Chapter 25

I waved my hands at Brusken as we parted ways. Most people had already left. The hallway wasn't crowded anymore.

We turned left to a passageway. On both sides upon entering were signs written "Authorized personnel only" There were only two doors located at the end of it, both facing each other.

"Over here." The trainee said. He opened the door to the right. "Our grandmaster would like to meet you first."

"Okay." I said. I walked into the room. It was massive. There were luxurious weapons on display on all four walls. In the middle of the room was a big office table and a huge chair. There were also two couches in front of it, facing each other, with a small coffee table in between.

"Please have a seat." A voice came. I was dumbfounded. The grandmaster of the arena isn't a fat rich guy or some old grandpa that I would normally expect.

She had yellow hair tied in long twintails. She was shorter than Eff, probably the same height as Ruby. She looked just like…. A little girl

I remained silent. I walked to the couch on the left side. At the same time, I was trying to accept the fact that the girl in front of me might very well be the grandmaster. The trainee didn't come in. He closed the door after I sat down.

The girl sat on the couch opposite to me. She joined her legs together and placed her hands on her lap. She really did look and act like an average young girl.

"Nice to meet you, Mr Renikno." The girl said.

"Nice to meet you too." I smiled and replied. "Erm, are you perhaps the grandmaster?"

"I'm not so sure about that myself." She was trying to play tricks, probably testing me at the same time.

But, I knew she was the grandmaster. Her smirking eyes gave it away. "So, what is it that you wanted to meet me for?"

"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Ryuko. I'm a sphinxkin. Let's get straight to business now. How did you do it?" Ryuko put on a serious face. She had her eyes locked on mine.

"Do what?"

"Teleportation." Ryuko said it in a way like it was something I should have known. "How did you teleport?"

"It's not really teleportation. You could call it something like extreme quick mo….." I was trying to deny it but she cut me off before I could finish.

"But, it's not. The scent of your magic disappeared for a split second. There was no magical trail connecting your original position and where you reappeared at, so it isn't a form of magical embodiment too.

"How did you…" I didn't get to finish my question.

"I am the grandmaster of the arena after all. The magical array not only blocks things from flying out and hurting the spectators, but senses the flow of magic too. With this, it can adjust the strength of the shield automatically. It also comes in super handy with making sure no one cheats."

"A sphinxkin with affinity to array building, I assume?"

"Yep. Since now you understand, please answer my question. How did you teleport?" She was keen on finding out the answer.

"What can you even do if you know how I teleport?" I asked. I guessed that maybe she was asking out of curiosity.

"Besides the great and powerful Alduin, and the main branch of the great families, no one else should be able to teleport. There are members of the main family who hunt down those that aren't part of the main branches but are able to teleport. Usually they are children of concubines." Ryuko said. She took a deep breath and continued. "If I know how you did it, I could adjust the truth and prevent them from hunting you in the first place. In return, I just want a favor."

"Why does it matter to you if I'm dead or alive?" I asked. She must have hidden intentions.

She gave me an impressed smile. "Well, you see… I want you to join the underground mega championships as one of the representatives of Redwater village's arena. The competition is between top fighters from underground arenas all around the nation."

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I remembered about the reason I joined the contest in the first place. "Ms Ryuko, can I perhaps request some things as extra?" I thought that I could use this chance to quickly get what I need.

"As long as you promised to bring victory to my arena."

"Yes."

"Before that, you haven't answered my question yet. How did you teleport?" Ryuko asked again.

"It's something like a chant or spell. I can't really explain it." I answer somewhat truthfully.

Ryuko nodded. She probably got some info she wanted. Ryuko then knocked on the coffee table six times in a specific rhythm. The door I entered from, opened. The trainee who guided me here walked in.

Ryuko signalled to the trainee. "Mr. Renikno would like some items from the treasury. Please take note and help me ask the treasury master for them." Ryuko was kind to the trainee. The trainee nodded.

She then turned back to me. "Alright then. Mr Renikno, what are the items you would like? Some high grade daggers maybe? Or perhaps magical swords or powerful catalysts?"

"I would like a dagger called Darksky. And also, a crystal named Eagle's spark. I believe that there should be an eagle in the crystal. Darksky should come with a ring too." I requested

"Oh, those are some really specific items." She then said to the trainee. "Ron, you may go now."

"Yes miss." The trainee replied.

The trainee left the room. Ryuko asked me. "Why are you looking for those two specific items?"

"Oh, I'm planning on getting Stardust, which is said to be the twin of Darksky. As for Eagle's spark, you could say it's for a commission." I replied

"Both of them were bet by a merchant during the last round of the contest." She stood up and walked over to the huge table in the middle of the room. Ryuko took a few pieces of paper and placed them on the coffee table. She then passed me a pen.

"Please fill them up. This is a contract to show that you are working under me. As for these two, they are called registration forms. You need to fill them with your basic information. I don't know where this tradition came from. This championship is the only place that you have to fill in something like this." Ryuko said as she sat back down.

"Alright." I took the pen and started filling in my info. I used my fake name and identity. Then, I read through the contract and signed it. As I passed the paperwork back to Ryuko, a knock on the door was heard.

"Come on in." Ryuko said. Ron entered the room with a tray of items. As he stepped into the room, I felt a familiar aura. Just this was enough to confirm that it was Darksky, the pillar of hell, also called the twin of Stardust.

"Mr Renikno, would these be the items you are looking for?" The grandmaster asked as she held up the crystal.

Eagle's spark was quite small. It would easily fit into my pocket. There was a shape of an eagle inside the crystal.

"Yep." I replied. I reached out for the dagger.

I held the dagger in my hand. Darksky felt just like Stardust. The weight and balance, it was all the same. The only difference I could tell is the colour of the crystal carved into it. Stardust's crystal was yellow while Darksky's was midnight blue. The shade of blue was so dark it could be mistaken as black. I guess its name really does suit it. Darksky, representing the dark midnight sky. Calm and empty. Stardust represented the twinkling stars in the sky, just like a glimmer of hope that penetrated the vast darkness.

I was curious about something. So, I asked Ryuko. "What are the values of these items? And what's their abilities?" I was wondering why the trader was willing to trade Stardust in exchange for Eagle's spark. It could maybe be as simple as Eagle's spark was more valuable to him, or maybe the crystal really was superior.

"Darksky's value is around 15 thousand. It's a mid to high grade dagger. Sadly it's only ability is to come back to your hand if you wear the ring. As for Eagle's Spark, it's value is easily over 25 thousand, 35 thousand even. It's a high grade crystal that emits healing magic. You can boost its emission rate by adding more mana into it." Ryuko explained.

"I see."

Ryuko stood up again. "The underground mega championship starts in two weeks. You will get some training four days from now, which means two days after this current competition. See you then." Ryuko walked out of the room.

"Mr Renikno, would you like me to explain the rules to you now?" Ron asked.

"Go ahead."

X

Overall it's quite simple. For the quarter finals, there would be four rounds. Each would have 15 participants. It would be an all out, free for all battle once again. So, this meant you could employ the aggressive fighting style or just stay by the side and wait it out. The most important part was probably that we are not allowed to kill.

There would be three winners, but only the last one standing would join the semi finals. The three winners would mean that they wouldn't lose their bets and win some items back.

"That is all, Mr Renikno. Do you have any questions?" The trainee kindly asked.

"Nah, except just one regarding a different matter."

"Oh, do ask."

"Who else are part of the Redwater village arena's team in the championship?" I acquainted

"The other members would be Rose, Zack, and Lance. These three have been in the team for some time already."

"Those three are already much stronger than me, so why would Ms Ryuko specifically choose me to join them?"

"You see… you are the first person who could teleport that ever fought in the arena during Ms Ryuko's term. Your skill to also attack straight away after teleporting makes it another heads up." Ron said.

"What can I even do that those three can't? Besides, teleporting, that is."

"There's a certain fighter in the championship. He is the sole representative of his arena. He goes by the name Tustrok. He hasn't tasted a single defeat since the second time he set foot into the championship's arena." The trainee paused a little while, most likely to catch his breath.

"His ability is to summon a mega world fragment. Inside the world fragment, all magic except his are nullified. His abilities are enchanted in the fragment too to make him even stronger. So, most likely Ms Ryuko believe that your ability might finally be able to bring victory."

'Sounds like a pain in the ass to fight', I monologued. "What other abilities does he have? And also, what is the difference between inside and outside his world fragment."

"Tustrok's magic abilities are mostly for body enchantments. He can increase his speed, strength, and so on. Inside his world fragment, his speed and strength can get over twenty times faster than his top speed outside. One punch is able to take out a contestant who isn't able to react to his ultra speed, which most can't."

"Alright, thanks for the info."

X

I walked out of the arena. On the way back to the tavern, I decided to stop by the market and search for the trader.

I was walking along the path I used yesterday. The two men who guided me to the trader the first time around noticed me.

They walked over to me. "Are you looking for the boss?" One of them asked.

"Yeah."

"Alright, follow us." The other one replied. They led the way.

They guided me to the trader's tent. It was located on the other side of the market. The tent was bigger too, probably the size of the tavern's dining area. There weren't many items on display. Most of the tent is empty.

Stepping into the tent, Darksky began to vibrate a little. It was probably resonating with Stardust.

"Oh, you're back." A voice welcomed me. It was the trader

"I got the item you asked me to get. Now, can you trade me Stardust?"

"I will need to verify the item first." The trader demanded. I took out Eagle's spark and held it in between his eyes. He tried to grab it. I pulled my arms back before he could.

"I knew you would be back, so I packed Stardust in that box over there. Just pass the crystal over and Stardust is all yours." He pointed at a box near the entrance of the tent.

"Here, catch!" I tossed him the crystal.

"Hey! Careful!" He shouted as he caught the crystal

I walked over to the box. For some reason, Darksky wasn't being as reactive as I thought it would. It was kinda directing me to a different direction. It was like saying that Stardust wasn't in the box, but at the back of the tent instead.

I kneeled down to open the box. Then, I suddenly heard a shout. "Now!"

The two men who guided me here rushed into the tent from the entrance right next to me. Three other men appeared from the back of the tent. The trader backed up to behind the three men. I was surrounded.