This method of traveling was astonishing.
The teleportation array was extraordinarily accurate; we were right behind the school.
I peered over to Alice and asked her, "How are you?"
"Just bit out of it... I've never seen something such as a teleportation array," Alice said.
We made our way towards the dorms, but Alice followed me; she was well past the route to the women's dorms.
"Alice? The women's dorm is over there..." I said.
"Huh, oh yeah. I was naturally following you; I forgot we lived separately." She responded.
It's good to know she trusts me enough to follow me blindly, but why does she look a bit disappointed.
It was around 11 A.M, which meant it was the perfect time to start up a new book.
I went up to my room and slowly opened the door to ensure I wouldn't wake him up if Chase were sleeping.
But he wasn't even in the room; he's most likely out and about.
This was perfect for me; he wouldn't suspect me with the book in my hands again.
I sat on my bed, pulled out a yellow book this time, opened it, and I was once again in a brand new world.
I looked around; it was almost like earth, except there were... 2 suns.
I tried getting up, but I was strapped on a table?
What type of training is this?
When finishing that sentence, three swole black men came out of nowhere with bats in their hands...
This was unfair; I couldn't break free no matter how hard I tried.
One guy was centered around my legs, the next near my chest, the last being under the table.
They started hitting me with extraordinary force, I thought I had great resilience, but these bats felt like someone took a bulldozer and swung it at you.
This went on only for a couple of hours, though, precisely 6 hours.
I was instantly thrown out of the world once again, this time only spending 2 hours in the real world.
It seems as I was greeted by Chase when I woke up.
"Hey, I'm back..." I said.
"I noticed; how was your trip?" Chase asked.
"It was blown out of my expectations if that means anything," I responded.
Chase chuckles, "Glad to have you back anyways; it was quite lonely having a whole room by myself."
"Well, luckily, I'm back. But, hey, I'll talk to you later today; I need to go somewhere." I said.
"Cool, See ya later," Chase responded.
I walked out of the room and made my way out of school. I wanted to go back home; I wanted to see my family.
While walking, I made a short detour to an alleyway, where I got into position and punched a brick wall as hard as I could.
I completely obliterated the wall, but I felt no type of pain in my hands... So I'm guessing this is the result of me training with those... men.
What the hell will they hit me with the next time I go there?
The thought of it made my body tremble, but I continued on my path back home.
After making the left turn, there she was, the small home we lived in.
I made my way up the stairs, opened the door, and greeted my mom and little sister again. They always knew when I was about to be home.
I gave my family a tight hug; it felt like it's been forever since I've seen them... And it has, it's been like a couple of years for me, as I've been in those books, but for them, it's been like a couple of days.
"Oh Stephen, you've gotten so much stronger in a couple of days? That must be a record somewhere?" Mom exclaimed.
We all chuckled,
"Come in; you must be hungry!" Mom shouted.
It was nice being back at home...
We all sat around the kitchen table and started eating.
The taste was super nostalgic; once again, it's been like a couple of years since I had mom's cooking.
"How were your days at school?" Mom asked.
"It was great; I found out that I'm a variant deviant, my lightning is black... I also made a couple of friends." I responded
"Lightning, how?" mom mumbled under her breath.
"That's great, honey!" Mom said.
"I also went on a little adventure over the weekend; though it ended a bit shorter than expected, it was still an excellent harvest," I added.
"Oh, an adventure, where to?" Mom asked.
"The expert zone," I responded.
Mother started to cough, "What? You just became a challenger, and you instantly went to the expert zone? Never mind that, are you hurt anywhere?" Mom concerningly said.
"Uhm, yeah, the zone wasn't too bad; perhaps I was lucky... I also have like little scratches and whatnot, no major injuries..." I responded
I say that, knowing that I have a huge scar in the middle of my chest.
"No, that's not luck; the Expert zones and up are very unforgiving, the fact that you came back with just a little of scratches... What tier are you?" Mom asked.
"Tier? "A" Tier?" I responded
"No, that's your rank; I'm guessing they haven't told you that there is a base level system in place that represents the level of strength you possess. Your rank determines how fast you can move up the tier list. You'll learn more about it when the time is right." Mom said.
Tiers? What tier am I? What tier was Daruma?
"Anyways, I won't stop you from going into those zones, but please, I beg you, please be prudent when you enter those zones. If you ever enter the Challenger Zone, you must bring at least 3 people who are just as strong as you or stronger. You must!" Mom pleaded.
"It's okay; I won't be entering that zone for a while. Also, I'm back alive and well from the expert zone. So there is nothing to worry about; Ill make sure you are proud of who I am, mom." I said.
Mom sighs, "Alright, hun'"
"Did any bad guys come to our home?" I asked shella.
"Nope, but they wouldn't stand a chance if they did," Shella responded.
After 20 minutes of catching up, I went up to my room, where the rest of the books were.
I took them and put them in my storage dimension.
Laying on my bed, I thought:
Tomorrow is the King's Tournament; I hope I can come out on top.
I slowly drifted asleep...
Time went by; it was the next day.
I woke up and looked at my phone for the time... It was already 6 A.M!
I rushed downstairs and told mom that the King's Tournament was today at 11 A.M and that she should come and watch with Shella.
"Today is the tournament? Well, what are you doing here? Go on to your school; I'll be there to watch you!" Mom exclaimed.
I rushed through the door and made my way to the school.
On my way to school, I met up with the old man and his wife.
"Hello, Sir! Nice to meet you again," I said
"Ah, Stephen, if I'm not mistaken, how have you been?" The old man said.
"I'm doing great; how about you?" I asked.
"We are still kicking around," They responded.
"Welp, it was nice meeting you again, but I have to rush to school; the King's Tournament is today," I said.
"Indeed it is. Are you participating?" The Old man said.
"Yes, I am; I'm hoping to get number 1!" I responded.
"I see; we are actually on our way to the Central Capital right now. We are going to spectate the matches." The old man said.
"Really? Why don't we head there together then?" I asked.
"Sure, also good luck; I heard the tournaments are rigorous." The old man said.
As we made our way on the route, then the old man said, "You've gotten a lot stronger from the last time we've met; your killing intent is also much denser than some elites that I know..."
"Is it really that noticeable? I asked.
"I mean, unless you pay close attention, can you truly see what you are... but I feel you are hiding your true strength." Said the old man.
"Haha... You aren't wrong." I said.
"It's good that this generation has someone like you. I guarantee you; you will be someone of great importance in the very near future." Said the old man.
"Thank you for the compliment," I said.
We made our way towards the school; we were greeted by military guards when arriving at the gate.
"Pleasure meeting you, respectable elder; your VIP seats are ready. Who is the student?" The guard asks.
"I will partake in the tournament," I said.
"I see. Are you sponsoring him, elder?" The guard asks.
"Nope, his strength is his own." The old man said.
"So it would seem, elder, you can go to the right and go to the stadium, and you, Mr.Wilson, must go to the school." Said the guard.
We both nod our heads and went our separate ways,
"Good luck, Mr. Stephen Wilson." Said the Old man.
I thought to myself:
He must not be your average old man since he was called "Elder,"... Unless that's how the military addresses old people.
I hope he's actually some badass underworld boss or something along the lines...
I made my way to the auditorium, where I met up with Alice and Chase; the principal made an announcement there.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, today we will be hosting one of the greatest events of humankind, The Kings Tournament. There will 4 tests, The first being the testing of your strength, the second being the testing of your resilience, the third being the testing of your mana pool, the fourth being 1 on 1 battle against each other. The higher you place on each test, the higher your overall position will be. The number 1 ranking student will be a King's candidate, where they will face off against the number 1 student of other schools in a big battle royale. I'll say this once, and one time only, you want to be the number 1 student; your life will change for the better." Said the principal.
"The King's Tournament will start in 30 minutes," said an announcement board.
"Are you guys ready?" I said
"Hell yeah!" Alice and Chase said in unison.
We sat around until we were called onto the stage.
All of the students of the school were in the center of the huge arena.
Then about 50 machines came out.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, today is the start of the King's Tournament; this is a two-day tournament, which will carry on until tomorrow." Said the Principal.
"These students will be fighting to represent this school and be placed as the strongest in the school. They will also be fighting to represent the school in the final part of the King's Tournament in 3 weeks." Said the principal
"The first test will be to test their strength, for those who don't know, challengers are divided into different levels or realms: The first being "Soldier" title, this is further broken down into 10 levels, such as, Solder-1 or soldier-9. The rank of Soldier is just the start of the path to becoming a great challenger. The rank then follows into the "Warrior" title, which is broken into 3 ranks, such as "Beginner," "Intermediate," and "Enlightened," which is the best of that title. Then it goes to the "Captian" title, which again is broken into the 3 ranks; each of the next titles will be broken into the 3 ranks. After Captain, it's "Lieutenant," then "General," then "Emperor," then "Challenger,"... The last title being "Realm God," this title no one has ever reached." The principal said.
"With all the being said, let's get the Tournament started!" exclaimed the Principal.
So this is what my mom meant by tiers...
All the students lined up in front of 1 of the 50 machines, one by one, all the students got tested, nothing really happened, it was honestly quite boring... I could see why they started the tournament with this.
No one got higher than Soldier-6, though many people were clapping when someone did get Soldier-6; it looks like that is a good level to be at.
I was the dead last student to get my body tested; I hoped I got something around Soldier-6...
I looked around and saw my mom and sister near the bottom of the stadium; they got decent seats, huh... But, of course, that adds unnecessary pressure.
I couldn't let my family down...
As soon as I stood inside the machine, a gaze peered over the whole stadium, one which a human couldn't give off... The whole stadium was confused, guards were readying themselves, but then the gaze left...
Was that because Daruma used to be a part of me?
I slowly looked up to the machine and saw something the crowd nor I could believe...