Chapter 84 Challenge

Truth be told, Aion wasn't that bothered that someone strong was coming to challenge him… he had become that much of a battle maniac, it seems. However, Aion was worried about the aftermath. Caelis didn't seem like someone reasonable, so the fight will be to death… and if his friends keep trying to avenge him, he will be stuck in a loop of endless battle in the best-case scenario. At worst, he will start a war.

"It is hard to say if he is stronger than Horis, and since the battle is unavoidable, then perhaps you should strike while the iron is hot," Artemisia said.

"What do you mean?" Aion asked.

"Instead of letting him challenge you, challenge him first," Artemisia said. "Determines the rules and a prize."

"Such a simple thing… it will really work?" Aion asked while frowning.

"It will. Those people who live for hundreds of years treat their honor above everything else," Artemisia said. "Like that thing you did at the guild, the one who starts everything decides the rules. If you challenge him, he will feel obligated to follow the rules for his honor. Still, you will need to offer him something good in return to accept the rules without making much of a fuss or changing them."

"Is that so… like what?" Aion asked.

"Like everything is allowed, thus, you will be able to use magic, and the winner takes a part of each other's territory," Artemisia said. "That way, you can obtain that dungeon."

"It seems too good to be true… can I even bet this land when it belongs to the kingdom?" Aion asked.

"The king isn't willing to help out of fear, so from my perspective, you can do as you see fit," Artemisia said, looking a bit annoyed.

​

It was only obvious that she would feel like that when others put so much responsibility over her son's shoulders. Still, Aion never thought that his mother would say something like that in the open. It was the first time Aion heard that Caelis was the owner of that dungeon, but if he wasn't, perhaps Aion could buy some time with that.

Regardless, that was the chance for Aion to get a boom on his business. If he wins, his territory will expand and become a lot richer with that dungeon under his command. More people will move there, and then they will pay more taxes… monarchy sure is useful to those in power, and Aion was experimenting with that firsthand.

With his mother's help, Aion wrote an appropriate letter challenging Caelis. The terms were that they could use any weapon and anything in their arsenal. The fight will be in three months near the border where the dungeon was supposed to be. They were also betting on the territories. To make things more convenient, Aion wrote that he won't fight like a mad dog without a reason and that if he refuses that, Caelis would be considere a coward.

Aion could almost see the face of an angry giant smashing the letter to pieces… even though he never saw the guy. In any case, it was a bit inconvenient, but in that world, people used ravens to send letters, and it usually took days. Since no one knows where Caelis would be, they send it to a random guild.

"I guess I should train for a while…" Aion thought. "It has been a while since I had a decent fight.

Aion had heard that Caelis fought with his fists and a spear, so he had to consider the right class against those fighting styles. Resetting the Berserker class seemed like a waste, but some things can't be helped… Besides, it wasn't like he was particularly attached to the class.

The enemy has the power to mind control those he defeats, but he should be able to show a weaker version just by causing damage. Aion read reports that those that got hit too many times began to move in a weird way, like they were hesitant, so that confirmed the theory. With that in mind, the Paladin, Archer, Mage, Monk, Tamer, Ninja, and Slayer classes seemed like the best options. Since they were focused on either defense, speed, or long-ranged attacks…

However, at least for now, Aion couldn't see any skill or passive that could help Aion in case the enemy got too close, so the long-ranged class probably should be left alone… He still decided to check their potential in the dungeon and see what they could offer. Before he could enter the dungeon again, Aion decided to ask his mother something.

"Mom, can you do some digging about people that might be doing some shady business behind the scenes?" Aion asked.

"What a weird thing to ask your mother…" Artemisia frowned. "Why are you interested in such a thing?"

"Well, those kinds of guys usually don't pay taxes, right?" Aion asked. "I wanted to deal with them before they become a nuisance."

"I think I understand, but your father's family has been respected for many years, I doubt that anyone would try to do that kind of thing in this territory," Artemisia said. "However, in other places might be different. Still, our capacity to gather information in those places will be limited."

"I see… Just do what you can, and don't tell anyone," Aion said.

"All right," Artemisia said.

Aion probably should focus on his next battle, but it couldn't be helped, and he wanted to prepare as much as possible for the future. Losing might happen, but Aion still had to act and plan ahead for the future, and he needed more capable hands to help him.

From that day onward, Aion trained at the dungeon until sunrise. Thanks to that, he obtained a lot of those red gems. So, even without using the mage class, that one leveled up a lot. When he used all those gems, he made the refinement reach level one hundred, and then he had a surprise…