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n

nOkay… a few more weeks left.

n…

nExactly two weeks have passed, and I’ve been invited to the Great House of Bonebloom, just a few days before the Meeting of Roses.

nApparently, the dude from that family, who I recently learned is called Orme… a weird name, wants to talk to me about something.

nUpon arriving at the massive mansion, I was greeted by a few servants who asked for my name and the secret password he texted me.

nThey immediately confirmed my identity with some type of scanning device before letting me through the large outer gate, connected to a widespread fence that surrounded the entire mansion.

nBut, even when I arrived inside the large mansion, I wasn’t allowed to leave the main room, which was so big tall that you could barely even see chandeliers hanging from the top.

n“So this is the boy?” A deep booming voice said, and as it echoed through the room, I swiveled my head behind me.

nA man dressed in black military-like clothes with a large black coat over them stepped right up to me as if he was trying to size me up.

nHe had a toned, muscular and lean build that really enhanced his short gunmetal-gray hair and silver eyes that arrogantly looked down on me.

nI could see Orme right behind him, and he was a bit nervous as even his power couldn’t control his father… of course. I mean, that’s a given.

n“I heard you’ve blessed us with tons of juicy information and even gained the favor of my son… But don’t think any normal kid could just attend the Meeting of Roses as if it was nothing,”

nThe man’s bloodlust was so strong that I felt my knees creak, and holding my head up was a challenge in itself.

n“If you can survive three of my attacks… I’ll let you come with me as my third member, right beside my son here,” The man said before walking to the opposite end of the large main room, which was essentially just a large open hall.

nIt looked as if you would put a long table right down the center of it and feast with your family as you discussed important topics.

n“It is of my pleasure to be in your presence… My name is Orion, and I accept your challenge,” I said as I wanted to suck up to this guy as much as possible.

n“Trust me, boy, it was never a challenge. There was no rejection in this process,” The man said, and he didn’t remove his coat as a sign of arrogance and disrespect, showing how much of a difference there was between us.

n“I was never going to run away,” I replied with a smile, and Orme, who was close by, looked apologetic as he backed away behind a pillar.

nBOOM

nSuddenly, the man lifted up his right arm and grabbed his right wrist with his free hand, causing an explosion of bloodlust to waft past me.

nMy legs wobbled as another blast of bloodlust exploded from his now tightened fist, and somehow, my consciousness literally left me for half a second.

nBefore I knew it, I was on my knees, but I quickly stood up as he was now walking towards me, his fist infused with a dark red aura that slowly faded into a gunmetal gray.

nBOOM

nAnother blast of bloodlust exploded from the man, and I felt my chest tighten up, causing me to spit out so much blood that I began to get a bit worried.

nI expected his father to test me, but not to this extent… and if this really continued, I was going to die.

n“FATHER! STOP! YOU’RE GOING TO KILL HIM!” Orme shouted, but the man ignored his son as he stepped right in front of me, who was bent down, hands on knees, consciousness almost gone.

nFWOOSH… BOOOOOOM

nHe did a normal, downward punch… that just barely missed me, only causing a few strands of my hair to flutter away from my head.

nThe ground below us had a massive crater, bigger than the hall we were in.

nI chose right… I chose the right family…

n“You pass,” The man said before patting me on the back and walking down the hall as the servants began to repair the surroundings with some kind of metal-like magic.

nThe metal served as a frame for the floor, and it soon turned to different colors, creating an almost exact replica of what it looked like before.

n“I see… So the test was his bloodlust, not that actual attack… You’re lucky to have such a strong dad… I’m almost a bit jealous,” I said as I walked up to Orme, who had fallen to the ground and was heaving heavy breaths.

n“Geez… he didn’t have to go all out for just one damn test. Y’know, you survived his max bloodlust. Most people drop unconscious at the first wave,”

n“Well, I did drop unconscious. I just got a bit lucky since I woke up quick enough to actually start resisting it again,”

n“Whatever… You’re still really **ing tough for that. But anyway, the main reason why I called you over here is to decide on your mask,” Orme said as he brushed off a layer of dust from his casual clothes and then leaned against a quartz pillar.

n“Mask? Why would I need a mask?”

n“The two members behind the head of the family must not show their faces because it is very disrespectful. And you’re probably wondering, how come it is disrespectful, right? Well, to show your face to such powerful beings is like taking a ** in front of the gods. Each heads arrogance knows no bounds,”

nI chuckled a bit because it almost seemed unbelievable at how much they thought they were gods.

n“Okay, so where do I select my mask?”

n“I’ll bring the two options to you. I know you’ll be disappointed by them, so don’t get your hopes up,”

n“Sure, sure…”

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