Percy and Kassorith watched in silence as their opponent slithered off the stage, her defeat already being swept away by the crowd's reaction.

Only now – after having "fought" the woman for several mind-numbing days – did Percy bother to study her appearance. He had no idea what passed for beauty among the Thess'kalans, but he could admit the woman had a certain elegance to her. Her frame was lithe and willowy, her movements fluid in a way that reminded him of a wind-chime drifting through water.

Her tunic hung open at the front, as was common among the people of her race, leaving her narrow, scaled chest exposed. Thess'kalans didn't nurse their young, so they lacked certain body parts that one would see in a human – no breasts, no navel, not even a hint of modesty. Suffice to say, there was no taboo against the females here slithering around topless. But cultural peculiarities like that barely registered with Percy anymore – especially when he had other things to worry about.

'You know, we could have ended this a lot sooner if I hadn't wasted all of my soul mana to stitch your injuries up…' he said with a mental sigh.

While the woman's poisoned steam had concealed her from Kassorith's thermal sense and Mana Sense, Percy was certain he would have spotted her in an instant via Soul Vision. Then again, he didn't necessarily regret how the battle had gone. The past five days had been a complete slog, but he wasn't going to complain about what had essentially been a free, almost effortless victory. He and his host hadn't even been forced to reveal any of their trump cards, getting through the first round solely thanks to the Insomnia trait.

Fortunately, the female disciple hadn't had any noteworthy abilities outside of her irritating strategy of zoning her opponents out and waiting for them to grow tired. Not that she needed much else – Percy could absolutely see the pink mist knocking most of the other contestants out. Catching the woman was almost impossible while she hid within her domain, and her low mana expenditure allowed her to maintain her trap for a very long time.

Just… not long enough to take somebody like Percy down.

He wouldn't be surprised if even Violets had fallen prey to her tactics in the past. This was clearly how she'd earned her status as an elite disciple in the first place, as well as a ticket to the tournament.

'Well, whatever…' Percy muttered, watching her tail vanish behind the edge of the platform. 'Let's just grab our reward and chill until the next round.'

Kassorith gave a silent nod, descending slowly. As soon as he stepped on solid ground for the first time in days, he tossed his greatsword aside, letting it clatter to the floor unceremoniously. Traces of poisoned mist still lingered in the arena, a sluggish cloud that coiled near the ground like lazy smoke. Each breath brought a faint dizziness, but the substance was dissipating rapidly without its owner to replenish or hold it in place. The White announcer helped the process along, using his domain to fan the toxic fumes away, preparing the stage for the next pair of fighters.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Kassorith slithered out of the arena. There were fewer people in the stadium than there had been at the start of the tournament, and most of them had fallen asleep during the fight – many of them multiple times. The commotion quickly woke everyone up, however, causing them to join the celebration.

Percy didn't blame them for getting so excited.

Granted, his host was just a newcomer to the tournament, so nobody had known him before the fight. The crowd would likely turn against him as early as during his next match – especially if he found himself fighting against one of the favourites. Still, today, he'd done everyone a great favour. His battle against the woman might have not been the most enjoyable, but he'd at least eliminated her early on in the competition, sparing the audience from wanting to gouge their eyeballs out once in each round of the event.

Even the organizers seemed to share that view. It was with great enthusiasm that a Violet Thess'kalan – a man with just a regular, untrimmed tunic – led Kassorith out of the stadium and down into one of the first caves lining the outer walls of the pillar-like structure. The place was dim and damp, filled with the steady, delicate sounds of dripping water. Droplets fell from jagged stalactites overhead, echoing softly as they struck shallow puddles of various shapes scattered across the uneven floor.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Despite its almost-primitive atmosphere, the place was anything but natural. Runes glowed along the walls in orderly lines – clear, deliberate signs of an advanced civilization, painting a stark contrast against the backdrop of moss-covered stone. The Broken Fang Sect had been like this too, though Percy hadn't paid much attention at the time, thinking it had just been a peculiarity of that place.

'I suppose their species like their environments dark and humid,' he reasoned.

The Violet guide remained silent until they reached a wide intersection. The tunnel forked into three different paths, each marked by a glowing sign engraved into the floor. Beyond the arches, Percy could make out shelves carved directly into the cavern walls, each lined with countless colourful orbs that glowed softly.

"This is the treasury for the first round," the guide explained, turning to face them at last. "Most of these rewards will remain available in future rounds – unless of course they are in limited supply and somebody claims them first. But more – and better – prizes will be added as you progress through the tournament."

Kassorith flicked his tongue curiously. "So I can pick anything I want from this level?"

"Indeed," the guide confirmed, handing over a bronze badge covered in runes. "Take your time. You may enter and leave the chambers freely. Placing your hand against the enchantments on the shelves will show you a detailed description of the items. When you've made your choice, press the badge to the runes instead to claim your prize. I'll be outside."

Without even waiting for a response, the man turned and slithered away, leaving them alone. Percy found it strange that the Violet hadn't stuck around to supervise them.

'Their enchantments are probably designed to prevent theft…'

Maybe Metatron's spatial seal could bypass those protections – but Percy wasn't going to count on that. He didn't doubt that the Thess'kalans' safeguards were mere toys before the titan's skill, but Metatron hadn't exactly poured much effort into crafting the artifact. And even if the seal could circumvent the enchantments, Percy wasn't sure he wanted to test it. Stealing from people who'd done nothing wrong didn't sit well with him – he generally tried to leave the places he visited better than he found them. At the same time, he wouldn't rule out the possibility of snatching a treasure he liked, provided that he could leave something equally valuable in its place as compensation.

Still, he wasn't in a hurry to try that. For now, he wanted to do things properly. The more battles he and Kassorith won, the more rewards he could claim legitimately. No sense in blowing the opportunity on a gamble.

'Shall we?' Kassorith asked, breaking Percy from his thoughts.

'Go on. It's your pick,' Percy replied, already regretting offering his slimy host the first reward. With a sigh, he added, 'Just do me a favour and go through everything first, yeah? I want to see what kind of stuff they've got.'

The Blue snorted in amusement. 'I was going to do that anyway. Gawking at the prizes is half the fun.'

Not wasting another moment, Kassorith entered the left-most tunnel, labelled "Equipment". He ignored the first few orbs, his gaze eventually lingering on one that shimmered in an indigo colour – clearly an indication that it was compatible with his lightning affinity. Following the guide's instructions, the Thess'kalan placed his palm on the rune next to the glowing sphere, causing a foreign whisper – soft like a serpent's hiss – to sound within their shared mind.

___

Thunderbone Javelin

Material:

Lehhkerrian Femur (Blue)

Mana type:

Lightning (Clear)

Enchantments:

Thrice-Amplified Preservation, Thrice-Amplified Hardness, Thrice-Amplified Lightning Resonance, Remote Control

Description:

Crafted from the femur of a male, Blue Lehhkerrian bred by the Osto-Procurement Department of the Bio-Acquisition Conglomerate. Enchanted by Jennsarath, ancestor of the Heavenly Tribulation Sect, and donated to the tournament. The artifact can withstand frequent Violet-grade combat for up to a decade. Optimized for use with long-ranged, lightning-affinity, piercing spells.

Overall grade:

Violet

___

A dozen questions surged through Percy's mind as he listened to the item's description. There was a lot to unpack, since this was his first time coming across an enchanted weapon designed for combat, aside from those he had personally crafted. But one important – if somewhat irrelevant – detail stood out.

'Clear? Is that what the grade above White is called?'

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