117 A Once in Ten Thousand Year Genius

Trevon found everything around him moving at light speed. Everything turned bright before he appeared on top of a hill.

He appeared on a paradise. Around him, as far as his eyes could see were flower fields. The nature painting of yellow, red, orange, pink, purple, and white mixed with the green leaves. A slow breeze welcomed Trevon, it brought a fragrant smell. Trevon closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling of serenity.

From faraway place, the wind brought the sound of moving water and birds' songs.

[A heaven after the hell.] He thought. [Wait! I am not dead, right?] The young master quickly checked his body.

"You are not." Master Rabbink said. "However, it is possible if you are not careful."

"Squeak!" Nana said this place was good.

"You are right. We should plant more flowers in the secret based." Trevon thought. He did what a good Treasure Snatcher should do. The Treasure Snatcher Trevon took some flowers and grass into his universe.

"I am not dismantling or transferring them. I am replanting them." Trevon didn't want the dungeon master to judge him as going against the rule.

[…] The dungeon master only stroked his beard. [Stay calm. He go fast.]

Trevon was taking various flowers. The treasure snatcher started to forget his reason to come here. He enjoyed the notification of new flowers in his universe. [Hehehe.]

"You have to find the monolith." Master Rabbink reminded Trevon.

[Yeah! I just want to rest a bit.] Trevon looked around. However, he couldn't see a monolith.

[Where is it?] The young master started to find the tallest hill. He passed another hill and arrived at the tallest hill. Finally, he saw a monolith stood on a pedestal.

"Squeak!"

"Yes. That is the monolith." Trevon ran toward the monolith. He read the test.

[Ragam Phoenix Inheritance Test.]

[My inheritor must be stronger than me. Based on your bone age, you will see the same-age my past self. Defeat my phantom! Prove you are a better genius than me!]

"Squeak!" Nana encouraged Trevon.

[Defeating him? Yes. I have passed the previous test. I will pass this one too.] He took a spirit stone pouch from his storage ring.

"Trevon McArthur can test." The deep and loud voice of dungeon master announced Trevon entrance to the next test.

"Hm? What is next?" Trevon didn't see anything.

"Squeak! Squeak!" Nana tapped on Trevon's shoulder.

"What? What is behind me?" Trevon turned his body.

"WHOA!" The young master felt surprised. A large heavenly pagoda suddenly appeared.

[This is similar to my grandpa's Pagoda.] Trevon thought when he saw the pagoda. The pagoda color was flaming red. That was a huge contrast with its blue roofs. Several eaves marked each floor on the pagoda. It had nine eaves for nine floors.

Trevon saw the characteristic of Heavenly Phoenix's building. Two big red pillars before the entrance. While several phoenixes statues filled the eaves.

The young master walked toward the pagoda until he stood before the entrance. He tried to read the signboard, but it was faded with time.

[Should I enter?] Trevon thought.

"Squeak!" Nana told her master just push the door.

"Are you serious? Do you want to run away from an inheritance? I heard your title is Treasure Snatcher Trevon. Gwahahaha. That must be fake."

"What is that? I just a person who has good eyes for treasure. Treasure Appreciator Trevon!" Trevon pushed the entrance.

"Kreet… BAM!"

Trevon jumped backward. He was surprised by the sudden opening of the door. He only touched a bit.

"Gwahahaha. You are that timid. How could you get the inheritance?" Master Rabbink laughed while it entered the castle first.

"Hmph…" Trevon took his Dark Demon Slayer and entered the pagoda.

He arrived at a beautifully decorated entrance hall. The young master could see some phoenix paintings decorated the red wall. Soft rugs made from demon beast skin covered the floor on the hall. Several wood carvings and spirit wood furniture decorated the building. While the gray tiles used were giving a calming aura inside the building.

Trevon tried to touch one of the furniture. He tried to take them to the Universe Store to sell.

[Eh? I couldn't] He thought.

"Gwahahaha. Of course, you can't. This place is not real. Unlike the world before, this pagoda is recreated from a memory using formations." Master Rabbink explained.

Trevon tried to use his Core Management skill, but he couldn't.

"This is not real, this is only in the memory. Although this is unreal, this Rabbink has to tell you. Dying in here means dying in the real world."

Trevon sweated when he heard that. [I won't die.]

"That is the spirit." Master Rabbink could sense Trevon's fighting spirit.

[Yes. I won't die a virgin. Hwehwehwe.]

The Rabbink turned speechless again. "…"

Trevon walked toward a corridor. He took some time to check the place around. The young master walked slowly in case he met with a hidden trap. Once in a while, he needed to do the stupid things that the dungeon master put in the rules.

He passed many doors, halls, and corridors. [Gah! This is confusing.] The young master felt the place was too similar to each other. The similar wall paintings, furniture, and decorations made him confused.

[I should find the boss, right?] He pushed a door. [Not here.] The young master only saw an empty hall. Everything looked the same in the interior.

"Squeak!"

"What? We have been here before?"

"Squeak! Squeak…" Nana nodded.

"No. We have never been here before. You must imagine things, Nana." Trevon felt confident. He moved toward another door in the hall.

"Squeak…"

"No complaint. I know this place like the back of my hand. I have played many times in my grandfather's pagoda. The design is similar."

"Squeak…" Nana gave up. She raised both her small hands and decided to just stand on Trevon's shoulder.

Trevon led the mouse to walk around the castle. One hour later, they arrived at a five-meter-tall door.

"See? I find this. Hahahaha." Trevon took his fan and fanned himself. He looked proud with his achievement.

"Squeak…" Nana sent a flattering signal.

"Yeah! I am the number one young master in Bluestar. Hahahaha. This Castle Maze won't stop me."

"Squeak! Squeak!" Nana said yes.

Master Rabbink knew what Nana's real thought. She was angry because she had pointed toward this direction multiple times. However, the young master always had high confidence that he took the right path and they were circling around.

They moved around until Trevon felt lost. Then he made a wrong turn and ended at this hall.

"Let's see the boss!" Trevon pushed the door open. A cold wind blew from the gap, bringing a unique smell of incense.

Trevon entered the room. The room was very large at fifty to fifty meters. Its ceiling was ten meters tall. Luxury furniture and decorations made from gold and spirit woods decorated the room. Large pillars filled the room making the room looked grand.

"You are late." A man in a red robe sat on a throne. His voice was calm and melodious. Near him, an incense scented the room. The man was very handsome with masculine aura coming from him. Unlike a scholarly elder, this man was similar to Michael. Trevon could feel a battle-hardened aura came from him.

"You have a big castle. Hahahaha. However, that maze wouldn't stop this young master." Trevon fanned himself again. He wouldn't lose the first prestige battle.

"Maze?" The man frowned. His deep black eyes filled with confusion. [Did I request a maze to the dungeon master? There should not be a maze in this stage.]

"Yes. You want to test my ability to find the path in this pagoda, right? This is easy."

Nana almost wanted to scratch Trevon.

"I don't like to waste time on talking! Take your weapon!" The man jumped from his throne. The man was growing younger as he came closer towards the floor. His neatly bounded hair turned into a long free-flowing hairstyle.

While he still wore the same robe, his face turned more youthful. The battle-hardened aura was disappeared from the man. Meanwhile, a youthful face with bright eyes showing a full determination replaced it. A smile appeared on the man's thin lips when he looked at his younger look.

"You are about seventeen years old this year. At the same age, I am a main chosen of my Imperial Families back then." The man took a strange weapon on his right arm.

That was the first time Trevon saw that kind of weapon. It was like a double edge blade, but the weapon had three sharp edges. Two were on each side of the handle. Both were curved with a slight wavy form. On the other hand, the sharp edge on the handle's sides was straight. All three edges were serrated. An inscription decorated the weapon.

"My name is Ragam Phoenix." A youthful voice full of vigor was spoken by the young man in front of Trevon.

"Trevon McArthur, the number one young master from Bluestar and Redwood." Trevon took his Dark Demon Slayer sword.

"McArthur… Hm… That family from the west. Never heard about Redwood but Bluestar is a small city." Ragam said.

[What?!] Trevon felt some anger. "Where do you live? You are so backward. Bluestar is the second largest city in Heavenly Phoenix."

"Hm… Bluestar become the second largest city in Heavenly Phoenix? Time truly change everything." Another smile appeared on Ragam's face. "Unfortunately, my memory would disappear after our battle." The man raised his weapon horizontally in front of him.

Master Rabbink couldn't stop itself from creating several passersby. Behind the scene, the Rabbink ordered the dungeon master to let it do whatever it wanted. After all, the Rabbink was the boss of every dungeon master.

The Rabbink looked at the river of memory and found several memories who could act as the passersby. It picked three and made three phantoms out of them.

"Eh? Is this heaven?" A beautiful female phantom in a pink robe appeared.

"Imperial Queen!" Another beautiful phantom in a yellow robe appeared. Both were beauties who could topple a kingdom. The yellow-robed bowed and showed her hand for the queen.

"Imperial Princess! You looked younger. Is this a place after the death?" The pink robed female phantom gave a dignified greet and a sign to allow her to rise.

"I don't know. Look! That is Imperial Brother. He looked like that when he was young." The yellow-robed phantom pointed at Ragam.

"My King! You are alive." The queen wanted to get closer to Ragam, but a barrier separated her to Ragam.

Ragam was distracted. He looked at the two phantoms. His eyes turned watery. However, he shook his head. "It is nice to see you again, My Queen and Elder Sister. However, we are only a phantom of memory."

"A memory?" The Imperial Queen and Princess looked at Ragam.

"I have fallen in the Goldcave War. My destiny as a memory is to test the man before me." Ragam raised his hand toward Trevon. "This fight… I won't lose in front of you two." Ragam looked at Trevon. His eyes turned even resolute.

[What? Why did you call someone to cheer for him?] Trevon complained at the Rabbink. [He becomes more resolute!]

"They are the closest people who can tell Ragam's illustrious history. They also would bring your fighting spirit, right? You will need every spirit to defeat a legendary warrior. Gwahahaha." Master Rabbink laughed.

Trevon couldn't avoid looking at the beautiful phantoms. They were perfect in the young master's eyes. It was the common weakness of a young master. Those young masters in the story always wanted to show off before the children of God's female companions.

[Yes! I will defeat him and claimed the inheritance. Hwehwehwe.] Trevon thought.

"You should surrender, Young Man! My brother is the Brave Ragam Phoenix. My Imperial brother was undefeated since young." The yellow-robed imperial princess walked toward the barrier. Her eyes filled with respect and admiration for her younger brother.

"Yes. Imperial King, Ragam Phoenix is the one in a ten-thousand-year genius of our imperial families. My King brought two thousand years of prosperity to the country. The King defeated the aggressive southern tribes and brought peace to the country. After Goldcave War, the entire country mourned my Imperial King passing for a month." The queen's eyes showed her admiration for her husband.

"Yes. You should not waste your effort. Since my Imperial brother was ten years old, my brother had defeated many geniuses of our time. My brother braced many dangerous dungeons and won them all. Nobody on the same generation could defeat my brother!" The yellow beauty vouched for her brother.

Ragam only nodded. He didn't need to say his prestige. Past actions spoke louder than words.

"His opponent could." A beautiful melodious voice was heard.

[Finally, my supporter. Hahaha.] Trevon looked at the direction. [Gah! Why is he?]

"He is the one who could tell about your illustrious achievement. It is hard to find one." Master Rabbink felt proud. Even the difficult task like finding a supporter for Trevon wasn't impossible for the Rabbink.

A middle-aged man walked from behind the ladies. He wore a colorful performing robe while bringing a qin. The man was one of the bards paid by Trevon to spread his braveness in Redwood.

"Listen to my song!" He sat and played his qin.

The bard sang a song, but The Rabbink didn't have the copyright to put it in its novel. While licensing was out of the question since the music won't be popular in the modern earth.

In short, the bard said about Trevon's bravery during the beast waves. The young master didn't care about his safety, but went toward the common people and fought for them. Trevon, the brave young hero, defeated many demon beasts saving people's lives. This earned himself the highest score for the younger generation ever in the continents.

"Have you heard a young generation which could beat most Grand Elders during the beast waves? The brave young hero, Trevon McArthur had over three hundred and fifty thousand as his score." The bard phantom said. His hand gestured Trevon's grandeur.

Both ladies felt a bit shocked. That score was unheard. Even Ragam seriously looked at Trevon.

"His steps brought terror to the beasts. His punch shattered the mountain. His body protected the city. His smile melted the ladies. His look made the flowers embarrassed. He is the number one young master from Bluestar." The bard bowed to Trevon.

Trevon felt a bit embarrassed. A bard was really a master in making hyperbole things. "Hahahaha." He fanned himself. [I should give him more bonus. Hahaha.]

"Hmph… My Imperial brother is the genius in our family. Since Imperial brother started practicing cultivation, the elders in the family prophesied that brother would become the country's protector. Imperial brother made that true by becoming a legendary Rank 4 warrior, the pillar of Heavenly Phoenix." The imperial princess didn't want to lose.

"Yes. When my King was ten years old, my king could defeat ten years older geniuses." The queen also praised her husband. As a queen candidate, she had followed the king's past achievements. "When my king was fifteen years old, my king was the number one young hero in the continent."

"Yes. My brother is Imperial Families one in a ten-thousand-year genius. Have you defeated other geniuses?"

At the same time, Trevon scouted the genius Rank 4 warrior.

[Name: Ragam Phoenix]

[Age: 17 Years]

[Sex: Male]

[Species: Dungeon Phantom]

[Potential: 16/78]

[Determination: 86]

[Cultivation Speed: 96]

[Loyalty: 89]

[Decision Making: 10]

[Talent: Stealing, Disguising, Counting, Cooking]

[Ability: Miracle Phantom (Star), Thousand Slice (Sky), Twin Explosion (Sky), Haladie Hurricane Stances (Sky), Flame Punch (Earth)]

[Affiliation: Eberk Rockminer Inheritance Dungeon]

[Eh? He is only Lv 16?] Trevon felt happy. His cheat was really cheating. Common genius would reach Lv 15. [He may be more than a common genius, but I have a super cheat. Hahaha.] He thought it will be a difficult fight. A smile appeared on Trevon's face.

"Nana. You can watch on the side. Hahaha." While he could use demon beast in the dungeon, Trevon wanted to claim the glory alone. That would make his winning became more memorable. [Defeating a legend alone. Hahaha.]

"Squeak?" Nana didn't know but she jumped and waited at the side.

"Hahahaha. Since I am a challenger, I will give you five attacks! I won't attack you back." Trevon arrogantly showed five fingers to the one in a ten-thousand-year genius. In the novel story, this what should be done when facing a weaker enemy. Else, as a Peak Rank 1 warrior, everyone would say he bullied the weak.

[This felt good. I will beat a Rank 4 warrior. I can brag about this. If only, I could use the video function on the tablet. Hahahaha.] Trevon felt elated. He couldn't wait to brag about this story.

"Insolent!" Ragam quickly ran toward Trevon.

"Hmph… Look at that! My king is getting serious." The pink robe beauty said.

"Yes. He had defeated a one-rank-higher warrior with this martial art."

"Miracle Phantom!" Ragam created eight shadows.

[Eh? A phantom creates several phantoms?] Trevon felt strange. However, in his eyes as a person, a step away from Rank 2. This was very slow and easy to read.

His eyes could see the shadows' movement. However, he would take no chance. He used Wind Piercing Dash to move between those shadows and arrived at another direction.

"One!" Trevon still took his fan and fanned himself. [Hahaha. I looked cool.]

"This can't be!" The pink robe beauty exclaimed. While the bard smirked and sang more songs for the young hero.

"Do not worry, My Queen! Brother Ragam was only testing the opponent."

Ragam himself felt surprised. He was a genius of genius who was undefeated in his age group. The genius designed this test because he was confident with his achievement.

[It is impossible. The first challenger could easily dodge my attack?]

"…" Ragam looked at himself and then at Trevon. "Time is calling for a new hero. You are a genius. This will be an enjoyable fight."

"Eh? Hahahaha." Trevon couldn't avoid feeling a bit embarrassed. [I can't believe this. I should record this in my memory. The day a Rank 4 warrior called me a genius.]

"However, I can still defeat you." Ragam took another weapon. It was still the same strange weapon.

"Egh…" Trevon had to defend from eighteen weapons. Both weapons had three sides. Slashes and thrusts rained on Trevon.

Trevon moved between the shadow. However, he could no longer look carefree. Using his newly leveled Wind Piercing Dash, he moved between Ragam's shadow.

"TWO!!!" This time the bard who shouted.

[Gah! Can't you forget about this?] Trevon already felt desperate.

"Good! Accept this attack!" Ragam and his phantoms came toward Trevon's again.

[Haladie Hurricane Stances!] He shouted in his heart. The common slashes and thrusts started to become a flowing movement. Worse, it was a flowing movement from nine phantoms.

Trevon jumped behind evading a slash when another phantom dashed toward his back. The phantom used the straight part of the strange weapon to thrust toward Trevon. He sidestepped the thrust, but another phantom blocked his path and made a slash.

The arrogant young master had to bite his pride and threw himself to the ground to avoid it. He kicked the ground to make his body slide out of the nine phantoms.

"Huff… Huff…" Trevon gathered his breathing. [That is close.]

"Three!" The bard shouted again. However, he didn't dare to shout as loud as before. He even felt the last move was very close. The next movement would hit at this rate.

"Hmph… This time to get serious." Ragam's eyes turned even determined. Trevon knew those eyes were the eyes of a fighting maniac.

[Please NOOOOO!] Trevon didn't believe he could survive another two attacks without countering.

Master Rabbink shook its head. [You dig your own grave.]