He stood there, looking at me. “Just cultivation? Nothing else?”

“Nothing else,” I said, defeated.

He glanced at his fallen colleague before doing something that shocked me. I’d been able to track his movements earlier because his stats were focused elsewhere—probably strength. He grabbed the crumpled helmet and peeled it off like a wrapper, revealing an unconscious man bleeding from the ears.

“Still alive, huh?” he muttered, almost disappointed, before calling out above, “Send in some healers. He’s fine.”

He turned back to me. “Come with me.”

I hesitated, wondering if there was a way out of this. He must’ve noticed, because he added, “Relax, you’re not in trouble.” His tone was casual, like he was sure of that without needing to ask anyone.

I followed him into the compartment as the doors closed behind us. The silence was awful. He stood behind me, his presence looming like a reminder of how powerless I was in this world.

The doors opened, revealing a strange room. It was bright and clean, well-lit and… modern, for lack of a better word. A sturdy table and chairs sat in the middle, flanked by a potted plant and neatly arranged stationery—bottles of ink and quills. A glowing monitor and a large orb rested in one corner, similar to what I’d seen in the Greats Training room.

Counters lined one side of the room, forming a compact kitchen area. There were stoves that pulsed with a strange light. Polished wooden cabinets hung above, and a sleek sink sat in the middle, trickling water as if fed by an invisible source, or maybe he just forgot to shut it off.

Other doors lined the room’s edges—probably leading to private spaces. It felt… homey, like a living room you might find in my world.

“Come in,” he ordered, stepping out from behind me as he removed his mask. His hair was a dark brown, almost black, cropped neatly on the sides but a little longer on top. His sharp, angular features gave him an air of authority, and his eyes—light gray with faint flecks of blue—seemed to pierce through me. He looked like he might’ve been in his mid-twenties, just a bit older than me.

I followed, tracing his footsteps as he sat at what must have been a combined dining and office table. Papers were scattered across it, along with the remnants of a meal off to one side. He must’ve liked to eat while he worked.

“Take a seat there,” he said, pointing to the other side of the table.

I did as instructed, sitting awkwardly and trying to find somewhere—anywhere—to focus my gaze besides on him.

“So—,” he started, leaning forward slightly, “how did you get cultivation to make you a mage?” He smiled at me. It slightly resembled Elric’s, though, honestly, Elric’s was scarier in a way I couldn’t quite describe.

“I’m not a mage,” I responded. He didn’t look quite satisfied with that answer, so I glanced around the room again, buying time before continuing.

This guy had to be someone important, right? And like Commander Ironscribe, he seemed curious. Whether it was for knowledge or power, I could use that. “It’s an ability I made from reading a fireball book. I don’t have my system yet, so I needed something to survive here. You saw my friend’s state, right?”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Learning from a mage’s skill is impressive, but… that’s not what I meant.”

“You mean how I got so much power into the ability?” I asked, testing the waters.

“Yes,” he said, his tone firm but not harsh. “And your speed—how did you manage that as a Late Bloomer?”

I hesitated. This didn’t feel like a good idea, but… screw it. “I won’t tell you for nothing.”

His smile froze. For a moment, he just stared at me, his expression stunned. “You,” he said, pointing at me, “want to bargain with me?” He pointed to himself, then broke into laughter.

I sat there, watching him laugh like a lunatic.

“If you knew who I was—” he started, but I interrupted.

“I don’t care. I’ll tell you everything, but I won’t do it for free,” I said firmly.

He stopped laughing abruptly, his gaze sharpening. “I could just kill your friends,” he said, his smile returning.

My heart raced, but I nodded. “You could, but then I definitely wouldn’t tell you.”

“I could torture you,” he added casually.

Sweat dripped down my brow, and I was sure he could see it. “Then I’ll tell you just enough to get yourself killed through mistakes.”

His demeanor shifted slightly, curiosity flashing in his eyes. “I’ll just have others try it first.”

“And share the power?” I countered, betting that his interest was personal. He didn’t seem like the type to want others gaining the same advantage.

Stolen novel; please report.

He paused, the silence hanging heavy, before smiling again. “I’m Drake,” he said, extending his hand.

I cautiously reached out and clasped his hand. “Peter,” I replied. We shook briefly, then let go.

“What do you want, Peter?” he asked, his tone calm but probing.

“Secrecy, for one. I don’t want you telling anyone about my techniques,” I said.

He nodded. “No need to worry about that. I won’t tell anyone… but I can’t guarantee it with a contract,” he responded.

“Why not?” I asked, curious. I’d already planned to try and get him to sign a contract with Thea, guaranteeing our safety and secrecy.

“Well, it wouldn’t look great if word got out that a prince formed a contract with some random non-citizen,” he said bluntly.

I froze. He smiled. “A prince?”

“You said you didn’t care who I was. Were you lying?” he asked teasingly, but his teasing carried an edge that made my skin crawl.

“Why does a prince need power?” I asked, trying to mask the unease creeping into my voice.

“Because this prince,” he said, pointing to himself, “is the fifth prince. The only way I gain more backing is through shows of power.”

“What’s a prince doing managing bottom-rank matches anyway?” I asked exasperated, hardly believing this encounter.

“I wasn’t managing matches,” he answered, his voice calm but clipped. “I was handling a situation—specifically, my subordinate being nearly killed. Someone who graduated from your little camp was taken down like it was nothing.” His expression darkened. “As for being assigned clerical work like this? It doesn’t pay to be born last and be the weakest.”

I hesitated, but an idea was already forming. “Alright. I can make you stronger. You can keep the techniques a secret. What about sponsorship? I have a guild and—”

He held up a hand to stop me. “I’m not made of points despite my status,” he said flatly, then leaned forward, his tone more serious. “If you’re already spreading these techniques to a bunch of trainees, why not to me?”

“Because I’m not giving them everything,” I replied, locking eyes with him. “Namely, Body Refinement. My new technique. It lets you increase your stats without requiring system rank-ups.”

His mouth opened, but before he could speak, I added, “And yes, I’m sure of it.”

“How much?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

I thought of the training room and the guild. “A thousand points every month.”

Now he looked at me like I’d grown a second head. “What could someone like you possibly need with that many points? Is your guild as big as the major four?”

“No,” I said simply. “But that’s the price.”

He leaned back, staring at the table as though weighing the offer. Finally, he looked up, his expression shifting. “You’ve made a powerful ally today, Peter.” He leaned in close, so much so that I could feel his breath. “If your techniques prove valuable. If not…” He trailed off, leaving the threat hanging in the air. My imagination filled in the blanks.

“Your orb,” he commanded, holding out his hand. Reluctantly, I handed it over.

I watched as he pulled an orb from his pocket, touching it to mine. My points shot up from 210 to a staggering 1,210. He handed it back, his expression unreadable.

He pointed at the elevator? Teleporter? No—a spatial gate. That sounded better. “Leave through there,” he instructed. “You’ll return to your arena. I’ve let them know you won. Tomorrow you will come again.”

I nodded and did as he said, stepping into the spatial gate. The door closed behind me, the box shifting slightly before opening again to reveal the familiar sight of the Hall of Heroes.

I handed my orb to the attendant, gaining an extra ten points, then walked off to find the others. Thea stood against the wall, her face tight with worry. When she spotted me, her relief was immediate and palpable.

“What took so long?” Thea asked. “I already finished my fight.”

“I’m alright. I have a lot to say, but I’ll explain when everyone’s here,” I reassured her. “Did they head to train?”

Thea nodded. “Elric took his flock to teach them the first steps by getting them to sense their inner strength after I explained the basics. Sia and Lyra went along to help.”

“You’ve raised our apprentices to have apprentices of their own,” I teased. “You’re already delegating as a guild leader…” I took a single breath and added, “Lightning Warrior Princess Grandmaster Thea.”

As we started walking toward Great’s Training, she shoved me lightly. “You never turn it off, do you?”

“What? It rolls off the tongue so well,” I teased. Her hand swung lightly as we walked, and on a whim, I reached out to hold it. The next stretch of our walk was spent in blushed silence.

The quiet lingered until I broke it. “Thea, is there a way to contact other Halls?”

“Other Halls? Umm…” She paused, her brow furrowed in thought. “Maybe. I don’t know. I’ve never needed to. Why?”

“I saw my friend,” I said plainly.

She tilted her head. “You have friends?” she asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

I held up our joined hands. “What? You’re not my friend?” I squeezed her hand, a grin tugging at my lips.

She rolled her eyes. “Alright. Explain, please.”

I stopped walking, which made her pause too. “I mean a friend from before… before I came here.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “Oh. Oh!” A second later, realization hit. “Peter, that’s… great, right?” she asked, her tone careful.

I nodded. “It’s nice to know there are people I know here. I don’t know what the odds are that we’d meet, but they can’t be high.”

I thought back to Trevor’s state. “He—he wasn’t okay, Thea. I came here and had you, but he’s alone, with no way to progress. I only barely managed to teach him the basics of cultivation.”

She looked at me as we resumed our walk and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sure there’s a way. We’ll find a way to contact him.” She smiled brightly. “Maybe we can even make a branch of the guild.”

I laughed. “I think it’s a bit early for expanding. What an ambitious grandmaster I found myself under.”

She stood taller and struck an exaggeratedly arrogant pose. “Of course. Ambitious and powerful.”

I laughed again, but another thought struck me. “Your system mission should be done now, right?”

She nearly bounced with excitement. “Yeah! I’ll tell you what I learned with everyone… after you explain first,” she added as we reached the training center.

Walking in, I couldn’t help but feel slightly concerned about the number of people inside. The large man at the desk noticed and waved me over, assuring me that as long as it wasn’t a regular occurrence, we could briefly exceed the intended capacity of six in the room.

I thanked him and turned back to Thea. Hand in hand, we walked to join the others, ready to share my encounter with the nation’s prince.