The Challenger's Return: Rebirth of the Rainbow Mage

Otto opened his eyes and rapidly prepared to enter combat mode.

His body tensed invisibly as he prepared to dual cast as soon as he sensed the slightest hint of tension or killing intent in the atmosphere.

He also prepared to cast the teleportation spell that came with his boots to his previous marked location, the rented house in which he and the kids were currently residing.

Thankfully, it was available, meaning that they were still on the planet of [Satslik].

This was a situation beyond his previous understanding, so it was only natural that he be prepared for any potential threats.

But his tightly wound tension slowly eased as he scanned the room, though his guard didn't relax at all.

Gradually, his brows rose.

Otto had appeared inside of a massive ballroom-type space.

A large golden chandelier hung from the ceiling, draping dozens of shining golden arms in curving patterns. Magical fires were lit on the ends of each arm that would normally be holding candles.

The whole thing looked as if it weighed too much for the ceiling to hold, but Otto's sharp eyes managed to pick out a few carefully inscribed array formations that seemed to reduce its weight.

An empty floor spaced with white marble tables surrounding the edges of the room.

It looked like a banquet, or perhaps a dance for the upper crust, at first glance.

The walls were lined with magical candles that lent a certain ambience to the atmosphere.

Even the smell was light, fresh, and pleasant. In one second, Otto caught a waft of vague fruity-flavor. In the next, warm spices, and afterwards a hint of a floral scent.

Sure enough, his eyes caught a hidden array inscribed on the walls that targeted guests' brains to provide smells they were most comfortable with.

The floor was made of an odd material that looked like white marble but was soft and springy to the touch. Ornate golden patterns added a hint of color to the otherwise white and bare stone.

The room was tastefully decorated down to the smallest of details.

As Otto continued to observe, other guests began to arrive.

This time, Otto was truly impressed because he discovered that not only were human species not in the majority, but even humanoids did not significantly outnumber the other races attending.

A man with a wolf's head and extremely developed arms came up to Otto and growled at him softly.

Otto was slightly taken aback to feel an astonishing pressure emitting from him.

The wolf man boasted combat prowess far and away above the norm, though Otto could not tell using only his intuition just how strong he actually was.

The growl was immediately translated into his mind as,

"Are you a new arrival? Hello, I'm Glanes. It's nice to meet you."

"The first part of this event is the introduction. Until then, feel free to mingle, enjoy the magical beverages. You will eventually be asked to find a seat.

May I have your name?"

Otto briefly considered hiding his identity under another layer and not even revealing his alias [Toto].

Something told him that the people here may not all be as friendly as Glanes.

But Otto was not really a person who liked to hide himself.

While he would never confront an unknown enemy, he was likewise unwilling to cower in fear of being 'discovered.'

Moreover, he had not yet established that there even WAS an unknown enemy at this…gathering.

"Hello Glanes, I'm Toto. It's nice to meet you as well."

The two casually chatted and eventually, a few more people joined them.

They seemed to be curious about the new arrival, and Otto fielded question after question about his life, expertise, strength, profession, teammates, and more.

He was careful to remain polite while deflecting each question.

By the time the introduction was announced, each guest was surprised and a little frustrated to find that they had learned literally nothing about the new arrival, Toto, during the entire fifteen or so minutes they had conversed.

But they merely shook their heads before revealing a polite smile and finding an empty seat.

At this point, a stage appeared in the center of the ballroom, conjured directly out of thin air.

Not a single of the around one hundred guests revealed surprise at its appearance.

A female Catalbee with pale yellow-ish skin and a desiccated face started to speak, her voice transmitted to every guest in the room.

"Hello and thank you for joining us for tonight's events at the Golden Club.

And do we have some events for you!

I'm very excited to announce that we have six new arrivals for the evening, so all our returning guests, please welcome them warmly."

She shot a quick wink over in the general direction of the guests.

It was a youthful expression from a withered looking face that Otto, quite frankly, wished he could unsee.

The woman continued,

"My name is Riva, and I'll be your organizer and the host of tonight's events."

"As always, let me begin with an introduction."

Her voice abruptly softened into a lilting tone.

A strange sensation filled Otto's ears.

He felt a subtle feeling of hypnosis to enter his brain.

Otto decided to just let it in, as it didn't carry any malicious intention, but was instead provided for the guests like himself to relax.

But in the very next instant, an astonished expression crossed his face.

Otto's eyes flashed with ruthlessness and he rallied his mental power to block out the invading force.

Thankfully, he was sensitive enough to notice a problem before it began.

Ever since the incident with the poison, Otto had been more on guard against these types of mental attacks.

This particular attack was two pronged, first invading his mind invisibly, infiltrating his mental defenses, asking him to let down his guard to the second wave.

Well, to be precise, it really wasn't an attack.

At least, Otto legitimately could not sense a hint of malicious will or intent to harm within either invasion. It was purely meant to help him 'relax'.

But that didn't mean Otto could appreciate it.

In his eyes, any attempt to invade his mind against his will, beneficial or maleficent, was categorized as a malicious attack.

Otto looked up and glanced around.

The vast majority of others seated around the small tables were also alert to the hypnosis attempt and had blocked the wave with little to no trouble.

Well, there was also a good chance they were aware in advance.

But a small minority of people let themselves be carried by the Riva's words, either by choice or by accident, gently rocked and lifted by every cadence in her tone.

Otto still paid attention to the words she spoke,

"We are called the Golden Club here in Area 1; our organization was founded many, many years ago. It spans across quite a few areas."

"Every month, we host a new event comprised of various activities catered to the uppermost echelon of challengers in the Area."

"I know you folks all have the 'qualification' to attend."

She paused briefly and let out a wink, eliciting a chuckle from many guests.

Otto's eyes widened for a split second before he caught his own instinctive reaction and kept his face carefully neutral.

But a storm was brewing under the surface.

If she spoke the truth, then did every single person here possess the same kind of 'qualification' he did?

There was an organization of people who not only knew about these qualifications, but actively gathered them together?

Was this really just a social club, as it appeared on the surface?

But the woman's voice continued, leaving Otto little time to ponder.

"Tonight's events will first consist of our monthly auction where we sell off all of the items, equipment, tools, weapons, potions, pills, and anything else we happen to find on floors.

Each item must be of a certain quality standard to appear here, generally not able to be sold in the wider Area.

However, perhaps they don't fit your style, or you need some additional cash or wish to trade for something more useful to you personally.

Not to worry, folks, that's what this auction is for."

"After that is a…"

The woman's voice had what Otto could only describe as a kind of drawling that naturally relaxed the ears of listeners.

She slowly explained the events of the evening one by one, showing no impatience or reluctance to go into great detail about each event.

"And finally, we have the information exchange. Now each piece of information provided must be verified by members of our staff before the trade is conducted.

After all, the last thing we want in here or even in this area, is a fight between powerful individuals."

"Okay, and that's our last event for the evening. After that, you may socialize for another fifteen minutes, then the golden card will directly send all of you home."

Otto nodded his head dumbly, a little overwhelmed at what he had gotten himself into here.

Well, he couldn't deny he was at least excited for the auction part.

"Let's start with the auction, then."