Chapter 309 One Step Further
"Three Kingdoms! For the first time in history, three kingdoms are going to compete against each other in a fair manner to find out who is the best among them! Unlike before, even Mages will have games which will definitely awe everyone! Do not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Ticket booking begins in three days, mark your calendars! Details will be given out soon! Of course, all are invited, so you better have started packing! Of the Kingdoms that aren't participating, I was told to speak nothing of them, but some sounds made by a small feathered animal do come to mind… What that animal is, you listeners have to guess for yourselves! For now, I'm out! Have a great day!"
These were the words used by a host of one of the programs in the Network of Angaria which was about the momentous announcement that the Kingdom of the Elves would also be participating in the Olympics.
An event which had started as a competition between two Kingdoms had somehow morphed into something that was in the forefront of the entire continent.
Of course, although this had been predicted by some people, they hadn't expected that it would rise in popularity so fast.
The Palace of the Kingdom of Axelor was known as one of the most unique buildings in the continent. Its main discerning feature was two mammoth tusks that rose 20 m into the air, which had belonged to some mythical creature that had long gone extinct. 3 men would need to stand side by side and link their arms in order to measure its width.
The facts about how the Kingdom had obtained these tusks or the reason behind them being used as the doorway to the Palace was unclear to others, but they knew that it made a damn impressive sight.
After entering the doorway between these two tusks, one would come upon a wide domed building that was lined with more white tusks like these.
The image itself was so fantastical that one couldn't even imagine it in their head if explained. It almost looked as if they had risen out of the ground and grown around the building to make this magnificent sight.
Inside the Palace, in an underground room, four people were sitting around a table on which one of the communication trinkets that relayed the Network of Angaria was present.
After listening to these closing words by the host, one man couldn't control his anger and got up to leave the room.
Seeing this, the other three automatically put their fingers in their ears.
The next moment, a loud BOOM could be heard from the open door and dust rained from the ceiling which was blown away by a spell cast by one of the three.
The sound was so penetrating that it entered their ears even though they were closed, but they endured without saying anything.
All of them were wearing red robes, and they were all middle-aged and seemed to be in peak fight the condition.
Two of them were clad in red armor that looked like it had been soaked in blood, while the other looked bare but actually had chain mail inside which, in truth, gave more protection than the armor that the others were wearing.
After all, he was a Peak Exalted Human Mage, and although he was quite accomplished in the path of a Fighter, he needed the extra protection.
As for the last man who came and sat in the room after the dust stopped falling, he wore maroon robes and no armor.
Due to the darkness of the room, their faces were hidden.
The man now had a much calmer expression, but the anger which hid underneath was still visible.
"Do we ignore this? The people have already begun to talk, and many have shown interest to go because they say it will let us find out the weaknesses of our enemies. Of course, I doubt that reason, but the truth is that interest is at an all-time high. What should we do?"
The question was met by silence, but the gritting of teeth due to anger could clearly be heard.
"What's wrong with launching an attack on one of the three Kingdoms to make use of the fact that they would be vulnerable due to their top soldiers being involved in the games?"
This response was met by a shudder from the man who had gone outside before.
Seeing this, the other three were more shocked than they had been in decades.
A Warrior level Fighter was actually… Afraid?
Through the corner of his mouth, this man spoke as if he was remembering some unpleasant memory.
"No. Any action which will result in massive loss of life is forbidden. We cannot attack. And if you ask me why, I'll chuck you into the well for three days."
The eyes of all three men widened at the mention of this well, and they quickly put the notion of an attack out of their mind.
After another silence, one of them hesitantly spoke.
"I have a proposal… But it might seem strange."
It seemed that even the maroon-robed man couldn't think of any options, so he only raised an eyebrow with interest and gestured at the man to continue.
"What if… We participate?"
"You must be crazy!"
"How can er participate in an event organized by our enemies? They might just use the chance to kill all of the soldiers!"
"Shut up. Let him continue."
Closing the mouth of the other two men, the maroon-robed man waited as he had noticed that the man who had given the idea still had more to say.
"You say that we must not act in a way that will cause loss of life, but we also cannot ignore this and let the continent think that we are spineless like the Arafellians for not even putting up a fight. It was a competition between two kingdoms, but it has changed into something that will stay on the minds of people for years, if not decades. We must participate… And win. No matter what."
"But what if we lose?"
"If we lose, the consequences would be more severe than if we hadn't participated in the first place. But, this is Lanthanor that we are talking about. I believe this issue is important enough for us to use 'that'."
Shocked expressions came on the faces of the other two as they heard the last sentence.
"Do you even know how much it cost for us to put that in place? It was supposed to be used to conquer that Kingdom once and for all in one fell swoop. And you say it can be used now?"
As the maroon-robed man said these words, his tone rose, making the other three cower back in their seats, wishing to all the gods in the world that this man wouldn't go into another anger tantrum. The last time had been horrible enough, and they still had scars to make them remember.
His expression was indecipherable, but the elementary particles in the room started heating up.
As the heat kept rising and rising, shock and fear both battered the three men as they slowly started to realize that this man had broken through.
His unprecedented talent had let him become a Warrior at a very early age, and it now seemed that he would soon become one as a Mage, too.
Yet, what he said next shocked them.
"I agree. But let us go one step further. Bring the tri-colored trinket."
As all three stood up with shock and opened their mouths to voice their opinion and say that this was a crazy decision without caring for any retribution that they might face, the man raised his hand to cut them off.
"I've taken the decision, and you know that I can reverse it with just a little pain."
"But-but the decrease in your potential…"
"Is insignificant. Besides, even that can be reversed with the help of the Big Four."
"The last one who did the same went crazy due to the pain. We cannot support you in this!"
Hearing this response, the maroon-robed man banged the table and stood up, making the other three move back again.
"I won't. Now, just go get it."
After sharing a look between each other, one of the three sighed before shaking his head and heading out of the room.
A few minutes later, he returned while holding a strange looking purple colored trinket that shone in the light.
It was ring-shaped, but in the place of the crown were three differently-colored prongs.
Without hesitation, the man took the trinket and wore it before plunging the prongs into the center of his stomach.
Grimacing due to the pain that radiated through his body, he endured even though it felt as if he was being cut up into pieces while he was still conscious.
Exactly 2 minutes later, his bloodshot eyes opened.
"Ah, I had almost forgotten how it feels to be an Exalted Human. Contact them, and tell them that we are participating. I will head our team. Lanthanor will never know what hit them."
Leaving these words and smiling coldly, the man exited the room, leaving the three looking at his back as if he were crazy.
After all, the determination needed to reverse one's training to become an Exalted Human from a Warrior was truly something that couldn't be put into words.