Arson stood at the runic save point for trials that Anastasia had shown the young man how to use. He stepped into the light and received a prompt, that he hadn’t expected, but still made him smile to see.

*Continue the climbing challenge: You have many options to continue this trial.

Recommended option: Start challenge over to receive maximum reward.

Secondary option: Continue from save point and potentially receive fewer rewards for completing climbing challenge.

Mystery Option: Save all climbing challenge competitors / Defeat all climbing challenge competitors. Both options have

separate rewards.

Good Luck*

Well, that is interesting, Arson thought as he selected the first option. He was teleported to the base of the mountain and Arson was convinced that the system itself had relocated him, since the only functioning portals that Arson was aware of, were the two portals that led from the Realm Travelers Branch, directly to the base of the climbing challenge portion of Adroit Academy’s campus.

Didn’t even know the system interacted with Cultivators on such an individual level. I’ve heard of it moving civilizations across time and space, so I guess I knew it was possible. I just never thought it would take action for such a minuscule task like moving one person down a mountainside?

He found this to be odd, but had to push the matter to the back of his mind. His next tasks far more important than wondering about the movement of the soul of the universe itself. Arson’s mind shifted gears entirely.

Arson looked around and took in the crowd. To his surprise he saw Dashawn there, and even a few others he hadn’t expected to show up. The Demon of Maelstrom had gotten a ticket for the reopened climbing challenge, and so had Bernard and Caspian.

Arson gave customary nods to the familiar parties, while contemplating the Demon's murder.

Lucky for you, I want some people here to make it as far as they can or you’d have to fight for your life to make it through this trial…

The demon didn’t know why Arson stared him down, and tried to reveal his internal power.

Many around the Demon of Maelstrom took steps back, surprised by the sudden display of raw mana that burst from the young man’s body. Yet when Arson smiled and let his own mana free, the golden white energy flowing out of his pores in a dangerous mist from his pores, the Demon stopped invoking his power, either because of the familiar mana being sent toward Arson, or that he could feel Arson’s mana diminishing the weight of the gravitational mana being pushed out. Arson’s own mana hungry for any and all types of mana it touched.

“Hey now, we haven’t even started yet. Wouldn’t be nice of you to dishearten everyone here from trying before we even begin,” said Dashawn, approaching Arson with a smile of his own and an extended hand in greeting. The two young men shook each other’s hands, and Arson laughed.

“Says the guy who beat up a few dozen people to even get a ticket.” Dashawn scratched his head and looked away before responding timidly.

“Heard about that, did you? The last guy I fought turned half a cafeteria in the novice tier on its side trying to run from me, but he eventually gave in. Everyone else proved to be incredibly agile, which would make sense for them wanting to be a part of this ridiculous challenge you and your group put together. You know that one of the rumors going around is that you are a candidate for Keeper of the school now, alongside a couple of the higher-up administrators?

“Oh yeah, that's wild. I could see them guessing something like that before I did my best to make the climbing challenge as hard as possible for Cultivators, but how does that argument stand up now inside all these rumors…” Arson’s brow rose as he spoke and Dashawn chuckled.

“On one side, people think it is you being a demon-born masochist that takes pleasure, and gains power from peoples pain, which I highly believe could be true, but I fall more in the other camp,” stated Dashawn whispering slightly as he leaned toward Arson.

“Which is?”

“That you're actually so strong that you're bored, tired of not being challenged and want to raise the bar. Make it so that the weak can rise to be extraordinary, and that maybe through doing things that result in everyone around you become more powerful, you’ll one day find a real rival,” said Dashawn, conspiratorially. Arson’s face twisted into a brief moment of shock, before he thought, responding after a moment of silence.

“You know that is way better answer than I would be able to give if someone asked me for a why in regards to what is pushing me to do all this, I think I may use that,” said Arson thinking of a potential commercial to promote the schools upgraded admissions test.

“Oh yeah, and what would you have said before I gave you the answer?” Arson looked around to make sure that no one was listening, leaning toward Dashawn as he whispered.

“I bloody just love building, no more, no less, and even if I was a candidate for Keeper of the school, I’d set the entire mountain on fire if it would give me more of a challenge while climbing before I’d put faith In anyone to push themselves beyond their own limits. Most people are just lazy, or they’d already be formidable,” Arson said slapping Dashawn on the shoulder. The young man nodded slowly at Arson not knowing what to say, but feeling the statement to be true. Before the young man could respond to Arson’s admission however, Arson spoke up once more.

“On another note, I want to spread my wings a little bit before I am forced to defend myself against hundreds of Cultivators with something to prove, especially ones with the mindset that taking me down is some sort of accomplishment.”

Dashawn wasn’t able to get another word out before Arson crouched and jumped, tabard billowing as he soared through the air, screaming in absolute excitement. The sound barrier being broken multiple times before Arson tried to balance himself out against the wind currents rather than exploding through the skies.

He’d initially wanted to check out the course from a distance, but as he flew he got a plan, and went with it.

“Anastasia, call Lane for me. She’s live right now, right?

“Oh yeah, she’s on a roll right now. Bobby is a guest host the next few days under a part-time contract, Lane paid for it personally I guess, but the viewers paid her back in donations already so both the hosts are hosting interactive parties for the growing audiences watching them,” said Anastasia.

“Wait, so should I not bother her?”

“Nope, I bet it would be good for the ratings if you gave some surprise interruptions, it worked well with Rob.”

“Put me through!”

…

“Oh my, you will never believe who is calling me right now,” yelled Lane in excitement. Bobby looked over at Lane and gave his cohost an excited look as he looked continually between her and the crowd.

“Don’t leave me in suspense... who is it?”

“It is my Boss. He apparently wants to show off the climbing course that BlackHole Conglomerate had a part in developing upgrades for in CloudLake’s notorious Adroit Academy.”

A third person perspective was shown as a Propeller Palm Drone struggled to keep up with Arson. The young man’s image piercing the sky at speeds unknown to even some styles of plane or jet.

“Hey can you hear me?”

“Yes we can, it must be awfully windy where you are. Are you going to give an us an aerial view of what our team has done or maybe just a glimpse at a few areas we all should be excited for before we stream the first group's attempt later this morning?” Arson shook his head and smiled.

“No… my mother told me stories of how her Dungeon Ball coaches used to get them ready for matches by rushing the locker rooms and either sneak-attacking the team, or blitzing them as a way to hone their awareness to get their adrenaline going and force them to focus on the game at hand and nothing else,” Yelled Arson. The crowd beginning to murmur at his words.

“So what is your plan? Maybe I’m not understanding—“ Bobby was cut off by Arson making his first move. His hand slowly reached out as he flew by one of the school’s air patrols.

The now armored young woman didn’t know why things had to change. Her armor was heavy; and the war trident they wanted her to train with, even heavier.

When she was snatched and dragged bodily through the air by her leg the crowd gasped. The only thing heard was Arson’s deep laughter rumbling through the sky as she screamed. Arson didn’t slam her into the next patrol as the crowd expected him to, instead he swooped past, entangling the two, their weapons and armor interlocking just enough for the second patroller to be pulled along.

The patrollers all around shot after Arson, some he flew by even tried to desperately untangle their two fellow guards, for Arson to spin past. He dodged many of the frantic patrol easily. The only worry displayed by the young Cultivator, was the allowance for his bait to separate from one another, changing direction drastically to ensure his two captives stayed secure.

A mother patrol swooped in, showing a high level of aerial coordination, but Arson spun around the skilled young woman at an impressive speed, a loop-d-loop performed in a blink. Another slow moving hand shifted speeds in a blur before a palm smashed into the flyers back.

The young woman was barely caught by another patroller. She and the young man crashed into the side of a flying tower, smashing into another rooftop lower down from their original impact point.

The patrollers didn’t know what was happening, but they could understand when they were under attack. The message being spread around the mountainside quickly enough that the next group were ready even before they heard the screams coming from Arson’s captured pair.

“Is this all you are... amusement!”

The faces of all the patrollers in earshot changed. A new fury was born as the desperate faces of the two being dragged by Arson became perilous. The fear of death on their features, diminishing as rage took over and the pair let their instinct to survive completely override their desperation.

Arson swooped into a classroom, a leg still in hand he took two steps onto the classroom floor and heaved. The pair of patrollers defenestrated with a single gesture. A rain of attacks raining down around the window Arson would have exited from, all collisions landing upon his victims.

“Is this what you will show the mighty!”

Arson crouched and the class of students all around him screamed as their alchemical equipment rattled even before he took flight once more. The power behind his flight boomed outward when he immediately burst through the sound barrier still inside the room.

“Is this the fury you will bring to those who wish to sully the halls of our academy with their own weakness, a festering entitlement rot from ego and pride, taught by even less deserving cultivators made powerful by dragging down you all, the ones who honor the sky and its glory? Is this all you have?”

A response finally rang out and Arson smiled.

“No!” Arson looked back to see the first young woman he’d grab soaring next to the young man he’d entangled her with. Both flying incredibly fast, maneuvering far better than he’d seen any of their fellow patrollers move thus far.

“Then show me, show me what you will bring the strong and the fearless, as there will be a time for protection of these grounds, but this is a time for warfare, a time to show that nothing but the greatest will be allowed to ascend this mountain, that anything without honor or the power to stand strong will meet your fury!”

A roar went out through the patrollers flying all around the mountainside, and a cheer went through the audience in Lane’s broadcast room. So when Arson dodged more attacks, quickly becoming consumed by countless flyers, wrapped up by so many Cultivators trying to drag him down that he could barely be seen his next roar of frustration was truly felt by all.

“Is this all you have!”

Arson flew toward the side of a tower, crashing into the tower side, scattering the mass of guards clinging to him desperately even as they roared their own frustration back at him.

“No!”

Diving patrollers yelled in unison now, a swarm of attacks coming toward Arson from every thinkable angle. Arson barely able to dodge or counter all the attacks. Bruises from blocking beginning to rack up, as the patrol became truly riled up.

“Then what will you show the mighty?”

Dozens of attacks were sent toward Arson, a chorus of yells heard rippling across the mountainside so powerfully that many heard the cries from the base of the mountain, as weapons rang and abilities and skills were discharged.

“Fury!”

The feed cut off and Bobby and Lane shared a look, just before the crowd in front of them went mad with celebration. The sight had originally seemed rather intense to the two broadcasters. Yet as the young man on screen had worked, bringing out the warrior instincts within the women and men meant to stop the trial takers from ascending, even they too couldn’t help but be wrapped up in the excitement.

“Well, I can see why the young man was hired by your company to get results,” said Bobby. Lane nodded in agreement.

“Sovereign Arson Omni only hires the best, like myself, Carter, and maybe even you, if you wise up, Bobby,” Lane said with a wide eyed smile. The crowd cheering and on their feet.

“OMG we will see, but let's keep these numbers on the rise, so if and when I do join my signing bonus is prettier than your friend's birthday cake the other day!”

“Man, that was some great cake. Makes me wish that Rob wasn’t so expensive to have for private events. I’d just have him make me fatter than a celebratory turkey, makes me hungry just thinking about it. On that note, we are going to break for our intermission and hopefully for you all, the first round of trial takers at Adroit will be ready when we come back… for the Fury!”

…

When Arson landed back by Dashawn. The young man had taken a beating. He had had no intention of fighting back, and had honestly let things get out of hand across the face of the mountain.

“Yo, what was that all about?” Dashawn popped his shoulder back into place and smirked, wiping blood from his mouth.

“Nothing, just had to make sure that everyone's heads were in the right places,” said Arson.

“So I’m assuming by what you are saying that you got to spread your wings,” asked Dashawn innocently. Arson nodded, looking up the side of the mountain, locking his gaze on one of many flying patrols with a smile before he looked back to Dashawn.

“Yeah, I guess you could say I did, but I should probably give you a warning, it's dangerous up there…”

Arson pointed toward a nearby plateau where a few of the aerial patrol could be seen practicing with war tridents, spears and longswords. The actions of the patrol members vastly more fierce than they had been earlier that morning.

“Should I be worried, they look out for blood up there. Isn’t this supposed to be a simple climbing challenge?”

“Simple, no, not at all, a challenge, yes, absolutely,” said Arson before Xani arrived and began to speak to those gathered.

“Welcome everyone, I’m excited to be able to host this event for you, as I believe you are all actually lunatics and deserve anything that happens to you for signing the wavers for this event. With that, I will hand it off to my two adorable assistants to tell you all the rules.”

Xani stepped aside and the twins strode up. One opening a long scroll and the other clearing their throat to speak; the young boy taking a knee, as his sister spoke loud enough for the hundreds gathered to hear. She glanced down once at the scroll her brother held up for her and chuckled, then looked back out at the crowd.

“Oye, the paper right here says that there are literally no rules,” started the twin. She then took the scroll, and took a knee as her brother rose to is feet, continuing the message.

“Yup, like she said, no sparking rules. The sheet says don’t die, and make it as far up the mountain as you can, otherwise your life is at risk,” said the brother of the pair, once more swapping positions with his sister, returning to a knee.

“Oye, good luck! I actually don’t care if you survive, just what the paper says for me to say, but my money's on every last one of you tripping and falling on your faces. But, do your best, also on the paper. Personally... don’t care. That is all!” The boy rose to his feet, and he and his sister bowed.

A giant set of holograms displayed a countdown from ten. The crowd murmuring at the rules that were given, and Arson actively met the gazes of many around him that seemed to be trying to intimidate him by glaring.

This should be fun…