The Challenger's Return: Rebirth of the Rainbow Mage

As the auction ended, the remaining guests were left in shock and slight stupefaction at Otto's wealth.

The eyes of a few members of the crowd glinted.

They took out their communicators and quietly whispered a few words.

It was unknown what was going through their minds.

A couple stared at Otto as if he was a delicious prey.

Otto, for his part, took in the various expressions of the people around him and laughed inwardly.

He didn't deny that there were inevitably some dangers in exposing such a vast sum of wealth to others.

It was likely that it would attract some unwanted attention from the powers-that-be in Area 1.

Not to mention the organization behind this so-called Golden Club.

But Otto was also hoping it served as a form of deterrence against those who might be aiming for him.

They would think to themselves,

"What else does this man have up his sleeves?"

Otto smirked.

He had chosen to expose this bit of money because he was confident in himself, and most of all, confident in his strength.

Also, perhaps it would actually serve him well to showcase his value to this organization…

Only time would tell.

On the stage, the lights flickered and the room transformed for the second time this evening, as a third woman came out to speak to the challengers.

It seemed to be time for the next event.

"Apologies, dear guests, members."

"There's been a… shuffle in the schedule."

Her eyes met Otto's. Implicitly admitting that the 'shuffle' was a consequence of his own actions.

"We will now be moving on to the part of the evening where you members get to showcase your skills against veterans of our Golden Club."

"I am aware that this portion of the evening sometimes catches our newcomers…unprepared."

She raised a brow and looked challengingly at the six new members one by one.

Her eyes lingered on Otto for just a second too long.

"Of course, the Golden Club abides by the rule of fairness."

"You are free to choose not to take part in this event, and spend the rest of the evening free and easy."

"Should you so choose, we will not be asking you to return."

"This is a very important tradition of our Golden Club, and helps us decide the member hierarchy each month."

"Here at the Golden Club, we do not abide by the typical organization standards."

"Who is on top and who remains at the bottom is decided not by wealth, but by power."

She once again glanced over at Otto with clear provocation.

Her gaze carried the message that he would not be given special treatment because of his money.

Otto snorted calmly and raised an eyebrow.

Listen, if he had really wanted to show off, he would have directly taken out a crystal rather than a measly Beta coin.

The woman smirked at the crowd.

"Higher positions get access to more exclusive rewards and better benefits."

"Please check the list on your screen."

A yellow screen appeared in front of each member of the crowd.

Most members were already aware of the rules. They didn't bother to take a glance at it.

But the newcomers studied it curiously.

On the screen, there was a list of ranks in the shape of a pyramid next to a list of perks and privileges provided by the club for each rank.

Otto's 'status' here was the lowest, so he could only see the first three lines on the bottom of the pyramid, while the remaining four were hidden.

Even then, his eyes widened as he read through it.

Below the pyramid was a title:

[Non-Member Initiate]: no membership, access to monthly meetings after proving adequate power.

No other benefits.

Then, starting at the bottom of the pyramid.

[Rookie]: Requires paid membership.

Benefits include:

1 White-Grade spatial storage ring

A small set of potions and pills handmade by our in-house journeyman alchemist

A set of arrays crafted by an apprentice arrayist,

A set of equipment provided by our journeyman forger, tailor, and enchanter.

Discounted access to hidden information about each floor.

[Trainee]: Requires paid membership.

Benefits include:

1 Bronze-Grade spatial storage ring

A medium set of potions and pills handmade by our in-house journeyman alchemist. Can be adjusted to fit your requirements.

A set of arrays crafted by our in house journeyman arrayist.

A set of equipment provided by our journeyman forger, tailor, and enchanter.

Free access to hidden information about each floor.

Discounted access to a part of our network of connections.

Free personal combat lessons lasting for 1 hour each week, and virtual combat lessons that last for another 10 hours each week.

Structured plans to make the most out of your time on each floor.

[Adept]: Requires paid membership.

Benefits include:

1 Bronze-Grade spatial storage ring (upgradable at a discount)

Choose your own personalized medium set of potions and pills handmade by our in-house journeyman alchemist.

Choose your own personalized set of arrays crafted by our in house journeyman arrayist.

Personalized set of equipment provided by our journeyman forger, tailor, and enchanter.

Free access to hidden information about each floor.

Discounted access to secret information about each floor.

Discounted access to most of our network of connections.

Free personal combat lessons lasting for 2 hours each week, and virtual combat lessons that last for another 20 hours each week.

Free lifetime Bronze membership to the virtual network

Structured personalized plans to make the most out of your time on each floor.

Free set of potions that raise your attributes.

Free personalized training in your profession (small fee for a rare or unusual profession)

Discounted access to our vast collection of skills and spells.

Each successive rank required power to match, measured by the judges through traditional fights.

"…"

Otto was flabbergasted at the amount of money the organization was spending.

Even at the [Rookie] level, each member was given a spatial storage ring free of charge.

Otto knew that let alone a White-grade spatial storage ring, even a common spatial storage ring was extremely expensive in Area 1.

He glanced at the prices of membership, and was once again shocked.

Not because it was too high: rather, it was extremely cheap!

Paid members merely had to give the organization 100 Smekkers each month.

Moreover, this was constant for all the levels of membership.

If a challenger was strong enough, they could easily become an adept, getting everything on that list for the same 100 Smekkers.

Otto couldn't imagine just how much an organization like this was spending each month.

These rewards were huge!

Even he felt slightly tempted.

Nevertheless, he quickly calmed down. First of all, most of these benefits weren't actually of any use to him.

More importantly, Otto had lived in the [Tower] long enough to understand that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

He felt certain: the devil was hidden in the details.

What exactly was required to get such a membership? The screen in front of him stated that there were 'other requirements' besides the price.

Was it a trap? Some odious clause that needed to be followed to become a member? Perhaps a hidden responsibility to the organization?

As the newcomers read through the list with glee, the room also finished its transformation.

Now, the stage had re-integrated with the floor, becoming a wide-open ballroom-type area once more.

However, the room's area had grown by five times, at least.

And littered across the floor were miniature arenas surrounded by 2 meter tall, impact triggered magic barriers.

Hitting these barriers with heavy enough force would result in a loss to the duel, as it was considered 'flying out of the ring.'

Otto glanced around and registered the nerves and anticipation on the faces of the surrounding challengers.

They must already be paid members who wished to work their way up the ranks for better benefits.

Every now and then, a challenger would turn around and gaze at the newcomers who stood there, unsure of themselves.

Their eyes contained complicated emotions, but primary amongst them was a strange combination of pity and schadenfreude.

Otto sneered when he saw this behavior. Perhaps part of this organization's tradition was also to 'beat up' the new arrivals?

Glanes, the man with the wolf-head who happened to be the first person Otto met when he'd arrived at the Golden Club, took the opportunity to sidle up to him.

But this time, he'd brought a guest.

Next to Glanes was a human woman whose face was covered by a mask. Only her brilliant purple eyes were exposed.

Her gaze was fixed on Otto as she followed directly behind Glanes.

Otto was shocked to find that he actually couldn't sense this woman's approach.

He inwardly raised his guard to the highest level even as he nodded at her calmly with nary a change in his expression.

Yet even when there was less than 3 meters distance between them, not a single hint of her aura escaped. If he hadn't been looking directly at her, Otto might never have known she was there.

It was as if she was a normal person, without a lick of combat prowess, completely incapable of posing a threat to him.

But this incredibly tight control only made Otto even warier.

His eyes uncontrollably narrowed for an instant, while his muscles tightened in preparation to pounce.

Adrenaline coursed through his body, keeping him on high alert.

His intuition blared warning signals at him.

In that moment, for the first time since he'd arrived back to the [Tutorial], Otto instinctively knew.

He was absolutely not a match for the woman in front of him.

It took Otto a good bit of self control to quash the fighting intent that spontaneously spilled out in favor of maintaining a neutral expression.

A hint of interest flashed through the woman's eyes.

"Who are you?" She queried, voice slightly hoarse.

At her words, Glanes tripped and almost fell over in shock. When she looked over indifferently at his blunder, he broke out in cold sweat.

He couldn't remember the last time this woman spoke to anyone on her own initiative.

Of course, Otto wouldn't notice anything wrong with her words.

"My name is Toto."

"Hmm. You may call me Verasha."

"It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

A smile, partially hidden by her mask, bloomed on her face. Her eyes sparkled, resembling a brilliant amethyst.

"We shall speak after your fight. I look forward to your performance."

Then, she left. Completely unbothered by any impression she might have made.

Otto nodded impassively and watched her slowly saunter off.

Glanes hesitated for a moment before warning in a low voice,

"Be careful," before he escaped after her with a quick stride.

Precisely what he was referring to, was as of yet unknown.

At the same moment, the crowd's attention was drawn by six magic arrays that suddenly appeared in a row near the center of the room.

The circles glowed in blue, complex runes adding an archaic feeling to the atmosphere.

Six challengers stepped out.

Each looked at a single newcomer.

As one, they beckoned with their finger.

"Come."