Chapter 72: 71. A Battle in Vivaldium

I closed my eyes and focused.

My blood was boiling as I visualized the image that appeared inside my head. I wasn’t sure whether Ratska was in the location that the gem showed me or not, but there was no way for me to ascertain that fact.

I opened my eyes and stared at the white gem in my hands. It was oval, and it reflected light in many different colors.

What the hell is this item?

“Do you know anything about this?” I asked Akeniska as I showed her the gem.

“They said that it’s your portal to Vivaldium,” she said softly, “The Warhoog said that injecting mana is enough to take you there.”

“Did they mention anything about the tribulations that I might face there?”

Akeniska shook her head, then closed her eyes and lay on the bed.

It seems like she doesn’t know much either.

I turned away from her and started walking, but she whispered some words.

“I am sorry for our failure, Jason,” she said, “I have already notified all the citizens about your offer, which I am sure is no longer available. However, we’ll be glad to help you if you ever need anything; it’s the least that I can offer you.”

“I’d like you to keep scouting potential guild members amongst the Lizardfolks during my absence,” I said, “This might save me some precious time.”

“It’ll be my pleasure to do that,” she replied.

Then, I thanked her for her help and resumed walking toward the door. I descended the stairs hastily and passed through the castle hallway in a rush.

It only took me a couple of minutes to reach the town’s outer wall. I didn’t waste any time looking at the town’s buildings; I was too busy thinking about the probabilities of Ratska’s survival. I jumped over the town’s wall and walked in the desert without a specific destination in mind.

There is a good chance that they already brainwashed him, and their next plan was to send me to a planet filled with creatures much stronger than me and watch me get ripped apart from afar.

I sighed; Things never go smooth for too long.

As if I was struck by a curse…

I shook off the negative thought and opened the status screen. I had to invest some stat points into the Empathy stat now that I had enough free points to justify the decision. I allocated seventy points to that stat and took a look at my current skillset.

I could’ve been stronger if I had someone to take care of the guild logistics for me…

 

I dismissed the system screen and thought about my best options. I could always call Loki to ask him for a favor, but there was a good chance that he would try to act mysterious as usual.

Suddenly, a system screen appeared in front of me.

Weird… Is he always reading my mind?

I accepted the call, and greeted him.

“Hey Loki,” I said, “What’s up?”

“Jason! It’s interesting how you attract trouble like a magnet,” he said, “Don’t you think it’s odd for a Warhoog to appear on Earth this early?”

“What the fuck is a Warhoog?” I asked.

“Well, they’re humanoid creatures with pig faces,” he said, “And they’re greedy bastards with no principles to hold them back. Also, they’re an old race that was integrated into the system early on, so most of them have a level of over one hundred and fifty.”

That explains why Rauchlim couldn’t beat the Warhoog that kidnapped Ratska, but I still didn’t know anything about this enemy of mine.

“Do you know who sent them?” I asked. I knew that he had the answer to that question, and I hoped that he would give it to me with no strings attached.

He might’ve heard that thought after all…

“Hahaha! Jason, don’t worry!” he said with his usual cheerful voice, “When did I ever swindle you? I am an honorable sponsor and I plan on taking care of you to the best of my abilities.”

“Then, answer the damn question!”

“Alright, Alright,” he said, “The Warhoog was employed by the Great Church, and they’re taking Ratska as a hostage but they’re not planning on releasing him at all. He’s in a place called Vivaldium, and you have a ticket to teleport there.”

I looked at the gem in my hands, then I replied.

“You mean this gem? What can you tell me about this Vivaldium place?”

“It’s a harsh place, but there are enough rules to assure your survival. You’ll understand when you get there,” he said, “All I can say is, the place is quite competitive.”

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Then, he hung up before I could ask for more details.

Oh well, I guess I’ll have to go there and check the place on my own…

I closed my eyes and injected mana into the white gem. It felt as if I was pouring my mana into an endless pit, but I kept going. The gem was only half full by the time I injected six thousand mana in it; I had to pull out my staff to double my mana regeneration to keep up.

After injecting about twelve thousand mana, I heard a popping sound. The gem disintegrated into a handful of sand that floated away from my palm.

The floating sand gathered in front of me and formed a circular ring. Then, a portal appeared. It was similar to the dungeons’ portals, but its color was bright white instead of pale blue.

I concentrated hard on the portal, but I couldn’t see through it.

I shrugged; there wasn’t much that I could do at this point. I could’ve invested all of my remaining stat points, but I didn’t know what kind of challenges I would face on Vivaldium.

Here goes nothing…

I put my hand through the portal, and I felt relief when I realized that my fingers were still attached to it. I inhaled deeply, then walked inside the portal.

Out of nowhere, I found myself in a new environment.

Stony surface, purple sky, and multiple celestial bodies looming over the planet.

I scanned the surrounding area, but I couldn’t find any living creatures. There were many stone pillars around me, but they weren’t memorable due to the lack of any drawings on their surface.

Suddenly, I heard my name being called.

“Jason Stubbs, Move forward three steps.”

Huh?

I turned my head around to scan for the sound’s source, but I couldn’t find any living beings in the vicinity. My best option to find out more information was to comply with the voice’s orders.

I shrugged and moved forward three steps.

Suddenly, a blue hologram appeared in front of me.

It depicted a small creature, with a grotesque face and a hunched back. He had a robe that covered most of his body, and the only visible parts were his three-finger hands and face.

“Hello,” he waved his right hand at me and gave me an ugly smile, “What an unfortunate creature. What brought you here?”

“Aren’t you supposed to give me information about this place?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Huh,” he said, “I didn’t take you for a brave one; most people arriving here are scaredy cats. Anyway, the best description of this world is that it’s a colosseum. You’re here to fight, and you’ll die if you don’t win.”

The fuck? I didn’t sign up for this…

“I didn’t come here to do any of that,” I said as I crossed my arms, “I am here to retrieve my friend. He’s been kidnapped, and they said that I could retrieve him if I come to this planet.”

“Well, that’s one of the tactics they use to bring potential participants,” he nodded, “Debt, fraudulent contracts, bankruptcy… All are potential methods that the Intergalactic mercenaries use to catch good fish.”

“I assume that there is no way for me to escape this planet at this point,” I said, “Except by surviving till the end?”

I didn’t know what dangers I might face, but I didn’t plan on abandoning Ratska anyway. I was the one who put him in this trouble, and he was my friend.

The ugly creature grinned, and he told me to follow the arrows on the ground before the hologram disappeared.

Many arrows appeared on the ground in front of me, and I assumed that they led to wherever this fight-till-death would take place.

Those three heroes… I’ll end them before humans even hear about them.

#

Shoutout to:

Bladesunder

chris

GenericKane

Water Dragon

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