Chapter 724: The King’s Crown (VII)
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It’s a clever plan, really.
Trying to force this seeded participant into the area where Dawnbringer stays, hoping that by doing so, Dawnbringer will join them in taking down this guy.
It didn’t even matter to them if the enemy caught on to their plan since they are pushing him closer to where Dawnbringer was anyway. They placed their bet on this, thinking that it’s going to happen according to their plan.
But reality proved different than their fantasies.
Clang! Boom!
Eventually, Yohan was pushed so far that he ended up within the line of sight of Dawnbringer. He was there; he saw him, and he was looking. His enemies also saw him, and he could see how their eyes lit up as if their savior had just shown up.
Yohan’s anxiety peaked at this moment. He warily stood at attention, every sense taut to respond to any movement from Dawnbringer. His arrogance as a seeded participant was wisely muted at this point because he’s aware that Dawnbringer isn’t some ordinary life evolver; he’s someone capable of eliminating people like him.
"Dawnbringer! Help us kill this guy!" One of them shouted.
They were excited; that much was clear. It’s like they’ve already foreseen how Dawnbringer will fuck up Yohan at the next moment.
However, their expressions turned ugly when they heard Dawnbringer say,
"Nah, I’m good. I have a crown already. You guys got this; I believe in you, woo."
Complete and utter disinterest is what met their enthusiasm. So much so that even Yohan himself was stunned.
Here he was, expecting to have the most difficult time of his life, only to be met with a surprise with the other party’s complete disinterest in him.
He’d be offended by Dawnbringer’s casual dismissal of him if he wasn’t so relieved. So much that he even gloated inwardly at his shocked enemies.
"But why? He’s a seeded participant! We ought to team up to beat them!" Someone else reasons out, unconvinced of Dawnbringer’s disinterest.
"Oh? We ought to, you say? Strange, last time I checked, that’s not included in the mechanics of this round," Dawnbringer replied with an amused smile on his face.
The group fell silent at his words. They can’t refute him because what he said was true. Teaming up against the seeded participants was, indeed, not within the mechanics of this round. It’s not even suggested or implied. It simply didn’t exist. Therefore, he had no real reason to help them.
Yohan fought the urge to smile. He truly feels like laughing right now and was especially relieved that Dawnbringer wasn’t following the script created for him.
"Please help us. We’re willing to pay you afterwards; everything can be discussed." Someone who’s more composed spoke up this time.
"Ooh, payment, you say? Now you’ve got my attention." Cedric chuckled.
Hearing his words, the eyes of the group lit up and hope returned to them. On the other hand, Yohan felt nervous again; he anxiously looked at Dawnbringer and originally wanted to make a counteroffer. But before he could say anything, Dawnbringer’s next words froze him.
"So, you’re ready to be my slaves, then?"
It wasn’t just Yohan who was paralyzed by his words; the group did so too. Judging by the looks on their faces, it’s clear that they’re not expecting this either.
"What do you mean?"
"What exactly do you think I mean?" Cedric tilted his head in mild amusement. "You said something about paying me and that everything could be discussed, right? You’re not seriously thinking that my services are cheap, are you?"
"..."
They were silenced by his words.
"You’re asking me to eliminate a seeded participant for you so that one of you could wear the crown and enter the leaderboard and hope to move on to the next round, right? That’s a tall order, you know. A seeded participant isn’t weak."
"And more importantly, I’m not cheap. In fact, my services are very expensive. You can’t expect me to sell my services cheaply for the sake of appearances and goodwill, do you?"
"Mind you, I’m a Scarlet VIP of the Golden Bangle Bank. You know what that means, right?"
Upon mentioning this, both Yohan and the group stilled completely as if completely horrified by the reveal.
"Uh huh, that’s right. Your chances of affording me are close to nonexistent."
"But, if you boys are willing to be my slaves, then I guess I could do you a favor."
"Simply swear a verbal oath that you’ll serve me for the next 50 years, and I’d eliminate him for you. I’d even throw in a bonus that whoever gets the crown will also go to the next round with me. How’s that, hm?"
"So, what’s it going to be?"
The faces of the group turned ugly. It’s clear that they’re not very receptive to the idea of becoming his slaves, which doesn’t surprise anybody, really.
Because of this, their hopes of actually getting Dawnbringer to help them were pretty much nonexistent at this point.
"Let’s just go." One of them glared angrily at Cedric. "I don’t know what you guys were thinking by asking for his help. It’s clear that he’s not one of us. He’s just like them; he’s arrogant and looks down on us. He’s not who you think he is."
"Oh, come on. Don’t make me sound like some kind of villain," Cedric, still smiling, interjected. "It’s you who was trying to use me without permission in the first place. Who gave you the right to paint me in such a bad way?"
"It’s also you who tried to bargain for something you can’t afford in the first place, and now you’re trying to get under my skin through morals? Am I so stupid in your eyes to fall for that?"
"But you’re not really wrong."
"I am arrogant, and I could be because I could. I have every reason to be. I took down a seeded participant on my own, and pretty easily too. Can you do the same?"
"..."
"I do look down upon you. Why? Because you’re clearly beneath me, that’s why. None of you are stronger than me. If you were, you wouldn’t ask me for help. None of you could afford me, even at my greatly discounted price tag, either. Those are not insults; they’re facts, and facts don’t care about feelings."
"If you’ve got a problem with that, then come at me. Try to change my mind. I’ll be right here, waiting for your next move."
"Or, you can reconsider my offer. Just swear an oath, and I’d eliminate him for you. I’d even take one of you to the next round."
"Your third option is to walk away and stop bothering me. Take your ass and your baggage far away from me and don’t return. Solve your problems on your own."
"So? What’s it going to be?"
’Ooh, savage! ’Yohan guffawed inwardly.
He was visibly gloating now. He couldn’t hide it even if he wanted to. He didn’t expect Dawnbringer’s tongue to be so sharp, yet here it is, and his words were very satisfying to hear. It cleared his previous anxiety and vexation from being pushed this far.
Of course, deep down, he knew that Dawnbringer wasn’t his ally. There’s no such thing as an ally at this stage. He knows that if these boys were to agree to be his slaves, Dawnbringer would instantly turn on him.
However, it is clear that the boys won’t do that. Yohan, as a seeded participant, knows all about the pride of geniuses because he’s one too. Hell, he’s got it worse than them, and he knows it. Yet it’s also for this reason that he knows that these boys won’t sell their souls to Dawnbringer just for some momentary glory. It’s simply not worth it; they value themselves way too much, more than their actual worth, for them to do that.
And just as he expected, faced with the ugly facts, the group chose the third option. They ran. But not before glaring at him and Dawnbringer.
They ran, cursing at their wasted effort. Still deluding themselves that it should’ve been in Dawnbringer’s best interest to side with commoners like them.
Nevertheless, without them, Yohan could finally relax a bit. Although this doesn’t mean that it’s all over, it’s still a great relief.
He looked back at Dawnbringer and felt a chill when he saw him looking at him with the same amused smile he gave to those poor dudes.
"You want to fight, or what?" he asked.
Yohan fiercely shook his head, and before he could even ask any further questions, Yohan had already turned into a streak of light, fleeing away from this place as far as he possibly could.
’Yeah, no, fuck that. I’m not touching that ominous star even with a 10-foot pole.’
His act might seem cowardly and embarrassing, yet it’s also the smartest thing he could’ve ever done in that moment.
Even with that little and indirect interaction he had with him, he already realized that Dawnbringer isn’t someone to be messed with simply because he could mess people up even worse than they could to him.
Going against him is the dumbest thing a person could do.