"YOU AGAIN?!!"
The man with the funny hat exclaimed as soon as I got in his office. I’m back here again for the third time.
"YOU’VE ONLY BEEN HERE FOR OVER A MONTH, AND YOU ALREADY CAUSED A LOT OF TROUBLE!!!"
He added, his face red and veins bulging out of his temple and neck.
"But I also bring you a lot of money."
I replied to him. I know this is true because the battle points that I’m getting as a reward keep increasing.
"YOU...!!!"
It looks like he wants to punch me after hearing that. But he stopped.
"Haaaaa..."
Then he let out a sigh to calm himself down.
"It’s true that you bring me a lot of money, but you also cause damages—it gets canceled out!"
The man with the funny hat explained to me.
"Then I just need to bring you more money, right?"
And I casually dropped that.
"What?"
The man turned his head slowly to me, a curious expression appearing on his face. I piqued his interest.
I smiled a little after seeing that, and opening my mouth—
"What if I become your youngest Silver Rank gladiator?"
I confidently asked that.
"..."
The man with the funny hat—Jeff—became speechless after hearing my words. A frown appeared on his face.
"How will you do that?"
He asked.
"The man I knocked out this time in the bath area... Let me fight him."
I said.
"And after that... I want to challenge Edmar, the rising star."
And then I added with a casual shrug.
"Do you think Edmar will accept your challenge? He has nothing to gain from fighting you. That plan is stupid."
Jeff said, looking at me like I was stupid.
I shook my head at him, then while smiling—
"That’s why I’ll provoke him a little."
I muttered that.
Jeff frowned again after hearing me say that, but after seeing the confident look on my face... He looked down and started thinking to himself for a while.
And just a few seconds after...
"Yeah, this would make me a lot of money if that happens."
I heard Jeff say that. A smile crept up on my face.
He brought his attention back to me, and with a blank face—
"Just make sure you can do this... I will put you in the event that will happen in two weeks with the guy you knocked out cold."
He said that to me.
"Perfect."
I responded to him, smiling.
Easing his anger is easy now, I just need ro bring him money and he’ll let me off. I learned this from my previous two visits here.
*****
After that talk with Jeff, I was excused and sent back to the copper place where my room is.
It was already dark.
And when I got back to the copper place—
"Huh?"
I saw Brock, Khan, and Jin outside their rooms. They were not gossiping as usual. In fact, they’re carrying a lot of things out, along with their equipment.
Like... They’re moving their items.
"..."
I went silent when I saw them like that.
"Oh, kid."
Brock saw me. Khan and Jin looked toward me, following him. They greeted me too.
I nodded my head at them as a response. Then opening my mouth—
"You’re going back to the silver place?"
I mumbled that, asking the three of them.
"..."
They were silent for a second... But after a while—
"Yeah."
Jin simply answered.
"I guess it’s a goodbye for now."
Khan said, smiling at me.
"Hurry up and catch up to us so we can all gossip again, kid."
Then Brock muttered that, grinning at me.
"Yeah, I will."
I smiled and responded. And opening my mouth again...
"Thanks for all the help."
I followed that.
They just smiled at me, and with a shrug, they told me that it was nothing.
Anyway... I approached them and helped them get their things done. Some servants were out of the metal-bar gate—they will probably help the three move back to the silver place.
*****
Turns out that Brock, Khan, and Jin have a lot of things with them. It took us a while to get them all out of the copper place for the servants.
And because of that, dinner arrived... The four of us ate together for the last time... The next one would probably take a little more while.
We talked about stuff and all, I asked them about organizations and they casually explained them to me.
Apparently, the three of them are not in one of them, but they’re sticking together just because.
’Hmm, so I can survive even without joining an organization, huh.’
I kept that in mind.
...
...
Anyway... After we ate, and all their things were handled.
Brock, Khan, Jin, and I said our last goodbyes, and with that—they left the copper place.
"..."
I silently watched them walk away.
...
...
*****
After they left... Rai arrived not long after. I immediately approached him.
"Hello!"
He greeted as we stood in front of each other, just the metal bars between us.
"Hello."
I greeted back, then opening my mouth again—
"Same as before with the chicken breasts, another month for the training ground..."
I said that.
"Noted. Anything else?"
"Hmm..."
I thought to myself for a while, then after about a minute—
"You know my javelin? The spear that I throw?"
"Yeah."
Rai nodded his head.
"I want two of that made, is that possible?"
"I think it can, and it’s not going to cost you a lot."
He replied with a smile.
"Then please do that too, thank you."
I said, smiling back at Rai.
After that... We talked for a bit more.
I also asked for more clothes and a better mattress.
All in all, I spent seventeen battle points without even a day passing after getting them.
Though, all of what I got are essentials for me—so I’m not really thinking of it as a waste.
’Still, it’s like seeing your paycheck gone as soon as you got it because of bills and tax. It hurts as fuck!’
I exclaimed internally.
...
...
...
After catching up with Rai—I went back to my room.
He gave me two roasted chicken breasts for today. I ate both of them.
And after regaining some of my energy—
"Hup!"
I used my javelin as a weight with heavy bags full of sand on each side of it.
I trained my arms and shoulders for tonight.
I’m planning to take it easy, after all...
I’ll train like crazy starting tomorrow for two weeks, until my next fight.