"So the rule is that every day, starting from 6 a.m. in form till 12 p.m. in the afternoon… Every disciple must be in the training ground… Different forms of training are conducted…" Socrates muttered to himself, his voice low and steady as he processed the information, his blue eyes scanning through the faint interface glowing above his wristband.
"They will be a three-hour break from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. for disciples to eat and attend matters…" He continued, pacing slowly within the confines of his modest room, the faint echo of his footsteps bouncing off the smooth, translucent walls.
"From 3 p.m. to 7 p.m… another round of training…"
"Another round of food will be served by 8 p.m. and from there, the disciples have free will to do whatever they want till the next day 6 a.m…"
"This is the general rule… And every day, every disciple is assigned tasks… There are some menial tasks and also some mission tasks that are assigned to disciples…"
"The disciples here also live by points… While food is free in the afternoon… it's not the same for the night…"
"Disciples have to buy food in the night… And many disciples also buy energy stones to increase their cultivation…"
"An Earth-rank disciple will receive 30 points as a beginner but as the Champion of the Earth Pavilion, I received 100 points and these points will be distributed every 3 months…" Socrates said as he tapped on the wristband on his hand, his tone carrying a faint trace of disbelief and irony.
He wore the black band on his left hand as he tapped on it, which displayed the map of the Northern Pavilion, his identity, and the amount of points he had. A faint blue holographic glow reflected across his sharp features, giving his already pale face an ethereal tint.
Socrates glanced at the other item which is the yellow robe. He didn't pull off his mechanical suit but wore the yellow robe atop of it, the fabric draping loosely over the metallic contours beneath.
The suit had auto-repaired itself after the damages, but its durability had decreased drastically. Faint cracks still lingered across its surface like scars that refused to fade, a silent reminder of the brutal battle he had survived.
Apart from the yellow robe, there was also an item present there…
The Double Battle Axe… The weapon left behind by Mr. Jaggers…
The moment his gaze fell on it, the air around him seemed to grow heavier.
Socrates grabbed the two axes with both his hands as he weighed them both. The cold metal pressed against his palms, yet it felt strangely warm… as if it still carried the lingering will of its former owner.
The image of Mr. Jaggers flashed in his eyes… vivid and unrelenting…
The battle against the Alpha lion reflected in his memory…
This very axe… Mr. Jaggers had used it to carve out the path of victory…
To protect him…
To guide him…
To fight beside him…
A faint tremor passed through Socrates' fingers, but he tightened his grip.
"Since you left the axe for me, I'll surely make use of it." Socrates stated, his voice quieter now, heavier… as if each word carried weight beyond its sound.
He stored the battle axe into his wristband.
The black band contained a space where lifeless items can be stored. Since the battle axe doesn't have a life, it can be stored into the empty space of the wristband.
The last item was the golden token which belonged to him…
Socrates picked it up as he stared at it for a while but couldn't gain anything from it. The surface of the token shimmered faintly, its golden glow pulsating like a living heartbeat, yet completely rejecting him.
"I'll check it out later…" He tried to save it in his space but the golden token refused to save.
He just sighed and put it inside his robe. He recalled how the golden token had also refused to enter their inventory, shining a golden light that attracted other aspirants…
A troublesome object… yet an invaluable one.
He shook his head as he turned around and headed out of the room and head towards the stairs. As he walked, he passed two disciples that gave him a smug look but he didn't even give them a glance. Their whispers trailed behind him like shadows, but he ignored them.
"What I should do now is go check out that statue…" Socrates reasoned as he wondered why Mr. Jaggers had whispered those words to him…
He returned to the corridor of the main hall where he quietly observed the old sculpture which seemed to be made out of clay rather than gold. The corridor itself was dimly lit, the light filtering through the translucent walls in a dull, muted glow that cast long, thin shadows across the ground.
" It's old and looks ancient…" Socrates observed it quietly for some time before deciding to sit in front of it and try to cultivate.
The sculpture stood in silence, unmoving… weathered by time. Cracks ran across its surface like dried riverbeds, and patches of its golden coating had peeled off, exposing the dull, earthen core beneath. Dust had gathered at its base, untouched, as though even time had grown tired of it.
He sat in front of the sculpture in a lotus position as he placed both his hands on his lap while closing his eyes, trying to feel a connection with the sculpture. His breathing slowed, steadying… his mind attempting to quiet the storm within.
His belief was that for Mr. Jaggers to mention the sculpture, it must be important.
Important enough… to be his final words.
He sat there for hours trying to connect with the sculpture but there was nothing… He felt nothing…
No energy fluctuation, no insight. Just nothing…
Only silence…
A silence so deep it almost felt mocking.
During the hours, many participants passed by and laughed at him for his foolishness… Their footsteps echoed, their voices sharp and unrestrained.
They claimed that he was very foolish and stupid…
From their words, he was able to pick up information about the sculpture…
It turned out that the female sculpture was that of an old gladiator who had once been the champion in the Arena…
Before, the statue was placed in the center of the main hall and it was rumored that one would gain insight if one cultivated under it…
But that rumor was long ago as nowadays, no one gained anything under the sculpture…
Since the sculpture had nothing to offer, it was moved down from the Heaven Pavilion to the main hall of the Earth Pavilion…
Over time, it was pushed down to the quiet corridor of the main hall…
Probably with time… It'll be discarded away…
"So that's it…" Socrates sighed that he had been wasting his time since…
A faint bitterness crept into his expression, but it quickly faded.
Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked up at the worn figure again… lingering for a moment longer than necessary… as if expecting something—anything—to happen.
Nothing did.
He got up and decided to explore the cafeteria in order to get food. His steps were steady, but there was a subtle heaviness to them now, like someone carrying something unseen.
He walked in there and every head turned to him…
They all started murmuring and whispering while pointing at him but that's all they could do…
They can't touch him nor attack him…
He went to the food section where a portion of food was dished out for him. Socrates wasn't satisfied with the portion and spent 5 points buying an extra.
He walked over to a lone seat and started eating…
The clinking of utensils, the low hum of conversations, the shifting of bodies—everything blended into a dull background noise. Yet, even in that noise… he felt isolated.
Not long, the hushing sound in the cafeteria increased as it seemed as if the disciples were no longer talking about him but another person…
The tone changed… from mockery… to anticipation.
He looked up to see three new individuals in the cafeteria…
They were different from the disciples he's used to meeting…
They weren't wearing yellow robes but rather sky-blue robes…
Their presence alone altered the atmosphere—heavier, sharper… authoritative.
'This is….'
'Merkules and his two lackeys.'
'The Sky Pavilion disciple…'
'What are they doing here?'
'That's the champion of the Sky Pavilion.'
'Rumor has it that Merkules is very strong and can even challenge disciples from the Heavenly Pavilion…'
'Now this is a true champion… Not the one that the Earth Pavilion has…'
The disciples whispered among themselves as Merkules strolled towards Socrates' table without paying them attention. His steps were slow, deliberate… carrying the confidence of someone who had never known defeat.
'He's heading towards the boy…'
'For what reason?'
'Merkules loves trouble… The poor boy is surely in for it…'
No one got close to them, no one blocked their way as they stopped right in front of Socrates.
The space around them seemed to empty on its own.
"You're the champion of the Earth Pavilion." Merkules started addressing Socrates, who stood up with a straight face.
"Socrates Trueblood… Champion of the Earth Pavilion." He announced himself with a slight bow.
"You're the winner of the golden token…" Merkules added, and Socrates nodded curtly…
"I'm Merkules, the champion of the Sky Pavilion and also a winner of a golden token. I overheard that you've a broken meridians and you can't cultivate the cultivation art in the golden token. So I came to you, instead of just letting it useless in your hand… I want you to offer it to me and I'll give you something valuable in exchange… Points… Pills… and I can even offer you protection." Merkules cut to the chase as he stated the reason why he came here directly.
The offer hung in the air… heavy… tempting… and insulting all at once.
Socrates shook his head.
"I can't give up the golden token for anything." Socrates rejected the offer immediately.
His voice was calm… but firm.
This caused Merkules to be surprised as he opened his mouth slightly, amused by the direct rejection he suffered in public. Socrates had just humiliated him by directly rejecting him.
"If there's nothing else… I'll continue my food." Socrates wanted to sit down when the two lackeys released their energy…
Green waves of energy burst outward, sweeping across the table like a violent gust… pushing the food off, spilling it onto the floor with a messy splatter.
"You dare humiliate our Champion… You'll pay the price." One of the lackeys cried out as he wanted to rush at Socrates, who had already folded his fists…
But he was stopped by Merkules.
"I'll deal with this myself… Harming the champion of Earth Pavilion will incur punishment for you guys… You know this… This outcome is what I really wanted… For you to disagree with my offer… Because the title of champion doesn't belong to you and I'm going to strip it off you." Merkules stated as he turned around and started leaving with his two lackeys.
It was after he finally left that Socrates realized he had been holding his breath…
He exhaled slowly.
He looked around to see that the people of the cafeteria were looking at him with pitiful gazes…
"What? What happened?"
He noticed a blue light flickering in his wristband and as he tapped it, a notification popped out.
[MERKULES THE CHAMPION OF THE SKY PAVILION HAS ISSUED A DUEL CHALLENGE TO THE CHAMPION OF THE EARTH PAVILION. THE STAKE Of THE DUEL IS THE GOLDEN TOKEN. THE CHAMPION OF THE EARTH PAVILION CAN'T REFUSE THIS CHALLENGE AND HE'S EXPECTED TO REPORT TO THE ARENA EARLY TOMORROW MORNING.]
Socrates' eyes widened as he stared at the notification with a lost expression…
The weight of it pressed down on him…
Another battle…
Another life-and-death struggle…
And this time…
There may be no one left to save him.