I Can Copy Curses

The man's attire was distinctive, featuring a mix of traditional martial robes with intricate patterns and modern elements that made him stand out in the hall. His confident stride and the way others subtly made way for him hinted at his significance.

Orion's curiosity was piqued, but he remained composed, waiting for the man to speak.

"Are you the so-called genius everyone is talking about?" The man asked, his tone carrying a hint of challenge.

Orion met his gaze steadily. "And who might you be?"

The man smirked. "I am Zhang Wei from the Martial Domain, one of the top five geniuses. I've come to see if the rumours about you are true."

Orion raised an eyebrow. "And what rumours might those be?"

"That you're a prodigy who surpassed the Astral Voidwalker and now hold the title of the number one genius of the Magus Kingdom," Zhang Wei replied. "But looking at you, I find it hard to believe."

Orion felt a surge of irritation but kept his cool. "Believe what you will. I'm not here to prove myself to you."

Zhang Wei's smirk widened. "We'll see about that. I look forward to testing your strength in the tournament."

Runo leaned closer to Orion and whispered, "Be careful. Zhang Wei is known for his ruthless fighting style."

Orion nodded subtly, keeping his eyes on Zhang Wei. "I look forward to it," he said aloud, his tone calm.

Seeing Orion agree to his challenge, Zhang Wei laughed lightly and went away.

However, before Orion could have a moment of rest, another voice called out to him.

"I want to have a spar with you."

Orion sighed when he saw that another one had arrived, this time a lady with long black hair.

"Not right now; I will fight at the tournament," he said, refusing to spar with her at this moment.

"What if I insist?" She narrowed her eyes.

"I can only ignore you then," Orion shrugged.

The lady frowned and turned to look at Runo. "Runo, ask him to fight me."

Runo smiled bitterly. "If he doesn't want to fight, then I can't do anything about it. Furthermore, this is neither a place nor a time to fight, Malissa."

Malissa frowned hard and ignored Runo's words. "Fight me if you are a man." She once again pestered Orion but with some underhanded method.

"Ah, Runo, did you hear a fly buzz?" Orion asked; his eyes kept looking around as if he were searching for the fly.

Runo smiled wryly and looked away. If he agreed with Orion, he might have made his friend Malissa angry, so he chose to ignore both of them.

"Huh. I thought the new number one would have the same guts as Emily and Astral, but it seems I overestimated him," Malissa sneered at Orion, intending to make him angry.

Orion nodded at her as if he believed in her words. "You're right; I also believed that." He continued to nod his head at her.

"Ahh!, you are so frustrating!" With those words, Malissa stomped her feet and walked away.

When he saw that, Orion laughed.

"Now, you have to tell me all the geniuses who have come here," he turned to Runo after that.

Runo nodded and started with Malissa. "The lady just now was ranked 3rd in our domain and that Hugo ranked fifth."

He then pointed at the side of the hall where two young men could be seen talking to each other.

"They are ranked second and fourth, respectively." The man with the red hair is in number 4 and the other whose face is serious all the time is the 2nd strongest genius."

"What about number 1?" Orion asked.

Runo's face became strange and pointed in another direction.

Orion turned to see in that way and seeing the scene, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

A man of around 20 years of age with light brown hair could be seen standing in front of his sister Emily and Elyn. He appeared to be saying something to them, but the two ladies acted as if he didn't exist. But the man's skin was too thick; he sometimes wiped his hair, sometimes whistled, and sometimes even interfered in their talk to draw their attention, only to get ignored again.

However, he seemed to have no idea when to give up and kept pestering the two of them.

"Is the number one genius in the Human Federation Realm a pervert?" Orion inquired, laughing.

Runo laughed lightly. "Not a pervert, but if he sees any beautiful woman, he would try to have a talk with them even if he were to get beaten away in the end."

"What kind of fetish is this?" Orion laughed even more.

Runo shrugged.

Orion then inquired about the Martial Domain's geniuses.

"Them?" Runo pondered for a moment before replying. "Zhang Wei, who just challenged you, is ranked 3rd, and the other four haven't arrived yet."

"They haven't arrived yet." Orion found this very surprising. The banquet had started more than an hour ago and they hadn't arrived yet. This made him remember Erick, who said he would come as soon as his job was done.

"Hasn't the banquet started yet?" He asked as if he realised something.

Runo nodded. "It will begin when the Emperor makes his entrance, and for him to do that, almost all of the guests must be here." So, until everyone arrives, I don't think the Emperor would make an entrance."

Orion smiled bitterly, thinking he would need to wait even more before the banquet could truly begin.

In order to pass the time, he continued his talking with Runo.

It wasn't until another two hours that Emperor finally made his entrance.

"Emperor has arrived!"

An announcement echoed through the hall, drawing everyone's attention to the entrance.

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