It wasn't as though I didn't expect this offer to come.

I knew my worth.

After everything that I had displayed, I'd be surprised if I didn't attract the attention of Atlas who already started to show signs of appreciation towards what I had displayed.

It was for that exact reason that I wasn't totally taken aback.

"Low Seat of Dawn?"

I was somewhat aware of how the rankings within the Inverted Sky worked.

Low Seat of Dawn only meant one thing.

'He's asking me to become his successor.'

But did that even make sense? As far as I knew, he was an ageless monster that couldn't die. Did he really need a successor?

....Or was there more to it?

'Does he want to leave the Inverted Sky to me?'

Indeed, Atlas wasn't some mere member of the Inverted Sky. He was something more. Perhaps, he was just looking for a successor within the Inverted Sky.

...Or perhaps more.

I wasn't too sure.

There were four organizations as far as I was aware, and they were merely puppets to the faceless man. He was the one who controlled everything, and though I wasn't sure how far his influence reached, he without a doubt had eyes and ears all over the world.

However, what I did know was that I couldn't refuse the offer.

Nor was I planning on rejecting it.

"....

"I

Lowering my head to stare at the outstretched hand, I brought my hand forward and held it.

"I'd be my pleasure."

A smile formed on Atlas's lips as he gripped my hand.

"That's good..."

He seemed rather happy with my decision. But did I really have one to begin with? Had I rejected it, would he have just killed me on the spot?

"You've made the right decision."

Atlas stood up, patting his dark blazer slightly and tracing his hand against his blonde hair. "Well..."

His expression, which had been rather warm a few seconds prior, suddenly turned cold as I felt myself shuddering slightly.

"For now, I won't be announcing your succession yet."

I remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

He must have a reason for saying this, and I was fine with my presence still being kept a secret. I needed more time for growth.

"You're still too weak."

Okay...

Makes sense.

"For someone to become a seat within the Inverted Sky, they must reach a certain threshold in strength. You hold excellent potential, but that doesn't mean that you're capable of filling the seat that I'm offering you."

"What level must I reach?"

Atlas gave me a quick glance.

"....The bare minimum is for you to at least be capable of forming your Domain. And that's merely the threshold. Many people want to claim the position that I'm offering, but can't because I don't want to give it to them. In the end, the decision is up to me, and I want to offer that position to you. But even if I want to offer it to you... you must be strong enough to keep it."

Extending his hand forward, a small pill appeared in Atlas's hand.

"The other members will try to snatch that position from you, or even kill you for it to prevent you from taking it, and I won't be able to do a thing because that's how things work around here. That's why we need to wait."

He casually fiddled with it before tossing it in my direction.

"Consume this."

11

I grabbed the pill and looked at it in silence. It was purple in color, and upon closer inspection,

I could see certain runes inscribed on it.

The runes appeared somewhat mysterious, faintly pulsing with a purple light.

"This is...?"

"You are strong for someone your age. No, that would be wrong... You're incredibly strong for someone your age. However, you're not perfect. You're incredibly unbalanced."

Unbalanced...? I raised my head to look at Atlas. His face was cold, lacking any of the warmth that was usually present on his face.

It seemed like he was taking his seriously.

"You've been practicing your Emotive Magic so much that you've started to neglect your other talent. Curse Magic."

".....Hm."

I closed my eyes for a brief moment. This was something that I already knew and planned to

address. It wasn't surprising for Atlas to be able to tell this.

'In that case, does this mean that this pill is supposed to help me with my curse magic?'

But how exactly was it going to do that?

Was it going to help with my control?...Or was it just going to boost my affinity with Curse

Magic?

"I've noticed that you only possess two spells that belong to the [Curse] category."

"Yes,"

This was no secret.

It wasn't that I didn't want to practice more spells, but it was mainly because I didn't want to

go with the trouble of learning new spells since it took so long to unlock them.

Furthermore, my spells could evolve.

I wanted to invest all my attention in evolving the spells I already had at my disposal.

"That and the fact that spells are expensive...'

"Here you go."

Raising my head again, Atlas held two books for me.

"Here."

"These are...?"

"Two intermediate spells that I selected for you. The pill right there should help you with

unlocking them. It should save you a lot of time."

Atlas pointed at the runes within the pill.

"Once you consume the pill you'll be able to instantly have a better understanding of the

spells which will help you unlock them within a day."

"This..."

I reached for the two books in astonishment before settling my gaze on the pill in my hand.

"There's such a thing?!'

I thought back to how much I had tortured myself back then to unlock my first two spells, and even now felt my mind throb at the thought. I never wanted to undergo such a situation

again.

'At first, I was worried I'd have to torture myself all over again, but who would've thought...'

This pill... It was without a doubt extremely precious.

I could tell that Atlas was serious about nurturing me into becoming a Low Seat.

"When you have time consume the pill before learning the books. You have about two days of time before the effect dies down completely. Be careful not to waste the time given since this

pill is rather troublesome to make."

"....Yes."

I carefully wrapped the pill before putting it away. After which, I shifted my attention toward

the two books that contained the spells that Atlas had given me.

[Nightmare Hex]

[Immersia] The only thing I did was read the names of the spells before taking a deep breath. Though I didn't know exactly what they did, an idea had already formed in my mind. I wanted

at this very second open them up and carefully read through their description but managed to

restrain myself.

"What do you think?"

"....I'm thankful."

I set the books aside before lifting my gaze to look at Atlas. His expression was still cold, but

he appeared satisfied by my reaction.

"Practice them well. They will be important for you in the future. While it is good that your

Emotive Magic is strong, you must also practice your Curse Magic. You have been gifted with

dual talents, it would be a waste if you did not take advantage of it."

"Understood."

His words held merit to them, and I really was going to spend the time that I had after this tournament to focus on consolidating everything that I had been neglecting.

... Well, if I have time.'

I wasn't exactly the freest of people.

Not because I had things going on but because trouble came looking for me wherever I went.

Such was my life.

"Take some time to heal up in the next few days. The winner of the tournament will be

announced soon, and you will given rewards."

"Ah."

My attention was piqued once more.

I was already happy with the rewards that I had received, but who was I to reject further

rewards? If possible I wanted to completely dry the royal family's treasury but I knew that I couldn't actually do that.

'What should I ask for? A bone? Manuals...?'

A lot of possibilities ran through my mind as my heartbeat started to increase. The greed that

I had been holding back for so long suddenly resurfaced once more as all sorts of different

reward ideas popped up in my mind.

"Think carefully about your rewards."

Atlas's words came as a sudden cool reminder, shaking me out of my thoughts.

When I raised my head, his yellow pupils settled over me.

"...This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The chance of you being offered something like

this will probably not come again. If you're thinking of choosing something like a bone, then

your reward would go to waste."

Waste...? I frowned slightly.

"Why?"

"Because I can offer that to you myself."

"...I see."

My eyes widen in realization.

'Right, how could I not think of that?'

I was now the next person in line to become the 'Low Seat of Dawn'. Whatever resource the Royal family could offer, so could the Inverted Sky. A precious bone? A precious manual? I

didn't doubt for a second that they couldn't offer it to me.

Especially since...

"Hoo."

I took a deep breath to cool my mind.

"I understand."

I looked at Atlas and nodded seriously.

"....I'll think about it carefully."

"Good."

A satisfied smile graced Atlas's lips as he finally turned around to head for the door of the

locker room. Reaching out for the handle, he paused before throwing me one last glance.

"There's no clear result to the fight since the referee is still recovering, but I'm inclined to believe that you've won. So... I'll congratulate you now."

Finally, his expression became warm once more. "Congratulations on your victory."

He opened the door and stepped out of the door.

Clank-

He left soon after, leaving me alone in the locker room, where the silence wrapped around me

like a heavy blanket. I leaned my head back against the wall, closed my eyes, and quietly

muttered,

"....Congratulations on your victory."

For some reason...

I really liked the sound of that.

"Congratulations on your victory." Mumbling the words again, a smile appeared on my lips.

Yeah...

I really like the sound of that. "Congratulations on your victory."

Fuck you, Leon.