Flashy Adventurer System : Show Off to Get Stronger!

Shye wanted to watch John Oni's match from the ringside seats, however, since his match was up next, he had no choice but to watch from inside the preparation room, together with Corvus and the Raven's Blade guild personnel.

Surprisingly, watching the match with a bunch of middle-aged and old men didn't turn out to be as boring as he thought.

The outdated words used by the old men turned out to be rather amusing for Shye.

Furthermore, since both John Oni and Carl Bloodthorne were scouts, it was impossible for their match to not be exciting, as it was filled with flashy, speedy maneuvers, deft melee exchanges, and nail-biting moments.

In the untrained eyes of the mundane folks and low-level adventurers, there were quite a few times when Carl almost upset the 3rd-ranked John.

However, in the eyes of the truly skilled ones, John was always one step ahead.

The instances where everyone believed John had merely lucked out in evading Carl's assaults were, in fact, instances of John immaculately calculating the distance between his neck and the opponent's weapon, enabling him to seize the opportunity and inflict deep wounds on Carl.

As a result, Carl eventually grew weaker and weaker, and in the final clash of trump cards, the deep right shoulder wound he sustained while clashing against John in the earlier stages of their fight cost him the match.

With decisive intent, Carl aimed a slash at John's throat, but his shoulder faltered at the final moment, causing the trajectory of his attack to veer slightly away from its intended target.

Promptly after, his neck was sliced clean off by John.

The scout duel was exciting, however, it was also brutal.

Had they done everything without the assistance of the blue dome, a genius would've lost his life right then and there.

…Anyway, the match ended as expected, with John Oni advancing to the semi-finals. The young man's victory was glorious and he looked cool while raising his hands victoriously, however, he failed epicly the next moment.

As he turned around, John gestured with a thumbs down towards the ringside seats where Shye was… expected to be.

Only, he forgot the fact that Shye's match was next, and thus, the guy was in the preparation room. This oversight made John appear extremely foolish, slightly tarnishing the image he had earned from his recent triumphant victory over Carl.

"HAHAHAHAHA! What an idiot!" Shye couldn't help but laugh out loud, eliciting chuckles from everyone inside the preparation room, including Corvus.

Indeed, what John did was rather comical.

If they were in the young man's awkward position, they would've died of embarrassment.

The fun atmosphere didn't last for long though…well…at least for Corvus and his old men.

After all, their rookies only make it as far as the quarterfinals every year. Rarely had there been cases wherein a Raven's Blade rookie managed to make it to the semi-finals.

As for the finals? Not once.

Shye…was the most talented rookie they ever had in the history of their branch, hence, they couldn't help but feel slightly nervous as all of them had big hopes for him.

Expecting him to at least reach the semi-finals.

If Shye could be the first Raven's Blade Balkrow Branch rookie to make it to the finals of the intracity competition, then regardless of whether he won or lost, the ranking of their branch would soar, allowing them to secure even more resources from the main headquarters.

For now, the finals seemed a bit too far-fetched as even if Shye won his match against Brooke, his next opponent would be John Oni.

In addition to facing a considerable class disadvantage, his opponent wasn't just any scout either; he was the former second-ranked rookie in all of Balkrow.

The likelihood of Shye making it to the grand finals just seemed too bleak.

"Well then, guild master, esteemed seniors, I'm heading out. Just sit back and enjoy the show; I'll definitely secure this victory for the guild!" Shye assured, lightly tapping his chest.

Although he merely said such words to curry favor with the guild branch's higher-ups in hopes of an easier and faster promotion in the future, Shye wasn't boasting.

He was truly sure that he would win.

Exiting the preparation room, Shye followed the arena staff and headed towards the stage where his opponent, the 7th-ranked Brooke Hayes, was already waiting.

Inevitably, the two of them met gazes.

Again, Brooke had a seductive smile on her face as she looked at Shye, even winking at him as he ascended the stage.

This time though, Shye had his nonchalant mask on, not embarrassed in the slightest as he looked straight at Brooke's eyes.

'Tch…It's not working anymore huh?...' Brooke inwardly thought.

Since Shye's mouth was a bit too vicious for her, she opted for the "sweet" approach in hopes of at least disrupting her opponent's focus.

Unfortunately, although her plan worked rather nicely the first time, it seemed that Shye had already resolved himself for a battle—at least temporarily, and it seemed that he wouldn't be affected by her subsequent actions.

'Sigh…what a tough nut to crack…'

After witnessing Shye's dominant win over Payne, one of her rivals, Brooke's confidence was shaken, and even though she knew she had a chance to win, Brooke was also aware that her chances of winning were lower than her chances of losing.

'Hmmph, no matter. I'm not weak either. If this guy dares underestimate me, I'll make him regret it!'

"And now! For the third match of the quarterfinals…It's another scorching hot matchup between two mages. Standing on the left, this young woman had proven herself time and again over the past two years, consistently completing quests one rank higher than her own. Astonishingly, she was able to do so with a small party of four adventurers! Four! Let us all welcome, Brooke Hayes!"

Hearing the crowd's thunderous cheers, Brooke received a sudden surge of confidence in her heart.

The people wanted her to win.

Surely, this will affect and rattle Shye Crowley's heart even if only a little.

She can do this!