Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 505: The Power Of A Little Bun [Part 1]

The awards ceremony came right after Alex had declared Charles the champion.

"Congratulations, Charles," Alex said. "You did well."

"But I lost control in the end..." Charles replied, embarrassed.

"Then the solution is simple." Alex smirked. "You just need to continue training hard until you can control your power and not the other way around. Isn’t that right, Renard?"

Alex glanced at the young man who had come in second.

"That’s right." Renard replied before turning to Charles. "Next time, I won’t lose."

There was a firmness in his declaration, which made Charles feel relieved instead of anxious.

Renard had always been strong-willed, and this was in line with his usual way of handling things. He had grown up knowing that he couldn’t win all of his battles, and he believed there was more to learn from the battles he lost than battles he won.

And he definitely learned a lot from Charles, who had shown power that far surpassed his expectations.

"See! All’s well that ends well." Alex nodded.

"Dim Dim!" Dim Dim smiled happily because its friends were safe and sound.

The Champion would get seventy-percent of the money in the prize pool and a Rare Artifact from the Headmaster of Solara Academy.

Since Harry had also gained a lot from this collaboration with Alex, he wasn’t too stingy when it came to the rewards.

"The prize money is 140,000 Gold Coins," Harry said as he handed Charles a small pouch. "Also, you also get this rare item. It’s called a Memory Ball. It’s very useful for adventures since it records the path you take.

"If you’re lost, just use the Memory Ball. It will guide you back to the entrance or help you retrace your steps. It’s a good item for people who have no sense of direction. Charles, remember this—even in the darkness, you can always come back to the light."

The Headmaster of Solara Academy gave the young man a long and hard look before patting his shoulder.

"As for you, Renard Vale, you will receive forty thousand gold coins," Harry added. "That was a good fight. I look forward to your future growth. Also... if ever you wish to switch academies, you’re more than welcome to stay here in Solara Academy."

Somewhere in the sea of spectators, Professor Rowan felt his lips twitching. He and Harry were good friends, but seeing the bastard openly try to poach one of his students still made him shake his head helplessly.

Harry also patted Renard’s shoulder before turning to the VIP Seats to give Lady Celestria a playful wink.

The Saintess’s right eye twitched. Everyone seemed to want to get on her nerves as of late.

"Once again, let me present to you the Sun Tourney’s Champion!" Harry raised Charles’ right hand. "I look forward to the next Sun Tourneys here at Solara Academy!"

The crowd cheered, genuinely happy at the idea of more Sun Tourneys being held in the future.

Clearly, the Headmaster had found a good way to earn a lot of money and had no intention of doing it only once. Just like Alex, he profited massively from the Gambling Dens that had to get permission from him to start their business.

An hour later...

Alex went to Harry’s office to collect his shares of the rewards.

When he got there, he was surprised to see that Lady Celestria was also there to talk to the Headmaster.

"You’re finally here," Lady Celestria said as she smiled sweetly. For some reason, that made Alex shudder. "I’ve been waiting for you."

For a brief moment, Alex thought he had seen a bulging nerve right above the young lady’s eyebrow. It would mean that the Saintess was incredibly pissed off about something, but getting so worked up wasn’t in line with her personality.

Thinking that he was just tired and seeing things, Alex entered the room and walked toward the Headmaster to get his sweet, sweet money.

Harry didn’t hesitate to hand Alex a small pouch. The bag weighed about half as light as he expected it to weigh. He blinked in confusion and squeezed the bag a few times to make sure his senses weren’t playing tricks on him.

"Alex, do you know that any business conducted here in Solara has rules to obey," Lady Celestria explained in a cloyingly sweet voice. "And taxes are an important part of doing business."

"T-Taxes?" Alex looked at her in disbelief. "You taxed me, Saintess? I mean... do you even have the right to do that?"

"You bet I do," Lady Celestria replied, still smiling. "Also, I am here to ensure that the laws are properly followed. Isn’t that right, Headmaster?"

"O-Of course!" Harry smiled while beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

Lady Celestria didn’t tax the Headmaster because she knew that he had been renovating several buildings to make room for the next batch of students. Besides, he had yet to piss her off as much as Alex had.

"Let me get this straight, Your Grace," Alex said. "You taxed me because it is the law and you are here to reinforce it, right?"

"That’s right." Lady Celestria nodded.

"Phew!" Alex patted his chest in relief, which surprised the Saintess. "And here I thought I did something bad. It seems that there has been a misunderstanding, My Lady. You see, the contract for my collaboration with the Headmaster wasn’t signed by me. I’m just here to collect the money for that person."

"Huh?" Lady Celestria blinked. "What are you talking about?"

Alex smirked before glancing at the Headmaster. "Sir Harry, please show the Saintess our contract."

Harry didn’t know why Alex looked so carefree, but he took out the contract that was inside his storage ring.

"My Lady, please check the name of the Party A that has signed the contract in your hands," Alex said calmly.

Lady Celestria frowned, but did as told.

It was then that she realized that the signature clearly did not say Alex.

The Saintess blinked as she looked at the cute name that was written beneath the line as well as the little emblem—which served as the signature—pressed above it.

Dim Dim.

That was the name of the person who signed the contract, which made the Saintess look at the little bun on top of Alex’s head.

Dim Dim reached out to take something from its dimensional storage and handed it to Alex.

Alex accepted it and presented it to the Saintess.

The young lady looked at the silver token, which was inscribed with words that almost made the vessel on her forehead pop.

Dim Dim: Tax Exempt - Issued by the Slime Princess.

At first, Lady Celestria wanted to ask if Alex and Dim Dim were making fun of her. However, at that moment, her Deity, The Sun, sent her a message that made her look at the little bun in disbelief.

"That token is real. Dim Dim is exempt from paying taxes."

That was the message that was sent to her by The Sun, proving that the token was authentic.

"Ahem!" Dim Dim raised its body proudly.

It was one of the only two creatures in Arcana that exempt from paying taxes for life.

The other one was Eiko, the Guardian of Slime Paradise.

"Since you are here to upload the law, My Lady, please help me with this injustice!" Alex exclaimed indignantly as if he had been wronged. "I mean... It’s just five million gold coins. I’m sure that the Saintess will not do me dirty, right?"

"Dim Dim!" Dim Dim raised its little hand as if to back up Alex’s words.

Faced with the shameless young man and the tax-exempt little bun, the Saintess knew that this was a battle that she had no chance of winning.