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"H-Hey…Did you guys see that?"

"Y-yeah…It seemed that Shye Crowley was faster than Payne all along…Was he simply toying with Payne?"

"He must\'ve been…what a villain…"

"What he did was kinda cool though, no? I mean, grabbing Payne by his throat mid-flight, pinning him to the ground, then finishing him off with a fireball at point-blank range? Who else could claim that they would be able to win so dominantly against a rookie in the top ten like that?"

"This guy must\'ve trained so hard to be so powerful and fast at the same time…"

Hearing the audience\'s hubbub, Payne felt utterly defeated. Well…he was defeated, in fact, he was destroyed.

None of his attacks ever worked.

Rumors had a certain degree of truth in them, hence, he knew that Shye Crowley was strong.

Still, actually being confronted with the harsh reality of his utter inferiority despite his one-year seniority and their close ranks... shattered his competitive drive.

Payne hadn\'t anticipated that one day, he would be confronting the thing that only fallen geniuses faced: Inner Demons.

An inner demon is a kernel of self-doubt that takes root in the hearts of gifted adventurers who once thought themselves among the finest of their generation.

From there, it thrives on one\'s insecurities, steadily expanding over time, ultimately shattering their confidence irreparably.

Those afflicted with such demons gradually grow lethargic and timid, descending from the heights of greatness into utter mediocrity.

The first hurdle in conquering such a cursed affliction was the most challenging: acknowledging the presence of their inner demons.

Why? Because doing so was equivalent to acknowledging that one was indeed inferior to others.

Without proper guidance, Payne\'s promising future would be jeopardized, leading him to either perish on quests due to the lack of confidence in key situations or completely shrink away from challenging endeavors, ultimately leaving him lagging behind his peers.

This…was what it meant by a genius becoming a mere stepping stone to other geniuses.

At the top, things like these were inevitable and it just so happened that Payne was the one who ended up as a stepping stone.

Meanwhile, as Shye descended the stairs, two pairs of eyes gazed sternly at him, seemingly looking at him with newfound wariness.

The pairs of eyes came from none other than John Oni and Arthur Vermillion, who couldn\'t help but acknowledge that Shye was a threat after watching his match with Payne.

Such speed…They would probably have a hard time catching him.

Fortunately, they had ample time to strategize as the quarterfinals will begin after the lunch break.

"Dear guests and participants, as part of our schedule, we\'ll now be entering a brief hour-and-a-half lunch break. This intermission is designed to offer both our audience and competitors the opportunity to recharge and refocus. We look forward to reconvening in ninety minutes. Enjoy your break, everyone!"

After Corey\'s speech, Shye immediately entered the preparation room to engage in a short congratulatory conversation with Corvus and his guild personnel, then, once done, all of them exited the preparation room together.

Shye met up with Seira, who seemed to be in a good mood, and the two of them walked toward the nearby seafood restaurant. Stay updated via M-V-L

On the way, the purple-haired midget babbled on.

"Boss! I can\'t believe you just grabbed that Payne guy by his neck, slammed him as though he was a weightless kitten, and roasted him like a chicken! I\'m not gonna lie, I thought his speed at that time would give you a bit of trouble. Who would\'ve expected that you would deal with him that easily?! It seems like I will be swimming in silver coins again tonight! Nyahahahaha!"

Hearing Seira\'s words, Shye laughed.

"Hahahaha! Didn\'t I tell you? Your boss is invincible!"

"Hoh? Big words, Shye Crowley. I wonder if you can back them up?" A young man\'s voice suddenly sounded from behind, prompting the Raven\'s Blade duo to turn their heads to look.

Realizing who the man was, Shye narrowed his eyes and assumed his signature arrogant smile.

\'Arthur Vermillion…\'

"Heh, what? Why don\'t you say it again? This time, in front of me." Arthur said with a cold look and a condescending smile.

"Huh? And who are you? I don\'t talk to random nobodies on the street. Also, your breath stinks, brush your teeth first before talking to me again."

Of course, Arthur Vermillion\'s breath didn\'t stink, Shye just said so to piss the guy off and then started walking away.

Hearing Shye\'s nasty words, veins popped at the sides of Arthur\'s head. He wanted to lash out, however, like Percy Phone, he was someone who wanted to keep his stoic appearance.

The only difference between them was, that people truly believed that Arthur was a stoic individual, unlike Percy who wasn\'t blessed in the art of pretentiousness.

Luckily, one of his lackeys bailed him out of his infuriating situation as this was the first time he ever encountered someone who dared disrespect him in such a direct and distasteful way, hence, his brain failed to think of a sharp retort on the fly.

"YOU! HOW DARE YOU TALK TO MY BOSS, ARTHUR VERMILLION, THAT WAY?! AN OVERRATED ROOKIE LIKE YOU WILL BE EXPOSED BY MY BOSS IN NO TIME! YOU BETTER BEG FOR FORGIVENESS NOW OR DO IT ONSTAGE!"

While the lackey was speaking, Shye was whispering to Seira.

\'Hey, Seira, do you have any annoying nicknames for this stupid Arthur?\'

\'Hmph! Of course, boss! Who do you think you\'re talking to? Just call him Arthur Vermicelli and he\'s sure to erupt!\'

\'Hahahaha! I like that name!\'

Turning around, Shye sneered at the group in disdain.

"Heh, why would I be scared of your boss? Arthur…Vermicelli, was it? I understand that it would be embarrassing to speak with a smelly breath, however, how will you amount to anything if you can\'t even speak for yourself? I advise you to gather your courage first and…again, brush your teeth before you speak to me, the great Shye Crowley!"

Right after speaking yet another thick bundle of insults, Shye immediately turned around, ignored Arthur\'s group, and kept walking towards the seafood restaurant.

The transition from hurling insults to going about on his day was simply too smooth and fast for Arthur to even have a chance to respond.

If he called out again, he\'d risk appearing foolish, especially with the growing crowd drawn to the spectacle of his group\'s dispute with Shye Crowley.

Left with no choice, Arthur suffered his first-ever verbal war defeat, leaving him inwardly fuming.

\'Shye Crowley!! You dare disrespect me?! The heir of the Vermillion Adventurer Clan?! I\'ll make you beg for your life!\'