Bloodline Evolution: I Can Choose Opposing Paths-Chapter 14: The City’s Peerless Treasure

This time, the winning team was assigned a proper waiting room, one that was actually filled with accommodation, which to Aren’s surprise was not bad.

Aren leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the floating bracket display.

Out of 256 teams that won and actually entered from the preliminaries, only around 16 teams were left.

Four rounds.

That was all it took to narrow the field.

Their own path through the preliminaries had been... straightforward.

The burden had been split almost cleanly between him and Luna. Lily had been injured early on, so Aren made the executive decision for her to recover until the quarter-finals.

Even when it came down to one-versus-three situations, neither he nor Luna struggled even one bit.

The floating display shifted, shrinking their bracket to one side as another match expanded to fill the screen.

Lily straightened slightly. "That’s them."

Aren didn’t need to ask who.

Clara’s team stood on the opposite side of the arena, their formation nonexistent. But from the looks of it, they didn’t really need one.

As soon as the signal sounded, ether surged and Owen’s Bloodline manifested immediately. A massive bear rose behind him, its fur layered with sharp and dense rocks.

Aren narrowed his eyes.

A Bear-type Bloodline... and the Earth element on top of that.

The camera angle shifted as Owen stepped forward.

"...Unshaking Mountainous Bear," Aren said under his breath.

Lily blinked. "That sounds bad."

"It’s worse than it sounds," he replied quietly. "The Pathway he picked is extremely solid, an all-rounder type that has little to no weaknesses."

On the screen, one of Owen’s opponents charged, clearly intending to break through before his team could form up.

Dust flew from the arena and clouded the space. After a while, things cleared again.

Owen hadn’t moved, not even by a single centimeter. He didn’t raise his hands to block or brace.

The attack simply... stopped.

A half-second later, Owen grabbed the attacker and drove them into the ground. The feed barely caught the moment before the barrier flared as the referee announced a disqualification.

Around him, his teammates moved quickly, collapsing on the remaining opponents without giving them a chance to fight back.

The match ended in less than a minute.

The display minimized itself, already preparing the next broadcast.

No one in the room spoke for a few seconds.

Lily finally broke the silence.

"...They didn’t even look serious."

Aren kept his eyes on the blank screen.

"No," he said. "They didn’t."

Luna had been standing near the wall the whole time, arms folded, gaze fixed on the display even after it went blank.

She exhaled softly and turned toward them.

"I’ll be out for a bit," she said. "Some people want to speak with me,"

Aren looked over. "Who?"

"Old friends of my dad," Luna replied.

Aren studied her expression.

"Alright."

Luna gave a small nod in thanks, already turning toward the door.

"I’ll be just outside," she said. "If anything happens, message me."

The door slid open, letting in a brief wash of noise from the corridor, then it closed again. The room felt quieter after that.

Aren leaned back against the wall, eyes drifting toward the bracket display again, more out of habit than interest. Out of the corner of his vision, he noticed Lily hadn’t moved since Luna left.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

Lily hesitated for a second, then spoke.

She didn’t look at him when she spoke again.

"If we lost earlier," she said, "it would’ve been on me."

Aren frowned and turned fully toward her. "What?"

"I was the one who suggested the bet," she continued. "If things went wrong, if someone got seriously hurt, I’d be the reason."

Her fingers tightened further.

"I kept thinking about it during the fight. About how one mistake from me would drag the whole team down."

Aren was silent for a moment.

Then he shook his head.

"It’s not like that," he said. "I misjudged their coordination and Luna misread the opening exchange."

"We all made mistakes," Aren said calmly. "And don’t worry...the bet won’t matter later."

Lily finally looked up.

"...What do you mean?"

Aren’s gaze lingered on the bracket display.

"For now," he said, and left it at that.

His thoughts drifted to the main event, of the invasion that was supposed to come.

The Defilers had been too quiet

In his previous life, there were always signs before they moved. Disturbances along the city’s edge or unexpected delays were usually the main signs.

Yet, things were progressing too smoothly...strange. Then, a sudden vibration rang through his pockets. Aren pulled out his phone and unlocked it.

Two new messages waited for him.

Dad: We understand. Focus on the match.

Anna: Don’t worry about us. Go get them Brother!

Aren stared at the screen for a moment longer than necessary. Breathing a sigh of relief, he slipped his phone back.

He opened his mouth, about to say something to Lily before the doors slid open once more.

Luna stepped back into the room, expression calm as always.

"They forfeited," she said.

Aren looked up. "Who?"

"The team we were scheduled to face next for the Round of 16 matches," she replied. "They submitted it just now."

Lily blinked. "Just... forfeited?"

Luna nodded.

Aren tilted his head, "Did they say why?"

"No clue," she shrugged. "But that puts us one step closer to the finals and the reward."

The bracket display updated as she spoke, their team’s name sliding forward into the next round without a fight.

A free pass.

It should’ve been good news.

"Looks like we’ve got some time before the semifinals," Luna added.

Aren nodded once.

"Good," he replied.

Both Lily and Luna looked at him.

"I’m going to step out for a bit," he continued. "Ask the organizers what happened. See if they know why a team would forfeit this late."

That part was true.

Or at least, true enough.

Luna studied him for a moment, eyes sharp. "You think there’s more to it."

"I think it’s strange," Aren said evenly.

Lily hesitated. "You’ll be careful?"

Aren gave a small nod.

"I won’t be long."

He turned toward the door, pausing only long enough to add, "If anything changes, message me."

The door slid open, and he took a step out.

The corridor opened up into sunlight.

A strip of open space ran along the outer edge of the arena complex, covered by blue overhanging tarps and lined with temporary booths selling all sorts of things ranging from snacks to souvenirs.

Aren slowed his pace, eyes drifting across the tables as if he were just another contestant killing time. He passed a skewer stand, then a drinks booth—

"Relax," a familiar voice said. "If you keep walking like that, people are going to think you’re planning something."

Aren flinched before he turned over.

Captain Eric stood near one of the support pillars, arms crossed, military jacket unzipped, a paper cup of something steaming in his hand.

He looked entirely out of place among the vendors, and completely at ease.

Aren inclined his head slightly. "Captain."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "You don’t look surprised."

"I heard you were around," Aren replied evenly.

"That so?" Eric took a sip, eyes never leaving him. "Then you also know I’ve been watching your matches."

Aren said nothing.

Captain Eric chuckled. "It’s rare for youngsters to focus on training their basic Element instead of chasing Line advancements."

"Your close quarters combat is well-trained also," he continued.

Aren clasped both hands together and bowed respectfully.

"You praise me too much, Captain."

They stood there as a group of spectators passed between them, laughter and chatter briefly filling the space.

His mind instantly went to the Fertile Core, and at the figure who might know something about it.

In his previous life, by the time the Defilers moved and the city was abandoned, the aftermath had swallowed all the details.

All he ever knew was that it was important enough to draw them in... and valuable enough that the city was willing to risk everything to keep it.

What it actually did.

Why the Defilers wanted it.

Those answers had died with the people who’d been at the center of the incident.

Aren exhaled slowly.

He looked back at Captain Eric.

"Captain," he said casually, "can I ask you something?"

Eric gestured with his cup. "Go on."

"The reward for the winning team," Aren said. "I know it isn’t just money..."

"How did you—"

Then he sighed, like someone deciding how much truth to give.

"Yes, there’s more."

"The Fertile Core," he continued, "Sun City’s peerless resource."

Aren’s eyes sharpened slightly.

"It isn’t just rare," Captain Eric continued. "It’s the thing that keeps this place alive."

He gestured vaguely, not at the arena, but beyond it, toward the outskirts of the city.

"Those farm fields you passed on the way in? The ones people like to brag about?" the Cpatain said. "They don’t just grow food. They are abundant in energy."

"The Core absorbs that excess," Lu went on. "It stores the energy. Without it, all that output would go to waste."

"And that’s why it’s valuable," Aren said slowly.

Eric nodded. "Exactly. Cultivating near it is like standing at the source instead of drinking from a stream."

He glanced back toward the arena. "That’s why the prize isn’t ownership. No one’s crazy enough for that."

"So the winners get—"

"A week," Eric finished. "Seven days cultivating in proximity to the Core."

A short laugh escaped him. "For most people, that’s more than they’d gain in years."

Aren looked away, thoughts racing.

Now he understood why the Defilers would want it.

They were demonic cultivators who could only progress by consuming ether from other sources, so something such as the Fertile Core would be a total treasure trove for them.

Captain Eric finished speaking and straightened, the casual ease returning to his posture.

"That’s also why they don’t mind running a tournament around it," he added. "The tournament was just a way for wealthy CEOs to gather manpower and talent."

"But, that’s all you’re getting from me," he said. "Any more and I’d have to pretend I didn’t say it."

"That’s already more than enough," Aren inclined his head. "Thank you, Captain."

Captain Eric turned and began heading back toward the inner corridors, then paused just long enough to glance over his shoulder.

"Don’t do anything stupid," he added.

Aren didn’t answer.

By the time he looked up again, Captain Eric was already gone.

Aren didn’t move right away.

His thoughts had already turned inward.

In his previous life, the Fertile Core hadn’t been kept at the tournament venue.

That much he was certain of.

Yet, the venue was the first place that was announced to have been taken over by the Defilers.

"Does that mean—?" Aren muttered under his breath. "They don’t know where it is?"

Aren started walking again, looking around at the crowded outside area.

That assumption changed everything.

If so...any one of these people, ranging from spectators, contestants, and even staff members, could be a Defiler underneath.

Aren’s steps slowed as he reached the far end of the walkway, where a temporary staff station had been set up beneath a white canopy.

He stepped forward and stopped in front of the booth.

"Excuse me," he said calmly. "I wanted to ask about a team forfeiting earlier."