The world felt quieter after the fight, not because the pit had gone silent, but because the noise no longer pressed in the same way. It stayed outside, contained, like it belonged to a different place. I sat slumped in one of the metal seats inside the preparation chamber, helmet off, mask loosened, letting the cooler air touch my face while my body tried to decide if it was done or not.
A few minutes had passed.
Maybe more.
Time had stretched somewhere in the middle of that fight and never quite returned to normal.
They had carried him out already.
The Ripper.
Still breathing.
That mattered here. Fighters who brought in coins usually got taken care of, patched up enough to come back, or at least not die on the sand where people had bet on them minutes earlier. I watched them drag him past the doorway before someone closed it again, cutting off the last of the arena light.
I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, hands hanging loosely, and replayed it.
Not the whole thing.
Just pieces.
The first punch.
The chest hit.
The moment I hesitated.
Then the shift.
That part didn't sit right.
I didn't decide it.
I didn't even see it coming.
I just… moved.
That was new.
That was not entirely me.
That thought stayed longer than I expected.
I exhaled slowly and let my head drop for a second before lifting it again.
That was close.
Maybe a bit too close, Mary will be worried sick if something more serious had happened to him.
"That was the toughest fight you have been in," Angel said cut in, her voice clearer now, less fragmented than during the exchange.
"I know," I replied, not out loud, just the thought forming and pushing forward.
It still felt strange, not needing to speak, just… thinking it, and knowing she would hear.
It seemed creepy, but useful
"I learned from that engagement," she continued. "As did you."
I let out a short breath that almost passed for a laugh.
"Yeah, felt like it."
"There were gaps in your response patterns," she added. "Those conditions have now been accounted for."
I tilted my head slightly.
Accounted for.
Right.
Like that was normal.
"Show me," I said.
The response was immediate.
The interface slid into place over my vision, cleaner than before, more stable, the faint flicker from earlier days gone. It felt like it belonged there now, like my eyes had adjusted to it even when it wasn't present.
The interface stabilized, clearer than before, and this time the information did not come in fragments. It arranged itself into a structured display, clean and immediate.
ATTRIBUTE
VALUE
Level
+4 (Current: 7)
Psi
2
Strength
+15
Stamina
+15
Health
+10
Combat Skills
Expanded
Defensive Response
Enhanced
I stared at it for a second, letting the numbers settle without rushing to interpret them.
"Four levels?" I thought.
"Correct," Angel replied.
That didn't feel normal.
Then my attention shifted to the next line.
Psi.
A whole number now.
"That changed," I said.
"Yes," Angel replied. "Your psionic capacity has entered a usable threshold."
I leaned back slightly, eyes still fixed on the display.
"What does that mean?"
There was a pause.
"It can be utilized," she said. "However, access requires an unlock condition."
"An unlock condition?"
"Unknown."
Of course.
"That part is not within my current data set."
I exhaled slowly.
"That seem awfully convenient."
No response.
I let the table linger for a moment longer before shifting my attention to the rest of the data, the list beneath it longer now, denser, filled with changes that didn't need to be explained twice.
New entries layered over old ones, most of them tied to movement, hand to hand combat, defensive reactions, stamina management. Numbers had shifted everywhere, not small increments either. Strength had jumped noticeably. Stamina even more. Health followed, steady but significant.
That kind of growth didn't come from repetition alone.
I knew that.
"It feels like you're speeding my growth somehow," I said.
"Yes," Angel replied without hesitation.
"How?"
"Optimization of adaptation pathways. Redistribution of energy resources. Integration efficiency has increased."
Right.
That again.
Eighty five percent.
I remembered.
I rubbed my face lightly, feeling the residual heat still sitting under the skin.
"What does that make me?" I asked, not entirely sure I wanted the answer.
There was a pause this time.
Longer.
Then—
"You are evolving."
That wasn't an answer.
But it was close enough.
I let it go.
For now.
"So what about the psi," I asked after a moment. "You said it's usable."
"Yes."
"And you don't know how to unlock it."
"Correct, that party is entirely left to you"
I shook my head slightly.
"Then what can be done with it?"
"Access has been established," she replied. "I can begin constructing nanostructures to improve your baseline physical condition."
I paused.
Nanostructures.
Nanobots.
Same thing.
"Inside my body," I said.
"Yes."
I leaned back again, staring up at the ceiling for a second.
That should have bothered me more.
It did.
Just not enough to stop anything.
The word settled in.
And that was it.
No sensation followed.
No indication that anything had started at all.
I waited a second longer than necessary, then exhaled quietly.
Yeah.
That made more sense.
There wasn't really a way around that anymore.
I lowered my gaze again, letting the interface fade on its own this time, and sat there for a moment without thinking about the next step. I felt so tired. Might just catch some sleep while i can,
That didn't happen,
Footsteps.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
Coming from the entrance.
I looked up as the door opened.
The man who stepped in filled the space more than most, not just because of his size, but because of how he carried it. Broad shoulders, thick arms, hands that looked like they had broken more than a few bones, his knuckles scarred, uneven, the kind of damage that didn't fully heal right.
He had been in fights.
A lot of them.
And not all of them in the pit.
He stopped a few steps in, looking at me without hurry, his gaze moving once over my frame, assessing, measuring.
Then he spoke.
"You the Black Knight?"
His voice was rough,
I held his gaze.
"Yeah."
He nodded once.
"The boss wants to see you."
That sat there.
No explanation.
No option.
Just a statement.
I stood up slowly, my body feeling different now that it had cooled down, not weaker, just… heavier in a way that meant it had been used properly.
"Now?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
Didn't need to.
He turned and started walking.
I followed.
Because at this point—
That was the only direction things were moving.