Chapter 257: Opening A Store

The circles he had created before were not real circles. They were an imitation of a circle, something that was akin to triplets or quads bicycles. They would work individually to reach a certain goal. 

For real circles, they were more complex. Rather, they were one entity instead of divided runes. Saying that higher-tier runes were a collection of simpler runes wasn't that wrong. 

For the current Arthur, he couldn't create temporary circles. He can't use more than one rune at the same time actively. He can use heal, which was a one-time activation, and then use detection. However, he can't use the Heal rune while he's using detection. 

That's why if he wanted to teleport his goblins and Kira, he would have to create permanent circles. Either artifacts or runic cards, he would need a medium to create the circles. 

As he read about the teleportation circles, he found that they weren't simple at all. There were a set of techniques, materials, and patterns he needed to follow while creating the circle. 

He borrowed a few books from the library as he returned to his room. As the book was scattered, Arthur tried to formulate the perfect circle for his teleport rune. Every rune would work in different amplification circles. 

Amplification circles enhance the function of the rune. Instead of one icicle, there would be two, three, four, or a million. This type of circle was the most common and the easiest to create, as the links were similar for every rune.

He tried to focus, but his mind kept wandering back to the book Sarah had given him. He knew he couldn't have answers to it, but he couldn't help himself. What if the Enders were eyeing the artifact while he was busy studying?

Chaos, mayhem, and as they call it, doomsday. His rei-rank wouldn't be enough at all. He needed to level up. To absorb the essence of monsters quickly and break through the next rank. 

A plan started to formulate in his head. He needed to corner Jaran, but that might backfire. The only reason that he left him alone until now was that he didn't want to alarm the Enders about his existence. 

If he wanted to do something to the spearman, he needed to get the truth out of him. He needed to make it worth it. The Enders wouldn't be able to react if he struck their plans from every side. 

The two days after that, he had time off. So, he went to the training wing to work on his dagger skills. While he was bench lifting some weights, someone stepped on his foot. 

Arthur wasn't particularly hurt, but as he looked at the person who did it, he found the red-haired nobleman looking at him with disdain. 

"Do you have something to say, weakling?" He said with a grin before walking away toward his group. 

Most of the students were in the training wing today since it was their time off. Seeing this interaction, most of them ignored it. Rae was also there, coming out from a puppet chamber. 

Their eyes met and she looked at him with dissatisfaction. She always berated him for ignoring the insults everyone threw his way. 

After becoming a suspect, he was thrown into a spiral of hate that he couldn't get out of. He was either treated as a despicable person or a coward, he couldn't decide which was better. 

'I had already taken a beating from Trevor with a smile,' Arthur sighed in his head as he looked at the departing narcissist. 'If Jenny said the truth, I would need to raise my ranking to the top fifty for now.' 

Arthur stood up and walked toward the nobleman. The group looked at him with hostility and he stood a few meters away from them. 

"What's your ranking?" Arthur asked. The nobleman showcased his bracelet. The number was 109. Arthur had no idea how he can challenge Jonah, who was 9th while being a hundred ranks worse. Arthur used his bracelet and issued a duel. 

"What?" 

"Is it a duel?" 

The students started gathering around them as they saw this scene. The red-haired noble glanced at the crowd and back at Arthur. 

"Have you gone insane, bastard?" 

"No, but it seems you've become a coward." Arthur shrugged. "I'm giving you free points. Are you too scared to pick them?" 

"I'll show you the difference between us." The nobleman sneered. "I accept this duel as the heir of the Gralen family, Philip." Philip proudly announced as the rest backed away. 

A dome shone from their bracelet and surrounded the two of them. Arthur almost snickered as the guy mentioned his family. How conceited can one get?

'Strength rules.' Arthur watched the countdown approached zero. Philip Gralen waved his hands as his muscles ripped and his eyes became red. It was a berserker ability, enhancing his physical strength. 

"3,2,1..." The countdown was over and Philip bolted toward him like a cannonball. The students cheered as Philip struck with devastating strength. 

Before the punch could connect, Philip froze. Arthur sighed and moved away from the punch's direction as he circled the restrained noble. 

"Bastard! What have you done?!" He roared through gritted teeth. Arthur kept walking around him. 

"Returning the favor, Sir Gralen. I heard you were from Ilios Empire. This explains your lack of courtesy. Let me correct that." As he finished those words, Arthur's fist was sinking into Philip's jaw. 

BOOM! BANG!

There was a booming sound as Arthur's fist connected followed by the sound of Philip being slammed to the barrier. Blood leaked from his mouth and nose as he fell to the ground. 

Arthur didn't stop and walked over again. He pulled his hair allowing their eyes to meet. He saw rage and also confusion. 

"Remember this, dear classmate. You got beaten by a weakling." Arthur said with a smile before smashing Philip's head to the ground. 

The ground broke underneath as Philip lost consciousness. The barrier broke as Arthur's points started skyrocketing. From his previous 159th ranking, his ranking rose to 133rd. Even though he beat the 109th, he needed more points to reach that rank. 

The wing was quiet as all cheering ceased. The students looked with shock as Arthur walked away from the unconscious Philip. The bracelet Philip wore started beeping as it sent an emergency alarm to the infirmary. 

"Stop!" Philip's friends rushed forward to help him while others tried to obstruct Arthur's way. He looked at the man blocking his path as he felt the notification of a duel ring in his bracelet. 

"I challenge you to a duel!" The man declared. "I'm the son of..." 

"Are you an idiot?" Arthur looked at the man's bracelet. His ranking was 112. "I just beat the crap out of someone outranking you and you challenge me straight away." 

"Heh." The man smiled. "I'll show you that no puny tricks work on me. Your ability was simply a mismatch to Philip's. Do you dare?" 

Arthur looked with raised brows at the man, imagining him saying he's just kidding. As for the matter of refusal, Arthur wouldn't do waste good points if they came his way. After all, he needed a hundred points to open a virtual shop. 

"Fine." Arthur smiled and accepted the duel. Another dome rose and prevented the others from participating. "At least you'll go to the infirmary together."

"I'll rip that mouth apart." The man threw away his jacket. "Know my name, for I am..."

"I don't care. I'll probably just forget about it." Arthur shrugged. "Shut up and come at me." 

"You'll be begging for forgiveness soon, Vernian." 

When the countdown was over, Arthur restrained him. The man smiled and mana left his body. A circle appeared as a monster was summoned. A giant spider with countless legs earned a few cheers and screams from the crowd. 

"Let's see how you restrain my monster," The man smiled. "Attack him, Hana!" The spider, named Hana for some reason, screeched as it launched itself toward Arthur. 

The spider's giant body fell on top of Arthur as the crowd cheered. When there were no movements, whispers emerged wondering if he was dead. 

The man smiled with smugness as the shadows danced behind him. Arthur rose to the surface as the man's friends shouted their warnings. 

"You should learn more about your opponent." Arthur smiled as he sent the man flying toward his spider with a punch, knocking him out and ending the duel. 

The crowd was both excited and confused about what happened. Arthur sensed a lot of hostility from the nobles, but he didn't care. His eyes met Rae's and he saw her smile again for the first time since they began fighting. 

'Let's fight.' Her lips mouthed and Arthur had shivers remembering her fight against the puppet. Before he would be pulled into an unnecessary mess, he ran away as the crowd parted ways.

His ranking has risen again to 118. Arthur smiled as he saw that he had secured the necessary points for his plans. Without hesitation, he entered the community and created his new store.