King Of Limbo

It didn't take long for Aron to make his way to the bustling business district. In those two days he had isolated himself, even more contestants had finished the Journey and made their way into Galos City, so it was no surprise that the streets were filled with all sorts of people.

As for Aron's business there? It was rather simple. He wanted to review each business he would sooner or later have to visit. Prices, quality of goods, business owners, and any other thing he found necessary worth checking and comparing to other stores.

If one saw him doing this, they'd simply assume he was being a cheapskate or maybe even picky, but he had his own reasoning behind doing so and was willing to sacrifice a day to finish his reviews and make a shortlist.

'Now, where to start?' Aron pondered as he knew it would take him the entire day to fully complete his task and so with a sigh, he made his way to the first store and began his little odd quest.

Taverns, general good stores, weapons, gear, smitheries, food places, entertainment and many more Aron visited and took note of. But after twenty hours of roaming the Business streets of Galos City, Aron was done and ready to finally make purchases.

His purchases included clothes, food, and ordering a custom weapon to be made which he all had delivered to his home. With this done he made his way to the one store he looked forward to visiting most, the bookstore. 'Every single book here is definitely worth getting if I wish to further my knowledge of Pesia and Galos City,' Aron thought to himself before walking over to the counter where a bored attendant could be seen just looking at her nails.

When Aron approached the counter, she remained in her own world and didn't bother looking up. "Yes? What can I get you?" she inquired lazily which Aron really didn't care for, so he carried on and stated his request. "Your books, I'll be buying them all. What'll that cost?" Aron asked plainly but in truth since each book displayed had a price tag, he had already estimated the price range of the total.

Shocked from the odd request, the young female attendant raised her head only to be shocked even further by the young man who made this request. "Oh, uh... well, you see, let me quickly check the stock." The young woman struggled but managed to form a sentence before rushing to the back of a store.

A moment later she came back and stated the price, which Aron charged to the currency card he had received at his residence a day before. How cards, transferring of funds, and certain information worked was quite simple.

Each card has a unique runic code that it starts off with. When one loses or gains money, it records the value which will then reflect the next time one visits a bureau. This system which is used only throughout Ettenheim was developed by the Lovitz family and was one of reasons they were the wealthiest family in all Ettenheim.

"Thank you for your business, they shall be delivered to your residence without fail..." The young woman bowed, still a bit surprised by the purchase order but Aron simply just nodded and left.

'Now I'm only left with—?' As Aron walked out of the bookstore and was about to plan his next move, he came face to face with a familiar group. Brutas, Esmeralda, Anastasia, Henry, and Emilia were all currently exiting the store just next to the one Aron was in. "You!" As if by instinct, Brutas was the first to react by giving him a hateful gaze.

"The weak aristocrats." Aron only acknowledged their presence and said nothing more as he prepared to keep walking, but Brutas stepped forward and prevented him from doing so. "Do you think you can just walk away?" He asked angrily, the fury in his eyes plain to see for all.

This caused many bystanders including store owners to observe from a distance and talk in whispers as many of them recognized Brutas and his group. As for why Brutas acted despite suffering only losses to Aron, it was simply because he thought Aron wasn't truly strong. Thinking his success was due to an artifact and cunningness rather than plain strength.

Even Henry and the others knew this was dumb as Aron's strength was clearly extraordinary so they didn't immediately say anything.

Brutas however refused to believe he was bested by someone who didn't train like he did or have the same resources, it was beyond humiliating to even consider.

"Brutas, let's not cause a scene." Anastasia had given Aron a glance but when she saw the unfazed look in his eyes, she felt worried but more importantly she felt if she didn't, he might instead blame her for not acting as his servant. 'But if he dies here then his threats to Henry mean nothing, plus he never specifically told me to defend him...' Anastasia thought to herself while looking unsure.

Ever since the events that took place, she had been doing her own research on types of slave contracts, pacts of servitude and how to break them but none she found matched her situation. Using a correct method was a risk on its own but trying a wrong method could easily end her life, the best she could hope for that seemed common among all of them was the owner, master or contractor dying.

"Don't worry, Anastasia, he's nothing without the artifact." Brutas had taken Anastasia's subtle warning as her being worried history would repeat itself. Henry, who would normally be the voice of reason only observed them, hoping Brutas's hunch was indeed right. Esmeralda also shared a similar hatred towards Aron but didn't want to risk speaking.

All these subtle behaviors were picked up by Aron causing him to show a charming smile as he snickered. 'They're using their so-called friend to gauge my strength. The muscle head is none the wiser either.'

Aron thought while Brutas reached forward and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, feeling like Aron was mocking him. "Do you think this is funny?! Did you really think you could get away with what you did?" Brutas's breathing became inconsistent and his muscles tensed up as he remembered the memories of Aron's humiliation.

The number of bystanders and onlookers only seemed to grow as they wondered what was going on.

"Who is that?"

"To offend an actual possible heir to a grand family..."

"This could be interesting."

Everyone present had mixed thoughts and opinions on the matter. But in the end, they could only look and await to see what happens.

"What's there to get away with? Do I look like I was ever trying to run away from you? Don't flatter yourselves, it's you who should've avoided me or do you wish all of Galos City to know of your inferiority." Aron maintained his charming smile as he said this, the sheer amount of confidence he held caused the others concern but when one is fueled by anger, their thoughts are often clouded.

Unable to take it anymore, Brutas clenched his fist tightly and without hesitation he hit Aron right on the chest. The fury from this punch could be seen clearly by everyone present as it even held strengthening from his mana, however, this punch only made Aron take a small step back while still standing strong.

Be it bystanders, Brutas, or his friends, everyone was shocked how one can take such a punch and come out completely unscathed. Aron looked at his chest and then at Brutas before his smile faded and his gaze became cold and domineering.

"Rule number eight-hundred and seventy-two; fights among contestants after the journey are strictly forbidden, the exception being if one is struck first or is simply defending themselves." Aron revealed without emotion behind his words as he took a step closer to Brutas…