The break was finally over, and the spectators returned to their seats one by one. The host’s voice bood once again, filled with energy.
"And with that, both Riya and Misaki have secured their victories in the second round! Alongside them, a student from Zhonghua has also advanced! What an exciting day!"
Back in the dormitory assigned to Aryavrata Academy, Aamir and his teammates returned from the stadium. They had no more matches to watch or participate in for the day.
As Aamir stepped into the room, he turned to his friends.
"So, whose match is next?" he asked casually.
Seenu chid in right after. "Mine."
era raised her hand. "Then it’s mine."
Raj added with a grin, "And finally, mine."
Aamir gave them a thumbs-up. "Well, best of luck to all of you."
That night, after a bit of chatting and light banter, everyone turned in for the night. When the room went silent and everyone else had drifted off to sleep, Aamir sat up on his bed. With a soft shimr, he pulled out the mysterious egg from his inventory.
Holding it in his lap, he began transferring energy points into it—his daily routine now.
Once the process was complete, he sank into a ditative posture to recover the points he had just spent.
The next three days went by in the blink of an eye.
Each night, Aamir repeated his ritual with the egg.
During the day, he cheered on his friends—and one by one, they all won their matches.
By the end of the first round, seven out of twelve Aryavrata students had advanced to the second phase.
That was considered an excellent result.
With nothing to do until the second round began, Aamir decided to explore the city.
When he asked his friends, only Riya and Kunal agreed to join him.
Even though the matches had ended, Kunal still visited the stadium—not because he was interested in fights, but for another reason entirely.
As they headed out together, Kunal turned to Aamir.
"Hey... can we stop by the stadium real quick?" he asked.
Aamir raised an eyebrow. "A friend of ours joining?"
Kunal smiled vaguely. "You’ll see for yourself."
Once they reached the stadium, Kunal’s eyes scanned the crowd.
Finally, his gaze settled on a hooded figure standing off to the side.
Without hesitation, he walked toward her.
It was Hyun Ji-won—the sa girl Kunal had been secretly eting for the past ten days.
They exchanged a soft smile before walking back to the others.
"Oh, so you’re the friend he was talking about," Aamir said, amused.
Riya folded her arms with a knowing smirk. "So you’re the mystery girl he’s been eting."
Both Ji-won and Kunal blushed awkwardly.
As they all started walking together, Riya and Ji-won walked ahead while Aamir slowed down beside Kunal.
"Hey," Aamir whispered, nudging him with his elbow. "Is sothing going on between you two?"
Kunal scratched his cheek. "W-What? No! It’s not like that."
Aamir chuckled. "Really? Because it definitely looks like that."
Kunal sighed. "Okay... maybe sothing is starting. She’s nice... but to be honest, I don’t know much about her background."
Aamir raised an eyebrow. "You don’t?"
"Well," Kunal admitted, "she’s from a powerful, influential family. But today... today I’m finally eting her brother."
Aamir blinked. "Wait—what?! You an that’s why we’re here?!"
Kunal nodded sheepishly. "Well... yeah. You’re basically my family. I need the backup."
Aamir groaned. "You could’ve told ! I’m in trousers and a plain shirt—how do I look?!"
Kunal laughed. "Trust , you’re the most handso one here."
"Really?" Aamir walked up to Riya. "Hey, do you have a mirror?"
Riya looked puzzled but nodded. "Yeah, why?"
"Just wanna check sothing."
She pulled a small mirror from her dinsional bag and handed it to him.
Aamir stared into his reflection.
His skin was smoother than before. His jawline more defined. His hair longer, ssily framing his face. He looked... different. Almost like a more refined version of himself.
"Wow," Aamir muttered. "Guess I really have changed... I haven’t looked in a mirror for four months."
anwhile, back in the stadium’s observation room, the twelve rulers were watching the matches.
But one of them, King Hyun Min-jae, wasn’t paying attention.
His expression was blank—deep in thought.
King Veerendra noticed and leaned closer. "Lord Hyun Min-jae... is sothing troubling you?"
Snapping out of it, the king nodded. "Ah, Lord Veerendra. It’s nothing. Just... personal thoughts."
"Your face says otherwise."
After a mont of hesitation, Hyun Min-jae gestured for Veerendra to follow him.
They stepped into a private corner of the observation chamber.
"My sister... she’s been eting soone lately. A boy. She’s asked to et him today."
Veerendra folded his arms. "And you’re not happy about it?"
"It’s not that," Hyun Min-jae replied. "She has every right to choose her own path. But... what if the boy only wants her wealth? Or worse, what if he’s tied to one of my enemies?"
"Because I’m quite young to be a king, there are many people from my own country who don’t like , so I’m worried," Hyun Min-jae said, his expression tightening.
Veerendra placed a hand on his shoulder. "Before assuming the worst, et him. Talk to him."
"I plan to... but I’m nervous."
Veerendra smiled. "Then how about I co with you? I’ve done this before."
"You would?" Hyun Min-jae looked relieved. "That would help a lot."
"Good. When do we leave?"
Hyun Min-jae glanced at the ti. "I was just about to go."
With that, both kings stood and quietly excused themselves from the stadium.
Unbeknownst to Aamir and the others... the eting of a lifeti was just around the corner.
Aamir sent Kunal ahead with Ji-won and turned to Riya.
"Can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked.
Riya slowed her pace. Kunal and Ji-won walked a little ahead while Aamir matched steps with her.
"There’s sothing I want to discuss with you," Aamir said in a low voice.
"What is it?" Riya asked, glancing sideways at him.
"We’re going to et soone," he replied.
"Who?"
"Well... Kunal ca with us because he wants us to et soone."
"Okay, but who exactly?" Riya narrowed her eyes.
"Ji-won’s brother."
Riya blinked. "What? Wait, are they... together?"
"Kinda," Aamir said with a shrug.
"What do you an kinda? It clearly looks like they like each other. And... why does he want us to et her brother?"
Aamir looked ahead and then back at her. "Because he wants us to et him like we’re his family."
"You an... we have to act like we’re his family mbers?" Riya said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, sort of."
"Well, then why didn’t he tell us before?"
"He was nervous."
Riya sighed. "Okay, then. Looks like we don’t have a choice now, huh?"
The two of them chuckled lightly, and as they talked and walked, all four of them reached a new location.
It was a wide, open space that looked like a private training ground. The floor was padded, the surroundings enclosed by tall walls with embedded magical runes.
Aamir stopped and looked around. "Uh... Kunal, why did we stop here?"
"This is where we’re eting him," Kunal said calmly.
Aamir frowned. "Are we really here to et him... or to fight him? Because this place screams ’battlefield.’"
Kunal scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Ji-won said... her brother might want to test ."
Aamir sighed. "Of course he does. Great. So... where is this mysterious brother?"
As Aamir said that, a strange pressure filled the air. It was subtle at first—like the atmosphere had grown heavier—but within seconds, it beca undeniable.
Two figures appeared out of thin air, right in front of them.
One was a young man who looked like he was in his late twenties, his posture calm and confident. The other was an older man, probably in his sixties, with an aura that demanded respect without a single word spoken.
Aamir’s eyes widened in shock. He instantly recognized them.
Not just him—Riya and Kunal did too.
They had all t one of these n before. But the other... they had only seen him from a distance, heard stories, and felt the weight of his reputation. They had never expected to et him like this.
Standing before them were none other than KingVeerendra of Aryavrata and King Hyun Min-jae of Carnelia.
Riya gasped. "Wait a second... Her surna is Hyun... No way... She’s—"
Aamir continued her sentence, "She’s the princess of Carnelia."
Kunal’s jaw nearly dropped as he looked at Ji-won in disbelief. "He’s... your brother?"
Ji-won smiled awkwardly and nodded. "Yes..."
Hyun Min-jae stepped forward, his gaze sharp but calm. "Why? Do you have a problem with that?" he asked, his tone unreadable.
Kunal instantly straightened up, flustered. "No! Absolutely not! It’s just that... I’m standing in the presence of two kings, and one of them happens to be the brother of the girl I like... whom I’m here to et."
There was a brief silence.
Then Veerendra chuckled.
Hyun Min-jae, though still serious, let out a long breath as if to ease the tension. "Good. I prefer honesty," he said. "But just because you like my sister doesn’t an I’ll accept you easily."
Kunal nodded. "I understand."
Aamir whispered to Riya, "This is going to be interesting..."
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