System's POV-Chapter 58: Mikhail’s Choice
Since the fights of the geniuses of the Monarch Clans and the Prestigious Families were over, no one paid attention to the battles that were happening in the arena.
They didn't even glance at Mikhail when he walked up into Arena 7 in order to fight his battle.
Although the other Families didn't pay any attention to this battle, Theodore and his staff did.
As the organizers of this event, they wanted to see who among the members of the young generation were worthy of note.
Arthur and Michael, who were seated in the VIP Area, alongside the other members of the Five Monarch Clans and Ten Prestigious Families, had been chatting about the latest situation of the Human Kingdoms in Solterra.
They were also discussing the eventual descent of countless Jinns and Majins into the Cygni Continent.
Although everyone was very casual about it, they all knew that they couldn't allow the Jinns to conquer another Continent, which would further decrease the territories that were owned by humanity.
Their general consensus was that as long as there weren't any Tier-9 Dimensional Gates appearing, they would do everything in their power to prevent the collapse of another Human Continent.
The Griffin Clan, which was one of the Monarch Clans, and ruled the Cygni Continent alongside three other Prestigious Families, had declared that they would not abandon their Domain, and fight with everything they had.
They were even encouraging the Wanderers of their continent to fight for their homeland. In order to strengthen themselves for the upcoming invasion, they decided to become the subordinates of the Griffin Clan, and increase their Ranks as soon as possible.
Suddenly, one of Arthur's old friends noticed Gerald walking towards the arena and smirked.
"Arthur, isn't that the son that you kicked out of the house?" Lawrence Smith asked.
The Smith Family was one of the three other Prestigious Families that ruled Aldebaran alongside the Remington Clan.
They were all "allies" on the surface, so they acted like all of them were friends during these gatherings.
Arthur smiled. "It is indeed my unfilial son. I wonder how he was able to get an invitation to this party."
Lawrence chuckled. "I've heard that he stopped going to Solterra after getting targeted by Death Wish. I think he made the right decision. In the face of certain death, it is best to just live in peace, and no longer go to dangerous places."
"Are you talking from experience?" Arthur arched an eyebrow. "I've been asking you to come with me to challenge a Tier-8 Dimensional Gate, but you're too scared to even try."
"Are you that desperate to become a Monarch?" Lawrence sneered. "Unlike you, I don't plan on dying. Good luck finding partners to go with you on your suicide mission."
In order for Thrones to become Monarchs, they needed to challenge a Tier-9 Gate once, or a Tier-8 Dimensional Gate twice.
Arthur had already challenged one such Gate, but at the cost of him losing over a thousand subordinates, and three close friends of his. Their Ranks were of the Grandmaster and Champion Ranks, but in the end, less than fifty people survived.
It was a crippling blow to the forces of the Leventis Family, which made him reconsider his options. If not for the fact that he was already a Throne at that time, the other Families who wanted to take their place, might have done so.
Lady Callista and Hans were two of the people that survived this fight and, after that battle ended, they vowed to never attempt it a second time.
This happened over fifty years ago, and since then, Arthur hadn't challenged another Tier-8 Gate.
If the Ten Prestigious Families worked together, they could probably produce a Monarch. But, none of them were willing to risk their lives in the attempt.
The moment they died, their Families would suffer, so they were content with being Thrones, and no longer tried to aim to become a Monarch.
"So, that boy he is escorting to the arena is one of your grandsons huh? His looks aren't too shabby," Lawrence commented. "If he is any good, I might consider letting him marry into my family."
Arthur didn't make any comments and simply glanced at the arena while twirling the wineglass in his hand.
He and Michael had been paying close attention to Gerald's Family.
When Thirteen spoke up earlier, Arthur almost threw an apple at his bastard grandson's head while shouting, "Will it kill you to behave and keep a low profile this once?"
Fortunately, Arthur was able to hold back since Thirteen's question wasn't that important.
Even so, he knew that Theodore and the Remington Family were also paying close attention to Gerald's Family due to the Heavenly Phenomenon that happened a few months ago.
Just before Mikhail stepped into the Arena, Gerald handed him an Axe that he had personally crafted for his son.
This was a Peak-Grade Bronze Weapon that Mikhail used whenever he was training his Martial Technique inside their training room.
Although he would be unable to use this weapon until his Second Wandering, he still used it a lot and had gained a better understanding of his abilities.
Michael was also paying extra close attention to his nephew, whom he would see fight for the first time.
Suddenly, three cages were brought to the arena, which made the children, who had finished their fights, look over in confusion.
There was only one person in an arena, so they were wondering where the other two monsters would be taken.
However, when they saw that all three cages were brought to Arena 7, their eyes widened in shock when they thought about a possibility.
Even Theodore, who had left his staff to handle Michael's challenge, was very surprised.
'This kid…' Theodore held back a chuckle after seeing the identity of the three monsters he had chosen. 'Did his father help him out?'
Theodore glanced at Gerald, who had his arms crossed over his chest while he looked at his son, who was standing in the arena with a weapon in hand.
Although he already knew the outcome of the battle, Theodore still decided to watch how things would unfold.
The purpose of this event was to observe who among the next batch of Wanderers would be the most promising, and it seems that he found a rough gem, who would soon make a name for himself in his First Wandering.