Chapter 31

Before Timothy's sword was able to make contact with Grant, the judge quickly stepped in and stopped the match. "Oh when I was young I used to feel that I ruled the world, it was only until I realized how small I was, that my attitude changed and I was able to succeed in breaking through my own limitations." The referee told both teens under his breath as he made sure that both made it on the stage safely. "This win goes to Timothy of Grey Imperial Academy!"

While the trio's enemies where breaking several things within arm's reach, both Andrew and Ian were yelling at the top of their lungs for their victorious brother as the spectators all began to clap. The match was nowhere close to being on the same level as the previous matches, but that was because these were two teenagers who just started their journey in training. Even so, the two teenagers showcased their strengths and ability in battle and it truly was impressive to everyone present.

Usually, an organization like the one Grant was in that was on the darker side of the spectrum, would try to repay the kindness that Timothy had shown their member in public. It was clear though that Timothy had some level of protection not just being a student at the Grey Imperial Academy which housed those who were willing to follow the Imperial Family at a moment's notice, but also because there were just too many people present who would frown upon them doing so. It would hurt their reputation more to act against Timothy, than it would be to just swallow this loss.

And so, after three more sparring matches which were to Timothy not ones that stuck out more than his own or the first two of the night, the trio chose to leave. Throughout the time it took for the other three matches to conclude, there were several influential figures in their own circles who approached Timothy and even gave him some invitations personally to attend different gatherings and events.

Timothy politely took these invitations, but chances were that he would respectfully decline at least a week beforehand. Right now, he was still technically not part of any factions but if he were to attend certain meetings and events, it would showcase to others that he already chose the direction he wanted to go in and future prospects would begin to slowly be taken away. Every organization dealt with others similar to his friends and their rivals. Therefore, if he took the initiative to interact publicly with certain entities, he would gain enemies but not necessarily any allies in return.

Invitations were only just that, invitations. Sure, Timothy could potentially meet a handful of people who would back him in different situations, but it was not necessarily a given. This was a tactic used by many organizations to bring in new members as well but at a fraction of the cost or resources that would be originally required. If their rivals alienated said individuals, chances were that the same individuals would seek them out and would be in a lower position.

With the night finally ending, the trio began to head out back towards the academy with a smile on all of their faces. They embarrassed their rivals so bad that they immediately disowned Grant and headed out right away, leaving him feeling emotionally devastated. This was however even better for the trio, because the organization behind Grant would not want to associate themselves in the future with their rivals if Grant eventually holds a high position within it. Their enemies making potential future enemies was a winning formula for anyone.

"You know man, you should really think about competing in a contest at the coliseum. From the looks of it, earlier you were super calm even when it looked like Grant had you on the ropes. And who knows, you may be able to win something decent even though rank two tournaments normally do not have anything as a grand prize that would be coveted by those above that rank." Andrew mentioned to Timothy as they continued to walk down the road, roughly one mile away from the Grey Imperial Academy.

"With each contest only having contestants based on rank, since you are technically a low level dual expert you may have a competitive edge over those who are not. I would not do it regularly, but definitely inquire sometime when you have some free time because you never know what types of prizes would be offered. Even if the prize is like that necklace that Grant had, I am sure you would find it beneficial to try to obtain it through matches that are not life or death and would at most take a single day of hard work and effort!" Ian chimed in since he was calculating in his head how much he could possibly win if he were to bet on Timothy winning at the very start of a contest since betting was allowed in the coliseum as well.

The boys continued to talk about Timothy competing at the coliseum and both brothers of his continued to pester him once it slipped out that Ian was planning to bet all of his savings on Timothy. Andrew loved gold most likely more than he even loved his own mother, so hearing about Ian's almost fool proof plan caused his own eyes to shine with a light that you could only see a merchant having if they found a way to earn a killing on a single deal.

"You know, they had a good point. If you are able to look at what contests have what prizes beforehand, I could help you pick out which one would be the most beneficial to you. There are some common artifacts like that staff or necklace Grant used tonight but there are also others that are common but have more specific uses like instead of just increasing your overall mana output, there are artifacts that are able to increase the quality of your flames while using fire elemental techniques."

"Not just that, but you having only an ordinary sword as a weapon does not really fit you very well. I have seen what you are capable of when it comes to wielding a sword, but if you had a sword that had a demonic core placed in it from a fire element demonic beast, I could give you some sword techniques that incorporates your fire attribute and your already well established foundation with using a sword, will allow you to take on opponents that are on paper much stronger than you are."

Hearing the artifact agreeing to what his two roommates had mentioned earlier gave Timothy even more of a reason to head out at some point to the coliseum. As things stood, Timothy was able to compete against Grant who used artifacts to give himself a clear advantage, but what would happen if he were to finally head out into the world to temper his strength? In the outside world all that mattered between life and death situations, was simply who came out on top by any means necessary and if he was unable to increase his arsenal of resources to ensure that, he was equivalent to a little lamb who would be cornered by a pack of wolves!