Tepo left the arena through the back. Storing the crystals handed over by the staff, he arrived at a lowered plateau within the park.

Towards his right was a long slope, a small stream running along its edge, gathering in a small pond at his left. A few benches were placed in the area, serving as relaxation spots for the warriors.

On one of those, Tepo noticed a familiar back. He calmly sat down next to his best friend. Some bandages could be seen peeking out below Yerive’s red robe.

“How are you doing?”

Suddenly Yerive was pulled out of his thoughts. He hadn’t noticed anyone arrive.

“Ah! Oh, Tepo it’s you.

Don’t worry, I’m fine. The healer said my injuries are more superficial and will heal soon.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Silence fell on the scene. Only the splashing water and happily chirping birds could be heard.

“It went as expected.”

“Don’t be discouraged. You won against someone who has been fighting longer than you. And didn’t you say your core advanced?”

Yerive flinched upon Tepo’s question. His eyes looked disparaged.

“Another useless ability.”, mumbled the young man quietly.

“I don’t believe there are useless abilities.”

“Am I not evidence enough? My core didn’t do anything against burning whip.”

“But it was a lot of help against that storm guy. Maybe your core is one of those more suitable in the right environment.”

Yerive didn’t answer, both men staring at the pond quietly.

“Aren’t you affected by your loss?”

“No. Why would I be? The only question I have is the reason for my loss. During the fights I noticed that all our opponents had a stronger physical strength.

I don’t believe that all of them drank potions.”

“Maybe we are just too weak? Who knows if humans in other worlds are born stronger.”

“Maybe…”

Tepo couldn’t come to a certain conclusion. He thought about who to ask, naturally remembering the two friends who came with them.

Perhaps they manage to lift up Yerive’s mood if he hears more than one person praising him.

“Come, let’s look for Droa’va and Inurol’ah.”

Yerive nodded faintly. The two friends got up, went up the slope and circled the arena. They could still hear the host announcing the next fights, wondering who might win the tournament in the end.

Although Tepo had a hunch that the Green Giant was the favorite, he hadn’t seen much from others.

The two friends passed the thinning crowd, turned another corner, and immediately spotted two women looking around in confusion.

Suddenly four pairs of eyes met.

“Ahh! Where do you come from? We have been waiting, guys!”, shouted Droa’va with amused anger.

The two men quickly approached.

“Sorry we have taken the backdoor.”

“Oh, the VIP treatment.”

“More like the loser treatment.”

Both the kind women frowned upon hearing Yerive’s self-belittling joke.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Why? I think you fought well!”, stated Inurol’ah.

Tepo immediately hinted:

“Right, tell him!”

“Yes. Don’t look at one loss. What do you think how often those other contestants lost before?”

“Right. It’s only important what you take away from the loss.”

“But even Tepo agreed that we are too weak…”

“Wait, when did I say this? I only questioned why all our opponent had stronger physical bodies.”

Suddenly Inurol’ah flinched, feeling somewhat guilty. There was something she should have told them, but didn’t because of Tepo’s annoyingly confident face:

“Ehm. You don’t know?”

“What?”, asked Tepo looking at the green-skinned woman strangely.

“The Force of Nine Suns has a special effect. It can strengthen your body over time even if you don’t train with it.”

Droa’va ignored the odd tone of her bests friend’s voice as she exclaimed:

“You didn’t know this?!”

“How could we…”

“I thought that’s a given. What do you think is the reason why the first arrivals put so much effort into building a city here?”

“Well. Special resources maybe. Who knows.”

Inurol’ah almost felt like gloating at Tepo for his naivety but when she saw Yerive’s mood brighten slightly she decided to shut up.

“For resources small camps would be enough. There would be no need to build such a massive barrier to shield us against the suns.”

Yerive slowly calmed his emotions as he found out that just staying in this world could make him stronger. He even regained the mood to ask questions:

“Are the nine suns dangerous?”

“Definitely. It’s not recommended for commoners and aspirants to leave the barrier.”

“Ok. Thank you for solving this mystery.”, answered Tepo after a moment. “Should we go back? I’m rather eager to train right now.”

“Not so fast, you two!”

“Why? Do you want to do something else?”

“Yes. Treat your injuries.”

“But they have already been healed?”

“You call this healing?”

“Droa’va is right, guys. The arena obviously only did the minimum.

Let Droa’va take a look. Her healing prowess is well known in the forum.”

Tepo only shrugged his shoulders. The pain caused by this movement was subconsciously ignored by his brain.

“But should we do this here?”

“Well, if you say you are feeling fine, we can do it back in the forum.”

Tepo didn’t care either way, so he glanced at Yerive. He noticed his best friend fidgeting slightly. It was clear that the young man didn’t want to do it in public.

“Whatever. Let’s go back and then we’ll see.”

“Ok. But don’t think you can escape.”, giggled Inurol’ah.

With the decision made, the four friends began to return. Droa’va reliably led them through the confusing streets. There was still a lot to see in the big city, new things constantly drawing Tepo and Yerive’s attention.

Suddenly Tepo felt a movement. It came from his own pocket. With wide, angry eyes his hand instinctively shot towards his waist.

“F*ck!”

Tepo cursed as he grabbed empty air. He quickly turned around. His eyes scanned the crowded road.

“What?”

“Tepo what’s going on?”

“A thief! You can go ahead.”

While answering Tepo was already pushing into the crowd. He was sure that he saw a black cloak entering an alley.

But suddenly the young man stopped again. Only now did he noticed that his hand touched something earlier. His storage bad was still on his waist.

So, did I only imagine it?

As confusion spread in Tepo’s mind, he felt a strange sensation on his neck.

It’s the web’s mark!

A light lit up in his brain. Was this the web’s method of contacting him?

The young man activated the mark on his neck. An invisible impulse spread, clearly marking a spot in his mind.

Curious, the young man chased after it.

His friends looked at Tepo’s back. He left too suddenly, not giving them any time to keep up. They could only go back wishing him good luck.

Tepo dove into an alley. Although this alley might still count as a road in other cities. It only was less crowded.

He quickly reached the spot he saw earlier. Since there was no clue left here it was obvious that someone was leading him. Thus, he activated his mark again.

This situation went on for a while. Tepo followed patiently as someone led him away from the city center. Inwardly he sighed in amazement as during the entire time he never spotted the one he followed.

After a while Tepo went up some stairs along one of the many hills in the city. His eyes were drawn to the large statue of a staff wielding man at the top. The one he was chasing seemed to linger around the statue, marking this as the likely target.

Suddenly Tepo rose his brows. He sent another impulse. But despite the sparse crowd he spotted three members of the Web. However, the points sent to his mind were flickering and circling a large area.

The situation confused Tepo somewhat. Especially as the dot he had been chasing began to behave similarly.

A security measure?

Tepo could only guess as he arrived below the statue. He turned his head left and right, not finding any more clues.

Knowing that the hideout must be near, Tepo used his mark again. Now he only received the feedback on one specific spot on the statue’s heel.

Tepo calmly circled the statue once, mimicking a normal bystander before suddenly pressing his body through a narrow gap at the back of the statue’s robe.

He entered a small path hidden from view by the long robe. Certain that this was the right way Tepo approached the heel. He studied it for a moment before reaching out with his hand.

Suddenly cracks could be seen in the solid stone. A thick door separated and soundlessly glided to the side, revealing a dim, spiraling staircase.

Tepo stepped forward confidently. He spotted a black cloak next to the entrance, guessing that this was a reminder from the one who led him here.

Wearing the black cloak and putting on his mask, Line followed the staircase. Only his steps accompanied him for a while until he could faintly hear voices echoing from below.

Suddenly the walls around him opened up. The stairs led to a huge round room, filled with masked figures.