Chapter 367: Firm, Dominant, Absolute
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! See that?! That! Is what my boss will do to that John Ong of yours! NYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The purple-haired midget's voice once again resounded, capturing the attention of almost a fourth of the audience as it was second only to Corey's microphone-amplified voice in terms of loudness.
Being on the receiving end of Seira's words was utterly unpleasant, and the experience made those around her inwardly gnash their teeth and clench their fists in anger.
However, their champions, John Oni and Arthur Vermillion were still in the competition—as strong as ever—so why should they infuriate themselves over the defeat of the 11th-ranked Bonza?
Wasn't the guy just a test of Shye Crowley's abilities?
Moreover, they couldn't allow themselves to lose composure so early against this notorious grape-haired midget.
"H-Hmmph! How could this Bonza Glais measure up to someone like John Oni? Your boss' meager melee defense skills wouldn't be enough to save his skin against someone like John! The young master of the Oni family!" Chapter Your:
"Indeed! Ahh…How I wish to see the look on your face once John Oni shows your boss the difference between an above-average and a master scout!"
"NYAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Typical words of sore losers. Fine then, I shall wait until my boss thrashes John Looney before making you losers cry again!"
Emerging as the victor in the first round of squabbles, Seira was in a good mood, giving Shye an enthusiastic thumbs up as she sat back down with a smile on her face after her boss returned her thumbs up with a smile.
…In the third round of the competition, there were a total of 16 matches, ten of which were elite skill parades of the top ten rookies, hence, the third round was far from the word boring.
The crowd gasped in amazement from time to time as the cream of the crop amongst all the rookies in Balkrow City performed magnificent maneuvers to outwit and outmatch their opponents, defeating them methodically in less than twenty moves, with a few managing to do so in less than ten moves.
Even the veteran adventurers learned a thing or two from the matches of the best rookies, prompting them to think that watching the competition was well worth it as most of them didn't expect to pick things up from the young adventurers.
Finally after, in the last match of the third round, the second-most exciting match-up was bound to happen.
Arthur Vermillion versus Marlon Fuego, a fairly high-ranked mage—reportedly around the 13th rank—was famous for his extremely short casting times and powerful fire-type spells.
This match should've been of not much importance since everyone expects Arthur Vermillion to win.
However, because it will show glimpses of how Arthur would deal with Shye Crowley, the match suddenly became anticipated—mainly due to the recent spread of Marlon Fuego's fighting style which was rather similar to Shye's.
Ascending the stage, the crowd favorite, Arthur Vermillion, raised his arms with a stoic expression, appearing utterly unshakable and dominant as he drew his katana out.
On the other end of the stage ascended Marlon.
Armed with a faint smile and a fair bit of self-confidence, the man didn't bother raising his hands as there was no way he would garner cheers as loud as that of Arthur's.
Hence, he walked up the stairs in a simple manner, eliciting cheers from his guildmates and a few mundane fans.
Marlon then drew his mid-grade platinum-tier elemental staff with unreal bonuses in terms of flame-type spells and stood ready, raring to test his mettle against the unofficial reigning king of Balkrow rookies.
…Since the crowd was extremely eager to see how the match would go the referee didn't make them wait long.
"Begin!"
Surprisingly, the match started with Arthur calmly walking closer to his opponent, as though he was a monstrous creature slowly stalking and playing with his food.
On the other hand, Marlon appeared extremely busy, weaving hand signs and chanting non-stop to reduce his casting times and buff himself up.
Then, after a few seconds, the mage was finally ready to rumble.
Aiming his staff at Arthur, Marlon cast for a mere 0.8 seconds before an enormous fireball that was only smaller than Shye's emerged from his fiery elemental staff, causing the temperature around him to drastically increase as the fireball propelled forth, roaring and burning everything in its wake.
Astonishingly, Arthur's expression was as stoic as ever.
The so-called king of Balkrow rookies steadily advanced, slashing at the fireball with a firm and unshakable disposition.
His arrogant actions prompted the onlookers—even those who were cheering for him, to frown.
Marlon was known for his fire-type spells and this fireball didn't look like something that could be swatted away with a simple wave of one's hand.
If Arthur unexpectedly loses here, some of them will be ruined, as they bet their whole savings—some even their humble homes—on Arthur's victory.
Fortunately for them, their champion didn't disappoint.
In one swift motion, Arthur split the fireball in two, causing it to dissipate shortly after.
Such a…let's say…"cool" move, left the crowd awestruck for a few moments before they erupted in thunderous cheers, which only got louder and louder as Arthur gradually increased his stalking speed.
Marlon did everything he could to maintain the distance and fire spells in hopes of defeating Arthur, however, almost all of his spells were either slashed apart or dodged with minimal movements.
Such invincibility gnawed at Marlon's morale.
Ultimately, the man ran out of skills, which signaled the beginning of Arthur's ferocious onslaught.
Using nothing but common warrior skills such as [Dash], [Power Slash], [Destructive Chop], and a few others, Arthur cornered Marlon.
"Tch! I won't go down like this!" Marlon cursed to the skies as he cast his ultimate fire spell.
Unfortunately, for some reason, at the last moment, he failed to cast the skill, leading to his defeat by decapitation.
"STRONG!! ABSOLUTE!! ARTHUR VERMILLION EASILY DISMANTLES MARLON FUEGO!! IS THIS A SNEAK PEEK AT WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN HIS MATCH AGAINST SHYE CROWLEY?! OR DOES THE YOUNGER ROOKIE HAVE AN ACE UP HIS SLEEVE TO TURN THE MATCH AROUND?! STAY TUNED FOLKS!
THE FOURTH ROUND OF MATCHES WILL BEGIN SHORTLY!!"
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