"Marcus!"
"Marcus!"
"Marcus!"
Amidst the cheers of his fans, a handsome young man in traditional martial artist clothings walked as the crowd cleared the way.
His robes that were slightly torn quickly repaired themselves.
He spotted Maissa with Varian and in an instant appeared in front of them.
Varian felt like he was standing in front of a ball of fire.
He ignored Varian and asked the girl in purple dress. "Maissa, a fight?"
Maissa tapped her chin and shook her head. "I am pissed that someone rejected me. I'm gonna reject you."
"Huh?" Marcus raised his head and said with a fierce expression. "Who is it? I'll get them to agree."
His aura suddenly swelled and he seemed like he would do what he said.
Varian silently wiped the sweat due to the increasing heat and looked at Maissa.
She didn't reply and instead nudged Marcus. "Xavier is about to challenge Charles."
Marcus's fierce expression collapsed and he vanished, leaving behind the words. "Fuck! I'm always late."
Varian saw him appear at the huge crowd in the center of the banquet hall.
Through the holograms on the walls, he could see the battle had not yet started.
The barrier, unlike others was very big, at least five miles in radius.
But in the vast banquet hall, it amounted to nothing.
Varian slowly walked towards the hologram, but with each step, he moved dozens of meters.
Only very young people who came here for experience were watching the holograms.
All the level 5s and level 6s were around the barrier, hoping to gain insights into the battle that was yet to begin.
"Charles…" Varian muttered as he looked at the imposing figure in the barrier.
With noble golden hair and intense green eyes, Charles just by being present. Varian couldn't explain what it was, but there was an air of depression around him.
"…He really touched it, huh." Maissa sighed beside him, her sigh was a mixture of wonder and exasperation.
"Touch what?" Varian asked with curiosity.
Maissa turned to him, her expression incredibly serious, to the point of being grim. "Level 7 bottleneck."
"…hm?" Varian didn't understand the implications. But it wasn't really his fault. He didn't have to deal with bottlenecks.
A stupid, but useful System dealt with such stuff.
["…."]
Maissa covered her face with a palm and sighed even more. "You can't be serious...anyway, just touching the bottleneck needs three years, breaking it needs another three.
So, even the best princes of the Federation reached level 7 only when they're around 26 years."
Varian opened his mouth and closed again.
If those who reach level 7 at 26 years can be called Princes, then he's certain to reach level 7 within a year. Heck! In a month or two.
So, what should he be called? Emperor? Ancestor? Primordial Originator?
Besides, all his practice time barely amounted to two months.
Maissa looked at his expression and patted his shoulder softly. "Now you know. Even if nothing more happens, he'll reach Level 7 at 23 years."
Varian thought of the conversation he heard earlier and carefully asked. "The top 5 geniuses in the Solar System are you, Charles Xander, Marcus Caron, Ashtarh, and Xavier Bell.
The order in the 5 is not know, but you're all in the same league, no?"
In fact, he was understating her importance.
It was top 3 that was disputed among Charles, Maissa and Ashtarh.
Maissa didn't respond to his comment and looked at the hologram. A mocking laugh escaped her lips as her shoulders trembled. "Same league…"
'…did she lose it?' Varian asked to Boo be on standby.
He never understood why Maissa approached him in the first place. And her presence just caused everyone to stay away from him.
"…Just see the matches and decide for yourself." She regained her calm expression and said like nothing happened.
"Sure." Varian focused back on the hologram. They spoke a few words and in the next instant, the sound from the barrier was transmitted outward.
'So, they agreed to let everything be heard, huh.'
Charles Xander looked at the three young men in front of him and raised his hand.
"Mercury's Caleb, Venus' Philia, Saturn's Helia and Uranus' Rodey Nial." He uttered their names like they were some goods in the grocery list and pointed to the two.
"Now all I have left is Mars, Jupiter and Neptune. You guys are too weak for me to fight one by one. Just come together, you three." Saying so, he paused as if he was suddenly remembered something. "Oh that Maissa? You can add her if you want to, not like it's gonna change a thing."
Veins popped up on the foreheads of the three young men.
Charles didn't care one bit and shouted. "Maissa, are you joining the duel?"
His voice reverberated across the hall and everyone heard it.
'This bastard…' Varian cursed inside his mind.
Publicly calling her like this, he gave her no choice.
If she declined, she would be labelled as a coward.
If she agreed, she would be dragged into the battle, which was exactly what he wanted.
Varian didn't know Maissa's powers, but he had a feeling that she was quite a distance away from Charles.
So, whatever she chooses, she was going to lose.
Following Charles' voice, all the members in the banquet hall turned to her.
Facing thousands of stares, Maissa remained unperturbed and gave off a soft chuckle.
"If you were to lose against three of them, then me joining them would change nothing." Her voice was peaceful as she continued.
"If you were to win against the three of them, then me joining considering that you're stronger than all of us would only be shameful." She even put on an expression of shame.
"Do you think I'm such a person?
If I fight, I'd rather lose by myself than win by ganging up on someone.
So, please start the duel without me.
If you lose, you should rethink your abilities to ask me for a duel.
If you win, why still fight me when you are already stronger than me?
And I'm preparing myself for the competetion." Maissa said with a serious expression.
The audience unanimously agreed with her response, almost showering praises on her.
'Tsk.' Varian clicked his tongue. Her reply caught him by surprise.
Charles was stumped at her response and slowly responded with a "Yeah."
Then he looked at the three young men in front of him.
Suddenly, his anger flared up.
