Mason was initially hesitant as the notorious rookie's confidence seemed to be sky-high, making him temporarily doubt if his skills would be enough to bring this arrogant rookie down.
However, upon remembering that his parents, both mithril-ranked Valenzia City adventurers, provided him abundant resources such as top-quality training potions and physique-enhancing tonics from a young age in addition to training him diligently since when he was ten years old, all the doubts in Mason's mind simply flew out the window.
That's right.
How could someone like this arrogant guy be stronger than him?
This so-called notorious rookie most probably graduated as a top student of some random academy and that's why he was so confident, thinking that he was untouchable by mere recruits who took the rookie admission exam.
Not only did this charlatan have to fight for his own resources like some stray dog, but the competition he had was probably low-level as well.
Unlike him, a true-blooded elite who grew up in the city of dreams.
Aside from abundant resources and dedicated tutoring from his parents, the competition they had amongst themselves as children of Valenzia City adventurers was something he deemed higher than that of the shitty Adventurer Academy Competition.
That is also the reason why they, the true elites from Valenzia, disdained watching the said competition.
There was no way such a frog in the bottom of a well could know that there's always someone stronger out there.
Hearing that two arrogant rookies would face off in a high-stakes duel, the Raven's Blade guildsmen were hyped as f*ck, shouting at the top of their lungs in celebration, causing those who were from other guilds to notice the commotion.
Inevitably, the curious ones walked closer.
"Hey, brother, what's happening here? Why are you guys so excited?" An adventurer from another guild asked with a slight smile on his face; he wanted to join in on the fun.
"Oh? Brother, you want to know? Then listen closely, this one right here was an arrogant rookie who got in through some recommendation letter so he didn't have to participate in our guild's annual rookie admission exam..."
...
"H-Holy shit! And these two are gonna fight in such a high-stakes duel with their future on the line?!"
"That's right! This is the reason why we're so excited."
"My guildsmen have to hear of this!"
Luckily for him, one of his lackeys was courageous enough to try and pull him back, allowing logic to regain control over his head.
Seeing that Mason doesn't dare attack once more upon realizing the repercussions of doing so, Shye sneered at him in disdain, further deepening the hatred burgeoning in Mason's heart.
The small dueling arena wasn't far.
Hence, a quarter of an hour later, the two competitors, along with their huge entourage of spectators arrived.
Upon arriving, a few overly enthusiastic individuals from various guilds took the lead in organizing the mini-event; scheduling the duel twenty minutes from now and setting up a bet with almost equal odds, Shye being the underdog by the slightest of margins.
Unknowingly, what was supposed to be a duel enjoyed only by those from Raven's Blade suddenly turned into a mini-event for adventurers whose guild headquarters were located on the same wide street as Raven's Blade.
Currently, there are at least 7,000 people who are waiting to watch the duel. Shye hoped for there to be more, however, it is what it is.
Attracting a crowd as an unfamiliar rookie adventurer proved to be much more challenging than doing so as a renowned student, even from a fairly mediocre academy.
"B-Boss Big Brother Shye, most of them are betting on your opponent. Should I bet a few silver coins on you?" Seira asked with a slightly concerned expression, thinking that Shye's confidence might be affected due to most of the spectators betting on Mason.
Little did she know that Shye's confidence would never waver.
After all, he already knew how strong Mason was and what his skills were.
He estimated that the bastard was slightly weaker than Harper Blythe, Eusford Academy's ace representative.
There was just no way for him to lose.
In his eyes, the people betting on Mason were simply throwing their money away.
He tried to bet on himself.
Unfortunately, the betting station which was crazy enough to put up odds for their fight did not allow it.
Left with no other choice, Shye beckoned Seira to move her ears closer to his mouth.
"My dear little sister Seira, do you want to earn a lot of money? If so, then please bet this twenty thousand silver coins for me. I shall give you thirty percent of the winnings."