"Congratulations on winning my little contest, Heavenly Commoner."

They were now in a building that served as an administrative office within the stadium complex... a private room with wooden furniture, official documents stacked neatly on shelves and the smell of ink and paper in the air.

Currently behind Klaus stood the three girls who’d accompanied him to the tournament, all still wearing their cat masks to maintain anonymity.

Mirela’s goat ears twitched occasionally beneath her hood, Taula’s blond hair was tied back and Serra stood quietly.

Klaus could still hear the ringing in his ears.

After he’d won the entire Tournament of Swords... after that final moment when Zephyr had stepped out of bounds and the referee had declared victory, the crowd’s cheering had been so impossibly loud that the sound still echoed in his skull like he had been hit in the head.

The roar of hundreds of voices, all screaming at once, celebrating or mourning their bets, had been genuinely deafening.

’Did those people have nothing better to do with their time?’ Klaus thought with mild irritation.

"Thank you," Klaus said aloud, his tone polite but somewhat flat. "Though there was nothing little about that contest. It was very challenging, especially when you stepped into the arena yourself."

Zephyr chuckled behind his fox mask.

"Even with all of that pressure," Zephyr said, "you managed to persevere through it. You proved yourself a worthy opponent to fight against, not many people can claim they’ve bested me in combat... In fact nobody can say so."

"That’s flattering," Klaus replied, cutting through the praise with his directness. "But I’m only here for my rewards."

He didn’t want to make small talk with the Prince or whichever disguise Zephyr really was beneath that mask. Klaus just wanted to collect his prize money and the Resource Dungeon deed, then get out of here as quickly as possible.

That wasn’t rocket science, was it?

Zephyr coughed lightly into his hand, seeming slightly amused by Klaus’s bluntness then he held out his right hand, and a blue flash emanated from his storage ring.

A leather pouch materialized in his palm... it was brown and well-made with a drawstring closure. It looked heavy, substantial.

Zephyr opened the pouch to display its contents as Gold coins gleamed inside... they were stacked and pressed together catching the lamplight.

"Five hundred gold coins," Zephyr announced, then closed the pouch and extended it toward Klaus. "You should count it to confirm the amount."

Klaus immediately took the pouch and, without even opening it, made it vanish into his own storage ring with a thought and a shimmer of magical energy.

Zephyr raised an eyebrow behind his mask though the gesture was barely visible.

"You’re not going to count it?" Zephyr asked with a note of curiosity in his voice.

"I already did," Klaus said matter-of-factly. "The very moment you brought it out."

It was true... his Metal Sense had detected exactly five hundred individual coins through the leather, their weight and composition confirming they were genuine gold, not some cheaper alloy or counterfeit.

Behind Klaus, Serra’s right eye twitched involuntarily beneath her mask.

’Boss loves money too much...’ Serra thought with an exasperated look across her face.

But at the end of the day, she couldn’t really say much against it. She also wanted money desperately. They all did and Klaus had just received enough gold that he was almost as wealthy as a low-tier noble now.

Five hundred gold coins was a fortune for commoners.

Zephyr laughed.

"You’re pretty efficient," Zephyr said. "I like that very much."

"What about the Resource Dungeon?" Klaus asked, moving the conversation forward.

"A bit impatient, aren’t we?" Zephyr said, though his voice suggested he found this trait admirable rather than annoying. "But I like that too. You’re direct and focused."

Zephyr reached under the table and pulled out a set of official-looking documents bound with a red ribbon. He pushed them across the wooden surface toward Klaus’s side.

Klaus picked up the documents and began reading carefully. The top page was an official contract that had been stamped and sealed.

═══════════════════════════════════════════════

ERELL EMPIRE RESOURCE DUNGEON MANAGEMENT

(E.E.R.D.M.)

OFFICIAL DEED OF OWNERSHIP

═══════════════════════════════════════════════

DUNGEON DESIGNATION: Silver Vein Deposit #447

CLASSIFICATION: Tier 2 Resource Dungeon with Partial Regular Dungeon Readings

LOCATION: 15 kilometers northeast of Rivera City

Coordinates: 47.2°N, 8.9°E

DETECTED RESOURCES:

Silver Ore (Primary Deposit) Iron Ore (Secondary Deposit) Trace amounts of Mithril (Unconfirmed)

ESTIMATED VALUE: 2,400-3,000 Gold Coins

PURCHASE PRICE: 1,050 Gold Coins

PURCHASED BY: The Masked Man

DATE OF PURCHASE: [Third Of Month Moon]

TERMS & CONDITIONS:

Owner has exclusive mining rights for 5 years Empire tax: 15% of extracted resources Mining safety regulations must be observed Dungeon may contain low-tier monsters (Rank F-D) as it has traces of being a regular dungeon too. Owner responsible for hiring extraction team

═══════════════════════════════════════════════

DEED TRANSFER CLAUSE

To transfer ownership of this Resource Dungeon, the recipient must sign below in Magic Ink. Magic Ink binds the contract to the signer’s magical signature, making falsification impossible.

NEW OWNER NAME: _________________________

Signed on this day: [ ]

═══════════════════════════════════════════════

Klaus read through the entire document carefully as his mind worked through the whole thing and he was pleasantly surprised.

Not only had he received five hundred gold coins in immediate liquid wealth, but he’d also been given ownership of a Resource Dungeon that actually had confirmed silver deposits inside it.

Silver was valuable... extremely valuable. It was used in magical equipment, high-quality weapons, enchantments, and as currency among wealthier merchants and nobles. A dungeon like this, if properly managed, could generate thousands of gold coins.

The contract stated it had cost over a thousand gold coins to purchase and this was an incredible prize. However, Klaus’s mind immediately moved to the obvious problem.

Now everybody knew that a fighter called "Heavenly Commoner"... clearly a commoner from the name itself owned a very large amount of wealth and a valuable Resource Dungeon. It was only a matter of time before he got attacked by thieves, opportunists, or worse.

In fact, Klaus was certain of it.

The moment he left the stadium, he was sure to be followed or ambushed and not just him... the three girls behind him would also be targeted, since everyone probably assumed they were his followers, companions, or employees who might know where he kept his wealth.

Zephyr’s voice pulled Klaus back to the present.

"A mining team would need to be hired to help extract the silver ore properly," Zephyr said. "Would you like me to handle the arrangements and be there in place of you to mine the dungeon, or would you prefer to be there yourself?"

Klaus didn’t hesitate.

"I’ll be there myself," Klaus said firmly. "What if these hired workers decided to steal some of my minerals by swallowing them, then cutting open their own stomachs later to retrieve what they’ve stolen?"

There was a moment of complete silence in the room and Zephyr went very still then, in his mind, the Prince spoke to his spirit companion.

’Eli... does that actually happen?’ Zephyr thought.

*’Yes. It happens more times than one can count. Desperate people do desperate things for wealth, especially when dealing with precious metals and gems. Swallowing small amounts is one of the oldest theft methods in mining operations.’*

Zephyr physically scratched his black hair beneath his mask with the gesture betraying his genuine surprise.

"I... had no idea that was actually a common problem," Zephyr admitted sheepishly. "I suppose I’ve been sheltered from that particular aspect of resource management."

He cleared his throat and moved on quickly, clearly uncomfortable with his own naiveté.

"Before we finalize everything," Zephyr said, "you need to sign the contract to officially transfer ownership to you."

He extended a beautiful quill toward Klaus... the feather was iridescent blue-black, and its lower tip had been dipped in glowing magic ink that seemed to glow with a small light.

"You must write your real name on the designated line," Zephyr explained. "Magic ink binds the contract to your personal magical signature. It’s impossible to forge or steal."

Klaus gritted his teeth behind his cat mask. This was the catch, of course. He’d have to reveal his real name but then again... it was better this way.

A fake name wouldn’t work with magic ink anyway since the contract would reject it and having legal ownership properly documented meant he could actually defend his claim if challenged.

Klaus took the quill as the magic tingled against his fingertips. He leaned over the contract and wrote in clear, deliberate letters on the designated line...

[Klaus]

The moment he finished writing, the entire contract lit up with brilliant blue-white light. The ink seemed to sink into the paper, becoming part of it rather than simply resting on the surface.

His name was now permanently engraved there, bound by magic, impossible to alter or remove without destroying the entire document.

The light faded after a few seconds and Zephyr leaned forward slightly at the table.

"Congratulations, Klaus," Zephyr said, using his real name now. "You officially own a Resource Dungeon. Since this is probably your first time owning one, I’ll personally be at the location tomorrow morning at ten o’clock to oversee the initial excavation assessment and ensure everything proceeds properly."

Klaus nodded, dismissing the contract into his storage ring where it vanished in a glow of light.

"I’ll be there as well, Thank you." Klaus confirmed as he stood up with his chair scraping slightly against the floor.

"Now that we’ve handled the prize money and the contract," Klaus said, "are we free to leave?"

"You are," Zephyr confirmed. "Though I should mention... anything that happens outside the stadium grounds is not under my jurisdiction. Stadium security ends at the exit gates. Whatever awaits you beyond that... you’ll have to handle yourself."

Klaus’s expression didn’t change behind his mask.

"Of course," Klaus said simply as he turned around to face the three girls. "Let’s go."

...

They arrived outside the stadium entrance.

The massive structure loomed behind them with its stone walls and archways now mostly dark as only a few torches still burning along the perimeter.

The tournament crowds had completely dispersed as the hundreds of people had gone home or to taverns to celebrate or mourn their betting outcomes.

The street before them was empty and quiet and Klaus almost missed the people who’d been cheering earlier.

...Almost.

They were still annoying as hell, but at least the noise had provided cover. This silence was more dangerous.

As they approached the wide exit gate that led to the main city streets, Klaus stopped and turned back to face his companions.

"Once we leave the stadium grounds," Klaus said quietly. "we’re probably going to be followed or attacked by opportunists who know I’m carrying the prize money so we need to split up."

The three girls nodded silently.

"I’ll go one way," Klaus continued. "The three of you go the other direction. Since I’m the one actually holding everything valuable, most of the attention will follow me. "

Klaus had spent the last few minutes subtly using his Metal Sense to detect potential threats in the surrounding area.

He could sense at least ten individuals positioned around the stadium’s perimeter... all wearing metal-soled boots or carrying metal weapons, all deliberately staying just outside the range where stadium security would notice them.

Thieves... Opportunists or maybe hired muscle sent by someone who’d bet heavily against him and lost.

Most of them would come after Klaus himself once they confirmed he was the one carrying the gold and the deed.

A few would go after the girls, thinking they might know where Klaus lived or where he planned to store his wealth, or simply because they were easier targets.

The girls were meant to outmaneuver whoever came for them. They could fight if necessary, kill if absolutely required, as long as the City Guards didn’t discover the bodies or link it back to them.

The plan was simple and brutal... Klaus and the girls reached the exit together.

Then, in perfect coordination, Klaus suddenly sprinted to the right while the girls moved swiftly to the left. Their footsteps echoed briefly in the empty plaza before being swallowed by the night.

Klaus’s Metal Sense tracked the pursuit immediately.

Out of the ten people who’d been waiting, two broke off and followed the girls’ path while the remaining eight all turned toward Klaus.

’This is pretty good.’ Klaus thought as he ran. ’Now that I have this improved body, I’m confident I can outrun these people though I don’t know if they’re experienced assassins or just opportunistic thieves...’

Just then, Klaus activated his Magnetic Field spell.

He pushed the magnetic force downward into the metal soles of his own boots, bending his knees, and then reversed the polarity with explosive force.

WHOOSH!

Klaus shot forward into the air like a human missile, his body launching upward and forward in a perfect arc.

His dark cloak spread out beneath him as he flew through the night air, catching the moonlight as the fabric billowed dramatically.

His cat mask caught the silver glow as well, making him look like some kind of phantom or spirit racing across the rooftops.

’Let the chase begin...’ Klaus thought as he landed on a rooftop and immediately launched himself forward again then he mentally grimaced.

’Ugh. I sound like some cliché anime protagonist, don’t I?’