Zayn didn't hear from Merlin since his teacher left the dojo three weeks before.
Now it was time for him to leave as well, but their paths led in different directions. While Merlin was somewhere seeking vengeance, Zayn approached one of the biggest, if not the biggest, building complexes in the city; the Colosseum.
The Colosseum was considered the oldest building in the human territory's central region. It was a remnant of an ancient empire that had ceased to exist long before the realms fused.
Zayn could tell spot the telltale signs of centuries weighing down on the structures all around him as he approached the gigantic building that made him feel as if he was a tiny and insignificant ant.
The Colosseum was a testament of grandeur and might in itself. Its massive walls rose up to the sky, towering over the city of Zerek. The walls were made of massive blocks of white marble, elegantly carved with unique designs and exotic sculptures.
Zayn felt as if he was going to be bewitched by the Colosseum as he watched the sun glinting off the marble, casting a brilliant light that seemed to radiate power and strength.
The closer he stepped, the more apparent the grandeur of the ancient structure became. The entrance was a grand archway that was adorned with marble columns and statues of existences that had once been revered as the ancient empire's Gods and Emperors.
The iron gates restricting the flood of visitors were flanked by a row of guards. It was a necessity to take a look at every single spectator and participant of the Colosseum's challenge to make sure that every possible type of unforeseen incident could be prevented.
Zayn ended up queuing up, waiting for the guards to use their Stigma's power to scan the bodies and the content within their storage devices to make sure that there wouldn't be anything suspicious. After all, the colosseum was a construct that was supposed to exist until the end of time.
It was one of the landmarks that showed clearly that mankind had survived for a long time and that they would continue to overcome the problems thrown at them!
when it was Zayn's turn, he stepped directly in front of the iron gates that loomed large and overbearing in front of him. He was frowned upon as the Guard's Stigma glowed up twice.
"Normie?" The Guard asked, his voice cold and filled with disgust.
Zayn didn't mind that attitude and he nodded his head.
"I am here to register for the Colosseum Challenge," He responded while retrieving his Adventurer Identification Card from one of his expanding pouches. The Guard looked at the Adventurer ID, raised his eyebrow when he saw that Zayn was only a G-rank Adventurer and he shook his head afterward.
"Give me access to your expanding pouches," The Guard demanded rather than asking politely. He was already reaching out for the expanding pouches even before Zayn could react. However, instead of backing off or getting angry, Zayn allowed the Guard to reach for his expanding pouches and to take a look inside.
"Why do you have so many weapons?" The Guard asked, though not too interested in the answer from the way he acted.
"What does it matter?" Zayn retorted, not feeling like answering the Guard's question either. He had expressly stated that he was going to challenge the Colosseum. Was there really the need to ask such a dumb question?
Zayn was pretty sure that the Guard was looking for trouble but that was fine with Zayn.
"What was that?!" The Guard thundered upon realizing that Zayn was not as timid and obedient as most other Normies.
"Fuck off, if you're done looking through my stuff, leave me alone. Otherwise, I will challenge you to a fight right over there," Zayn said, pointing inside the Colosseum, while his ocean blue eyes gleamed dangerously.
The Guard might have one Soulring and a Stigma which indicated that he had received the Blessing of a God related to combat and warfare, but the Stigma was tiny and barely noteworthy. Zayn could see around ten openings from the sluggish way the Guard stood around as well.
If he wanted to go for it, Zayn was more than ready to help the Guard to find his eternal rest.
That would play into his hands pretty decently. After all, he had to provoke the Colosseum's Manager, which could be easily done by ruining the reputation of the entire estate, and humiliating one of their cocky Guards in front of everyone!
The Guard clenched his fists tightly and it looked like he was just about to attack Zayn when a hand from the inside of the Colosseum reached out for the Guard's shoulder.
For a moment, the Guard froze in his tracks and his head moved slowly to the right, where a brightly smiling face entered his view.
"Is there a problem, Guard Jaks?" The man asked, his soothing voice reaching their ears. Guard Jaks shook his head frantically. He returned Zayn's expanding pouches after making it seem as if he dusted off some dirt from the pouches before he waved at him.
"There is no problem, Sir. Of course, there is nothing!" Guard Jaks said hastily, repeating himself yet again.
While he was ushered inside, Zayn took a good look at the brightly smiling middle-aged man who had interfered before trouble could arise. It was a little bit annoying that he couldn't cause any real trouble the moment he arrived at the Colosseum but that was something he could take care of soon enough.
'Is that one of the Managers?' He wondered, feeling more interested in the middle-aged man who seemed to instill enough fear inside Guard Jaks' mind to make him forget about the anger he had felt toward Zayn.
The middle-aged man seemed rather bright and he had a kind smile that highlighted his blue eyes and curly golden hair. His build was also pretty good.
'No opening? A warrior? Or am I missing something?' Zayn wondered, realizing too late that the brightly smiling middle-aged man was looking at him as well.
He turned around as he continued to walk inside the Colosseum, ready to cause as much trouble as possible in the weeks that would follow!
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