Chess Grandmaster

"That's it, the Chess Grandmaster! As long as you beat him, you'll get a full 100,000 Nux Stones, enough to buy 100 vials, much less 10!"

"Chess Grandmaster? Ignore her, she doesn't know any better. How about you just leave the room for now Jena, go out and play with your friends." The old man said, not taking well to her idea.

"Chess Grandmaster, who's that?" Minos asked.

"Only one of the best chess masters in the entire Blue Line Continent! He's been going around looking for worthy challengers, offering a grand prize to whoever beats him, which till now, is no one!"

"Don't listen to her, not to mention the grandmasters skill's, he's not anywhere near our little city anyways, so even if you did want to challenge him, it would be impossible."

"Hmph, who said he isn't here? I heard our city is going to be his next stop, in fact he may arrive any minute now!"

"Jena, please stop. You don't even know if Mr. Minos has any chess knowledge whatsoever." The old man said.

"If it's chess, I've dabbled a bit." Minos said, sounding neither humble nor arrogant.

"Not to sound rude, but a little dabbling is far from enough, for heaven's sake, this is the Chess Grandmaster himself! Besides, I doubt challenging him is free, so why waste even more money on a hopeless dream."

"Don't worry Mr. Minos, I'll pay for your entry, you've just got to pay me back ten times the amount if you win." Jena added.

"Why are you acting so foolish!"

"I'm just trying to help. Besides, maybe he'll win, then who will be the foolish one?"

"Fine, it's your money anyways, I just hope Mr. Minos doesn't disappoint you." Her grandfather said, realizing he couldn't win this fight.

"Don't worry, he won't! Anyways do you have a place to sleep, Mr. Minos, cause if not, you can stay in the clinic's spare bedroom."

"I don't, and thank you for the help, I'll try to get better as soon as possible." Minos smiled, both surprised and grateful at how helpful this small family has been toward him.

"Take your time, our little clinic rarely has guests anyways, so it'll be nice to have some change in pace." The old man added, just happy to have someone his age around.

With some help from Jena, Minos made his way towards the spare bedroom, laying down exhaustively on the bed, his body's injuries slowly catching up to him as time passed.

He had thought he felt bad before, but that was clearly only the start, and his condition seemed to be getting worse as time passed.

Fortunately the Heaven Forsaken Furnace Technique slowed down his vitality loss, so his life should still last for a bit longer.

With a groan, Minos laid down on the bed, Jena running off to get him a glass of water and some more pillows.

"My granddaughter is quite the character, I hope you don't mind her behavior." The old man said as Jena left the room.

"No worries, in fact she reminds me of my own daughter." Minos laughed, his eyes reminiscent.

"You've also got children, huh? Then you must understand how I feel… I just wish I had raised her with a little bit more discipline when she was young, I fear her immaturity may hurt her once I'm no longer here to keep her safe." The old man sighed.

"I thought the same of my little girl, and till this day I wonder if I've done enough, but as parents I think we've just got to acknowledge sometimes that we can only do so much, and oftentimes the world itself is the best teacher."

"Maybe you're right. It's just, I'm already old and my cultivation isn't that strong, so I could be gone any minute now, I just worry about her…"

"You'll always worry, whether she's a weak little baby, or the strongest person in the world, in fact, I'm sure even the Water Empress's parents still worry about her." Minos said, causing the old man to laugh.

"That's true, I guess it's just in a parent's nature to always worry about their little one, no matter how much they've grown."

"No doubt about that, so let's just enjoy our time with them while it lasts, because heaven knows it could be cut short at any moment." Minos said, his eyes watering slightly as he said those words.

Realizing this was clearly a sensitive topic for Minos, the old man didn't bring it up anymore, just changing the conversation as they waited for Jena to come back.

"What were you two talking about?" Jena said as she reentered the room.

"Nothing, just chatting about the Blue Line Continent and its sights. Anyways, leave Mr. Minos alone, he needs to rest." The old man said, taking Jena by the arm and leading her out.

"If you need anything, just give me a shout." Jena said as the two finally left.

Smiling, Minos took a sip from the glass before shutting his eyes, his body in need of a proper rest.

…

With a loud yawn, Minos woke up contentedly, having not had a deep sleep like that in a long time.

Looking out the window, he noticed the sun was still up, causing him to wonder if he had only slept a few hours despite how nice his rest had felt.

Lifting his body up weakly, Minos reached out towards the cane Jena had gotten for him before using it to brace his body.

With slow steps, he made his way out of the room, running into the old man just as he did so.

"Finally awake? I had started to think we may have lost you." The old man said with a laugh, causing Minos to raise his brow curiously.

"How long did I sleep?"

"About 24 hours, maybe more. It's just good that you've finally woken up."

As the two were chatting, Jena also arrived, quickly running towards Minos as she noticed he had awoken.

"Mr. Minos, come quick! The Chess Grandmaster has arrived, in fact he's already been here a while!"

"You're still going on about that? Anyways you two have fun, I've got patients to check." The old man sighed, not arguing with his granddaughter as he remembered his and Minos's conversation yesterday.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Minos said with a smile, slowly following behind Jena as they made their way out the clinic.

As they entered the street, Minos couldn't help but notice that the crowds were even denser than yesterday, which was saying something considering Blue Beach City had always been a popular spot.

With Jena's help, the two pushed through the crowd before arriving in front of a large luxurious hotel, a long line that went on beyond the eye's reach having formed in front of its doors.

"Looks like we may not be able to have a turn at this Chess Grandmaster." Minos said as he inspected the seemingly endless line.

"Don't worry, I know someone, but just don't forget you owe me!" Jena said after some thought, clearly not wanting to meet this person.

Once again following behind Jena, the two arrived closer to the front of the line before Jena walked towards a pompous young man with a small entourage of guards around him.

"Jena, what a pleasant surprise! Are you also here to challenge the Chess Grandmaster?" He said with a large smile, his eyes discreetly sweeping Jena's body a few times.

"Hmph, not me, but him." Jena said, pointing towards Minos behind her.

"And that is?"

"Don't worry who he is, just know he's one of the best when it comes to chess!" Jena bragged, lying through her teeth.

"Is that so? Well then I'd love to watch him play, it's just a shame you two don't have a spot closer to the front, otherwise I wouldn't have to wait so long." The young man said with an annoying smirk.

"About that, I'm about to make you the deal of a lifetime!"

"Oh? I'm interested…"

"Give me your spot, if he loses, I'll go on a date with you, but if he wins, you'll never annoy me again. How's that sound?" Jena said.

"Ooooh, that is quite the offer… Okay, I agree, but don't come crying to me if you lose." The young man said, laughing internally at how stupid Jena was.

This was the Chess Grandmaster, not some random roadside player, it was impossible he'd lose to a strange old man with no name or background.

Stepping out of the line, the young man gave his space to Minos and Jena before heading inside the hotel to watch the games up close, the smile on his face having never left.

"Why did you make that deal? Are you really that confident in me when you don't even know how good I am?" Minos asked.

"Don't worry about it, even if I do lose it's only one date, and I'll make sure to fleece him crazy, so I'll win either way." Jena said with a laugh, Minos smiling at her words.

"You're quite the character, aren't you? Well I'll try my best."

"Do better than your best, I need your greatest!"

"Then I'll do my greatest." Minos laughed, the two chatting for a little longer as the line shortened and they finally entered the large hotel, Minos spotting the famous Chess Grandmaster for the first time.