CHAPTER 40

However, at that moment, they entered the forest and everyone but Mir and Oka became tense. Ma Huang told Mir:

“Activate your armor, put it all on quick.”

Mir did as told. He did not know what would be coming from there but he knew that Ma Huang did and she was stronger than him. If she feared it, then he better fears it too. As they entered, the pace quickened. Ma Huang spoke:

“Two days to cross at best. I will keep up the history lesson until we get attacked. Where were we?

-Run for the rank 5 item.

-Right. Well, we lost the knowledge to make new dimensions so, we built under the access. We used space dilatation to create the floors you know of. Unfortunately, the mix between both floors and dimensions and the addition of many ‘rules’ and ‘effects’ led us to a few errors. One of them is this forest and its inhabitants. We call them crawlers.

-Crawlers?

-Failed dummies. There are two types. Balls and Humanoids. You had to beat on dummies during the entrance exam, they are basically the same but stronger and not restricted to a rank and realm. They can also mimic skills and it is a real pain if they met people before. Though they rarely come out. Balls are different. There are thousands of them created every day. It’s a big ball with spikes floating in the air and attacking by launching them. A pain to deal with and the reason why it’s so dangerous to cross the forest. There are too many. One on one, they are useless but when there are a few hundred…A real danger.

-Is that so? Even with all this people?

-Yeah. We can kill them easy but we can run out of energy. That’s why we need to take extra care crossing it. There are also what we call deviants from time to time…Those are very dangerous. It’s one of them that dealt this scar to my elder brother. He decided to keep it as a reminder…

-When will we encounter them? Those crawlers?

-Can’t you see? They met us already.”

Mir looked up and saw grey balls of size varying between a baseball and a basket-ball. They had spikes and they looked sharp. And then, they started spinning and launching those spikes everywhere. but the spikes were hit by skills from the ninth followers and destroyed mid-air without doing any damages. Strangely, the men weren’t trying to kill the crawlers. Seeing Mir’s questioning gaze, Ma Huang said:

“If one dies, ten comes. It’s better to run while avoiding them. We don’t want chaos. Though, to reduce their numbers, the school is issuing quests. Even for elders, those things are quite the nasty shit.”

And so, the two days trip went on with the group running while dodging hundreds of attacks from crawlers. They did not meet a single humanoid type or variant. They were lucky. And so, Mir learnt a lot of history from Ma Huang during the trip. Once they exited the forest, they were at the sixth floor.

In front of Mir were dozens of giant castles and fortresses. It was quite the sight once again. Ma Huang told him:

“The hundred best alliances headquarters are here. There are also a few dozen mid-level ones and some like yours, in partnerships with those big ones. It’s also where the entrance to the sixth dimension is and so, schools from all the country have been granted access to this level, though limited. You’ll find some buildings belonging to other schools, like one from the Burning Sea School for example.

-To sum it up, this school has access to the five floors. All schools in the country have access to this sixth one and all school in the continent can access the eighth floor which is the sixth dimension and a battlefield.

-Right. And this floor here is used for negotiation and creation of alliances. It is where this very country prepares itself before entering the battlefield.

-What would happen if someone from a different country found the door to here from the sixth dimension?

-We would kill him here? While it is possible for them to come all this way, it would not mean much. The elders can access this place too, you see. It goes the same for us, we don’t try to enter their schools. Whoever would be dumb enough to reach this far should rather go to the fifth dimension.

-…I guess.”

They traveled a bit more than one hour and reached the gate of a giant structure. It was more than a castle, it felt like a castle on a castle. It was that big. And near it was one small rectangular building that seemed to have three floors. On the door was written “Club ROI”.

Guess it was to be expected. They would not have wasted points and resources on building some giant castle for strangers. Even having the favor of a prince had its limits. After all, every single one of those people had the prince’s favors. Still, for a start, this was a monstrous step.

In the whole history of the Royal Palace School, this was a new record. Record on time before having established one’s alliance’s headquarters on the sixth level. It’d go down on history though Mir and others were unaware and only elders took note of it. it’d be important at graduation though, if he ever graduated that is.

Stolen story; please report.

Back to the present, Ma Huang and Ma Liuya gave Mir and Oka a tour of the building. Three floors. One made to accommodate outsiders and discuss partnerships. It was decorated in black and red with the emblem of the “Club ROI” on every tapestry. There was also a statue of a martial artist riding a bull and pointing a spear towards the heavens in the middle of the room. Mir asked for it. Personal tastes. Oka certified.

The second floor contained twenty labs where one could make pills. With this much, it’d be easy to do what was needed to be done, quantity-wise. The third floor had ten private rooms that could be used however Mir and Oka wanted.

Once this was done with, Mir had to meet with the overseer of the Ninth faction. He left Oka to play with Ma Liuya. What they’d do, no one knows. And so, Mir followed Ma Huang into the castle. Just how much luxury do they have in this world? Was the first thought in Mir’s head.

His farmer years and his cultivating years were so far apart, it wasn’t even enough to laugh at that difference. The further he went inside, the more luxurious and noble it got. Just the fact that this was possible was world-breaking.

Mir’s view on what it means to be wealthy was shattered for good. And by the time they entered the overseer lounge, he had switched into unfazed mode.It reminded him of his time as a young entrepreneur, astonished by everything he saw. This was even more incredible as he had been quite the wealthy one back in the day. Ma Huang’s words of introduction brought him back from his trance:

“Little brother Mir, this is elder brother Luo Zedong, overseer of the Ninth Faction.

-Nice to meet you, elder brother Zedong!

-The pleasure is mine, little brother Mir. I have heard lots about you.”

He was an imposing man by his stature. Particularly, his height. He was more than two meters tall and bulky as it can get. Bald and dark eyes making him the very definition of a scary middle-aged man. He looked violent yet his smile was real. What’s more, he was rank 3 seven realm, something befitting of his position in such a faction. Most likely, this man was old. He could be Mir’s grandpa, even taking both Mir’s lives into account.

They discussed the details of the partnership and reviewed them. It was just some useless procedure but necessary. It was supposed to be a warning. Beware for we are the strong and you are the weak. Of course, to Mir, this was just powder to the eyes. Nothing to keep at heart. As they exited, Ma Huang told him:

“You could have at least faked some fear or gratitude, you know?

-Why? You guys are the ones benefitting the most from this. I could just have gone to another faction. I went with you guys out of respect and gratitude towards elder brother Nio. But, honestly, whoever it was, it did not matter.

-So long as you could get such a lab, right?

-Yeah, well…A lab in the sixth level to be precise.

-I thought you were not interested in politics?

-I am not.

-Then, what’s the point?

-I want to make partnerships with other schools, of course. What else?

-Oh! I get it. We’re only a tool to broaden your business and secure it.

-Bingo. You’re pretty smart, elder sister Huang. How about leaving the ninth and following me instead?

-What a flatterer for a kid. Little devil, do not think you can tempt me. I am devoted to the ninth prince and only him.

-Eh~ Too bad, then. By the way, when can we get back to the fourth?

-Tomorrow. Though, after that, we won’t help you cross the forest.

-I know. It’s fine.”

As they came back, Ma Huang and Mir hoped to surprise Oka and Liuya while they were being naughty children…Turned out they were discussing battle tactics and skills…What battle freaks. The sisters left Mir and Oka alone in the lab after they ate together. As Mir entered his lab once more, he said aloud:

“I’ll forgive it for this one time but do this again and I’ll consider it a breach of contract. You’re warned.”

As he said that, he destroyed a piece of furniture, a beautiful ornate wooden desk. Oka asked him:

“Young boss! What are you doing?! What did I do?!

-You did nothing wrong, Oka. It’s those Ninth followers fuckers. They placed some spying device inside this. I do not want none of that.

-It’s pretty common though? We’re on their land so, of course, they don’t want to take risks with us.

-Yes, Oka. But remember well: trust is essential in business. If you can’t trust your partners, then don’t make them your partners from the start. And I plan to backstab them anyway so, it’s better that they don’t see it coming.

-But, young boss, why would you want to backstab them?

-Simple: they think they’re stronger, better, than us. Those kids are playing the monopoly board game in this fake world. They are going to be a pain so I’ll deal with them. In time. No need to be hasty though. For now, we’ll go and strengthen ourselves.

-Yes, young boss. The fourth level, right? We’re going to the arena, right?!

-We are!”

And they drank the night away.

The next morning, they departed and crossed the forest back. Then, they separated from the ninth followers. Oka was full of excitement, expecting to go to the fourth level and battle. Mir sent him there first. He still had some things to take care of.

And first of all, the weekly quota in pellets for the Ninths. So, his first stop was to send a message to Bolores Davon to ask him to come to a bar on the third level. “The drunk Tiger” was a famous and popular bar. Of course, crowded. But Mir easily got himself a table. Partnerships with a big faction helps. Then, he waited.

At the same time, Oka was on the fourth level. This was the place called the battle zone. The reason why is easy to guess: Arenas. This was the place to train and fight. And bet. But Oka was there to fight. It had been some time since he could let out some steam and his chat with Liuya had brought him some clues on how to better himself further.

So, he was walking on the street of the fourth level, sightseeing but with a destination set. There are three big arenas watched by the elders on this level and available to use by disciples. The Hyenas Arena, The Lion Stadium and the Ring of Dragons.

Just like Hyenas in the wild, in the arena, there are no rules. Items allowed, skills allowed, going for the kill is also allowed. Though there are never any real deaths: it was made to create battles using the soul rather than the body. Before going up, the body will be put asleep and the soul itself will go up to the fight. It follows the same rules as the simulations in the Burning Sea School.

The Lion Stadium is special as it forbids the use of skills and items. A fist-fight. A brawl. A true battle of men. The place to hone your martial arts and close combat techniques. The place to upgrade your control over your energy. This was the only place where one had to fight for real, with risks. Of course, there were elders to supervise every single duel and medical teams prepared. A whole lot of them. The only place in the four first levels where you could be crippled or worst.

And finally, the Ring of Dragons. Only items are banned. It is the best place to train and use skills in fights. It is also where many official competitions are taking place and at this moment, there was one. A tournament to decide the representatives for the next Genius Tournament that would take place in no less than a few weeks. It was in its latest stages.

But to Oka, it did not matter. His goal was the Lion Stadium. As a true man, this was the place to go train. He did not need to train in skills too much for now. He had a bloodline. A very strong one. What he needed was to learn how to control it better.