Among the ranks of Atlantean soldiers who stood there, shocked and speechless, one particular individual was even more shocked by the results, and that man was none other than Planck.
The Atlantean looked as if his soul had been taken from him, his teeth clenching in fury.
He was angry when Zeras had threatened him, so he planned to get back at him by paying Roder to teach the boy a lesson.
Not only was the boy safe and sound, but he also managed to increase his fame by defeating Roder, whom he had sent, and became an Atlantean Soldier.
The most painful part was the money he had lost by hiring Roder, which he knew would never be repaid to him.
Zeras ignored the group as he moved out of the Colosseum and toward Plank.
Arriving before him, he asked with a playful smirk.
"So, what next...?"
"Um..." Plank felt his heart sink to the bottom, but he quickly got a hold of himself, replying.
"You have successfully passed the Atlantean soldier Trial. Next is this..."
Plank brought out a blue card and passed it to Zeras.
"So, this is the Atlantean soldier card."
"Yes, sir."
"The card gives you special access to the Colosseum, allowing you all the benefits of being an Atlantean soldier, such as a free-living room and access to the Colosseum soldier training room."
"It also rewards you with 100 Atlantean coins, choosing one trident for free from the Colosseum's Store, and most importantly, to your initial request, you can now challenge the trial taker to join the competition."
"And who's the trial taker...?"
"The trial taker is Devyn..."
Zera's eyes gleamed with focus at the mention of that name.
He was well aware of who Devyn was:
The powerful soldier he had first seen fighting.
But he knew the Atlantean was not only powerful but also extremely ruthless, killing his opponent without blinking an eye.
Devyn would definitely not be a walk in the park.
"I have to warn you, sir, about the competition rules to fight Devyn. It's a life-and-death battle."
"So, either you or Devyn must die, or both. There can't be two winners."
"Besides, about 10 Atlantean soldiers have already fought with Devyn, and all have been brutally killed by him."
"I know you're strong, but is there really a need for you to partake in this competition?"
"You can just live your life comfortably as an Atlantean soldier here."
Plank asked with worry on his face.
It's not that he loved Zeras, heck no!
It's just that he felt the kid was still too young to meet his death so quickly.
He didn't want to see their new Colosseum genius die so quickly.
To him, Zeras was gold that needed to be carefully mined. It'd be a waste if he died too quickly.
"Can you take me to the room?" Zeras asked as if he had never heard any of the warnings.
"Oh... Ok... Right this way, sir..."
He was led deeper into a part of the Colosseum.
-- -- --
Ten minutes later...
Zeras stood before a golden-colored door, clenched the knob, and entered.
The living room was pretty massive, with strange sofas shaped like fish.
The flooring was covered with strange blue rocks.
Instead of bulbs, there were stacks of pearls that glowed with a colorful array of lights, illuminating the area.
"This is the place, sir. Here, you can access the other areas using this."
Planck handed Zeras a map showing all the areas in the Colosseum.
"Thank you for your help..."
Zeras said, shocking Planck senseless, as he thought a talented person like him would definitely look down on a fat waiter like him.
"Oh... I... Well, I feel quite honored for a compliment from a genius like..." Planck said, trying to butter up Zeras a little, but he was immediately cut off.
"Now you can leave..."
"Tch..." Plank immediately moved out of the room with a grumpy expression on his face.
"They're all the same..."
He muttered to himself before quickly scurrying off.
"Hey, tell Devyn I'll be challenging him in two days from now..." Zeras said, causing Plank to immediately stop and stare at Zeras as if he were looking at a monster.
"What?..."
"You heard me!"
Zeras slammed the door shut and sat down on the sofa, exhaling.
A holographic panel appeared in front of him:
[Quest Completed: Defeat Roder.]
[+20 EXP]
[Total EXP: 20/400]
Zeras looked at the holographic panel before him, surprised that quests could still be completed even though all of this was just an unreal dimension.
A fact even he found very hard to accept.
If someone had told him all he was witnessing wasn't reality, he would have given them a sharp slap, but that was the truth.
He reclined on the chair, and it was comfortably soft, but he quickly got a grip on himself, organizing his thoughts.
With the Atlantean soldier card obtained, it was time to move on to the next step:
Fighting Devyn, the powerful and ruthless Atlantean Killer.