Joe’s eyes snapped open and he found himself back in his cell. The sudden return to consciousness threw off his balance, making him feel as if he had been falling from a great height. He clutched his head and waited for the dizziness to fade. Being forced out of his own domain without consent clearly had side effects.

  ‘I know the truth hurts, but isn’t that a little too much?’ Joe complained inwardly, thinking about how angry the Goddess had been when he implied her chest was lacking. He struggled to understand why she was so enraged when he had only stated a fact. Surely, across her long life, she had heard worse. Then again, with how temperamental she could be, there was a chance she had simply erased anyone who offended her. The only reason he was still alive was likely because of his powerful soul and their bond.

  That thought reminded him that he had forgotten to ask her what was required to make their pact permanent. It was still registered as a partial contract by the system, and he wanted to complete it. A full contract would likely grant him greater benefits. He had also failed to question Serene about how he was able to learn Martial Skills despite lacking a Martial Arts Specialty. That was far more important. If he could learn unarmed techniques without the proper Specialty, then perhaps he could do the same with others. That would be an absurd advantage.

  He would have time to ask during his daily four hour visits. The Goddess had insisted that one of those hours be dedicated solely to conversation. That would be the perfect opportunity.

  “Hey, you’re awake.”

  Joe glanced to his side and saw Bob sitting next to him with a relieved expression.

  “How long was I out?”

  “Nine whole hours,” Bob said with emphasis. “I was worried sick. No matter how much I tried to wake you, you didn’t respond. Your heart rate was unnaturally slow. I thought you were dying. If you had slept like that for another hour, I would have called the guards.”

  Joe had not realized it was that severe. He had heard stories of people dying in their sleep. It made sense that Bob had panicked.

  “I’m fine now. I was just resting.” Joe gave him a reassuring smile. “What did I miss?”

  He scanned the room. Big Dog and Shelly were gone. Charles was awake, laughing to himself as he played with dust on the floor.

  “Well, you slept through lunch. The Boss even saved you a bowl, but you didn’t wake up, so he ended up eating it himself.”

  “He saved me a bowl? Why?” Joe knew Big Dog as a glutton who would steal food without shame. Saving a meal for anyone other than Shelly was unusual.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  “He said you needed to be treated with respect now that you’re his right hand man and the second strongest in the section.”

  Joe understood that his position came with privileges, but he had not expected it to extend to food. Big Dog giving up a meal meant he took Joe’s status seriously.

  “He also left you dinner,” Bob added, pointing to a bowl of soup and bread in the center of the room. “He told the guards not to collect it until you ate.”

  Joe stood and picked up the bowl, then returned to his spot and handed it to Bob. “Share it with the old man. You shouldn’t go another day without eating.”

  “But the Boss left that for you. I can’t—”

  “Just eat it. I don’t like cold soup. It makes me sick.”

  Bob looked at Joe with watery, grateful eyes and an expression filled with admiration as he took the bowl. He immediately began devouring the food, tears streaming down his face as he finally satisfied his stomach.

  “It’s so good… thank you so much,” he said with a full mouth.

  Joe doubted it was as delicious as his friend made it seem, but to a starving man, any food tasted amazing.

  Bob ate exactly half before handing the rest to Charles, who accepted and devoured it without hesitation. When he finished, he returned the bowl to its original position.

  A few seconds later, Big Dog entered with Shelly.

  “Ah, Joe. You’re awake.” He chuckled. “The Smiling Devil finally caught up to you? First timers often black out.”

  “Yeah. I underestimated it,” Joe replied with a fake sheepish smile.

  “What matters is that you held it together in the Battleground. Fainting in front of everyone would have hurt your image.”

  “I understand.”

  “I also finalized arrangements for the Inter Prison Section Elite Tournament. It starts at midnight, so don’t fall asleep again.”

  Joe nodded.

  Big Dog glanced at the empty bowl. “I see you finished your meal. Did you enjoy it?”

  “Yes, Boss. Thank you for saving it for me.” Joe bowed his head.

  “Nonsense. You’re my second in command. You won’t go hungry again.”

  “Thank you.”

  Big Dog turned his attention back to Shelly, who still wore her usual disinterested expression.

  Joe leaned toward Bob. “Do you know anything about the other four competitors for the upcoming tournament.”

  “Yes sir, I managed to gather some information.”

  “You can just call me Joe.”

  “But you’re the Vice Commander—”

  “We’re friends. Don’t make it awkward.”

  Bob hesitated, then nodded. “Alright, here's what I leaned. The winner of the West is named Breaker. Many say he’s the physically strongest in the tournament. He eliminated 50% of the participants. Every opponent he beat had all their bones shattered and were sent to the infirmary. He’s a monster.

  “The South’s champion is Chase. Fast and agile, he eliminated 40% of the competition and finished the battle royal without a single scratch.

  “From Central, there’s Lars. He was unknown before the tournament but eliminated all the favorites to claim his spot.

  “And from the North, we have Reaper. His story is the scariest. When the battle royal began, the other competitors locked eyes with him and shat their pants before they all ran away and jumped off the platform themselves. The match ended in five seconds.”

  Joe nodded slowly. “They all sound dangerous.”

  “Are you scared?” Bob teased.

  Joe smirked. “If anything, I’m excited. That just means it’ll be more fun.”

  Bob laughed. “After seeing you smile during that fight with Psycho, I shouldn’t be surprised.”

  “So who’s the favorite?”

  “Probably Reaper. I’ve heard even his own King is afraid of him. No offense to you of course,”

  “None taken. He sounds like a scary guy.” Joe leaned back against the wall, a grin slowly forming on his face. “I guess the tournament will be more fun than I was expecting.”

  His grin widened.

  “I can’t wait.”