The laughter started small. A short chuckle. Then another. Then it rolled into full, belly-deep laughter.
Draven bent slightly as he laughed, one hand pressing against his stomach, shoulders shaking. He didn't try to stop it. He didn't even try to hide it.
That alone drew attention.
But it wasn't just Draven laughing.
It was who he was laughing with.
"Who are those people?" someone whispered nearby.
"Are they close to the Synapse Circle?" another asked, eyes sharp. "If they are, we should get close. Even a weak link is still a link."
A clan head narrowed his eyes, already calculating. If those people had Draven's ear, then they were worth something. Maybe more than something.
Unknown to the Wyndhams and to Lucius, just standing beside Draven was already creating value. A Synapse Circle member's attention was currency in this place. And they were spending none of it.
At the same time, other gazes turned darker.
Envy crept in.
Quiet.
Sharp.
Some watched with interest. Some with hunger. Some with the kind of smile that meant trouble later.
Meanwhile, the Wyndhams had no idea any of this was happening.
Lucius, especially, wasn't thinking about eyes or whispers. His focus was locked on Draven.
Just like Draven had allowed, Lucius had laid everything out. Clear. Direct. No begging. No fluff. He told him exactly what he wanted the Synapse Circle to do.
And that was when it happened.
Draven had burst into laughter.
Not mockery. Not anger.
Just raw, uncontrollable laughter that echoed louder than Lucius expected.
"I… I… I want you to help me grow another arm!" Draven said mid-laughter, barely holding himself together as he mocked Lucius' words.
He even waved his hand as he spoke, copying the tone, copying the delivery. No effort to hide it. No effort to soften the blow.
The Triple Js stiffened.
Their faces darkened almost at the same time. Anger flashed in their eyes. Sharp. Hot. They wanted to snap back. Wanted to throw insults right at Draven's face. No one had ever treated them with this much disregard. This much open disrespect.
But Lucius didn't move.
He stood there calmly, posture steady, expression unreadable. No anger. No embarrassment. Just patience.
Slowly, Draven's laughter died down. The sound faded into short breaths. He straightened up, wiping at his eyes, though the grin never left his face.
"Do you even know what it costs to do what you just said?" Draven asked, voice lighter now but still sharp.
"So it's possible?" John blurted out before he could stop himself.
Draven turned his head slightly and stared at him.
"What?" he said. "You came to me with that request, and you weren't even sure it was possible?"
He shook his head once.
"Regardless," Draven continued, tone flattening, "what you're asking is impossible for you people."
"Why?" Lucius asked, calm as ever.
"You can't afford it," Draven answered without hesitation.
John opened his mouth, ready to boast. Ready to explain who they were. Ready to talk about money, influence, and power.
But Draven wasn't done.
"I know the Wyndhams have a lot of wealth in the human world," he said. "Big companies. Big numbers."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"But that kind of wealth barely matters in the Paragon Realm."
Then he added the final nail.
"Unless you can afford to purchase a living Stage Seven beast."
Silence followed.
Lucius didn't argue.
Didn't protest.
He understood exactly what Draven was saying.
The Wyndhams were rich. That much was unquestionable. Wealth flowed easily in the human world, and their name carried weight there.
But could that kind of money really buy anything in the Paragon Realm? A place where human currency still had value, yes, but almost no influence. Power spoke louder here. Stages spoke louder. Blood and strength mattered more than numbers on a screen.
There was something else that bothered Lucius.
'Is it a coincidence that he mentioned a Stage Seven beast… or does he already know I'm a Stage Seven warrior?' Lucius thought.
The idea sat heavy in his mind.
"Is there no other way?" Lucius asked.
Draven didn't answer right away. He looked away, thinking. Measuring. Then he finally spoke.
"There is," Draven said. "I can use lesser beasts."
He paused, then shook his head slightly.
"But it won't match your body."
He continued, tone firm and clinical.
"To build strong tissue that can match a Stage Seven warrior, you need tissue from another Stage Seven entity. Or higher."
That was enough.
It confirmed everything Lucius had suspected.
'So he knows my stage level… but I can't read his at all,' Lucius thought, a strange unease creeping in.
"But the Synapse Circle can afford it, right?" Lucius asked.
Draven went silent.
For a brief moment, his expression froze. Then he frowned.
"What are you trying to do now?" he asked.
"Do you expect the Synapse Circle to spend billions on your head just like that?" Draven added, his voice sharp.
Lucius shook his head once.
"It won't be like that," Lucius said.
"Let's make a bet," Lucius continued.
The words landed clean.
Draven was caught off guard by the proposal. He didn't respond right away. He just stared at Lucius, eyes narrowing slightly, as if trying to peel him apart layer by layer.
"We, the Wyndham clan, will participate in this tournament," Lucius said steadily. "If we reach high clan performance, then you foot the bill."
For a moment, Draven was quiet.
Then he burst into laughter again.
This time it was sudden. Loud. Sharp enough that even members of the Synapse Circle turned their heads to look at him.
"What's wrong with him?" Eric asked, frowning.
The others only shrugged, their faces saying the same thing. No idea.
Draven wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and leaned forward slightly.
"You… you really think you'll go that far in this tournament?" Draven said, still grinning.
He straightened up.
"And by the way," he added, "if you lose, what's in it for me?"
Behind Lucius, John leaned closer and whispered urgently.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
Lucius didn't turn around. He didn't answer John at all.
Instead, he looked straight at Draven.
"You choose," Lucius said.
That did it.
The small giggle on Draven's face vanished completely. His smile faded. His eyes sharpened.
The confidence Lucius was showing wasn't normal. It wasn't reckless either. It was calm. Measured. And that made it dangerous.
After a brief moment, the smirk slowly returned to Draven's face.
"Honestly, I have nothing to gain from a clan like yours," Draven said.
There was a slight shift in Lucius' composure.
Not outwardly. Not enough for most people to notice. But it was there.
He knew the move he had made was reckless. The bet was risky. The odds weren't on his side. Still, he had stepped forward anyway because he had a plan. A thin one, yes—but a plan all the same.
All he needed was for Draven to accept.
And from the look of it, Draven wasn't going to.
That was what Lucius thought.
Until Draven spoke again.
"Let me make you a better offer," Draven said.
Lucius' eyes narrowed slightly. He stayed silent.
"All you need to do is reach the mid clan stage," Draven continued. "If you do, I promise you this—"
He paused just long enough for the words to sink in.
"I will give you back your arm," Draven said.
The space around them felt heavier.
"The original one," he added calmly.
That was it.
With those words, Draven turned around and walked away, clearly done with the conversation. He didn't wait for a response. He didn't look back. To him, the matter was settled.
"He actually accepted it," Jim said, stunned.
The Triple Js were just as surprised as Lucius himself. None of them had expected Draven to agree, not like this. He had no real reason to. If the Wyndhams failed, there was nothing they could offer him in return.
That was the strange part.
After a moment, Lucius snapped out of it.
"It's a good thing," Lucius said. "Now we just have to work harder and tighten our plans."
John nodded, then hesitated.
"What about the meeting in the tent?" he asked.
Lucius exhaled softly.
"You're right," he said. "There is still that."
Just as Lucius was speaking, a sharp ringing sound echoed through the air. It came straight from inside the colosseum.
The sound cut through the noise of the crowd and dragged everyone's attention toward its source.
A moment after the bell rang, a loud voice followed. It came from all directions at once. Not deafening, but powerful enough that no one could ignore it.
[Welcome to this year's Battle Royal Tournament]
The crowd slowly quieted.
[The bell you just heard is a signal. The tournament will begin in two hours]
[All clans participating in this tournament are advised to head inside the colosseum and make their preparations]
The announcement ended.
Almost immediately, the crowd began to shift. Clans that already had invitations started moving as one, heading toward the massive entrances of the colosseum. Some walked calmly. Others rushed, afraid of being late.
Meanwhile, Alex stood with the rest of the Wyndhams, not knowing what their situation really was.
'Lucius didn't look upset when I saw him earlier,' Alex thought. 'That means he probably secured at least one invite.'
His eyes followed the invited clans as they moved ahead.
'Then why aren't we moving like the others?' he wondered.
As that thought crossed his mind, the voice returned.
[Greetings]
The sudden interruption made people stop again.
[It appears that many uninvited clans have shown up for this year's tournament]
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
[It would be unfair for clans to be denied an opportunity to participate in an event like this]
The clans that were already heading inside slowed down. Some stopped completely.
[Because of this, we have decided to release certain information]
The air felt tense.
[Any clan without an invite may challenge another clan that possesses one and claim it through victory]
[This rule is not limited to the day before the tournament]
A few sharp breaths were heard.
[If you do not have an invite, there is still time to obtain one]
[You know what to do]
The message cut off.
For a brief moment, everything went still. No one spoke. No one moved. Everyone was trying to process what they had just heard.
Then Lucius cursed under his breath.
"Bastards," he said aloud, clenching his fist tight in frustration.