my head and looked around. I seem to be in the infirmary again. Glancing around, trying to find a window, I was confused when there were none. How long was I out?

White sheets were everywhere. I could see medicine cabinets at the far end of the room with neatly stacked pills and potions. A few monsters were lying in other beds, some groaning in pain, others still passed out. I was in the regular ward this time. Frowning, I see I was completely healed but still felt exhausted. I scratch my head, still feeling drowsy as I let out a yawn.

I was about to lie back when my eyes widened. I wasn’t bound to the bed this time. Looking around, I saw no one was here except a few groaning fighters. The smell of blood and disinfectants was thick. Seeing the exit to the infirmary was tightly shut on the far right corner, I slowly grabbed the white curtain to obscure the view of myself. I needed to break into that office.

Seeing as I was on the far left corner, it was going to be tricky getting there without no one noticing. Contemplating my options, I was about to get up and attempt sneaking there, but the sound of the doors opening held me in my tracks. Muffled voices of the two humans sounded, talking about the night shift. They were checking beds, examining some of the more critical patients as they slowly made their way towards my bed. Cursing inwardly, I lied back down, making sure everything was in the right place before playing the sleeping beauty again.

“So, this one is in because...?” one of them muttered.

“Damn Jack, read the memo next time would ya’. It’s the Ripper! Didn’t you watch his fight yesterday?” the other one sounded annoyed as he asked.

“The Ripper?! Why the hell isn’t he restrained?! It says here his status is Highly Unstable. Are they trying to get us killed?!”

“Relax, you’re over exaggerating, he’s under a slave contract so he can’t attack free people willy-nilly. Besides, he’s gonna be out cold for at least until tomorrow night. Healer Irvin gave him the good stuff.” he whistled while shuffling some papers, they were close enough to touch if I reached out, “Damn, that would put an Ogre to sleep for three days...”

“No shit, good thing he doesn’t seem overdosed...”

The other one snorted, “Dude, did you even see his fights? The guy is a fucking beast! The way he killed that Kavar yesterday morning was brutal. I lost money on that fight!” he grumbled, letting me know I was out for a day and a half. After finishing their banter, they continued checking beds.

So the healer or Irvin did give me something yesterday, probably in smaller doses than today. Did he figure out that I was awake? It didn’t really matter, despite still feeling muddled, I was awake. This meant I did have some resistance to their concoctions and drugs. I patiently waited for the two assistants to leave before getting up. I couldn’t waste any more time, the creeping sleepiness was slowly intensifying. Shaking my head, I slapped myself awake with a crisp sound. I knew no one was currently here, the other patients were loud enough for it to not matter.

With a growl, I looked around the curtains and realized there was a small space between the wall and them. I was going to have to crawl along the walls, just behind the other patients. Hopefully they’re too out of it to notice me. Taking a deep breath, I went for it. I had to keep my back against the wall, paying attention not to damage it with the spikes on my back. It was slow, but it worked.

I was moving along effectively so far. Just as I passed one of the patients, I saw there was an opening, making me curse inwardly. He seemed awake, playing with a puzzle. Thick bandages were on his head, the curtain obscuring my view from this angle. I recognized his scent though. It was the Hobgoblin from the Lodge. As I stopped for a second, I felt my eyes grow heavy, making me lethargic. Shaking my head in silence, I almost let out a hiss but bit my tongue in time, the action waking me up again. After swallowing my own blood, I felt the sensation lessen. Unfortunately, now was not the time to contemplate that. Seeing there was more than enough room between his bedrest and the wall, I slowly lowered into a crouch and crawled as silently as possible. His ear twitched as he muttered, “Hm?”, but he simply shrugged and continued playing, the guy next to him moaning without end.

Letting out a soundless sigh, I passed him and saw the door to the office. Thankfully, one of the curtains concealed the view of it. Trying the handle softly, I saw it was locked. Good. That meant he wasn’t here but how do I open this without anyone noticing? I wish I had some tools, lock picking was one of the more useful skill I brought with me from my old life.

Looking around, I spotted a desk with some surgical supplies on the other end next to the cabinets. Grimacing, I knew there was no way to get to them from here without being seen. Racking my brain, I flinched at my next idea. Glancing behind to my back, I saw some of the smaller and thinner spikes where they made the transition into saws. Eyeing the lock, I wondered if it would even fit. Making some minor measurements with the naked eye, I figured it would. Damn. This was going to hurt. Let’s hope it grows back.

Lightly grabbing it, I clenched my teeth and flicked my wrist. Luckily, my muffled shout was drowned out by the others. Blood dripped on the floor, but I quickly wiped it with what remained from my regular clothes, tucking the evidence inside the vest. Holding the small spike, I somehow felt bad about my self-mutilation. With a sigh, I peeked lightly behind the curtain and saw an unconscious beastman with a slave collar. Seeing a dry quill on his bedside, I snatched it and carefully looked it over. The tip was metal and slightly curved. It should do. Using my spike and the quill as makeshift lockpicks, I had a lot of trouble trying to get this door open. The quill was too soft, I couldn’t get it open without breaking it.

Extremely annoyed at this point, I stared at my spike regretfully. Tucking it away, I gave the door a careful look again. Seeing the hinges on the door, another idea came to mind. Although I couldn’t open the door with my makeshift lockpicks, I still managed to feel up the mechanism. If I can lift up the door enough to move it off its hinges, it should be possible to put it back how it was since it was large, the opening should give me enough leeway to get in and out. Okay, here goes nothing.

Walking up to it, I pressed my front to it and shimmied my claws between the frame carefully. With a small grunt, I lifted slowly. There was a creak and the soft sound of dragging, but it worked! Pushing myself in with some effort, I lightly pushed it back to look closed. Going straight for the Thornrose, I took it off the shelf and glanced around for an empty vial. After cautiously pouring half inside, I put the Thornrose back. Wrapping the small container with a few gauzes, I hid it in my vest. As I was about to leave, my curiosity spiked.

Going behind his desk, I opened the bottom drawer and was disappointed to find it empty. Looking around his desk, I saw a report on me. Taking the thick bundle of papers, I couldn’t help but gape. Was there seriously so much on me? I wasn’t even a year old! Skimming through it, I saw a report on the Preiss farm. Did they already know I was going to be here? How?! I got here only 3 or 4 days ago. Apparently, Anya hung herself in the barn after slaughtering all the birds. There was an account on Patrick and his family. Just how much did they research? This was unnerving. Did they want something from me? Or is it just that I’m unique?

Shaking my head, I put it back where it was and peeked through the door. Seeing the coast was clear, I exited the same way I entered and pulled the door back, flinching when I made more sound than I would have liked. It was a lot harder putting it back into place but I managed. Staring at it for any visible sign of damage, I sighed in relief and made my way back. By the time someone notices it, I’ll hopefully have done the deed. I passed the Hobgoblin with no issue this time, he had fallen asleep with the puzzle on his chest.

Getting back to my little corner of the infirmary, I sprawled down on the bed. Damn, that was intense. I couldn’t help but grin in slight pride. I was getting better at being stealthy. For now, I felt that the drowsiness was gone. Seeing as I had some time to think about it, I looked back on the moment it stopped, when I drank my own blood. Did it somehow eat away the drugs? I didn’t feel any side effects from drinking it so I was definitely immune to my own corrosive blood. It would be seriously worrying if I wasn’t.

Glad I learned something new about myself today, I lied back. I figure I might as well sleep for now.

***

“Wakey, wakey Atkozott!” an annoying sound woke me up. Opening my eyes, I glared at the healer who was scribbling in his chart, “Had a good nap?” I could tell he was squinting behind his glasses. With a groan, I sat up and looked around, “What time is it?”

With a hum, he answered, “Around 10 in the morning. You should wait here, your owner should be here shortly.” after saying that, he disappeared.

My attention was suddenly attracted by the oh-so-annoying presence slowly approaching the infirmary. The bastard seemed to be in a good mood while chatting so excitedly about the results of my chain fight. Clay occasionally grunted in response.

A malicious grin spread across my face as I got off the bed, ignoring the objecting assistants. They were too intimidated to come near me. I was in top condition so there was no time like the present. Grinning even wider, I was out the door before they could react properly. Walking down the hallway, the bastard and Clay were following a young female employee. The woman seemed annoyed by the bastards constant gloating. They were heading toward the infirmary.

I relaxed my body as the forced composure muffled my excitement slightly. Acting unaggressive, I completely hid my bloodthirst, weighing the pros and cons of my intentions for one last time. Even though this will not be painless for me, I was confident in surviving it. The repercussions will have to come later. I can bear it.

As long as the bastard’s heart keeps beating, I won't die with him. They finally notice me once I start walking their way with a leisurely stroll. The bastard was beaming with smiles. He obviously didn't find my behavior odd, in too good of a mood to care, but Clay tensed, staring at me suspiciously.

The bastard started talking, "Haha, now that was a show to behold, my dear slave! Simply amazing! I bet everything on that chain fight. It was a gamble, but you killed them all! It has only been three days, but you're already a star! Everyone is talking about infamous Ripper that won a chain fight from beginning to end, reaching A rank in one fell swoop! The gold I got was no small sum, hehehehe!” he giggled disgustingly and continued, “I already signed you up for the Arena today. Imagine that, one of my fighters getting to the Arena!”

I stood in front of them, my arms crossed as I observed the greedy swine, his euphoria completely blinding him to the danger ahead. In his joyous mood, he lifted a hand to pat me on the shoulder. Before it could touch me, I used the opportunity. I violently grabbed his wrist and pinned him against the wall, knocking the air out of him. As I lifted him off the ground with my elbow, the sharp spikes on my forearm dug into his chest, breaking the skin, but not fatally wounding him.

Gritting my teeth, I felt pain as the collar tightened and released a powerful surge of energy, frying my body from the inside. This was new. Then again, this was the first time I directly attacked him. I tried to breathe in shallow puffs, focusing on the terrified bastard in front of me instead of the pain. His eyes were wide in dread. I have never seen him make such a face even though I often smelled his fear. It was delightful! Making sure he couldn’t speak, I held him up in and flashed a murderous grin.

Sensing Clay’s attack from the side quickly approach, I moved slightly and slammed my tail into his side. His sword failed to connect at he slammed against the wall. The woman was screaming for help. Seeing my time was running out, I grabbed his forehead, tilting it back as the vial was quickly unwrapped from the gauze. He squirmed with fear, but I didn't let up. Popping the cork, I kept his mouth open and poured the contents down his throat, my hands shaking from the strain. The whole thing happening in mere seconds.

Clay shouted at me, charging with his weapon drawn again. While keeping Patrick’s nose and mouth shut, I used my tail to keep Clay at a distance. Once I felt Patrick’s throat contort with gulps, I dropped the bastard. Blood was flowing down my lips. My organs stopped sustaining damage once I released him but the collar was cutting off my air.

Screaming a war cry, Clay got past my tail and swung his sword. Too bad, if this was before the Colosseum, I might have been cut down. Experience makes the man. He let out a painful grunt as I dodged his blow and punched him in the gut, making blood spray out of his mouth. Grabbing his arm, I tossed him into a wall, his arm snapping from the force of impact. I cracked my knuckles with a maddened grin as pain kept lacing my body.

The experience I've gained in the Colosseum has taken away any chance Clay might have had of winning. Hearing his shallow breaths, I impale his stomach with the tip of my tail, careful not to make it fatal. He was a free man so killing him would only make matters worse for me, I was sick and tired of choking. Strong, sharp pain made me feel like my neck was about to snap, forcing me to viciously curse and pull back. Thankfully, it began loosening after a minute as the healer stared at me with a calm expression at a safe distance. The assistants were shouting for help and, soon enough, the guards appeared. The whips they held flashed at me, wrapping around my arms as I was tugged backwards. Falling on my back with a grunt, I remained still as they put some manacles around my wrists and ankles. Dragging me with the chains somewhere, I kept staring at Patrick, a wide grin on my face as I spit in his direction.

The bastard gasped for air, his eyes were becoming bloodshot from the Thornrose as it slowly took effect. I could see tears his swollen eyes as he grabbed at his face. He suddenly screamed in horror. His eyes were completely glazed with a blackish color. It looked like a cluster of tiny black capillaries forming a net. He started to foam and violently shake as he squealed, "MAKE IT STOP!!!" he cried out as his fingernails dug into his skin.

Slight gasps of desperation came from his throat as he kept screaming until his mouth bled. He soiled himself, howling in terror. The stress on his body was too much to keep control over his bodily functions. This was a Thornrose overdose at its finest.

Haha, mission complete! I thought as I sighed in joy. The collar was totally loose as they were dragging me away.

Whatever the consequences, it was worth it...