Chapter 194: Missed the Tournament?
Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling above him, Zich froze for two seconds before his pupils suddenly contracted slightly. Almost by instinct, he sat upright on the bed.
"The tournament!"
Because he moved too abruptly, the wound on his chest, which had only just begun to heal, immediately sent a sharp pain through his body. He could not help but suck in a breath, but he paid no attention to it. Only one thought remained in his mind.
Crap. Don’t tell me I overslept? Today was the Quarterfinals! If I really missed the match because I was sleeping... that would be beyond embarrassing.
Quickly he shot a look at tb healed. "What time is it now?"
The nurse blinked in surprise.
"It’s 11:40 at night."
"At night?"
Zich froze on the spot.
The nurse could not help but laugh.
"Of course it’s night. You’ve only been asleep for a few hours. There’s still an entire night and tomorrow morning before the Quarterfinals officially begin. You didn’t oversleep."
Hearing those words, the weight hanging over Zich’s heart finally disappeared.
He leaned back against the headboard once more and let out a long sigh of relief.
’Thank goodness. I nearly scared myself to death. I thought I’d slept straight through the tournament. If I were actually disqualified because I overslept... the entire world would probably laugh at me for the rest of my life.’
Thinking about it, even Zich himself found it both amusing and ridiculous.
The nurse placed the recovery potion beside the bed before seriously reminding him,
"Although your injuries have stabilized, there are still quite a few internal injuries that haven’t fully recovered. It’s best not to leave the Medical Wing tonight, and don’t do any training either. Otherwise, it could easily affect your condition for tomorrow."
Zich nodded.
"I understand."
Just as the nurse was about to leave, another knock suddenly sounded outside the room.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in."
The door slowly opened.
A middle-aged staff member dressed in the Players Association uniform walked in. In his hand was an exquisitely crafted metallic card.
"Mr. Zich." The man saod. "First of all, congratulations on successfully advancing to the Top Eight."
Zich nodded slightly.
The staff member did not continue with any small talk. Instead, he directly handed the metal card to Zich.
"Someone asked us to deliver this to you."
Zich lowered his head. The entire card was emerald green. Delicate and intricate vine patterns were engraved along its edges, while at its center stood a flourishing Ancient Tree of Life.
The staff member smiled as he explained,
"This is an invitation left by Mr. Jack Green, the young chairman of the Green group. He personally came to the Medical Wing today hoping to meet you. However, due to the Association’s regulations, he was ultimately unable to enter your room, so he left this invitation behind instead."
At this point, the staff member paused, and the smile on his face became somewhat peculiar.
"In addition, there’s one more matter we need to inform you of in advance."
"What is it?"
"At the moment, there are still more than one hundred companies, dozens of entertainment and media agencies, multiple top academies, and quite a number of super guilds waiting outside the Medical Wing. They all hope to meet you as soon as the tournament concludes."
"Furthermore, the Association has already received over two hundred formal commercial partnership applications regarding you today alone... and the number is still increasing."
The hospital room instantly fell silent.
Zich froze completely.
Two hundred?
He even suspected that he had misheard.
The staff member nodded sympathetically.
"To be honest, even we didn’t expect it to become this exaggerated. Therefore, the Association has decided that until this Chosen Tournament concludes, no organization will be permitted to make private contact with any contestant."
Zich fell silent. A moment later, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
It’s over. The most troublesome thing finally arrived.
Most people would dream of being pursued by countless companies eager to sign them.
He, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.
He had always hated dealing with situations like this.
Just imagining hundreds of people surrounding him after the tournament, constantly handing him business cards, introducing partnership opportunities, and bombarding him with endless questions was already enough to give him a headache.
’Just thinking about it makes me feel suffocated. Maybe... I should just secretly slip away after the tournament ends?’
But the moment that thought appeared, he immediately dismissed it.
Run?
The entire fiest layer already knew who he was.
Where could he possibly run?
Thinking of that, Zich leaned back against the headboard with a lifeless expression, as though he could already see himself being completely surrounded by countless people over the next several days.
Looking at Zich’s expression, as though he were facing a formidable enemy, the staff member’s own expression became somewhat strange.
Most people would be overjoyed upon hearing about so many partnership offers.
This young man, however.. Why did he look as though he were about to be dragged to an execution ground?
In the end, the staff member asked nothing further. After giving a few final reminders, he turned around and left the room.
Silence returned to the hospital room.
Zich lowered his gaze to the green invitation in his hand.
Jack Green.
The Green groups..
As one of the largest conglomerates in the entire world, the fact that they had sent their future heir in person already demonstrated sincerity far beyond that of every other company.
Joining the Green group... didn’t seem like a bad choice.
But after thinking for only a few seconds, Zich gently shook his head.
It was still too early to think about these things.
There were still three matches left before the tournament ended.
He would think about it after everything was truly over.
He gently placed the invitation onto the bedside table before lying back down and slowly closing his eyes. Not long afterward, the room once again returned to silence.
...
The Central Arena... VIP Hotel, Highest Floor.
Inside a private reception room far more luxurious than any ordinary VIP suite, Arthur and Arnold stood quietly. The two men, who always maintained dignity and composure no matter whom they faced, now both held their heads slightly lowered, their expressions carrying unmistakable respect.
Standing before them, the silver-haired, golden-eyed woman remained quietly by the floor-to-ceiling window.
Outside, Central City was brilliantly illuminated.
She merely stood there casually, while it felt as though the entire room revolved around her.
Arthur slowly stepped forward.
"Mi lady, My sincerest apologies. I only learned of your arrival in the First Layer after the tournament had concluded. As a result, I was unable to come and receive you immediately. I hope you can forgive my negligence."
The woman did not turn around. She simply continued gazing out the window.
"It’s fine." She said in a calm beautiful voice. "The Chosen Tournament... is more important than receiving me."
Arthur and Arnold both fell silent at the same time.
Because they both knew...The woman standing before them was an existence who, even throughout the entirety of the Mountain Ascension, stood among the true highest echelons.