Chapter 122 - Cultivation Time
After leaving the arena, Theo couldn’t help but let out a relieved sigh, the noise-cancelling lobby giving him some nice quiet.
But that quiet didn’t last long.
Owen jumped up behind him, wrapping an arm around Theo’s neck on his way down.
"That was awesome!" he shouted excitedly.
Theo nearly stumbled forward from the sudden weight.
"...Get off," he muttered, trying to pry Owen’s arm away from his neck.
Owen completely ignored him.
"Did you see my entrance?!" he continued loudly. "The crowd was going insane! I’m basically a celebrity now."
Lyra scoffed.
"Celebrity my ass," she muttered, clearly regretting being in the same hallway as Owen.
Before Owen could fire back another response, a familiar pair of heels echoed through the quiet lobby.
Theo paused immediately.
That’s when Alia turned the corner, several of the arena’s guards following behind her.
A calm smile sat on her face, though the moment her eyes landed on Owen hanging off Theo’s neck, one of her eyebrows lifted slightly.
"...You recovered pretty quickly from that life-threatening backlash," she commented casually.
Owen immediately let go of Theo and coughed into his fist.
"Ahem. Miracles happen."
Alia chuckled softly.
She’d long known that he’d pulled a trick like that, yet she’d seen no point in forcing them to continue. Not when the result was obvious anyway.
"I’d like to congratulate each of you," she said warmly. "But naturally, I’m also here to reward you with the actual prizes."
The moment those words left her mouth, everyone’s attention immediately sharpened.
Three guards stepped forward toward Alia, carrying black metallic cases.
"The shared third-place and second-place rewards are in those," she said, slowly turning to Theo. "But you’ll have to come with me to make your choice."
Theo nodded once.
As the guards stepped forward to hand over the cases, Alia gestured for him to follow.
"I’ll see you all later," Theo said, glancing back at the rest.
The others nodded, though most of their attention was now on their rewards.
With that, he followed after Alia.
The quiet lobby slowly faded behind them as she led him through a private corridor.
Several guards passed them, though none of them spoke.
Only after turning into a completely empty corridor did Alia glance at him.
"So," she said casually, "have you already decided what you want?"
Theo looked over at her.
"An artifact? Spell manual? Or some resources?"
He answered without hesitation.
"I want to use the full reward on resources."
Alia raised her eyebrow slightly, caught off guard by the instant reply.
Then a smile broke out on her face.
"Good choice," she said warmly. "That can definitely be arranged."
Silence fell in the corridor for a moment.
Alia slowed down slightly, glancing back at Theo.
"Would you also like a protected usage room?" she asked. "You’ll be able to cultivate safely until at least the resources have been fully absorbed."
Theo remained silent, his mind churning.
He knew very clearly what she was implying. After everything he’d shown today, there was no way people wouldn’t be keeping an eye on him.
Not to mention him carrying resources worth a million dollars.
"I’d much appreciate that," he said honestly.
Alia smiled again and nodded once.
"I figured you would," she said. "You’re a pretty smart kid after all."
She continued walking calmly through the corridor, her heels softly echoing through the empty hallway.
"Don’t worry too much," she continued. "Most people still wouldn’t dare do anything to you."
Then her eyes narrowed.
"But it’s just in case, since there’s always some desperate ones."
Theo nodded slowly.
The world wasn’t exactly lacking those types of people.
"There’s a few cars waiting outside," Alia said. "They’ll take you to one of the rooms, and I’ll deliver the resources as soon as possible."
Theo nodded once again and thanked her.
Just as they reached the end of the corridor though, he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right," he said.
Alia glanced back at him.
"If possible... can you make the elements of the resources both lightning and water?"
For the first time in a while, she looked genuinely surprised.
One of her eyebrows rose... but quickly returned to a neutral expression.
"Of course."
Theo thanked her once more, though she simply waved him off.
That’s when they finally pushed through a set of doors and stepped outside.
Several black vehicles already waited for him there, with many guards surrounding them.
The atmosphere almost felt more serious than the actual tournament!
One of the guards quickly stepped forward and opened the nearest car door for Theo.
"Please follow us, Mr. Lane," he said respectfully.
Stepping inside, Theo’s eyes widened slightly.
Two guards sat at the front, while another sat beside him. But the one beside him wasn’t just anyone.
The moment the man turned his head slightly, Theo immediately recognized him.
It was the same guard from earlier, who’d asked for a signature for his son.
The guard smiled faintly after noticing Theo recognized him too.
"Looks like I ended up escorting the champion himself," he said, chuckling slightly. "My son’s going to be jealous."
Theo couldn’t help but chuckle lightly as the vehicle doors shut beside them.
"My name’s David Hayes," the guard continued calmly. "I’ll be personally guarding you over the next few days."
"I’ll be in your care," Theo said politely with a smile.
The vehicle slowly pulled away from the arena, immediately surrounded by two more black cars on both sides.
Minutes passed by as they drove.
Soon, large skyscrapers started appearing around them.
Theo’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Most of these buildings belonged to the larger companies and wealthier individuals.
Finally, the convoy stopped in front of one of the skyscrapers near the edge of the wealthy area.
Before Theo could even properly look outside, David Hayes had already stepped out of the vehicle.
A moment later, the car door beside Theo opened.
"Please follow me," David said lightly.
Theo nodded once and walked after him.
The moment they stepped inside, he immediately noticed the atmosphere change completely.
Most people working around them carried mana weapons and wore earpieces.
Yet no one even questioned their presence.
’This is the real deal. Though their cores aren’t that high level, those weapons will take care of any desperate people.’
David led him straight toward a private elevator near the back of the building, taking him several floors up.
Only after walking through a short corridor did he halt in front of a single reinforced door.
"This is your protected room," he said, smiling. "I’ll be standing out here in case you need anything and to take care of any deliveries."
Theo nodded once before pushing the heavy door open.
The inside of the room was far larger than expected. Mana lines ran along the walls, clearly casting some kind of protection shield all around.
David chuckled lightly from behind him after noticing his expression.
"Pretty nice, right?"
"That’s for sure," Theo responded, still amazed.
’This is definitely safe enough,’ he thought. ’Looks like I’ll have to send the others a message...’
’I’ll be making my breakthrough to Silver Core in here.’