VOL 2 Chapter 55: Courtesy and concessions.

The reality about the staff was that, despite being made from relatively common materials as Erik claimed, it was crafted by highly recognized artisans of the faction. These artisans adhered to military-grade safety standards to precisely prevent what Erik had done. While the staff's security fell far short of the highest safety standards for specialized artifacts, it was significantly superior to that of a common artifact.

On the other hand, only common materials were used for its creation because it wasn't worth using anything more expensive. These were items meant to be used exclusively by Revealed-level individuals under 300 years old in a single tournament, never to be used again. Hence, there was no need to worry about durability or anything of the sort, making it unnecessary to use rarer materials or more complex techniques. At the end of the day, none of the participants were supposed to so much as dent it, let alone modify it.

"What can I say? Erik is a very dedicated disciple who makes us proud. As for artificery, he's taken it very seriously and is already a certified one-star artificer. I gave him a couple of books on creating more complex artifacts as a reward, and he's been studying them. Occasionally, I explain some concepts to him—nothing extraordinary."

After setting her teacup down on the table, Eleonora responded with an expression full of pride and vanity, though she tried to hide it a bit—unlike Sigrún, who quickly added, in a manner that could only be described as the epitome of haughtiness and shamelessness, while attempting to sound elegant.

"Eli is right. Our Erik is very curious and investigates all kinds of things in his spare time, which allowed him to see an opportunity born from the artificers' lack of skill this time and take advantage of it. Simple as that. Next time, hire better ones if you don't want the same to happen again."

As she brought her teacup to her lips, Sigrún's gaze swept over everyone present with an air of arrogance and disdain, prompting eye-rolls from the group. None of them were willing to entertain the troublesome blonde, as doing so would likely result in her bragging endlessly about how great of a master she was, even at her age, and who knows what else.

"… Well, I suppose I'll wait for him in the final chamber of the palace. He shouldn't take long to arrive with the modifications he made to the staff." Ngozi spoke in a resigned tone as she rose from her seat. But before teleporting to the location, she heard the director's voice chuckling.

"Make sure to congratulate him for finding a secret trial or something; otherwise, you'll be the one facing the embarrassment of not planning the tournament properly, hahaha."

Upon hearing the shameless director, Ngozi could only roll her eyes before quickly vanishing from the room like a mirage. As she did, she faintly heard Sigrún 'apologizing,' brimming with boastfulness and pride.

"I apologize for the trouble caused by our disciple. I will ensure he learns to restrain himself properly, so such incidents don't occur again. It truly becomes a problem when someone's abilities so thoroughly exceed expectations, leaving their peers far behind."

"Hmph!!"

Besides Eleonora, the director, and Seraphina, everyone else present huffed in irritation, casting disdainful looks at Sigrún. The woman, however, merely responded with a radiant smile, resembling a child in a toy store, delighted by the grand show her beloved Erik was putting on—something she was sure to reward with a barrage of kisses for the wonderful time he was giving her. But what no one expected was for the director to play along with that troublesome woman, laughing as he commented.

"Hahaha, you're right, Sigrún. We must make Erik understand that he needs to restrain himself properly to leave some opportunities for the others, or he'll end up making too many enemies. That's a complicated fate for those who are too gifted."

"Hahaha, I see you understand, old man, and you're right. Being too talented indeed comes with those sorts of problems. I must speak properly with Erik about the courtesy and concessions us talented folks must make to common people to live correctly in society. Once again, I offer my disciple in apology for my own carelessness. I totally overlooked this and caused trouble for everyone." Sigrún spoke with an elegant tone, full of righteousness and a bit of regret at the end, as if she really believed what she said.

Everyone present, except for the director, who was laughing heartily, rolled their eyes at the sight of this walking mass of vanity who couldn't open her mouth without trying to show off. The worst part was when she pulled off those ridiculously fake acts of humility, which filled anyone who heard them with an uncontrollable urge to give her smug, smiling face a good punch. Unfortunately, she was far too troublesome to deal with in a fight.

What made her comments truly exasperating, however, was the fact that the damn woman really was an unparalleled genius. And now she even had a little monster following in her footsteps—one even more monstrous than she was—who had not only matched her speed in leveling up his power but had even surpassed her in mastering two complex professions like Alchemy and Artificery. He had gone so far as to register patents that caught the attention of the entire galaxy, and even managed to execute a "fair cheat" in the tournament.

(…The world is truly unfair…)

The same thought appeared simultaneously in the minds of all the Masters-level present, accompanied by a heavy sigh as they watched those two troublesome women chat cheerfully about how handsome and elegant their disciple looked—all while being attended to with extreme professionalism by that demon in a maid outfit, someone no one even wanted to comment on.

Meanwhile, Ryoma, Zoe's grandfather, was intently watching his beloved granddaughter, who had been forced to retreat underground with her two friends to escape the relentless pursuits of the other participants—all because of the monstrous boy with the starry hair. This left him with a bitter taste in his mouth.

As an experienced Master-level warrior who had faced all kinds of situations to reach where he was, he could appreciate and celebrate the talent and intelligence of the young man, who had acted with cunning and speed, leaving no room for the other participants to act. But at the same time, he couldn't help feeling dissatisfied that his beloved granddaughter had been negatively affected by his actions, leaving him uncertain about his next steps.

(He really is an outstanding seedling with monstrous talent for the Zazen discipline and swordsmanship, but the fact that he harmed my little Zoe rubs me the wrong way. It'd be best not to get involved with him in any way, at least not in the short term…)

… 

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…

Five kilometers underground, Erik appeared in the middle of a vast hall carved into solid rock. The space was adorned with majestic arches, a polished floor that gleamed like a mirror, and walls embedded with crystals emitting a soft, calming light. The air was fresh and pure, indistinguishable from the exterior.

"So this is the entrance to the palace." After rising from Erik's head to take a better look around, Ebonique commented with mild curiosity, to which the starry-haired boy nodded and quickly added in a similar tone.

"It seems so, but we'd better head inside."

With a mutual nod between the dragon spirit and the starry-haired boy, the two approached an imposing black wooden door framed by softly glowing runes. The door began projecting various holograms displaying different instructions, which themselves formed a puzzle that needed solving to gain entry into the palace. Erik, however, ignored all of this entirely and simply activated the staff's function to open the door.

Shortly after, the door opened, revealing a descending spiral of stone steps illuminated by torches burning with an ethereal, cold blue flame. Erik floated down the staircase using another function of the staff, carrying the wolves on his shoulders and Ebonique perched atop his head. The group observed their surroundings with excitement and curiosity, as if they were exploring an amusement park.

At the bottom of the long spiral staircase, they arrived at a cavernous chamber so vast that its ceiling vanished into the darkness above. It seemed supported by gigantic, smooth rock columns that emitted a soft light and were so enormous they made the group seem like tiny ants by comparison. They gazed at the columns curiously for a while before continuing deeper into the chamber.

At the center of the cavern stood a magnificent palace, constructed from softly glowing bluish stones. Its architecture was a blend of pointed arches, ascending towers, and floating balconies that defied gravity. Springs of pure water flowed from the walls, feeding into tranquil ponds where beautiful translucent fish swam peacefully.

The air in the cavern, unlike the previous hall and staircase, was filled with a mix of sweet fragrances emanating from the palace gardens. These gardens were adorned with bioluminescent flowers of all kinds, dotted with magical creatures like crystal fireflies and emerald butterflies that danced gracefully through the air.

"Whoever designed this palace has excellent taste. Do you think we can keep it, Erik?" Ebonique asked from atop Erik's head, a little awestruck by the incredible beauty of the underground palace.

"Do you really want a place like this? It's nice, sure, but there's nothing special about it. Most of the materials used here are quite cheap, you know?" Erik replied as he walked toward the palace entrance, to which Ebonique softly responded.

"I like it. It has good style and design. Besides, the rarity of the materials doesn't matter to me; that's secondary for someone like me."

"Hmmm, in that case, why don't we ask about the designer and commission a better design? We can build it ourselves as a secret base." After thinking for a moment, Erik suggested, continuing his approach toward the palace. The suggestion made Ebonique's eyes light up like lanterns as she commented with excitement.

"Hahaha, you're right! That's a much better idea. It'll be our exclusive secret base!"

"Glad you like the idea." Erik said with a small, amused laugh, prompting Ebonique to nod enthusiastically before flying closer to his face and adding with excitement.

"I don't just like it—I love it! Our secret base will be the best that's ever existed!"

"Hahaha, it's good to see you so motivated. Once we finish here, I'll try to find out about the designer and a good place to build it." Erik said with a smile as he looked at the excited spirit.

"No, that won't be necessary anymore. For our secret base to be the best that's ever existed, we need to design and build it ourselves; otherwise, it wouldn't make sense." Ebonique replied with a strict tone, though her immense excitement was barely concealed.

"Well, we could try, though you know I'm not particularly good at art or design…" Erik commented casually as they reached the palace entrance. At that moment, Ebonique lay down again atop his head and cheerfully added.

"That doesn't matter; we'll find a way. Let's finish this quickly so we can start designing it."

"Alright, then. I'll start exploring the palace now."

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