The next morning, I arrived at the academy with Sui. By now, everyone had already heard about my little stunt, and it would have been strange if they hadn’t. It seemed that people’s attitudes toward me had shifted dramatically. Some tried to keep their distance, making it painfully obvious that they wanted nothing to do with me, while others, on the contrary, practically forced themselves into my circle of friends. As always, I ignored most of it. As they say—fools never get bored on their own. In short, everything suited me just fine.

  After training the team, I hurried to the library—it was time to tackle fifth-circle magic. Overall, I didn’t expect any difficulties, as the theory of spell construction from the fourth to the sixth circle was similar, so I hoped to master this level quickly. At the library doors, Andu was waiting for me.

  “You, Lady Andu?”

  “Lady? Why not Auntie?”

  I was taken aback. Andu clicked her tongue.

  “I came to say thank you. Thank you. Goodbye.”

  With those words, she turned to leave.

  “I also wanted to apologize.”

  “Apologize? For what?”

  “Well, for that incident… with the slap… I shouldn’t have—”

  “Forget it. It’s in the past.”

  She walked away.

  “Lady Andu, but what were you thanking me for?”

  I was genuinely curious. But she just waved her hand above her head without turning around and continued on her way. Women are strange creatures. I smiled and entered the library.

  Time flew by like mad. The theory of fifth-circle magic had its nuances, which slowed me down for almost a week before I could attempt spell formation. Finally, I picked up the fifth-circle fire element textbook. As expected, dozens of different spells. I chose one—Inferno. The spell of fiery hell.

  According to the description, the spell created a zone of fire around the caster, which could only be extinguished by the mage’s death or by the complete depletion of mana within the mage’s area of effect. A terrifying thing. A fifth-circle mage’s range was enormous, so the only way to stop them was to kill them.

  And to do that, one had to either reach the mage with a powerful long-range spell or get through the inferno and survive. I deconstructed the spell’s three-dimensional schematics into its components, immediately discarding parts involving compensatory mechanisms and simplifying others into five two-dimensional magical seals. Well, the work was nearly done. Connecting five circles and filling them with runes for enhancement and release was something I was already accustomed to.

  “There won’t be any training today,” I told Mia. “The selection trials are tomorrow.”

  I took out two third-class daggers and handed them to her.

  “Thank you, Master! Will you come to watch Mia’s performance?”

  “Of course! I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

  “I love you, Master!”

  Mia kissed my cheek and ran off to her room. I immediately sat down in the garden’s gazebo and began carving the magical seal. Finishing deep into the night, I didn’t wait any longer and set off for the valley of jagged cliffs, which had already become my traditional testing ground for new spells.

  I ascended into the air and activated magic from all five circles, taking a moment to admire the bright-red seals spinning around me. Then I cast Inferno. A wave of unbearable heat spread outward, stopping half a kilometer away.

  Now that was a decent-sized zone. Rocks, stones, and sand within the area began melting, forming wide streams of lava. Strangely, I didn’t feel the heat at all. All I saw were shimmering currents of air devoid of oxygen, which had burned out completely during the first wave’s expansion.

  I pulled one of the marionette spears from my storage and threw it parallel to the ground. Despite its speed, only a molten, unrecognizable lump reached the end of the zone. Wow! I tried moving forward—the zone moved with me.

  Perfect! I could now say I had a control zone that would filter out weak opponents in battle, saving me from wasting time on them. However, it also meant I wouldn’t be able to fight alongside allies. The mana consumption suited me as well—one drop per ten minutes. It was, of course, higher than Fire Tornado, but the two spells weren’t even comparable in power.

  By morning, I returned home and slipped under the covers beside a warm Mia. She sniffed a couple of times, catching the scent.

  “Did Master eat roasted meat?”

  “Just sleep already, meat…”

  On the way to the arena, I gave Mia final instructions.

  “Don’t rush in first. Let them take their places in the rings and wait until most of them are eliminated. Understood?”

  “Yes, Master, don’t worry.”

  “I’m not worried! Then find some low-tier Battle Master and just take him out. After that, just wait for the selection trials to end. If you don’t have enough fights, the system will automatically assign you the missing ones. Got it?”

  “Yes, Master, I got it. You’ve already told me this more than once!”

  “Mia! I care about you! I’ll make sure the fights are fair, but you also have to stay alert!”

  Mia stopped and took my hand.

  “Master, I’m grateful to you, truly. But let me show everything you’ve taught me in the ring, okay?”

  “Alright.”

  I stroked her head, ruffling her fluffy ears. She twitched them, smiled, and we continued on. The arena was already buzzing when we arrived. Mia, showing her participant token, went to the corner where the contenders were gathering, while I climbed into the stands, where Tot and Sui were already waving at me.

  “Hey!” I sat down between them, getting comfortable.

  “How’s Mia’s mood? Is she ready for battle?” Tot was more nervous than when he had participated in the tournament himself.

  “Yeah, she’s ready. She’ll tear them apart!”

  I looked at the part of the arena where the tournament participants were waiting. A dozen Battle Masters and four hundred warriors. This year’s tournament was weaker than the one I had competed in. Was it losing popularity, or were there other factors at play? However, the participants themselves were determined to win—I could feel it even from this distance.

  Another notable difference was the near-total absence of beastfolk among the competitors. Aside from Mia, I spotted only one—some low-tier Battle Master werewolf. I laughed. I’d bet a ninth-class core that Mia would pick him as her opponent in the ring. It was probably instinctual for her.

  Willis flew above the arena and began his speech. Boring. That idiot was practically repeating word for word what he had said three years ago.

  “Aney,” Tot tugged at my sleeve, “the auction is tonight. Don’t forget.”

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “Got it.”

  From the arena field, three dozen rings began to rise, and the participants stirred, trying to reach them first. Mia, as I had advised her, waited, observing the battles that had just begun. Most of them were short and, from my experienced perspective, resembled some kind of children’s games, despite the fact that real blood was being spilled.

  I wonder if Kruk had similar thoughts when he watched me? How did he even see his disciple in me? He once said that the Gods of War had a hard time finding talented students. How do they even search for them? I looked closely at the participants in the rings.

  Fairly simple strikes, basic techniques for warriors… Everyone seemed like gray mediocrity to me. Or is the problem with me, and I just can’t see the potential in fighters yet? Have I not matured enough for this? Is it truly only the Gods of War who can recognize a warrior with the potential to become a legend in the future?

  Mia dashed forward and pressed the red challenge button. Well, theoretically, I had just won a ninth-class monster core—she really did choose the werewolf.

  The barrier rose, and after listening to the judge’s words, Mia swiftly attacked, using a sequence step technique. She struck the opponent with her dagger under the armpit just as he was swinging his battle axe. It seemed that neither the werewolf nor the judge expected the girl to be so fast.

  A victory in a single strike! The werewolf fell to his knees, clutching his wound. As soon as the barrier disappeared, I picked out his pitiful whimper from the general hum of the arena. Two healers rushed to him—one treated the wound externally with a potion, while the other poured a vial into the werewolf’s maw. The judge announced Mia’s victory.

  “Yeeeeeah!” Tot jumped to his feet, raising his fist above his head.

  Then he immediately grew embarrassed and sat back down. I felt a little sorry for him—losing a limb had put an end to his dream of becoming a Battle Master. He tried not to show it, but moments like this revealed it on their own. Sigh, Tot, it’s time for you to find a new dream—no one can help you but yourself.

  Mia remained standing alone in the ring. Until the end of the qualifiers, no one dared to challenge her. We left the arena after the announcement of the top hundred; the competition for the top places was set to begin the next morning.

  That evening, as Mia and I approached Matan’s auction house, a powerful aura suddenly spread across nearly the entire city.

  It oppressed the city’s residents and guests, stirring fear and anxiety deep within their very souls. Mia groaned. I immediately shielded us with my own aura, trying to lessen the pressure on her. Damn, who could this be?

  It wasn’t a resident of the kingdom—the aura definitely belonged to a God of War. Had the church sent someone for my head? People nearby began collapsing onto the cobblestone street, but then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the pressure vanished. I raised my eyes to the sky in the direction where the aura had come from.

  A massive wooden ship floated across the sky, its sides extending several pairs of long, translucent wings reinforced by a dense network of veins that formed their structure.

  “What is that?” I muttered to myself.

  “An imperial ship!” someone in the crowd shouted.

  “An imperial representative has arrived for the auction!”

  “Who could it be?”

  The people in front of the auction house recovered and immediately began gossiping, developing conspiracy theories on the spot about who it might be and why they had appeared. Meanwhile, the ship hovered over the roof of the auction house, allowing a closer look at its immense size.

  No less than one hundred and fifty meters in length and thirty in width, with a height of at least ten meters from the keel to the deck, yet its proportions, shape, and the meticulous craftsmanship with which it was built made it seem like a true masterpiece—something that belonged in a museum.

  I’ll admit it, I almost dropped my jaw staring at the ship—I hadn’t even imagined such a thing could exist in this world.

  From the side of the vessel, a ramp of aura extended downward, materializing in midair. That was definitely a God of War—no Battle Ancestor was capable of such a feat!

  Four figures descended the ramp: a young man in a white suit embroidered with silver, nestled between two scantily clad beast-women, and a stocky, broad-shouldered man with a battle hammer strapped to his back. Casting a haughty glance at the crowd, they headed for the auction house doors, where they were immediately greeted and swiftly escorted inside.

  Well, at least they weren’t zealots in black robes—I could relax.

  “Let’s go!” I took Mia by the hand and led her forward.

  At the entrance, we were stopped, but I showed the golden plaque, and after checking the guest list, the guard let us through. I located Tot and Sui’s auras, and we went up to the second floor, where they were waiting in a private room. Inside, besides the brother and sister, there was also an auction house attendant assigned to serve us for the evening.

  I pulled back the curtains that blocked the view of the hall and dragged a chair closer to the railing. The auction was about to start, and the guests hurried to take their seats. The hum of conversation gradually subsided.

  Bright lights illuminated the circular stage, and the auctioneer stepped forward.

  “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Esteemed guests and residents of the city! Tonight, at our auction, I am honored to welcome our distinguished guests from the Northern Empire!”

  He bowed toward the balcony on the third floor and held the pose for about ten seconds before continuing:

  “And so, I remind you to adhere to the auction house rules, which you can find on the leaflets at your seats, and we begin!”

  The auctioneer raised his hand, and the staff rolled out something covered with a cloth onto the stage.

  “Our first lot of the evening—a sixth-class monster carcass! Starting price: three hundred gold coins! Minimum bid increment: ten gold coins!”

  The auction kicked off energetically, with the cheaper lots selling like hotcakes in a busy marketplace.

  The most interesting items were saved for the end of the evening, and finally, the time arrived.

  “Honored participants!” The auctioneer’s tone became excited. “It is time for the final three lots! And we begin with this!”

  A high-grade spear, made from the bone of a monster no lower than the ninth class, was brought onto the stage. It had a rather rough design, yet an aura of high-level slaughter seemed to radiate from it.

  “The Spear of White Sky—discovered by a high-ranking adventurer in a world rift at the edge of our continent! Starting price: eight thousand gold coins! Minimum bid increment: one hundred gold coins!”

  I was intrigued.

  “Eight thousand one hundred!” I raised the numbered plaque.

  “Nine thousand!” a young voice rang out from the room where the imperial guests were.

  “Nine thousand one hundred!” I lifted my plaque again.

  “An ant challenging a mountain?” The voice of the God of War made the curtains in our room sway.

  “Honorable God of War, at an auction, the deciding factor is the bid you can afford, not physical strength. Please do not break the auction rules,” I said.

  “A pathetic Ancestor has no right to lecture the Imperial Court!”

  A powerful strike of aura hit me, shattering the balcony and hurling me, chair and all, into the wall. Strong! I managed to slow myself down only by crashing through several walls in the neighboring rooms, causing a commotion among the auction attendees.

  “Ohhhh, so that’s how strong beggars behave—they take by force where it’s customary to pay!” I was damn furious at my own weakness.

  “Honored guests, please follow the rules!” the auctioneer attempted to calm the situation.

  “Ha-ha-ha, Grom, he’s right, we’re here to bid, not fight.” The young man’s voice rang with laughter. “Young man, forgive my companion, he’s been rather irritable lately… Twenty thousand gold!”

  I clicked my tongue. Let him take it—I was no longer interested in that spear.

  “Twenty thousand once, twenty thousand twice, twenty thousand three times… Sold!”

  The auctioneer struck his gavel, and the spear slowly floated toward the imperial guests’ room, while a pouch with gold flew back in exchange.

  “The next lot—a grimoire of the space element, seventh circle, from an unknown mage! While the mage’s name remains a mystery, our experts have confirmed its level. The starting price is ten thousand gold. Minimum bid increment—five hundred gold!”

  Whoa! Now that was something that really interested me.

  “Ten thousand five hundred!”

  Standing by the broken railing, I raised my plaque.

  “An Ancestor buying a grimoire?! Whelp, are you mocking us?” Grom, the God of War, lost his temper again.

  “Grom, it doesn’t matter… Fifteen thousand!”

  “Fifteen thousand five hundred!”

  “Twenty thousand!”

  I didn’t have much cash on hand. I glanced at Tot and continued when he nodded.

  “Twenty thousand five hundred!”

  “Twenty-five thousand!” The imperial youth was trying to push me into debt by raising the stakes like that?

  Fine, I’ll make one more bid. If he raises it again, he can have the damn grimoire.

  “Twenty-five thousand five hundred!” I lifted my plaque one last time.

  The young man leaned over the railing to get a better look at me.

  “Alright, the grimoire is yours!”

  “Twenty-five thousand five hundred gold!” The auctioneer struck the gavel. “Sold!”

  The grimoire floated toward me, and I sent a pouch of gold to the seller.

  “Ladies and gentlemen! The final lot of the evening—an army of one hundred sixth-class puppets! An incredible item, equivalent in power to a squad of one hundred lower-tier Martial Ancestors! The starting price—five hundred thousand gold! Minimum bid increment—fifty thousand! Let the bidding begin!”

  The audience let out a collective breath. It seemed many had come specifically for this lot.

  “Five hundred fifty thousand!”

  “Six hundred thousand!”

  “Six hundred fifty thousand!”

  Bids were flying one after another until the God of War’s voice rang out:

  “Seven hundred thousand! The lot is mine!”

  Ah, you son of a bitch! Of course, no one would dare outbid you.

  “Seven hundred fifty thousand!” I raised my plaque.

  My companions stared at me.

  “Aney…”

  “Tot, it’ll be fine. I know what I’m doing.”

  “Whelp!” Grom barked.

  “One million!” The young imperial immediately raised the price.

  No way, bastard—I already overpaid for the grimoire because of you.

  “One million fifty thousand gold!”

  The young man fell silent and looked at me again.

  “Auctioneer! Can you confirm that my opponent is financially capable?”

  The auctioneer now looked at me as well. I poured five hundred seventh-class monster cores into a storage pouch and handed it to him. There was at least two and a half million in gold’s worth inside. The auctioneer peeked inside.

  “Yes, esteemed guest, I can confirm that the young man is indeed financially capable!”

  He returned the pouch to me.

  The imperial youth scowled.

  “One and a half million!” He looked at me. “Well? Can you handle that?”

  “Is everyone in the Empire this arrogant? One and a half million fifty thousand gold!”

  “Insolent brat!” Grom shouted, but the young man stopped him again.

  “Two million!”

  I was certain that this was his final bid—he couldn’t go any higher.