CHAPTER 55: GIVE ME MY MONEY!

Xenos floated on his back in the middle of a river, the night sky wide and still above him.

The water was cold and clean, a lovely combination that he basked in after cleaning himself.

His long white hair drifted lazily, and a faint glow of Divinity shimmered beneath the surface around him, like lazy fireflies.

He had his arms stretched behind his head while he let out a sigh that sounded way too peaceful for someone who had nearly died... twice... maybe thrice only a few hours earlier.

"...Why did I get so many Soul Glyphs lately?"

His eyes stared blankly up at the stars.

The river rippled softly as he kicked lazily, waiting for an answer to fall from above.

It was almost like he wasn’t the same guy who’d just lied his way through a Cyclops colony.

"Ah!"

He smacked his forehead.

"Right. I’m a Priest now."

It hit him like some really dumb afterthought.

Of course, now that he was a Priest, his Soul could finally house more Glyphs.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t get them before; his Soul just didn’t have enough space.

Now it did, housing all seven in his being.

"So that’s why..."

He chuckled.

"Guess I’m not broken after all."

’You aren’t...’

Eris’s voice came softly in his mind.

’Now stop thinking about that and think about how you’re getting back to the Academy. Your week break is almost over."

Xenos hummed, rubbing his chin.

"Right... the Academy."

He went silent for a moment.

Then, slowly, his classic grin started spreading.

And oh, this one was a dangerous grin.

Eris’s giggle echoed instantly.

’You’re about to do something insane again, aren’t you?’

"I have no idea what you’re talking about."

He answered innocently, which meant yes, absolutely.

’Of course you don’t.’

But She didn’t stop him.

In fact, She almost sounded...

’Just be careful.’

Entertained.

Because She was.

Though Eris always gently encouraged him...

One could never forget that She was of Calamity.

...

By early morning, the sky was pale gold, and Xenos was once again standing before the same wind geyser that had launched him out of the abyss before, wearing newer clothes.

He stared down at it for a long moment, his hair swaying in the breeze.

"You know, this worked last time, so..."

He took one big step forward and jumped.

"HEEEERE GOES NOTHING!"

The geyser roared, launching him up, making him a human cannonball.

Wind screamed past him, and he laughed like an absolute maniac the whole way up.

When he burst through the clouds, he twisted midair and reached into his inventory, pulling out a bundle of leaves tied together by what looked suspiciously like torn cloth.

He raised both arms, and a leaf parachute unfolded above him.

It wobbled and groaned, but somehow...

"Hahahahahahaha!"

Against all logic, it actually held.

That was exactly how he reached the ground last time, and now he’d do the same to travel back to the Academy.

’Have fun.’

...

A few hours later, he could be seen walking through the Pluto Academy grounds.

More specifically, the area in front of the massive Colosseum.

The place was packed even more than last time.

Crowds of spectators filled the massive stands, banners flying with House sigils.

Indeed, today was the first official Colosseum Game for this new batch of Disciples.

"Perfect timing."

Xenos dusted himself off.

"I didn’t even fall this time."

He slithered his way through the crowd, elbowing a few people aside, getting a few glares that he ignored completely, until eventually, he made it through the front gates and into the inner circle, where his fellow Disciples stood, all gathered before a familiar Shepherd, Lothar.

The old man’s staff smacked the ground as his voice boomed across the arena:

"Those gathered here have already accepted the rules of the Game!"

Xenos glanced around him.

Half the Disciples looked like they were about to puke, making it obvious that they’d been dreading this despite preparing for it since the beginning of last week, while others were psyching themselves up, knowing they were in for a very rough time.

"You will sit cross-legged. A spell will link your Souls and send them elsewhere."

He glanced at a few Disciples, one of them being Xenos.

"To reiterate to those who haven’t attended my classes, these games will either send you into the Divine Kingdoms of the Lower Gods, where you will solve their problems or participate in their trials... Or it’ll send you into one of the many Fallen Lands or Dungeons reclaimed by Tartaros/Runes."

Listening in, the crowd murmured, tension rippling through, all the while Xenos casually adjusted his sleeves, not caring about the Shepherd’s gaze.

"For today’s Game, you will enter a dungeon!"

A few students looked ready to run.

"Don’t worry, and for the third time, you will not enter with your physical bodies. Only your Souls. Should you die, your Butterfly will bring you back. However, do keep in mind—"

He gave them a knowing look.

"—dying still hurts."

The Disciples swallowed hard.

Lothar explained further, talking about how dungeons were naturally born when a Rune descended, infecting a cavern and attracting monsters until it became a world of its own, twisted by the Rune or Runes within it.

This particular dungeon, he said, was "unlike any before it."

Though Xenos barely listened, that grabbed his attention.

"It’s a realm of red."

He tilted his head a little.

’Huh... that doesn’t ring a bell.’

Xenos tried to think of the Dungeon, but unfortunately, he didn’t find it in his memories, making him think that perhaps he didn’t know of it, and that meant...

’Fun.’

A new experience.

Unlike the others, who were beyond stressed, he found this whole thing hilarious.

He understood how the system worked, though. The Runes were the prize, the Houses wanted them, always fighting over them, and yet here was the Academy ’generously giving them away to the winner...’

Or so the uninitiated might think.

They simply used the Disciples as the middlemen for their own lives, since if a Disciple died, the Academy would get to keep their Runes, holding a new legal ownership over them, no matter the House.

A task would be completed, the Gods would be entertained, they’d be paid by many to watch the Game, and while they’d lose on a Rune or two, they’d gain many more from the Disciples.

A win-win... for the Academy, anyway.

That greatly disadvantaged the Houses, as, again, they would no longer retrieve the Runes of their children, but still, they sent their children to the Academy anyway, believing that they would survive and thrive, becoming a new source of Rune acquisition.

"People really will sell their kids for glory, huh?"

Eris hummed.

’You’re one to talk.’

"Yeah, but I’m honest about it."

One couldn’t underestimate human greed.

Oh, and speaking of human greed...

"Aspen!"

Xenos had spotted him just as the crowd began settling.

The Lyacon turned around, eyes bright, smiling like a happy dog.

"Brother Xeno—"

"Give me my money reward, you bastard!"

Xenos didn’t forget!