“The final round of the tournament will be held two days later, on the eve of Princess Aleena’s birthday,” Servius declared without waiting for the announcer. “Loris Lagerlof will be facing the current champion in the last round.”As soon as those words were spoken, the crowd became excited again. People started chattering among themselves, each trying to guess who the champion was.Some assumed it would be the Chief Gunner, Sir Galahar Warrington, but a few others claimed it could be Duke Carrington himself, while a handful hinted at one of the clan leaders.Normally, the challenger would fight a champion selected by the king on the final day of the tournament. But since King Reginald wasn’t too keen on leaving the palace this time, it gave rise to many wild speculations.“There are a lot of skilled Gunners in Valaria. Who do you think will be your final opponent?” Marlin asked.Ezra kept his eyes fixed on Servius and replied, “It doesn’t matter. I am not going to lose.”***After acc

The queen knew she could trust Servius with her life and share all her secrets in his presence, so she rose to get the door. But Ezra stopped her.“I cannot be seen here with you.”“Why not?” she asked, creasing her brows.“Because the people of Magaravia believe I am dead. Servius doesn’t need to know the truth…not yet.”Even Aleena was puzzled by Ezra’s response. On the one hand, he had explained how Servius’s unfailing loyalty had saved her father, but on the other, he seemed reluctant to trust him.“Why don’t you want Servius to meet you, my Lord?” Aleena enquired.Ezra’s plans, however, were too intricate for him to explain on the spur of the moment. He was waiting to catch the traitors red-handed before revealing himself, and although he trusted Servius, he wanted to exercise every bit of caution just in case things went awry.“I will tell you everything when the time is right, but for now I need you to trust me.” Ezra leaned close to Tanya and whispered his plan in her ears befo

Ezra’s eyes brightened with a radiant glow, and each of the three different types of rodents was singled out, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. A set of three display panels appeared in front of Ezra, segregating the rats according to their sub-species and rank.The smallest ones were the most plentiful and classified as Plague Rodent Fledglings. They were the standard pawns in the rodent army and lacked any kind of special skills and abilities. However, their overwhelming strength in numbers made them perfect for quick rushes.Next in line were the larger rodents covered in long black bristles that protected their thick gray hides. These were categorized as Plague Rodent Hunters and had access to one special skill. Last on the list were the oversized rats whose hides were covered in puss-filled green blisters and open red sores. These were classified as Plague Rodent Gorgers and had access to one special ability and two different skills.Ezra quickly glanced through each

As the gargantuan toad stared at Ezra, it inflated the two green sacs hanging under its cheeks, filling them with a dirty yellow bile. Ezra picked up the cue and understood it was about to attack. He ducked instinctively as a blob of acidic spit flew over his head and burned a hole in one of the rusty drainage pipes behind him.“A toad that spits acid and gobbles its prey in one go! What else could we have asked for?” Marlin jeered at his own luck, cursing at the deities for creating such an abomination. “Something tells me this situation could have been avoided if you weren’t so obsessed with finding that treasure!”Ezra stood back up, ignoring Marlin’s remarks. Keeping his eyes fixed on the toad, he conjured another Flame Grenade.The toad’s sacs inflated once again, but before it could hit Ezra with another acidic blob, he tossed the grenade at the hybrid’s face, giving it another nasty burn.Seared by the flames, the Bloated Toadfish backed away to rub its padded feet over its mou

Killing the Bloated Toadfish cleared the sewer of all threats, allowing Ezra a chance to finally catch his breath. Although the healing potion had cured his paralysis and healed his bruises, his clothes remained in tatters. Ezra slowly took off his acid-washed jacket and tossed it away. All he had on his back now was a simple white shirt stained with dirt and grime.Never in his life had Ezra expected he would be fighting mutated monsters inside the sewers, but his search for his mother’s treasure had brought him to the bowels of Magaravia.“That was a really close call. Please try to call your Spectral Companion faster next time!” Marlin butted in, interrupting Ezra’s silent meditation.The fight had taken a tremendous toll on Ezra’s body, and even now, he could feel his legs trembling under him.Ezra took a few minutes to catch his breath before heading over to inspect the amphibian’s rotting corpse. As he approached the decaying body, his system automatically harvested the useful