System's POV
chapter-206

Two days later, Gael and three of the Champion Bodyguards under his command headed toward the Arena, where he would preside over the duels on that day.

Vassago and Poca, who were paying close attention to the City Lord's movements, watched him from the rooftop of the houses, making sure that he wouldn't deviate from his destination.

Only after seeing the City Lord finally enter the Dueling Arena did they fly away, moving toward a narrow alley where Thirteen, Arthas, and Netero were waiting for them.

Vassago made a chirping sound, informing Thirteen that their target had finally arrived at the Arena.

Thirteen chirped back, thanking the two Pocopocos, and ordered them to continue their surveillance.

A second later, the seven-year-old ordered Tiona to call out to Rocky, who was hiding in the ground beneath their feet.

The moment Tiona gave the order, the head of the Rocky Bal-boa poked out of the ground and swallowed the seven-year-old whole.

Arthas and Netero didn't make any moves and allowed themselves to be swallowed by Rocky as well.

This wasn't the first time that they had been devoured by the Rocky Bal-Boa. In order to assure them that everything was under his control, Thirteen demonstrated Rocky's ability, which surprised the two Champions.

At the time, they even thought that all Rocky Bal-Boas had this ability. Knowing their thoughts, Thirteen told them that this wasn't the case, and Rocky was only able to do this because he was a mutant variant of his species.

Although Arthas and Netero were doubting whether the child was telling the truth or not, they had no choice but to trust the boy, who was waiting for them inside the dimension inside Rocky's stomach.

"I still can't believe that something like this exists," Netero sighed. "Hey, can you sell me Rocky? I promise to give you a good prize for him."

"He's not for sale, Lord Netero," Thirteen replied in a heartbeat. "We've already talked about this before. No matter how many times you ask me, the answer will remain the same."

"Fine, fine. I'll give up… for now."

"Tsk!"

The corner of Arthas' lips curled up into a smile as he listened to the banter between the two.

The more he interacted with the seven-year-old, the more he understood that he couldn't underestimate him.

Aside from having a Domini Mortis as his Beast Companion, he was also very smart for his age.

Not only that, but he was also full of surprises, making him hope that there wouldn't come a time when the two of them would become enemies.

Several minutes later, Rocky informed Tiona that they were nearing their destination.

The Black Snake passed this information to her Master, who passed it to Arthas and Netero.

"Remember this very important thing before we emerge from Rocky's mouth," Thirteen said in a solemn tone. "No matter what happens, don't touch anything! Whatever treasures or artifacts you see, keep your hands away from them unless I verify that they aren't dangerous.

"One mistake, and we could be discovered, so it will be best if we take things in order. This is especially true for your Lord Arthas. If we see the other half of your amulet, don't snatch it right away.

"I wouldn't put it past Gael to put some kind of spell on it that will alert him if it was taken away from its hiding place."

Arthas nodded in understanding. "Very well. But, I am not leaving unless I get it. I want to make that clear."

"That's why we're here, right?" Thirteen shrugged. "Once you confirm that the Majin Prince is real, I need you to put your trust in me.

"In the future, I will need your amulet because it is the key to beat the Majin Prince. I hope that you will trust me enough to give it to me for safekeeping when that happens."

Arthas nodded for the second time. "As long as you can prove to me that you're not just making things up, I will assist you in any way that I can."

"I also promise to help you, on the condition that you are telling us the truth," Netero commented. "If you're just lying to us, I'll take this Rocky Bal-Boa as compensation for our trouble."

Thirteen didn't even bother to answer Netero's subtle threat and simply asked the two Champions to prepare to get ejected from Rocky's body.

Somewhere inside the Mountain…

Rocky swam under the ground like fish in the water.

His destination was none other than the spacious cavern which he and Tiona had discovered during their scouting mission.

After making sure that no one was inside the cavern, the Rocky Bal-Boa emerged from the ground and spat out the three people inside his body.

The three immediately glanced around their surroundings and were amazed by what they were seeing.

"I didn't think that Gael had this side to him," Netero said before whistling. "Who would have thought that this place would be filled with treasures."

There were countless weapons, sets of armor, and artifacts, as well as other rare items, neatly arranged within the cavern.

Judging by how everything was set up, Thirteen confirmed that they were dealing with a man with a good head on his shoulders.

"Remember what I said earlier, okay?" Thirteen stated. "Don't touch anything."

The seven-year-old then pointed to what seemed to be a lavishly designed table with a round mirror perched on top of it.

Several miscellaneous artifacts had been placed on top of the table, which Thirteen believed to be the power source that allowed Arundel to communicate with Gael over long distances.

Arthas, who was eyeing the table as well, suddenly saw something lying near the round mirror, prompting him to move toward its location.

Thirteen hurriedly followed behind the Barbarian to ensure that he wouldn't really snatch the amulet, which he believed to have been tampered with by Gael, to warn the City Lord if someone were to touch or steal it.

"There's no doubt about it," Arthas said softly as he took out the other half of the amulet that hung on his neck. "It is the other half of my amulet."

At that exact moment, both pieces of the amulet glowed faintly, making Thirteen frown.

The next second, the other artifacts on top of the table shone as well, giving the seven-year-old a very bad feeling in his gut.