Mordrin stood by the window, watching Rio as he left the mansion, lost in thought.
He called for his head servant.
There was a knock, and the servant entered respectfully. An elderly man with silver-white hair, dressed in a black suit, stepped into the room. He walked a few steps forward, bowed to Mordrin, and spoke.
"What do you think, sir? That boy was hiding something… wasn't he?"
Mordrin, still watching Rio, replied calmly.
"Yes. I still suspect him. Send a few people to Sky City and check if there is someone named Wong. Also, assign someone to keep an eye on him personally."
"Understood."
The head servant bowed once more and left the room.
Mordrin narrowed his eyes. (What was that strange feeling?)
During the match, Mordrin hadn't paid much attention at first. But a familiar sensation stirred his curiosity. He focused on the battle, and that strange feeling made his heart race.
When the fight ended and the noble moved to kill Rio, Mordrin stepped in and stopped him, saving Rio's life. Suspicious of that strange feeling, he brought Rio to the mansion to observe him more closely. However, Rio's injuries were severe, so he handed him over to the physicians.
"…Who are you really?"
At the same time, Rio was searching for his master.
Since he didn't know the city well, he returned to the place where he had last been with him.
(A few hours later)
"Huff… huff… Seriously… where did that guy go?"
Rio was exhausted and had nowhere else to go. He was lost in thought when a familiar voice echoed through the street.
"Grill! Delicious skewers!"
He glanced quickly inside the restaurant and saw his master sitting there, eating happily.
"Ah… you're here, Master?"
"Oh… Rio… you came. Come, sit… eat."
Rio, annoyed, said:
"I could have died back there, and you didn't even come?"
"Well, I saw that vampire was watching over you, so I thought you could go see a fancy place."
"Yeah right… I bet it was just because you didn't want to spend money."
"Hehe, no problem. Sit and eat. Hey, waiter, bring more skewers!"
Rio sat down angrily but was too hungry to care. He grabbed a piece of lamb skewer.
He took a bite. Juicy, smoky, perfectly cooked… just one piece made him love the dish.
"Wow, Master! What is this? Why is it so good? Bring more!"
An hour later, Rio and his master had eaten so much that even walking was difficult.
The master asked the waiter:
"Excuse me, how much is the bill?"
"One gold coin," the waiter replied.
Rio and the master's eyes widened.
"What? One gold coin? Was there a famine or something?"
"Look at how much you ate, my friend," said the waiter.
They looked at the skewers—they were so many that counting was impossible.
"You ate so much that there's barely any meat left. Please, just calculate the bill."
The master dug into his pocket and started counting. He had only three silver coins and ten copper coins.
(Ten copper coins = 1 silver coin, Ten silver coins = 1 gold coin)
Altogether, they were five silver coins, still missing five coins. The master, disappointed, counted them again and again, wishing it had been a gold coin.
Rio watched and put his hand in his pocket. He found a small pouch containing twenty silver coins.
He remembered the servant touching him when he left the mansion.
"Oh, so he wasn't that harsh after all."
He secretly put the rest of the coins in his pocket so the master wouldn't take them and handed five coins to the master.
"Master, they gave me these five coins when I was leaving. Here you go."
The master, delighted, said:
"Thank you very much, my dear student!"
"Here you go, sir. This is your money."
The master and student walked out of the restaurant, strolling through the city. Large houses, bustling streets.
After a while, Rio asked the master:
"Master, after I won the match, where did you go? Where did you stay these past few nights?"
The master continued walking and explained:
"Well, after I saw you won and the vampire was watching over you, I went to find a place to stay. I found an old guesthouse that had a sign: 30% discount for one month. So I went there."
"Okay, that's it. I waited for you to come, and that's all."
Rio said nothing and continued walking. They passed an old library.
A wooden gate, inside a few people reading books.
They passed through, and Rio followed.
It seemed like a poor area, with older houses. After walking a bit more, they finally reached the hotel.
"This is the hotel where we'll stay," the master said. "Let's go inside."
Inside, a middle-aged man sat behind the desk.
His hair was mostly black, turning white, wearing glasses.
"Ah, welcome back," he said.
"Thank you," replied the master.
They spoke briefly, and then the man returned to his seat.
"Our room is upstairs," said the master. "Let's go."
The stairs creaked with every step. Rio climbed carefully.
On the second floor, there were five rooms. Room three was theirs.
"The floor is about to collapse!" Rio said nervously.
"Don't worry, I've been here for a few days. Nothing happened," the master replied.
Near the door, the master inserted the key and unlocked it.
But Rio was still thinking about the library. He couldn't resist his curiosity.
"Master, I'm going to the library. I really want to learn about magic."
The master, knowing Rio's mind was already there, allowed him to run toward the library.
Inside, he saw an old man reading a book.
"Hello, young man. Welcome. You can find any book you want here, but it's 3 PM now, and we close at 5. So grab your book quickly and read."
Rio replied, "Okay," and went to look for books.
"The battle with Jeffrey… that magic was amazing. I want to learn more about it."
Rio searched the shelves, finally picking a medium-sized book.
(The History of Magic and basic magic)
"This is exactly the book I want."
He took the book, sat at a chair, and started reading. The search took 15 minutes, with 5 minutes chatting with the old man. In total, he had 1 hour 40 minutes to read.
"Let's see… History of Magic."
(Part 1 – History of Magic)
The first person to obtain magic was one of the twin children of the First. Intelligent and curious, they were fascinated by discovering and creating magic.
After inventing several spells and traveling the world, they started a family and formed the first magical lineage. With their help, magic advanced to its current state.
Rio read with great interest. Reading this part took 1 hour and 10 minutes, leaving only 30 minutes.
(Part 2 – basic Magic and Rings)
A magician activates magic by sitting in a quiet place, gathering energy flowing in their blood, and forming rings around the heart.
Initially, nine thin rings are formed. As the magician's power grows, the rings thicken, and the number of rings decreases. Reaching one ring, it transforms into the Magic Core, the final form.
At this stage, space and time no longer limit the magician, who could destroy an entire continent alone.
Rio was so engrossed that he lost track of time. When time ran out, the old man said:
"Young man, it's time to close. Please put the book back."
Rio, lost in the book, didn't hear him at first. The old man spoke louder, and this time Rio noticed. Excitedly, he returned the book and approached the old man.
"I'll come back tomorrow to read this book again. Please don't lend it to anyone."
"Hoho, don't worry. That'll be one copper coin."
Rio handed a silver coin to the old man.
The old man returned the change, and Rio left the library.
As he was leaving, he noticed someone following him.
After a few steps, the person stopped and said:
"Hey, who are you? Why are you following me?"
"Oh, so you noticed."
He approached. About the same age and height as Rio, bald with black eyes.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to steal from you. You don't remember me, but I was in the tournament. We are in the same group. I'm your opponent tomorrow."
Rio, surprised, said:
"Oh, you're my opponent?"
"Yes. I'm Bai-Chen. I saw your fight—it was impressive."
"Thanks. I'm Kai. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise. I'm a monk, though it may not show. I want an amazing fight with you tomorrow, so rest well tonight. You'll get some beating."
Rio laughed. "Haha, we'll see who gets beaten tomorrow."
They both laughed. From the start, a sense told them they'd be friends.
"Okay, Kai. I have to go. Bye for now."
"Alright. Bye."
They parted ways. Rio finally returned to the hotel.
(A few hours later)
After dinner, Rio and the master were about to sleep.
The room had two separate beds. The master fell asleep quickly, but Rio kept thinking about magic.
"Magic is so cool… I want to learn it…"
He repeated this until he gradually fell asleep.
(The next day – Rio's second match.)
Rio, still tired, woke up a bit late. His body still showed signs of fatigue and injuries.
He went to the master, who was downstairs having breakfast.
Rio greeted him, and the master told him to sit and eat.
After breakfast, the master noticed Rio's fatigue and used his power to heal him completely.
Rio felt fully revitalized and stood up.
"Thank you so much, Master. I've never felt this alive."
"Are you going to the match? Will you come with me?"
"No. You go. I want to sleep," the master replied.
Knowing the master disliked public gatherings, Rio didn't insist and went toward the match arena.
Rio finally arrived at the arena.
"Welcome to the second stage of the tournament!!!"
End of Chapter 28