“Where’s my stuff?” asked a tired Arthur as soon as he barged into his brother’s room. He had predicted the events during the day, and they irked him greatly.
“Right here.” Oliver threw him his ring with everything in it. The teen was still inspecting the loot from his friends, so he was nowhere near asleep. Strewn on the table to his left were 11 more pieces of jewelry with mana coming out of them.
“We need to talk.” said Arthur before crashing on his brother’s bed. Since he was still wearing heavy armor, the furniture almost broke in half.
“Of course,” nodded Oliver. “Though, I still need a report on what happened.”
After grabbing a pillow and making himself comfortable, Arthur explained what went down. In turn, his brother took out some paper and started taking notes, from the description of the commoners who caused trouble to their friends’ new levels and spells.
‘It seems they’ve been busy,’ he thought upon hearing about the scrolls. Unfortunately, he couldn’t figure out the use of all the other items Ethan had purchased from him.
“Did you manage to get any herbs?”
“Probably,” said Arthur before taking off an old looking necklace. He put in some mana before throwing it on the table, and about 20 more dimensional pockets appeared in a pile.
“Excellent,” gleamed Oliver. “By the way, I bought all the loot they stole at a 300 gold discount. They won’t trouble you anymore so long as you keep your distance.”
“Really?” asked Arthur annoyed. “Was I the one who couldn’t keep his distance?”
After all, it was Oliver who introduced his brother to the two. It was also him that saved Ana and invited them to live in their guesthouse.
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Though Ethan barging into Arthur’s room was unexpected, Oliver had someone spying on them the entire time. Not only did he approve of his brother’s actions, but when Ana asked for information, he encouraged him to do it again.
“Sorry, I didn’t think it would get to this point.”
The boy wanted to know Ethan’s full capabilities. However, blowing up the towers and killing Agatha was beyond anything he could have expected.
After Ethan suddenly asked for a chest, Oliver became nervous and started looking for a way to rein him in. Ultimately, eliminating the competition was good, but if the city fell into poverty, it would affect their family too.
“Getting Ana to act was necessary,” he concluded. “But, I won’t ask you to do anything like that again. And, as promised, I’ll do everything in my power to make it up to you.”
With a smile, Oliver took out the loot from the dimensional pockets, and then merged them with the ones from Ethan and Ana. A single ring remained within his hand which he threw towards his brother.
While Arthur smiled in satisfaction, Oliver got up, walked towards the door, and told him to follow. The two walked to the very end of the main corridor, towards their father’s alchemy room. The younger brother went in, pushed a few stones on all four walls, and the entrance to an underground tunnel was revealed.
“What’s this?” The floor caved in as if an earth mage did it.
“You’ll see soon enough.”
After 300 steps and turning several corners in complete darkness, a giant room was finally revealed. Glowing orbs gave the illusion of daylight, and a mountain of gold, scrolls, pills, and weapons unfurled in front of them.
“Two generations ago, our grandfather crushed the competition and became the reigning champion in both the youth and the young adult tournaments. Our mother did the same, and now, it’s your turn.”
“I can use this?” asked Arthur astonished. Only the family heads had access to the vaults. Despite their power, the guardians still needed permission to enter.
“Relying on tools may stunt your growth, but this is an exception. Winning this tournament is a matter of our family’s pride. Whatever you may need, just say the word and it’s yours.”
A couple of days later, near the Academy’s grounds, crowds gathered towards a giant Coliseum that would host this year’s event. The building was so large, that along with the Academy, it took up 70% of the west side of Last Heaven.
After learning about humanity’s history, Ana found this construction appalling. Nonetheless, it was here that her greatest challenge to date was about to begin.