Chapter 255: Rookie Showdown
"S-Senior Park, who is everyone talking about?"
"The first rookie who arrived two weeks ago named Shye Crowley"
"Oh…I see…wait…why does that name sound so familiar?"
As soon as Shye and Seira appeared in sight, one of the guildsmen chilling at the bench outside the guild branch headquarters suddenly stood up and sprinted inside, informing everyone that Shye was back—excitement written all over his face.
Noticing the strange actions of their guildmate, the two young adventurers who just got back after completing the requirements of their quest looked at each other with confused expressions.
"Boss Big Brother Shye, why does it seem like our guildmates were waiting for our arrival?"
"Beats me."
Their questions were immediately answered upon arriving in front of the headquarters\' door though as a small group of young individuals blocked the way, looking at Shye with a condescending gaze and an annoying smirk.
"So you\'re that so-called arrogant rookie?" A tall, well-built young man with short black hair donning luxurious clothes and a full set of gold-tier mid-grade relics, seemingly the small group\'s leader, arrogantly asked. "You don\'t seem that strong to me…"
"Move, I need to turn my quest in," Shye replied, just as arrogant if not more so than the small group\'s leader.
"Heh, why are you in such a rush? I just want to see if you have the capital to be this arrogant in front of people like me, the child of a Valenzia City Adventurer."
Hearing the young man\'s words, Shye narrowed his eyes.
\'Hoh? So the guild\'s rookie admission exam is over…Appraisal\'
[Name]: Mason Randall
[Level]: 65
[Occupation]: Adventurer (Silver)
[Class]: Warrior
[Skills]: [Power Slash Lv.4][Fierce Lunge Lv.4] [Dash Lv.4] [Decimate Lv.2(Uncommon)][Tri-Moon Slice Lv.2(Uncommon)][Hush and Hack Lv.3(Uncommon)][(Light)Holy Sword Lv.3(Rare)] [Enhance Strength Lv.3] [Enhance Dexterity Lv.3]
[Strength: 102]
[Intelligence: 15]
[Agility: 100]
[Dexterity: 93]
[Stamina: 80]
[Vitality: 100]:
[Wisdom: 12]
[Back] [Exit System]
\'Hmmm…so there are a few rookies like these who hail from Valenzia City huh?\' Shye mused, staring at the small group with an arrogant smirk.
"Heh, I don\'t give a single f*ck about where you\'re from. Move or I\'ll get you out of the way myself."
"You!! How dare you talk to Boss Mason that way?!" one of Mason\'s lackeys, another rookie, exclaimed angrily.
"Hmmph, Arthur, no need to anger yourself over this countryside mongrel," Mason said, extending his arms to stop his lackey, Arthur, from making a move before looking at Shye with narrowed eyes. "Mongrel, I heard that you love bets. Let\'s have one then."
Hearing that this delusional guy named Mason dared challenge him to a bet, Shye almost burst out laughing.
He loved bets.
"Oh? And what are you willing to wager?" inquired Shye, his eyes narrowing into horizontal slits.
"Simple, I heard that you\'re into betting your adventurer license so how about you wager it again? But this time, against me." Mason replied with a confident smile.
By this time, most of the guildmates, including the newly registered rookies, were gathered around the two small groups—most standing behind Mason not because they sided with him but due to them chilling in the lobby when the commotion started.
They were simply here to join in on the fun and witness two arrogant, hot-blooded rookies fight.
Meanwhile, Seira was a bit dumbstruck as this was the first time she saw this side of Shye.
"Hahahaha! I\'m sorry as I\'m not fond of such a wager right now." Shye replied, making the crowd sneer in disdain and disappointment, prompting them to think that he cowered out, only to once again shock them with his subsequent words. "I\'m in the mood for some serious stakes. How about this? Let\'s put both our adventurer licenses on the line, along with a hundred thousand silver coins.
Are you up for it? If you can\'t handle the wager or don\'t have the nerve, feel free to step away."
Hearing Shye\'s words, Mason narrowed his eyes into slits once more.
He believes that this arrogant rookie was simply bluffing his way out of wagers.
\'Heh, you think I\'ll fall for your cheap-ass trick?\' Mason mused, a faint smile creeping onto his lips as he reflected on his astuteness in avoiding the rookie\'s deceptive tactics.
"Hahahaha! You sure talk big. However, I do wonder if you can back your talk up. Show me the hundred thousand silver coins and then I–"
Before Mason could even finish his words, Shye already took out a medium-sized pouch containing 1000 gold coins and threw it on the ground in front of him.
"Here\'s my hundred thousand silver coins. Now, how about you take yours out? Or do you not even have this small bit of money? If so then I sincerely apologize for making you look like a poor beggar. We can call the bet off if you want as long as you move aside.
Witnessing how annoyingly confident the so-called notorious rookie was, Mason was taken aback.
He thought that Shye was simply bluffing.
Now, he\'s stuck between a rock and a hard place, just like the veteran guildsman in everyone\'s story.
It was either to accept the wager and risk losing his adventurer license along with a hundred thousand silver coins or accept defeat and bow down to the notorious rookie just like the veteran guildsman.
"Well, Mason, what\'s your answer? Are you brave enough? Or are you just another cocky fool who backs down when it\'s time to prove oneself?" Shye sneered in disdain.
Not expecting the "notorious rookie" to be this fierce, Mason\'s lackeys broke out in a cold sweat.
All of them were there when the top ten of the rookie admission exam showed their skills.
Opting to be ninth-ranked, Mason Randall\'s lackeys, they believed that those in the top ten were absolute and no other rookies could possibly be stronger than the ten.
Hence, they genuinely couldn\'t fathom where this overconfident newcomer, who relied on connections to get in, derived his confidence from.
Still, the guy\'s confidence didn\'t look fake as he unhesitatingly took out a hundred thousand silver coins, looking eager to have a duel with their boss, Mason.
Noticing their boss\' slight hesitation, the lackeys couldn\'t help but panic even more.
He was the source of their courage and pride so if their boss backs down, they would be humiliated by the lackeys of the other top ten rookies as well.
At that point, they would probably regret choosing Mason as their leader.
Fortunately for them, after a brief moment of hesitation, a confident smile made its way back to their boss\' face.
"Heh, you think I\'m scared of charlatans like you? Fine then, here\'s my hundred thousand silver coins, I shall teach you a lesson you\'ll never forget. Hopefully, you stop pretending to be something you\'re not in the future!"