While all this was happening, it hadn't escaped the notice of Moon and Raiz. They were floating high in the sky. Moon, who was in cloud form, was simply unnoticeable. On the other hand, Raiz was visibly upset. He had seen unfairness in many forms, both in this world and his old one, but it was rarely as blatant as the cruelty being shown to this girl.
Raiz's hands had formed into fists long ago. He would have loved to use them,unfortunately, he couldn't.
Let's go back a few hours.
They had received the message from Amilios. It didn't take long for a commotion to stir within the clan. Too many people wanted to come along. Moon immediately denied their requests,someone needed to stay behind to protect their home.
The problem was deciding who to take. Choosing one person without a clear reason would make the others feel it was unfair. In the end, Moon skipped the debate entirely and decided to come with only Raiz.
It took them a mere 30 minutes to arrive. If you asked Moon how they arrived so fast, he would simply say that he carried Raiz and "beamed out."
If you asked Raiz, however, he would tell you. He was literally a victim who was thrown into a speed beyond his visual capabilities. He barely saw anything but blurs as the scenery changed around him.
The moment they got close to the island, Moon stopped and looked around. Raiz, whose eyes were still spinning, finally had a chance to breathe. As his vision settled, he asked Moon what was wrong.
"There's a net surrounding this whole island. I wonder how powerful the one who made is"
Raiz looked around but wasn't able to see anything but air. He even suspected Moon was messing with him, but this was a serious situation, and Moon wouldn't joke at a time like this. They didn't take many things seriously, but they took the safety of their comrades very seriously.
"I can't see anything at all. Can we go in? Why is something like this here?"
"It seems to be some kind of sensor. Basically, it allows them to know who goes in and out. They would know how many entered, but probably not their exact location."
"It's a simple thing. Maybe I should make one of these mana sensors. It looks useful."
"How did you even know what it even does!? So we can't go in, then what are we supposed to do?"
"Mana simple speaks . Its like how you know sky isnt the ground. Simple right! Mmm..we can go in when they need us."
Simple my foot, this guy is definitely ragebaiting. Stay calm"How would we even know when they need us if we're stranded out here?"
"Hehe, thanks to this sensor, I've learned a new skill. Instead of waiting with a spider's web, what if I constantly send out mana nets? The information would come back to me right?" Moon immediately tried and succeeded on the first try.
"Meaning even from here, you are still able to see everything inside? You should really be robbed or something. How can you cheat every time? Don't you feel bad for normal folks?"
"Why would I feel bad for them? They have their struggles, and I have mine" Moon said proudly.
Raiz couldn't help but facepalm. This shameless guy. If ordinary humans saw him, they'd want to skin him and use his hide for boots.
"Is it me, or are you thinking of something very rude?" Moon looked at Raiz.
Tsk, him and his natural instinct. "Of course not. It's not like you can be skinned alive,you're a cloud, after all." Raiz looked sad at the moment
"So you were thinking of something rude," Moon said, rolling his nonexistent eyes in his cloud form. From that point on, Moon told Raiz what was happening inside .
_______
Back to the present.
After having seen everything, you may ask why they didn't help and just get them out immediately. Professor Raiz,is here to answer that question.
Raiz put on his glasses, specifically made by Moon. With his "cloud glasses" on, he felt very professional as he began his explanation.
"What is the most difficult aspect to train? That's right, as some of you have already guessed, it is the mind"
"Now, look at Zion, Amilios, and Skele. They are all young ones who are still developing. We could simply take them away, but that would be stealing their opportunity for growth. Today we might save them, but what if we don't make it tomorrow?"
"Because of the opportunity they lost today, they might lose their lives tomorrow. Students, that is the end of today's lesson.Hope we all learmed something." Raiz gracefully closed his eyes.
Moon looked at the crazy bee talking to himself. "Dude, you are finally losing it." Raiz didn't mind these remarks as he continued watching the young ones. Keep on fighting young ones. At this moment Raiz was feeling like a proud dad.
Amilios, Zion, and Skele suddenly got goosebumps. As if a predator had its eyes on them. They all looked around but saw no one. Each one convinced themselves it was just an illusion.
Moon saw their reaction and nodded satisfiedly. At least they were aware when something had its attention on them. Good job, you guys. Should i spar with them to make their instincts even more stronger ?
As if they had noticed Moon's thoughts, the trio shivered again and scanned their surroundings, only to once again to find nothing.
"Must be the wind," one of them muttered. "It is getting cold lately. You really should dress well. Winter is coming, and these guys are still wearing summer clothes," another concluded.
The trio were taken into the stadium to be registered. A collar was put on each of them. The collar looked more expensive than any clothes they had seen before. Many had come to be registered, some even volunteering for the sake of training.
A man in a clean suit walked up. He looked at an antique pocket watch, then clapped loudly. "The time for registration has ended! For those who didn't register and want to, it's too late for today. Come back tomorrow." He shooed away the fighters who hadn't registered in time.
"For those of you who remain," he announced, "I don't care whether you were brought here as slaves or entered willingly. All I care about is what you bring to the arena. In just two hours, you will fight each other to the death. Only one of you will survive each match. The top 20 will live, and the champion will be granted any wish he desires."
"Even when I say any wish," he added with a cold smile, "I hope some of you aren't foolish enough to wish for something you aren't capable of handling."
Some of the people present looked away from the manager in boredom, while others scoffed. This wasn't their first time. They were tired of being reminded of the basics every time and being lumped in with the amateurs.
Zion looked directly at the manager. "When you say 'anything,' is there a limit to this wish? And who is going to grant it?" It seemed everyone else was avoiding the most important question.
The manager's gaze grew even more deadly as he looked at Zion. Realizing he was just some country bumpkin, the manager sighed but still answered. "Officially, there is no limit. Just choose some gold kid,not that you have a chance of winning. The one who grants it,is our honorable founder."
Oh, right, Zion thought. The merchant founder who built this whole market. He wondered if the man had created this place specifically for it to be used by criminals.
Leaving the fighters alone, the manager went to continue his work. Some of the fighters had their interest piqued when Zion spoke,not because the question was interesting, but because a weakling dared to stand out.
"Is it because you're going to die anyway that you're just doing whatever you want?" A skinny man , who had slithering snake eyes,confidently walked toward Zion.
"I don't intend to die. I just asked a question."
"Kekeke. 'He just asked a question.' With what qualifications?"
"I didn't know you needed qualifications to ask. I'll be more careful, Moody Princess," Zion shot back. His patience with this place had long since run out.
Hearing this, the surrounding fighters didn't hesitate to laugh at the snake like man. They had nothing to fear . They were going into life and death battle soon. They did not care if they offended someone at this stage .
Getting one laugh before death wasnt bad at all. And because of that, many now had a good impression of Zion. Few fighters even coming to him , tapping his shoulder to cheer him up.
" Dont die out there kid"
"Just tire them out before you take them out kid"
" Its battle royal at first, just hide out and you might survive kid "
Looking at the confused face , an older man with with gray hair and moustache said
" Most of these guys are here to train. Their talent not strong enough. Their only option for advancing is death battles. They are not bad guys, just the situation is"
———————-
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