Chapter 68 And So It Begins

[You have acquired a new skill: Apprentice Water Magic!]

'What?' Nedra was stunned. She did not even understand how this was possible. Was this because Leon gained an understanding of water magic through the journal he had been reading?

Whatever it was, it did not seem to pose a danger to Leon from what Nedra could tell. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, retreating from Leon's mental space and back to her body.

"Too much has happened. And much more is coming. I need a break." She yawned.

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Two whole hours later, the sound of something hitting the floor drew Nedra's attention. She looked over to Leon, who had his eyes open. A blue glow briefly overwhelmed the purple before vanishing and letting clarity return to him. It was the journal that had fallen from his grasp.

"Welcome back to reality." Nedra chirped as she turned to face him properly. It was already sunset, almost 7 pm once again. Twenty-four hours had flown by in a breeze.

"What happened while I was out?" Leon was not confused, as he had known what was happening. He had been aware that he was not in control of his body for the duration where understanding of water magic had briefly overwhelmed him.

"Nothing of note. Curtis came by to see you, but I told him you were meditating, and he left, so maybe you should go and find him." Nedra told him, hopping off the bed.

"Okay." Leon nodded and got up. A quick bath later, he was stepping out of his room, but not with his old robes. The high collars of his windbreaker framed his head, and with the synergy given by the windbreaker and his dark hair, his purple eyes stood out even more.

"Ah. Feels nice." Leon smiled and ran his finger over the smooth fabric of the windbreaker.

"Let's go." Nedra stepped around him and walked down the stairs quickly. Leon chuckled and followed behind her.

When they reached the tavern below, he spotted Curtis' group, all geared up in fine armour and even finer weapons. There were no flashy insignias on their equipment to avoid drawing unnecessary attention, but even then, the quality of what they wore was eye-catching enough.

"Leon! You finally came down!" Curtis was glad to see Leon. "I thought you would stay up there until it started. I have something to tell you." He waved for Leon to come over.

"Hello." Leon nodded at the other members of the group. Corey returned the nod with his signature warm smile, as did Maple. Daven actually mumbled a greeting, while Benny was too occupied with fretting over Curtis.

"Young Master, be careful. You know all the warnings passed down by your predecessors." He said as he made another round on the integrity of Curtis' armour.

"Don't worry, Benny. I won't forget." Curtis rolled his eyes with irritation, but he could not chase Benny away. The man was just doing his job, and he actually did care for Curtis' safety.

Curtis turned to Leon after Benny finally stepped back, albeit reluctantly. "Sorry about that. As I said, I have something to tell you before the bout begins. When you get teleported over there, do not trust anyone. Everyone is a potential competitor. Even someone who fought a horde of monsters with you a day ago can still stab you in the back over a mound of gold.

"Also, Divinity's Bout lasts for two months, so we will be there a while. I hope we cross paths once again when all this is done with. Best of luck to you, Leon." The blond boy held out a hand and after a moment, Leon took it, shaking it firmly.

"All the best to you too, Curtis. As well as the rest of you too." He nodded at the others.

Pop!

A popping sound resounded through the tavern as small, palm-sized sheets of paper appeared in front of everyone.

"It's time." Curtis took a deep breath, looking amongst his friends. He took the sheet of paper out of the air and dipped his thumb in a prepared tub of ink before pressing it against the sheet of paper. The others did the same, as did Leon and Nedra.

The next moment, a bright light shone through the entire tavern as those who had written their names were magically teleported to the floating island that had only just appeared.

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Tap tap tap.

The sound of firm footsteps resounded through the grand hall. Metal books clinked against the marble tiles that made up the floor of the hall. Gunmetal-grey locks of hair fluttered in the flight breeze that blew through the floor-to-ceiling open windows of the grand castle, illuminated by the High-Grade Monster Cores that had been configured to act as light bulbs.

Michael had a calm smile on his face as he arrived inside the open throneroom of the mighty being that he served under.

"My King." He went down on one knee when he came before the throne.

"Michael. You have not come to visit for some time." The red-haired man spoke as he slowly came down from his throne. "Up, let us have a drink. Divinity's Bout is about to begin."

Michael rose to his feet and followed a step behind the red-haired man as he was led to a different room. The man walked over to a table that had some exquisite items on it, including a bottle of some strange, purple liquid.

The red-haired man poured two cups and handed Michael one, which the latter accepted with a slightly bowed head.

"Now, let us drink to celebrate. This generation has many talented fruits this time. Very rarely is such a bout held to show us that mortals are not useless." The man raised up his wine cup, and Michael clinked his own against it.

"To the future."

Michael poured back the purple liquid down his throat and felt it burn. He suppressed a groan. At his level, there were very few things that could have an effect on his body.

"Void Dragon's bone marrow extract. It enhances the space element. Good stuff." The red haired man spoke casually. "Now, tell me about that boy."