Chapter 119: Rewards

Chapter 119: Chapter 119: Rewards

Tolu slowly walked toward her.

The battlefield had become strangely quiet.

The earth beast stood behind him, breathing heavily, its body marked with scratches and cracks. Across from it, the Shadow Beast had already faded back into darkness, its form no longer stable enough to continue fighting.

Tolu didn’t look at either beast.

His eyes remained on the girl.

She was still standing.

Barely.

Her sword hung loosely in her hand, and her shoulders rose and fell with every difficult breath.

As Tolu came closer, he could see what the distance had hidden.

She was badly injured.

Blood stained the corner of her mouth.

There were several dark bruises across her body, and her breathing was shallow and uneven.

Those weren’t just external injuries.

She had suffered serious internal damage.

Tolu stopped a few steps away from her.

He looked at her for a moment.

Then he spoke quietly.

"You can’t keep fighting."

She looked at him.

For a few seconds, neither said anything.

Then she glanced toward the earth beast.

Her Shadow Beast was no longer capable of standing properly.

She looked back at Tolu.

She knew he was right.

The girl slowly nodded.

"I know."

She lowered her sword.

"I surrender."

The referee immediately stepped forward.

"The winner is Tolu!"

The arena erupted.

But Tolu barely reacted.

The girl turned away, holding one hand against her side as she walked toward the exit.

An attendant hurried toward her from the side of the arena, ready to take her for treatment.

She didn’t look back.

Tolu watched her leave.

He didn’t feel the need to celebrate.

He had won.

That was enough.

The final battle was over.

.....

The arena remained loud even after Tolu’s victory.

The battlefield was still scarred from the final.

Broken earth covered the ground, dark patches of Shadow energy slowly fading from the cracks, while attendants and formation workers waited at the edges for permission to begin repairing the arena.

Tolu stood near the center, his hammer resting against his shoulder.

The Shadow swordswoman had already been taken away to receive treatment.

The earth beast stood several steps behind him, breathing heavily. Its body was covered in scratches and cracked earth plates, but it remained upright.

The announcer stepped forward.

But before he could speak, another figure walked onto the platform.

The arena gradually quieted.

He was an older man dressed in formal royal attire, with the insignia of the kingdom displayed prominently across his chest.

The representative of the king.

He looked across the arena before speaking.

"Today, we have witnessed the strength of the kingdom’s younger generation."

His voice wasn’t as loud as the announcer’s, but the formations carried it across the entire arena.

"One hundred young cultivators entered this competition."

"Only one stands as champion."

His eyes settled on Tolu.

"Congratulations, Tolu."

The crowd erupted again.

Tolu simply bowed his head slightly.

The representative continued.

"But a competition of this scale is not judged only by its final victor."

"The kingdom does not recognize strength merely because someone wins a single battle. We recognize consistency, adaptability, courage, technique, potential, and the ability to overcome increasingly difficult opponents."

Several cultivators in the audience nodded.

"Many of those who entered today have shown qualities worthy of recognition."

He paused.

"Some will return home without a ranking."

"Some will receive opportunities they never expected."

"And some have announced themselves to the kingdom."

The crowd became quieter.

"Therefore, before the rewards are presented, the royal court has recognized the five most outstanding performers of this competition."

A murmur spread through the arena.

Everyone knew what was coming.

The representative raised his voice.

"In fifth place..."

He paused briefly.

"...the ice-affinity axe wielder of Ologunri Academy."

The young man stepped forward from among the contestants.

He was still wearing the remnants of his battle gear, his large battle axe resting against his shoulder.

He bowed respectfully.

The crowd applauded.

"He fought Tolu all the way to the edge."

"That fight was incredible."

"I thought the axe user had him for a moment."

The representative waited for the noise to settle.

"In fourth place..."

He looked toward the contestant’s area.

"...Aramide of Ilaro."

Aramide’s eyes widened slightly.

She pointed at herself before realizing there was no mistake.

A smile spread across her face.

Her younger siblings could probably be heard screaming somewhere in the crowd.

She stepped forward and bowed.

The audience responded warmly.

"She deserves it."

"Her fight against Tolu was brilliant."

"She nearly exhausted the champion!"

The representative continued.

"In third place..."

The arena became noticeably louder.

"...Jibola, the Light-affinity swordsman."

The golden-haired young man stepped forward.

His twin blades were no longer in his hands, but his confident expression had returned.

The crowd cheered.

"That’s fair."

"His fight against the Shadow swordswoman was incredible."

"That Lightfall nearly ended the whole match."

"Third place after losing in the semifinals? Not bad."

Jibola bowed toward the royal representative.

Then came the second-place announcement.

"In second place..."

The representative paused.

The entire arena seemed to lean forward.

"...the Shadow swordswoman."

The injured girl was not present to receive the announcement herself.

An attendant stood in her place.

The representative continued.

"Despite suffering severe injuries during the final, she fought through every round with exceptional discipline, defeating opponents through precise swordsmanship and an affinity that demands tremendous energy to wield."

The audience applauded loudly.

Some even stood.

"She was incredible."

"That Shadow Beast..."

"I still can’t believe she lost."

The representative finally turned toward Tolu.

"And in first place..."

The crowd erupted before he could even finish.

"Tolu!"

"TOLU!"

"TOLU!"

The representative smiled faintly.

"Tolu, champion of the Third-Generation Competition."

The roar that followed was deafening.

Tolu stood silently as thousands of people celebrated around him.

He had entered the competition as someone almost nobody knew.

Now the entire arena knew his name.

The representative waited until the noise finally began to settle.

"These five have distinguished themselves above the rest."

"But recognition is not the only purpose of this ceremony."

He gestured toward the officials waiting behind him.

"The kingdom has prepared rewards for those who have earned them."

The crowd immediately became excited again.

The representative raised his hand.

"And now..."

He looked across the arena.

"...we will announce the rewards."

The representative continued with the rewards.

"The first reward will be granted to all five of the top-ranked contestants."

A servant stepped forward carrying five small black tokens.

"Each of you will receive access to the Ijokodo Trail."

The arena became noticeably quieter.

Even some of the cultivators who had been talking loudly moments earlier stopped.

The Ijokodo Trail was not a normal cultivation ground.

It was an exclusive space controlled by the kingdom, reserved for the most promising members of the younger generation. It contained natural formations, special cultivation environments, rare medicinal plants, and areas where young cultivators could train against specially maintained beasts.

More importantly, access was limited.

Even many wealthy families couldn’t simply purchase their way inside.

The representative continued.

"You will each receive a period of access appropriate to your ranking. Within the trail, you will be permitted to cultivate, train, and search for resources under the established rules."

He handed the tokens to the officials, who began distributing them.

Then came the cash prizes.

"In fifth place, the representative announced, "you will receive five thousand gold coins."

The Ologunri contestant bowed.

"In fourth place, ten thousand gold coins."

Aramide’s eyes widened.

Her family could operate for years on an amount like that.

"In third place, twenty thousand gold coins."

Jibola smiled as he accepted his reward.

"In second place, thirty thousand gold coins."

The Shadow swordswoman was still receiving treatment, so an attendant accepted it on her behalf.

The representative finally turned toward Tolu.

"And the champion will receive fifty thousand gold coins."

The arena erupted.

Tolu accepted the spatial storage token containing the prize with a calm expression.

Fifty thousand gold.

Combined with the two hundred thousand Jide had already given him, he now had far more resources than he had imagined possessing when he first entered the capital.

And unlike the reward from Jide, this money came with no obligation.

It was his.

The representative gave the five contestants one final look.

"Use what you have earned wisely. Strength without judgment is easily wasted."

With that, the ceremony came to an end.

---

Later that day, Tolu returned to the Omimi manor with Kenny.

The moment they entered the main hall, Tolu realized something was different.

The family head was there.

So were all four elders.

Jide’s father stood among them.

Several important members of the family had gathered as well.

But none of the younger generation were present.

There was no crowd of curious young cultivators.

No children.

No distant relatives trying to get close to the newly crowned champion.

Just the people who mattered most in the family’s decisions.

Tolu stopped.

The family head smiled.

"Come in, Tolu."

Tolu bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for having me."

"You have given the Omimi family something to celebrate."

One of the elders chuckled.

"And something to discuss."

Tolu glanced around the room.

The family head gestured toward a seat.

"Sit."

Tolu and Kenny took their seats.

The family head studied him for a moment.

"You have already received an offer to become an associate of our family."

Tolu nodded.

"I remember."

"We would like you to know that our previous offer was not the limit of what we are willing to offer."

Tolu remained silent.

One of the elders leaned forward.

"You have demonstrated talent, adaptability, combat ability, and perhaps most importantly, the ability to make decisions under pressure."

Another elder added,

"You are also young enough that your future remains largely unwritten."

The family head smiled.

"If you ever decide that you do not merely want to cooperate with the Omimi family, but become part of it permanently, the door is open."

Tolu looked at him.

"Part of the family?"

"Yes."

The elder beside him smiled.

"There are several ways that could happen."

"Marriage is one."

"Adoption is another."

"And if you eventually establish your own branch, there are other arrangements we could discuss."

The family head nodded.

"We are not asking you to decide today. You are still young, and your cultivation path has only just begun."

He paused.

"But you should know that if you ever wish to become an Omimi permanently, you would be welcomed."

Tolu considered the words.

"I understand."

Jide’s father finally spoke.

"And I think we’ve kept him long enough."

The elders looked toward him.

He smiled.

"He has just finished a competition and probably has more things to think about than listening to all of us repeat the same offer."

A few of the elders laughed.

Jide’s father turned toward Kenny.

"You too. Go and rest."

Kenny looked like he wanted to protest, but his father-in-law’s expression made it clear there was little point.

"Fine."

He stood.

Tolu also rose.

Jide’s father stopped him.

"Tolu stays."

Kenny looked at Tolu.

"I’ll see you later."

Tolu nodded.

"Later."

Kenny left the hall.

The family head and the four elders followed shortly after, leaving the two men alone.

Jide’s father waited until the doors closed.

Then he sat back down.

He looked at Tolu for a moment.

The formal atmosphere from earlier disappeared.

"Now," he said, "let’s talk."