HBWnovel Chapter 138: The Cost of Victory
Chapter 138: The Cost of Victory
Chapter 138: The Cost of VictoryConsciousness returned in slow waves. First came the dull ache—a deep, bone-deep exhaustion that settled in my limbs like lead. Then the sterile scent of antiseptic, mixing faintly with something richer, something expensive. My fingers twitched against fine sheets, smoother than any hospital bed should have been.
I cracked an eye open.
A dimly lit room. Ornate furniture. A chandelier that gleamed in the low light. This wasn't a hospital. This was luxury wrapped in pretense, a throne room disguised as a convalescence ward.
Vincent Giovanni's estate.
A figure sat beside me, her face partially obscured by the soft glow of a bedside lamp. Alexis. She wasn't hunched over medical notes, wasn't moving with her usual clinical efficiency. Instead, she was watching me, a deep furrow in her brow, her fingers pressing into the edge of the mattress. Her eyes—sharp, calculating, always
With that settled, I turned, heading back toward the hallway. Alexis fell into step beside me.
The adrenaline had long faded, but my mind was still running, sifting through every detail, every piece of the puzzle that had yet to fall into place. The tournament was won, the prototypes were ours—but the real question remained.
What came next?
As we stepped out into the night air, I let my gaze drift upward. The stars burned bright above, distant and indifferent. My thoughts swirled, questions piling atop one another.
And then, an abrupt reminder.
A notification flashed in my mind, the event quest reward kicking in at last.
JOB PROMOTION: BOXER (A-RANK)
I exhaled slowly. A new threshold. A new set of possibilities.
The question was—did I want a new job right now?
The thought lingered as I walked forward, Alexis at my side, the weight of the night settling onto my shoulders.
For now, I had decisions to make. And soon—very soon—I'd have to choose my next move.