"N-NO!!! MY MONEY!!!"
"N-No...T-This can't be happening! W-Where will I get the money to pay off my child's medical bills?! This has to be rigged!"
Cries of despair resounded one after the other as a sweating Mateo Flameheart materialized outside the stage, in utter disbelief that he actually lost to someone other than Shye Crowley.
For one whole year, he...was the king of rookies in Raven's Blade Balkrow Branch.
Now...he was merely third at best.
Realizing this fact, his disbelieving and shocked expression turned listless as his pride shattered, prompting those who hated Mateo for a long time to gaze at him with undisguised schadenfreude.
This day was simply the best day of their lives!
Mateo wasn't an evil person, however, he wasn't exactly likable either as he was rather arrogant—just like all the rookies of his caliber.
Percy wanted to mock Mateo as the defeated rookie left the arena, broken and dejected.
However, he also didn't want to tarnish the almost nonexistent calm and stoic reputation he built up for himself.
People were not as stupid as Percy deemed them to be, hence, most of his subtle insults were noticed by almost every person he came across, instantly putting him in the category of arrogant rookies in their heads.
It was only in his delusional head that he was a cool, calm, and approachable down-to-earth rookie.
Still, his delusions were enough to stop him from further damaging Mateo's broken ego.
Thus, Mateo's departure marked the end of the match.
"CAN, YOU, BELIEVE IT?! Mateo Flameheart, the seventh-ranked rookie in all of Balkrow, falters in the semi-finals! Raven's Blade, a guild of crouching tigers and hidden dragons!!" Corey's flabbergasted yet excited voice echoed across the four corners of the arena, bringing excitement to those who bet on Percy's victory and despair to those who bet on Mateo.
As for Shye, his playful expression as he watched the two rookies fight slowly faded, replaced by a slightly serious gaze as he looked at Percy.
'That time stop or freeze or whatever skill is quite troublesome...' He thought inwardly, swiftly standing up and walking towards the restroom shortly after. 'I need to make a few preparations.'
The qualifiers of the next scheduled guild would start in an hour, hence, the break cannot be too long.
After ten more minutes, Corey's voice once again echoed across the four corners of Balkrow Arena, capturing the attention of the chatting crowd—most of them arguing whether Shye would defeat Percy or not.
Based on pure domination alone, Shye was the favorite, as everyone already saw Mateo overpowering Percy.
However, when the topic changed to who would most likely win, most of them believed that Percy's freeze skill was too overpowered and would allow him to pull off another upset win.
This time, against Shye Crowley. Your journey continues at мѵʟ
Of course, although the majority swung Percy's way due to his recent performance, someone in the crowd ferociously argued with everyone around her—defending Shye.
"Hmmmph! You know nothing about Raven's Blade, you noobie! My boss is invincible and even this Percy, amazing as he was with his time-stopper bullcrap or whatever, will have no chance of winning against my noble boss!"
"Hmmph! Why should we believe you when you're clearly biased, little girlie?"
"Yeah, brother Bo is correct. Your connections with this Shye Crowley obviously cloud your words. Hmmph! If it's even true!"
"W-Wha! You baldy! Of course, it's true! I'm done talking to all of you! I'll just let my boss do the talking for me!"
Utterly fuming, Seira ignored the bunch of men sitting beside her.
'Hmmph! Show these idiots how formidable you are, boss!'
Fortunately, Seira didn't have to wait long in frustrated anticipation.
"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for!! The Raven's Blade Rookie Representative Selection Finals!! To everyone's surprise, the fan-favorite, Mateo Flameheart, was knocked out in the semi-finals of the selection tournament. Now, just two first-year rookies remain. One shines brightly like a star, renowned in Balkrow, while the other is a shadow that quietly envelops everything in its path.
Who will emerge victorious? Will it be the radiant Shye Crowley or the enigmatic Percy Phone? We're about to find out!!"
As Corey's exuberant voice rang true, the hearts of the audience burned with anticipation.
At the same time, two rookies approached the stage, each with their unique blend of confidence—one cloaked in subtle arrogance, and the other radiating pure self-assurance.