Chapter 103: competition

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: competition

Thanks CrownRoyal86 for the golden tickets.

.....

Tolu stood beneath the Solace Tree, looking at the pieces of metal he had brought back from the Aróni’s treasury.

Each Atelewo was small enough to fit comfortably in his palm, yet he could feel the strange energy contained within them.

He turned toward the Dungeon Heart.

"What about these?"

"The metal?"

"Yes. I want to use them to make a new hammer."

The Heart was silent for a moment.

"You will need a skilled Egbere."

Tolu raised an eyebrow.

"An Egbere?"

"Yes. A human blacksmith may be able to shape the metal, but they will not be able to bring out its true potential."

Tolu looked down at the Atelewo.

"So it’s that difficult?"

"The metal possesses properties that ordinary forging techniques cannot properly utilize. An Egbere with sufficient knowledge of magical materials would understand how to work it."

Tolu nodded slowly.

"Then I’ll find one."

"That would be advisable."

Tolu glanced at the Dungeon Heart.

"Anything else?"

"Not yet."

Tolu nodded.

"Then I’ll leave you to it."

He reached for his connection to the dungeon.

A moment later, the dungeon vanished from his sight.

---

Tolu reappeared inside his room at Kemisola’s manor.

He stood there quietly for several seconds.

There was still plenty to do.

The Solace Tree had solved one problem, but it had also reminded him how much remained beyond his reach.

He sat on the edge of the bed and began thinking.

The auction.

He still needed one hundred thousand gold coins if he wanted to participate properly.

It wasn’t simply about attending.

If something appeared that could help the dungeon, he needed enough money to actually compete for it.

He couldn’t afford to arrive at an auction carrying a few thousand gold and leave empty-handed because someone else had ten times as much.

Tolu rubbed his chin.

"Still a long way to go."

His shop was growing.

He had resources.

He had Folami handling the business.

But one hundred thousand gold was still a ridiculous amount of money.

And there was another matter.

The beasts he had lost during the journey had already been replaced.

The dungeon had produced new creatures to fill the spaces left behind.

Tolu could feel their presence through his connection.

His dungeon was recovering.

Growing.

Producing.

Waiting.

He leaned back.

The thought returned almost immediately.

Dungeon wars.

If he wanted large quantities of resources, there was no better method available to him right now.

A successful dungeon war didn’t just strengthen the dungeon.

It increased its territory.

Its energy.

Its resources.

And sometimes, the defeated dungeon contained things he could never obtain through ordinary cultivation or trading.

Tolu’s eyes sharpened.

He had been away from the dungeon for long enough.

Perhaps it was time to start again.

He stood.

"Dungeon wars it is."

The Solace Tree had given him a new way to use his dungeon’s energy.

His beasts had recovered.

His dungeon was stronger than before.

And now he had a much larger goal.

He needed money.

A lot of it.

And if he wanted to reach one hundred thousand gold, simply waiting for his shop to grow wasn’t going to be enough.

Tolu looked toward the locked door.

"First, another dungeon."

Then he paused.

"And after that... an Egbere."

Finding one would not be easy.

But neither was becoming a Dungeon Lord.

.....

Kemisola sat across from Jide in their private sitting room, listening as he complained about the upcoming competition.

"The timing is terrible," Jide said, leaning back into his chair.

Kemisola raised an eyebrow.

"You say that every time there’s a competition."

"Because every time there’s a competition, I’m reminded that I’m getting older."

She smiled.

"You’re not that old."

"I am old enough to know better than to fight a bunch of young people."

Jide sighed dramatically.

"And our child is still too young to participate. So neither of us can compete this time."

Kemisola shook her head.

"You’re not seriously considering participating."

"Of course not."

He paused.

"But I was thinking about Kenny."

Her expression immediately changed.

"No."

Jide blinked.

"I haven’t even finished."

"You don’t need to."

"Kemisola—"

"You know Kenny isn’t strong enough for something like this."

Jide frowned.

"I know he’s inexperienced, but—"

"He’s inexperienced in actual combat," she interrupted. "The competition isn’t going to care that he’s your wife’s younger brother. If he enters and faces someone stronger than him, he could get seriously injured."

Jide became quiet.

"And if he loses badly?"

"Our branch gets embarrassed."

Kemisola leaned back.

"I don’t want to put him through that."

Jide nodded slowly.

"That is fair."

He thought for a moment.

" Do you have someone else in mind?"

Kemisola smiled faintly.

"There is."

"His friend."

"Tolu."

Jide looked at her.

"You’re suggesting him?"

"Yes."

Jide considered it.

"You’re sure?"

Kemisola nodded.

"He can handle himself."

Jide’s expression became more thoughtful.

"He doesn’t exactly have the background we’d normally look for."

"I know."

"And he’s the same age as Kenny."

"I know."

Jide looked at her for several seconds.

"So what makes you think he can represent our branch?"

"He has experience."

Kemisola folded her hands in her lap.

"I heard about him fighting form Kenny. He’s not someone who relies entirely on cultivation rank. He knows how to fight, and he’s already defeated multiple Adepts."

Jide’s eyebrows rose.

"Multiple Adepts?"

She nodded.

"If I had to guess, he’s probably close to breaking through to the Advanced rank."

Jide sat up slightly.

"At his age?"

"He’s Kenny’s age."

Jide was silent.

That changed things.

He had expected Kemisola to be recommending an inexperienced young man simply because he was Kenny’s friend.

Instead, she was telling him that the young man had already accumulated real combat experience and was approaching the next realm.

Jide rubbed his chin.

"And you’re confident he won’t embarrass our branch?"

Kemisola smiled.

"He should be able to reach a stage where we won’t have to worry about that."

Jide studied her face.

"You’re really certain."

"Yes."

He leaned back again.

"Then alright."

Kemisola nodded.

"I’ll tell Father that our branch has a candidate."

Jide smiled.

"If he’s able to reach the top five, I’ll give him anything within my power to give."

Kemisola looked slightly surprised.

"Anything?"

"Within my power."

He laughed.

"He might not make it that far. The competition will have plenty of talented young cultivators from the other branches."

He paused.

"But if he reaches the top ten?"

Jide’s expression became serious.

"Then he’s worth nurturing."

Kemisola nodded.

"A young man his age reaching the top ten would already be a significant achievement."

"Exactly."

Jide stood.

"And if he reaches the top five, then we’ll know we’ve found someone worth investing in heavily."

Kemisola smiled.

"I’ll speak with Father."

She turned toward the door.

Before she could take another step, Jide reached out and caught her hand.

Kemisola turned.

He pulled her gently back toward him.

"What—"

Jide kissed her deeply.

When he finally pulled away, he smiled.

"You’re always bringing me luck."

Kemisola smiled and shook her head.

"Like I keep telling you, I don’t control luck."

Jide laughed.

"Maybe not."

She gave him one last amused look before turning toward the door again.

"I’ll leave you to your luck, then."

She walked out.

Jide watched the door close behind her.

Then his smile faded into thought.

The third generation competition was approaching.

And for the first time, their branch had a candidate he actually believed might surprise everyone.

.....

Jide found his father in the old man’s study.

The room was modest compared to the grander halls of the manor, though everything inside had clearly been chosen for use rather than appearance.

His father sat behind a wooden table with a cup of tea in one hand and a stack of documents in the other.

He looked up when Jide entered.

"You’re back."

Jide nodded.

"I need to speak with you about the third-generation competition."

His father’s expression remained relaxed.

"Already?"

"It’s getting close."

The old man sighed and leaned back.

"Then I suppose the other two branches have already started preparing their candidates."

"They have."

"And ours?"

Jide hesitated.

"That’s what I came to discuss."

His father placed the documents aside.

"Our branch only gets to present one candidate this year."

Jide nodded.

The old man gave a small, amused smile.

"Funny, isn’t it?"

"What?"

"They call it a competition between the three branches, but the rules already remind everyone which branch is considered the weakest."

Jide’s expression hardened.

Their family had three branches.

The main branch and the second branch were both permitted to present two candidates.

Their own branch could only present one.

It was an obvious disadvantage.

A subtle way of reminding them of their position without anyone having to say it aloud.

This competition would decide the hierachy of the contestants when they fight against other families and the last two they hadn’t been able to produce any good candidates so they lost.

The other two other branches now hold them in little regards because of this weakness