Gleam [Karma Cultivator Isekai]
Chapter 56: Promise

“I can’t believe it. Well, I can, but still.” Bella said once they’d stepped back into the room. “Especially you, Chance. Yeo did brilliant as well, of course, but you only got to Centurion a few months ago. Winning the Squire ranked tournament this quickly has to be breaking some kind of record.”

Yeo slapped Chance on the back. “It was our rivalry that spurred him onward.”

“Since when did that happen? Watching the fight was the first I’d heard of it,” Bella said, narrowing her eyes.

“In the fight. He just knew we’d become rivals, so was working harder the entire time in preparation. If I’d done the same, I would have been way better too. That’s just how smart Chance is.” Yeo’s face was completely straight, and his words so serious that if Chance hadn’t known him better, he would have wondered if the boy was actually being serious.

Bella gave him no such benefit of the doubt and socked him in the shoulder. Yeo yelped, hopping back and cradling his arm. “You’re the one with the super defense, not me. Keep those thumpers of yours to yourself.”

“You get the rest of the day,” Bella said. “After that, we’re sparring. I can’t believe you held so much back when we fought before. I feel like a complete idiot.”

“It was for my dramatic reveal.” Yeo’s grin flickered and fell for a moment. “Sorry about that, though. Didn’t mean to make a fool of you.”

“It’s fine. I probably should have seen it coming,” Bella said, shaking her head. “I’ll do better next time. I’ve been saving up quite a bit of the money we’ve earned, unlike the two of you. I’m going to get myself access to someone who can guide me out of the rut I’m currently stuck in.”

The doors behind them slid open, and dull chatter filled the halls as other young Shikari filed out. Several groups passed by their room, and they got several waves from the tournament participants that recognized them. Chance returned them, even though he couldn’t remember if he’d gone against most of them. It was just the polite thing to do.

“Wren was really something else, though,” Chance said. “Did you see him helping me train while we fought?”

Bella nodded. “He’s got to be the son of some really powerful family, or his master is unbelievably strong. I felt like I was learning just from fighting him, and he wasn’t even trying to help me like he was for you.”

“Maybe you could pay him to hang out with you,” Yeo suggested as the three headed out of their room and joined the stream of people walking to the exit of the arena. “I bet that would be really effective. He’s pretty hot, though. You might not be able to afford his time.”

“Sounds like you’re jealous,” Bella said. “Wishing you saved up some of your own money?”

“Me? Jealous? Never.” Yeo placed a hand above his heart and looked into the sky, nearly stumbling into the person in front of him in the process. He caught his balance and, without pausing, struck a dramatic pose. “I am a paragon of all virtues.”

“Right,” Bella and Chance drawled in unison.

They headed out of the colosseum and down the massive golden pathway back into Gleam proper. When they reached the bottom, they broke away from the churning crowds and sat down on a bench near the commotion.

“You think Pete will be able to find us here?” Chance asked. “It’s really busy.”

“It should be fine. We can wait a bit, and if he can’t, we can just head back to the Whiteheart house and meet him there,” Yeo said, rolling his neck and slinging his arms over the back of the bench with a sigh. “Man, I’m beat. That was fun. You think the next tournament will be soon?”

Chance and Bella stared at him.

“I certainly hope not,” Chance said. “I’ve got too much to practice to worry about yet another tournament. Then again, if it pays really well, I suppose I won’t complain too much.”

A small shadow fell over the bench behind Chance. “Thinking about the next tournament already? Chance, you are far more ambitious than I thought.”

He craned his neck back and Wren raised a hand slightly in greeting. Behind him, the plain man from the tournament stood, his hands crossed behind his gray beard.

“Wren!” Chance stood, turning to fully face the boy. “I didn’t think we’d run into each other so quickly after the tournament.”

“Why? We both live in Gleam, do we not?” Wren asked, the corner of his lips quirking in a smile. “But, to admit the truth, neither did I. My impression was that I’d be doing some private training for a while due to my actions at the tournament.”

“What actions? You just fought normally,” Yeo said. “If anything, you held back, didn’t you?”

“Like Chance, I was using this as an opportunity to train,” Wren said. “But, unlike Chance, I did not reap the benefits that I had hoped to. I was meant to only compete using my fighting style and no other abilities, but the match was simply too exciting for me to keep myself from doing more. Thus, I had expected to be doing solitary practice as punishment for forcing my master to dishonor himself.”

“Dishonor?” Chance asked, surprised. “How?”

“I mistakenly caught you in my gaze,” the man behind Wren said, speaking for the first time. His voice was, for lack of better words, smooth and syrupy. It felt like honey on a warm day. “And, though my disciple is taking credit for that mistake, its fault lies entirely on me. I did not expect you to be so perceptive. Please accept my forgiveness for interfering in your fight.”

“Oh, at the end of the fight?” Chance asked. “That’s fine, there’s really no reason to apologize. Wren was a really strong opponent, and he definitely could have defeated me if he fought without holding back. If anything, I’m deeply within his debt for his aid in training me while we fought.”

“There’s no point fighting someone if they can’t put out their best,” Wren said. He glanced at Yeo. “Speaking of, your name was Yeo, right? I loved your fights, both against Chance and your brother. Very inspiring. I haven’t seen Metal Essence used like that before. I’d love to spar you once I get some time.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Yeo said.

“Forgive me for my continued interruption,” Wren’s mentor said, raising a hand slightly. “But I cannot simply just accept your refusal of my apology. Whether you believe it a slight or not, I have still acted against you. My conscious would not be at rest unless that mistake was corrected.”

“Oh, do you cultivate Karma?” Chance asked.

“Karma? No, nothing so vast,” the man replied with a small smile. “But, nonetheless, burdens upon the soul should not be kept. Do you have any unmet needs for resources or knowledge? I would rest easier if I knew that I had lightened your burden on this coil in any way.”

“That’s really kind of you to offer,” Chance said, rubbing the back of his head. “But, to be totally honest, Wren helped me more than I can put into words.”

“Which is your debt to him, not to me,” the man said gently. “His actions are not my own, and mine are not his.”

“That makes sense. Huh. Honestly, I need a lot of things, but nothing that I feel appropriate to ask for. If you really do think that you owe me something, then handing me a bunch of low level cultivation aid pills probably wouldn’t make you feel much better.”

“You speak like a true Karma cultivator. Unusual for one of your age. But, yes. Unless you truly desired those pills, I would feel as if I had still slighted you.”

“What if you help my friend, then?” Chance asked, nodding to Bella. “She’s at a bottleneck. Is there a technique or something that you think might help her?”

Bella choked. “What? I don’t need–”

“Karma cultivator indeed,” the man said, his smile growing wider. “I recall her fight against Wren. An impressive defense, but still some confusion on your Essence. Preservation, was it?”

Bella shifted uncomfortably. “Yes, it was. I don’t feel comfortable having Chance spend a favor on me, though.”

“Ah, but you are part of his team, are you not? An increase in your strength will also aid your friend.”

Wren gave her a thumbs up. “Might as well give in. He’s set on it now.”

Yeo opened his mouth, then closed it and shook his head. “They’re right. None of us want you to fall behind, and Chance keeps getting lucky with his encounters. You might as well mooch some of it. I sure will be.”

Bella flushed and let her head fall slightly. “Okay. If you’re sure.”

“Splendid. I will look into what I may be able to do to aid in your problem and send Wren once I have discovered a solution,” the man said. He put a hand on Wren’s shoulder and smiled. “I look forward to watching all of your progress. Gleam is in great need of powerful cultivators.”

A gentle haze washed up from the ground around them. It coiled around their bodies and warped the air. Then it faded, taking Wren and his master with it.

“You really didn’t have to do that,” Bella said, her cheeks still red. “I don’t want to just hang off your coattails.”

“Make it up by getting strong,” Yeo said. “Then you can help him out when he needs it. Also, you’ll be able to withstand my unstoppable flurry of blows without crumpling like a leaf in the wind.”

“I think you’ve gotten a slightly skewed perception of how our fights have gone,” Bella said, her eyes narrowing.

“Oh?” Yeo cocked an eyebrow in a clear challenge. “We’ll have to repeat them when we get back, then.”

Chance suppressed a smile. Intentionally or not, Yeo had just completely shifted Bella’s embarrassment away and gotten her to think about something else. Out of the corner of his eye, in the middle of the slowly shrinking crowd, Chance spotted Pete heading in their direction.

He raised his hand in greeting and the older man’s eyes lit up. He slipped around the last few people in his way and hurried over to them, raising his hands as he drew up.

“You won! And, by the gods, all of you performed incredibly. Simply marvelous. I’m very proud of all of you.”

“You helped a lot,” Yeo said. “All those extra sparring sessions we had made a world of difference.”

“I only did my job, and poorly at that,” Pete said, shaking his head. “None of this lies on my shoulders. It is entirely on you and your hard work. Splendid indeed. I think we shall have to get something in celebration of this occasion, my treat. I’ve got a little extra coin from my last job, as I destroyed less of the city than usual while completing it.” Sᴇaʀᴄh the ɴøvᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

They all burst into laughter. They headed away from the bench and into the crowd, allowing Pete to lead them toward a restaurant.

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