It was the day of his third Colosseum Challenge when Zayn stepped into the second-largest building in the City of Zerek.
The largest building was the Colosseum where close to 40,000 spectators could sit down and watch Normies getting killed by a bunch of ferocious monsters.
Overall, the building he had entered was old. Just like the Colosseum, the Museum of the God's Era seemed to be an ancient structure.
It came into existence long before the Realm Fusion was a thing and the ancient artifacts, marble sculptures, and paintings, as well as explanatory texts and interactive displays, helped the visitor attain a better understanding of the history and culture of the God's Era. One could also see paintings and reproductions of old buildings by humans long before the God's Era, such as small temples and public baths.
This gave the visitors a sense of what life was like before the Realm Fusion. The design of the museum was pretty simple, yet also modern enough to blend with the current building and decor styles with marble flooring and classical columns.
"You asked me to come here to pick out the Artifact of my choice?" Zayn asked Manager Tilan, who smiled at him brightly.
'What are you planning?'
Zayn had been a little astonished when Manager Tilan invited him to the God's Era Museum to pick the Artifact he wanted as a reward for defeating the Chimera.
He was pretty sure that Manager Tilan would never give him the reward even if he were to win the special bet between the two of them. However, it was not as if Zayn had expected anything else from the shrewd manager, in the first place.
His plan had been to rush over to the Adventurer Hall and lock himself inside his Adventurer Suite the moment he finished the third Colosseum challenge before staying there a few weeks to advance to the Soul Knight rank. Afterward, his plan was to visit Titan, get his Artifacts, and leave Zerek quickly.
Zany didn't actually plan to add a detour to the God's Era Museum. After all, he could not ignore the possibility that Manager Tilan would kill him rather than reward him with an Artifact from the Era of the Gods.
"Of course, you have to choose which Artifact you want to be rewarded with. Wouldn't it motivate you a lot more to emerge victorious against the Chimera if you were to know what kind of Artifact you would receive as a reward?" Manager Tilan asked, rubbing his hands together while continuing to stare at Zayn.
There was a glint of deception in the manager's eyes, telling Zayn that something was off. However, there were a few higher authorities around them. They didn't seem to like Manager Tilan, which they showed quite openly.
"You really are a piece of work, Tilan. We should have never given you permission to take an Artifact…" One of the older women grumbled. She felt like twisting Manager Tilan's neck for offering such a grand reward to Normie. But that was not something she could do as she was not strong enough.
Furthermore, Manager Tilan had done more than enough to help the God's Era Museum in the past.
"I funded your research of the God's Era and received permission to take one Artifact. It was unanimous voting. You shouldn't go against your own word, or nobody will ever trust your word again," Manager Tilan reminded her quietly.
He was still smiling but the fierceness in his eyes caused the old woman to shudder.
Manager Tilan turned back to Zayn after a moment. He cleared his throat and pointed to the room with an inviting smile on his lips.
"Take your pick and inform this lovely old woman about your choice once you're done. She will be spectating your Colosseum Challenge as well with the Artifact you chose. That way, you can always think about your Artifact and retrieve it once you won your Challenge…if you win that is!" He said before he turned around.
"I have a few more things to do before your Challenge. Prepare well for the challenge, dear Challenger. You are the hero of Zerek, after all!"
Hero of Zerek…that was the title the Colosseum had used to advertise Zayn during the last week. News has spread that Zayn easily killed the Blazing Sabertooth Tiger and the Heavy Armored Bull. Thus, the Colosseum went all in to advertise that Zayn was bound to defeat his next opponent as well.
They introduced the crippled Chimera while highlighting that the monster was crippled and unable to exhibit more than half of its former power.
Zayn figured that the Colosseum was trying to earn back their losses from the last challenge by influencing the decision of the Gamblers. They hoped that everyone would bet on Zayn's victory, which would mean that nobody would win a dime the moment the Chimera defeated Zayn.
"What a dirtbag…" The old woman cursed after Manager Tilan left the room.
She felt like continuing to curse the manager, only to turn silent upon noticing that Zayn was looking at her.
"If you're as smart as you look, you will understand what this dirtbag is trying to achieve by bringing you here," She said, after observing him for a few seconds.
Zayn didn't say anything in response but the corners of his lips curled upward.
He figured that Manager Tilan wanted to ignite his greed by showing him the God's Era Artifacts. Manager Tilan had told him that Zayn would only be given the Artifact of his choice if he won against the Chimera.
That did not mean he had to win the Colosseum's Challenge but that he had to kill the Chimera. The difference between these two things was quite terrific. After all, surviving for ten minutes was different than actually facing the Chimera and killing it.
Manager Tilan wanted to push him over the edge by planting a seed of greed deep in his heart.
Little did the manager know that Zayn's plan had been to kill the crippled Chimera all along.
Now, however, he was also given the opportunity to get his hands on an exceptional Artifact in addition.
The only question he had left in mind was quite particular and very important.
"I wonder…what's the most expensive Artifact you guys have here?"
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