Despite exploring all possible explanations to decipher Samuen's thoughts and intentions, Raydon failed to find a conclusive answer.
At long last, he made the decision to give his response rather than continue to overthink the situation.
''I agree to your terms. I hope you won't regret it later when I claim all the items. ''
''Hahaha, I knew you wouldn't shy away from a challenge. '' Samuen laughed joyously upon receiving the answer he anticipated.
''Very well, I am ready to start my next match. But, can I at least borrow a few storage expansion orbs before that? '' Raydon requested it with a sigh.
It was evident that he wouldn't be able to venture into his first E-Rank match with his new items as originally planned. Nonetheless, he desired to increase the capacity of his inner world to safeguard the loot he would acquire during the match, even if only by a small margin.
''Unfortunately, I cannot fulfill that request as it is included in our agreement as well. '' Samuen replied, casting a glance at the dozens of expansion orbs on the table.
''But don't worry, I won't send you into the match empty-handed. In fact, I'm confident that what I have in store for you will be even more beneficial than a few storage expansion orbs. ''
Samuen retrieved six blue-colored scrolls from his dimensional storage and began to explain, "Unlike F-Rank matches, the system doesn't provide you with any teammates in E-Rank matches."
"That's why you need external items to form a team, and with these scrolls, you can choose teammates up to a total of nine people instead of four," Samuen clarified, gesturing towards the scrolls in his hand.
Upon hearing this explanation, Raydon furrowed his brows and responded, "I don't need a teammate."
Raydon was a solo player who had never relied on his teammates in any of his previous matches, and his current skill set made it extremely likely that he would accidentally kill most of his teammates within the first few seconds of the match.
"I understand that you don't need them, but take a look at this before you decide. I'm certain a few teammates could provide great support for you," Samuen insisted, handing one of the scrolls to Raydon.
'Damn, is this old man planning to send them with me? ' Raydon wondered, glancing at the six scrolls and the six battle maids from the corner of his eye.
In spite of the fact that his inner world was relatively limited at the moment, he came to the realization that he could bring the battle maids along with him to collect the loot he had left behind while he concentrated on grinding mobs. This support may be what Samuen had in mind when he mentioned it.
However, Raydon did not know any of these battle maids other than Mell, so he was unsure whether or not they would listen to him during the match or willingly assist him. After all, individuals who were brought up with such pride would not voluntarily agree to be Raydon's pets just for the purpose of picking up items from the ground, would they?
In light of all of these considerations, Raydon's initial plan was to turn down the offer that was presented to him. However, as he reached out to take the scroll, he was taken aback by the item description that appeared in front of him.
"Are you kidding me?"
[Invitation scroll]
-Grade: Blue
-Quality: -
-Skill: Add teammate
Upon activation, the user can select one individual to enter into a temporary agreement. All experience points earned during this period will be shared between the user and the contracted individual based on their contribution rate.
Both the user and the contracted individual will receive a 5% bonus to experience point gains.
The skill effect can be stacked up to 10 times.
-Mana cost: -
-Duration: 24 hours
-Cooldown: One-time use.
As Raydon read the description of the skill, he could not contain his shock and stared open-mouthed at the words.
The true benefit of the invitation scroll was not simply the option to choose a teammate; rather, it was the buff that increased the amount of experience gained by five percent. Even more astonishing to him was the fact that this buff could be stacked up to ten times. This meant that if Raydon chose ten teammates, his experience gain would be increased by an astounding fifty percent.
His eyes gleaming with excitement, Raydon looked up at Samuen and asked, "It says here that I can choose 10 people. Why are there only six scrolls and battle maids?"
Samuen chuckled and replied, "I thought you didn't even want a single teammate. Are you really interested in having 10 now?"
Cael let out a sigh, realizing the absurdity of Raydon's request. "These scrolls are all blue-grade, which makes them incredibly valuable even on their own," he explained.
Even he was taken aback by the sight of these scrolls.
Typically, obtaining these scrolls was a challenging feat in itself, and most item holders could only use them a few times a year. Yet here was Raydon, holding six of them, all for an E-Rank match.
Raydon paused for a moment, realizing that his request may have been too excessive. 'Oh right, they are pretty poor, ' he admitted, thinking about the scarcity of the scrolls.
Samuen reassured him with a smile. "Don't worry, I have a few more of these scrolls in my possession, and I've also commissioned others to acquire more."
Seeing the growing expectation on Raydon's face, he continued speaking. ''But unfortunately, there are only six E-Rank item holders available to join the match with you right now. So, for now, you have to accept it.''
Samuen originally wanted all the battle maids to accompany Raydon, but unfortunately, Belicia was currently on a mission and Tika had not yet fully recovered. As for Galen and Loran, Samuen had his reasons for not wanting them to join this particular group, so he didn't even call them here.
Realizing that there was nothing to be done about it, Raydon agreed to accept them as his teammates and said, "Fine, I will take them as my teammates."
Even if there was a risk of accidentally killing them during the match, in the end, their presence was not more important than the extra experience buff he would gain.