The cheers of the audience still echoed throughout the arena as the giant screen displayed the results of Stage 3.
Because Jaid had been overconfident and fell into the lava, their time was completely wasted restarting from the beginning.
Nelson raised his hand in acknowledgment.
"And with that, the journey of Gusdur and Jaid ends here! Thank you for your incredible participation!"
Gusdur simply laughed heartily while patting Jaid's shoulder, who was still hanging his head in frustration over his clumsy mistake.
"Well, that's life. Sometimes you're on top, sometimes you're in lava. You three, fight until the finals!" Gusdur said casually before both of their bodies glowed and teleported out of the arena.
Now, only three strongest pairs remained: Togil & Envy, Steve & Pulchra, and Shiro & Gampler.
"Before we proceed to the true FINAL STAGE..." Nelson's voice boomed again.
"The finalists are invited to enter the VIP Rest Room! You have 30 minutes to recover your stamina before facing the ultimate challenge of this amusement park tournament!!!"
The floor beneath the three pairs slowly descended like an elevator, carrying them away from the roaring crowd into a spacious, calm, and warm room filled with soft sofas and various foods to restore their energy.
Steve immediately dropped onto one of the long sofas, letting out a long sigh of relief. Beside him, Pulchra sat gracefully, though the tips of her ears were still slightly red.
Steve turned and handed her a cold energy drink with his usual bright smile.
"Nice work, Senior! I honestly didn't expect you to be that agile during the lava section. Felt like I was partying with a pro player!"
Pulchra accepted the drink with both hands, smiling softly until her eyes curved sweetly.
"No, I should be the one thanking you, Steve. During the invisible block section... I was really scared I'd give the wrong directions and make you fall."
She looked down at her drink, her voice soft.
"Thank you for trusting me completely. Even though I panic so easily."
Steve chuckled and sat up, facing her with a sincere gaze.
"What are you saying, Senior? It's exactly because you're like that that this match was so fun."
He moved closer and gently held her hand.
"If it wasn't for you guiding me back there, I'd have fallen for sure. No way I'd dare jump into empty air like that!"
He scratched his cheek, feeling it grow warm.
"Besides... I promised I'd protect you until the finals."
Hearing that, Pulchra's face turned bright red. She covered half her face with the cold bottle and nodded shyly.
"Y-yes... let's do our best together in the finals, Junior."
"Yeah, let's go, Senior!! (Why hasn't Unknown said anything this whole time...)"
"(Don't be noisy. I'm hibernating to recover my energy. You just enjoy yourself with that shy girl!!!)" snapped Unknown in Steve's mind.
"(Got it.)"
Steve lay back down beside Pulchra to rest.
...
In another dim corner of the room, Togil sat leaning back with his eyes closed, feeling the soreness in his arm from stopping their fall earlier.
Suddenly, a soft towel landed on his head, followed by a bottle of water held in front of him.
Togil slowly opened one eye. Envy stood there, looking away with puffed cheeks, clearly flustered.
"Drink. Don't get dehydrated before the finals," she said bluntly, though her hand trembled slightly.
Togil snorted lightly, took the bottle, and drank it in one go. Then he pulled the towel down and wiped the sweat from his neck.
"What about you? Still weak from forcing those portals earlier?" he asked in a low voice.
Envy slowly sat beside him, leaving a small gap, though their shoulders touched.
She looked down, fidgeting with her fingers. Her voice softened completely.
"Togil..."
"Hm?"
"Thank you... for earlier. When my cart fell, and during the fireworks part..."
She bit her lip, finally gathering the courage to look into his eyes.
"You gave up points and risked yourself just to catch me. And... you held me so I wouldn't be scared while flying... You even wasted your energy on something like that."
She gently held his jaw with both hands.
"Thank you... again~"
Togil fell silent. His usually cold gaze melted completely as he looked into her teary eyes.
Without realizing it, his large hand rose and gently patted her head, making her freeze with a face as red as a tomato.
"I told you already," Togil whispered.
A faint, incredibly handsome smile appeared on his lips.
"I'll handle everything. As long as I'm here, you'll never be in danger, Envy. Save your strength and magic for the finals. I'll clear the path for us."
Envy couldn't respond anymore. Her heart had completely melted. She simply nodded and unconsciously leaned her head slightly against his arm. And amusingly, the strongest assassin allowed it, his ears turning red as well.
"(I won't lose the only person who believes in me again!)" Togil growled in his heart.
Meanwhile, while the other two pairs were lost in their own sweet moments, across the room Shiro lay face down on a sofa while Gampler massaged his back.
"Ugh, Gampler, your body's small but you're heavy!" Shiro complained, wincing.
Gampler laughed cheerfully.
"Hehe! Sorry, Shiro!"
"My legs are short, Shiro dear~ But you were amazing, running and jumping like that without magic! As a reward..."
She leaned closer to his ear and whispered softly,
"I'll give you a special reward later~"
Shiro snorted in surprise.
"Hahaha... you really are something, Gampler." he grumbled, pinching her cheek until it turned red.
"Hey! You're so mean! If you don't want it, then fine!"
"Hehe, no, don't say that."
The 30 minutes passed quickly in the warmth of the resting room. A bell rang, signaling the end of their break.
Nelson's voice echoed once more through the speakers.
"Break time is over! Prepare yourselves, finalists! The main stage has been completely transformed. Welcome to the final battle arena..."
Each participant stood up, readying themselves for what was about to come.