"What's happening? Are they still alive?" Getting closer to Auran, the woman who had guided the fight asked once again. At that moment, the officers of the section had already begun to react and arrived at the scene. Seeing Auran close to the dead bodies and hearing others say he was a medic, they also waited for his response.
Realizing his time had run out, Auran finished his investigation on the necklace and stood up.
"What's the situation? Can you save them?" an officer asked him.
"Huh? Oh no, he's dead," Auran said casually as he walked away, unbothered by the gazes of the others staring at him.
"Well, you heard him. Pile them into bags and bring them out," the officer responded after a minute, and the criminals who had been flattened by the rock were soon removed from the place.
Afterward, the commotion gradually came to an end as the officers deployed their authority and dispersed the gathered prisoners, continuing the work of the second section's mine.
Looking at Auran, who silently walked off to a solitary corner, Henry followed, and Marian and Nimuk took the same path. However, before they could meet each other, someone grabbed hold of Auran.
"You still have a judgment to face, boy. Come with me," said the deep, manly voice of the woman, who then lifted Auran up with one hand like a child and carried him toward a crowd of people.
"Is this really necessary?" Auran asked as the woman dropped him into the circle.
"Yes, very much. It's the fundamental hierarchy of this prison. And since almost every one of us here is certain to live the rest of our lives in this place, it's good to decide where we belong," said the woman as she stepped out of the circle.
"Well, not for long," muttered Auran as he stood up and cleaned the dust off from his prison suit.
Once he stood, Auran saw a few familiar faces. One was Kahla, who was gritting his teeth while glaring at him. Another was his brother—the same man who had been defeated by Auran. On his face, the faint red slap marks from the rock were still visible to the naked eye.
On the other side stood Henry, Marian, and Nimuk. Among them, only Nimuk looked like a regular prisoner. Aside from Marian Henry is also now well-known among the prisoners, instantly recognized as exceptional fighters.
"Alright, everyone. Now since the disturbance is out of the way, let's decide what to do with our newbie, who's a little crafty with his work," the woman said, and the crowd once again erupted into debate—one side arguing to make Auran a rookie, while the other side insisted he be made a slave.
In the midst of it all, Auran sat on the ground and closed his eyes like a man undisturbed by anything happening around him.
Seeing him like that, Kahla and his brother's expressions turned even angrier.
"Make him a slave!" they screamed, and their friends standing around joined in as well.
"Let's do it my way," Auran suddenly said, opening his eyes and looking at the woman overseeing the challenge.
"Oh? What way is your way?"
"Another round. Let's go for another challenge—and I'll win without 'cheating' this time."
"You sound confident," said the woman. She gazed into Auran's eyes, and upon seeing the firmness there, she smirked.
"Let's do it, then."
Afterward, she announced her decision for another challenge involving Auran. The crowd agreed instantly. And when the time came for a challenger to step forward, just like before, Kahla pushed one of his subordinates ahead.
This subordinate of his had scars and cuts all over his body and a muscular frame—unlike most slaves who worked in the mines.
After observing his challenger, especially his arms and height, Auran sighed.
"What kind of weak bastard is this..." he muttered.
"What!?" The challenger, upon hearing Auran's mocking words, was enraged.
"Oho! Did you hear that, everyone?" the woman said loudly.
"Our newbie just called the 'Slave Crusher' a weak bastard!" she introduced the challenger with a specific tone.
"Slave Crusher... I don't like the sound of that name—or what it means," thought Henry, watching from the crowd as a spectator.
"Do you know that guy?" he asked Marian, who was standing beside him.
"His true name is unknown, but all the others call him the Slave Crusher. The reason is... despite being a slave, he was like their leader. In one case, when another slave disobeyed his orders, that guy beat him to a pulp until he was dead," explained Marian.
"It's a pretty well-known fact that he cares very little about the life of a fellow slave."
"That's not going to be good for Auran, then..." Henry said with concern, knowing that without mana, Auran was physically as weak as an ordinary man.
"Yes, that's what I initially thought too... But look at his eyes," Marian replied.
"They don't look hollow. They're filled with confidence. And in this short time I've spent with you and your friend, I've learned one thing—your friend is not the type of man who jokes when it comes to his own capabilities." She watched the arena with keen interest, sensing that the real battle was just beginning.
Hearing her, Henry's eyes focused as he also observed the battle in the circle surrounded by the prisoners.
"You've got a big mouth for a guy who's about to get his teeth knocked out," the Slave Crusher said mockingly toward Auran. However, Auran simply gave a slight smile in response.
The Slave Crusher was unsatisfied with that and paused for a moment in silence before the woman announced the start of the battle with loud words:
"Let this rematch begin!"
At the end of her words, the Slave Crusher was already rushing at Auran with his fist clenched tightly. And once they closed the distance, he punched at Auran with all his strength.