Free Web NovelChapter 67: Good Morning
The day was finally over. The judges, the principals and elders of the academies, the thrilled audience, and the families watching over their children pursuing their dreams and changing their lives.
All of that was erased like a lie that never took place nor existed in the first place.
Finally, it was time for those wounded and exhausted aspirants to rest and heal the wounds on both their bodies and hearts.
Thane returned to the dormitory assigned to the examination participants.
The giant’s body felt heavy. Every muscle complained. He placed his hand over his shoulder, rotating it... The pain was not easy, but it was manageable... He had lost twice and been beaten quite badly. His face was swollen in several places, and his ribs hurt whenever he took a casual breath.
However, the moment he started relaxing, another problem, a more urgent one, pressed him.
"GROWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWL"
Thane patted his stomach in understanding. Not only had he been beaten, but he had also been left without any food since dawn.
"I need meat and goat milk," Thane spoke to his stomach in assurance.
Nothing else mattered. Not defeats, nor victories.
Not Etno, nor Donovan.
Only food mattered. Opponents would get beaten one day after all, but a skipped meal could not be redeemed.
The giant marched directly toward the dining hall.
The kitchen staff nearly panicked when they saw him dashing at them without the slightest hint of pausing.
Thankfully, though, he stopped in time.
Within the next half hour, Thane consumed enough food to alarm several nearby candidates.
Three whole roasted chickens. Two baskets of bread.
Several bowls of stew. An unreasonable amount of fruits.
And enough milk to make a farmer question his career choices.
Whatever he could get his hands on was eaten, thrown into the void of his digestion without discrimination.
The giant finally leaned back in his chair. He patted his swollen stomach, now admiring the capacity it had for food. "Now I feel alive."
Nearby candidates stared. One quietly whispered, "How can he eat so much?"
"No idea," another answered.
Later that evening, a doctor arrived in Thane’s room.
The management had assigned healers to the more promising candidates.
Thane happened to be one of them, and the old doctor inspected him carefully.
The giant obediently sat still. "Ow, this hurts." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
The doctor poked another bruise.
"This too." Thane nodded at the old doctor, who pursed his lips in response.
Another poke.
"Ow ow ow." Thane wiggled.
The doctor sighed. "You are not helping," he complained.
"How would I help?" Thane asked back. "Look here, that one was a fist," he paused, pointing at another, "here, see that one, was an elbow... probably."
"Probably?" the doctor questioned.
Thane blinked twice before nodding.
The doctor eventually applied several medicinal ointments and advanced Bentrami healing compounds.
Technology and alchemy worked hand in hand within the kingdom.
It was not miraculous, but it was very impressive. Most advanced within the continent.
The cool medicine seeped into bruised flesh, the pain immediately lessened. But considering Thane’s condition... he probably should be left soaked inside the expensive ointment overnight to heal.
The doctor, of course, was not going to do that... He picked the most critical ones to focus on.
And once he was done, he stood. "Try not to get punched tomorrow," he instructed.
Thane rolled his eyes. "I’ll try my best, doc," he said.
The healer squinted at the obvious lie. Thane averted his gaze, ignoring the illogical demand.
Minutes after the old doctor’s departure, several Bentrami candidates visited afterward.
The giant had become something of a celebrity among the participants.
Some came to congratulate him, others came merely to chat.
A few asked about Donovan. One asked whether Etno was really as strong as he looked.
Thane answered honestly. "Yes."
The room became quiet, because they recognized Thane’s strength.
Eventually, Thane looked around. "Where’s Conor Jury?"
The room grew slightly awkward. None even bothered to correct his name.
One candidate scratched his head. "He is in the infirmary."
Thane lowered his head as he slowly nodded.
The memory returned. Donovan’s mace, the strike after surrender, and the blood.
The giant’s expression darkened briefly. Maybe I didn’t beat him hard enough? he asked himself without voicing it, then he nodded again.
"Good," he said subconsciously.
The others looked confused.
Thane looked at them and shook his head before he clarified. "I mean good that he’s healing."
The awkwardness finally disappeared. As the night deepened, the visitors gradually left.
The dormitory became quiet. Moonlight filtered through the windows. The city beyond remained alive, but distant.
Thane sat alone on his bed, thinking about Donovan, Etno, and the day of tomorrow.
For perhaps ten seconds, then he yawned and stretched on the bed as he lay down.
He pulled the blanket over himself and immediately fell asleep.
Like a child. No overthinking, no anxiety, and no endless worries.
What good would worrying do? Tomorrow would come whether he worried or not.
Better to sleep and recover. Better to punch people while healthy.
That seemed like excellent logic. At least to Thane.
Elsewhere, the dormitories told a different story.
The Krynova Kingdom delegation was celebrating.
Laughter echoed through their halls.
Candidates discussed the upcoming one-versus-one tournament.
Many believed Etno would win everything. Very few argued over who would place second.
The atmosphere was lively, optimistic, and confident.
Meanwhile, the Drevlorn dormitory was silent, painfully silent.
No celebrations, no laughter, no conversations. Only tension.
Donovan sat alone, bruised, angry, and humiliated.
He had lost twice. First politically, then physically.
The noble’s hands clenched. The memory of Thane’s fist still haunted him.
The giant’s words haunted him even more.
"You are disappointingly slower than him."
The room’s silence became suffocating. Nobody dared speak. No one dared comfort him.
Because everyone knew tomorrow was coming.
And Donovan needed a victory, very badly.
Hours passed, and morning arrived quickly. The sun rose over the capital.
The academy grounds awakened, candidates emerged from dormitories.
Servants hurried through corridors, officials prepared documents.
The final stage had arrived. The one-versus-one tournament. The true proving ground.
Thane woke up slowly. He stretched.
Cracked several joints, then immediately regretted it. "Ow."
His face still hurt. freёwebnoѵel.com
His ribs still hurt.
His shoulder definitely hurt.
Yet compared to yesterday, he felt remarkably better.
The ointments had worked wonders.
Nearly forty percent of his injuries had faded overnight.
Bentram’s medical technology truly was outstanding.
The giant washed his face and ate more than one portion to make sure he would not starve midday.
Then he made his way toward the arena. By the time he arrived, thousands had already gathered.
The crowd looked even larger than before. Word had spread throughout the capital. Everyone wanted to witness the final stage.
The best candidates. The future elites. The future heroes.
The arena buzzed with excitement, then the referee stepped forward.
Silence descended.
The official opened a scroll.
Candidates immediately became tense.
The first match would set the tone for the entire tournament.
The referee cleared his throat, then read aloud. "The first match..."
A pause.
"The first match of the one-versus-one tournament shall be..."
Everyone listened. Then several people blinked.
A few laughed, because the pairing was absurdly perfect.
"Thane."
The giant looked up.
"Versus Donovan Young."
The arena exploded in cheers, laughter, shouting, full of excitement.
The crowd loved it. Even many candidates looked amused.
This was not random. Everyone knew it.
The officials could claim otherwise, nobody believed them.
The Bentrami organizers had clearly arranged this matchup.
After all the chaos, after all the insults, after all the arrogance.
The kingdom wanted a spectacle, and perhaps, just perhaps, they wanted the proud noble of Drevlorn to begin his morning with another shattered ego.
Across the arena, Donovan slowly looked up.
His eyes found Thane. The giant grinned and raised a hand.
He waved enthusiastically. "Good morning!"
His chance had finally come to give him the extra beating he had missed yesterday.
The crowd burst into laughter.
Donovan’s eye twitched.
Today, Thane did not have any teammates to hold him back, nor did Donovan have special privilege to take his personal group with him.
