“Shit! Those are tiered rune bolts!” Wasteland Warrior could not believe what he just realized.
Everyone in the audience was supernaturals, so they also quickly noticed that Angor’s bolts were not ordinary bolts.
“How rich is he? His weapon isn’t tiered, but his bolts are! It makes no sense!”
“Which alchemist made them anyway? Can someone find so much time to craft tiered bolts like that? Is it Master Prome?”
“Can’t be. Master Prome only knows synthesis, but the bolts are enchanted. Brute Cavern hadn’t seen another enchantment alchemist in a long time.”
“A new alchemist maybe?”
“Whoever it is, it must be someone reaaaal free who has nothing better to do.”
The comment caused everyone in the audience to fall into a dead silence.
A new alchemist.
A free alchemist.
A new and free alchemist who could actually find time to create so many tiered crossbow bolts for a mere level-1 apprentice!
Usually, every alchemist was so busy that no one could find them easily. Each time they created something new, people had to get in long queues early to buy them. It was like what always happened in front of Prome’s Alchemy Shop where there were always people waiting. Prome always shut himself inside his lab all year round and would not come to the shop often. Even then, people still came looking for him all the time.
All in all, alchemists were so scarce!
If people could find this new alchemist to make weapons for them, they no longer had to spend all that time waiting in lines.
Plus, Moonfrost Union just brought them a new message. People really needed an alchemy weapon to improve their chances.
However, none of them showed their thoughts to others. They did not need more people as their competition.
Nevertheless, they all kept this “Baron Milk” in mind.
“So many rune bolts are going for Mundo. He’s in trouble.”
Mundo was the real name of Wasteland Warrior. Unlike Angor, he always showed his face on the arena, so everyone knew him.
“Serves him right, playing all tough like that.”
On the arena, Angor’s bolts almost covered all possible locations Mundo might escape too.
Mundo really wanted to dodge the attacks, but he no longer knew how. There were even two shining bolts with Sharpen Runes on them coming for him from right above his head.
Since he realized he would get hurt anyway, his choice was to keep his damage minimum.
He did his best to shift aside by kicking his left leg while fully covering his entire body under the hard defense of an Earth Salamander. A mana barrier in the color of dirt and fire shrouded his body.
Two armor-piercing bolts grazed against his left arm and leg, while his right leg was frozen solid by the Freeze Bolts.
In the blink of an eye, the result of the match became obvious. There was no doubt Mundo had already lost.
Mundo knelt on the ground on his left leg and felt his face burning in embarrassment. The wounds were not serious. As a Bloodline apprentice, his natural recovery was faster than average. However, he felt terrible for his previous declaration. He got his face slapped so soon!
If he played the match like normal without letting his enemy to figure out a good shot, he could have avoided the rune bolts by running. Now his attempt to pose in front of people cost his victory.
If only he had known… Wasteland Warrior felt like crying.
Mundo wished to get away and hide as fast as he could. He could not bear another second of having to remain here in the middle of the audience.
He could already imagine how the other members in his team were going to laugh at him. Battle Horn was among the spectators too. Mundo glanced at his buddy and realized Battle Horn had covered his eyes to pretend that he had no idea who was that on the arena. Mundo felt even worse now.
Angor moved his sleeve up and revealed his Trigger Crossbow to the public for the first time.
People all gasped upon seeing the finely-made machine.
“Such delicate craftsmanship! Its creator must be really skilled!”
“A new alchemist made that?! For real?”
Of course, Angor did not do it to show off. He aimed the weapon at Mundo and revealed more spell ripples from a strap attached on his arm. He was obviously forcing Mundo to give up.
“He still got more tiered bolts!” The audience exclaimed in surprise again. There were not many left, but… that alchemist really had a lot of free time!
Mundo also saw Angor’s move, and he quickly understood what this meant.
Mundo took a deep breath. “Thanks for sparing me. I surrender.”
He tossed his profile card.
…
Angor walked off the arena and went back to the backstage while followed by the gazes of all people. There was jealousy, greed, and the will to seek information.
Upon reaching the backstage, the other participants immediately swarmed up to him.
Angor thought they came looking for trouble. To his surprise, these people all stayed somewhat polite.
After listening to them talking though, Angor realized they were trying to learn about the origin of his Trigger Crossbow, either implicitly or boldly.
Angor now became certain that alchemists were really important in Brute Cavern.
However, as an unfriendly “Baron Milk”, he could not possibly chat with these people. Angor simply repelled every question with humphs and sneers, then left the place under everyone’s angered gaze.
“Ungrateful wretch.” A black-haired fighter who tried to inquire info from Angor spat on the ground and moved to another black-haired, female participant. “Selena, you’re fighting him in the afternoon. Make sure you give him a good beating for brother.”
Selena glanced at her brother nonchalantly.
“Oh.”
“Oh for what?”
“I heard you,” Selena still spoke with her unchanged expression.
A fat fighter who carried a greatsword put a hand on the brother’s shoulder. “Hey, Dupond, is Selena really your sister? A chatterbox and a poker face… You two are an odd combination, you know that?”
Dupond sighed and said, “Actually, I’ve been asking that question too. Man, how I wish for a cute and soft sister…”
…
Angor did not stay in the backstage. He took a participant cable car and left. Thanks to this choice, he avoided lots of people who wanted to buzz him with their questions.
Upon reaching his villa, Angor focused on his meditation training.
After the match between Baron Milk and Wasteland Warrior, a rumor about a mysterious alchemist was slowly spread around the underground market.
It was like dropping ink into clear water. The number of people who heard about the rumor increased like crazy. It was only a matter of time before everyone could learn about it.
Dave, who always kept to his alchemy works, also heard about it.
Today, he opened the shop for business when it was almost noon. Like always, people gathered in front of the shop. To his surprise though, there seemed to be fewer people.
He repeated his routine greetings to them.
“Master Prome isn’t here today. New merchandise will be put on sale in a few days, please come next time.”
Previously, people would scatter away quietly after they heard him. This time, however, they looked discontent for some reason.
“No one will come here if we find that other master alchemist. You didn’t give us any new alchemy weapon for two months now, and you still want us to wait like fools?”
The comment was like a small crack on a river dam. More people soon followed suit.
These customers were mostly stronger than Dave in strength, so he did not dare to retort. Dave could only keep smiling and apologizing for the inconvenience while sending them away politely.
After everyone left, Dave mumbled to himself, “Did Brute Cavern just get a new master alchemist?”
He did not really care much. Dave closed the door and resumed his work on Propeller Flyer MK-III.
In the afternoon, he received a message from Master Prome to collect new items from Prome’s house.
Huh… Master Prome will fill the shelves today? I should have told the customers, so they wouldn’t yell at me like that.
Dave complained in his mind, put down his work, and headed toward Prome’s residence with several hired carriers.
Master Prome lived in the woods around Apprentice Town Eight instead of inside the town. He dug up a giant cave inside a mountain to be his alchemy laboratory as well as a place for daily training.
Usually, Master Prome would not say anything when Dave came here. He was always immersed in his alchemy experiments.
Like how he did in the past few years, Dave went into the storage area to collect the alchemy items. There were a lot of items this time. He ordered the carriers to move the cargo away, while he stayed nearby to jot down the information of every item.
He was surprised when he saw two finger crossbows and a hand crossbow among the items. Master Prome rarely made small, long-range weapons like these because Prome never figured out how to make the weapons release enough power. When Dave noticed that the weapons were not enchanted, he grew a bit disappointed.
While Dave prepared to leave, Prome suddenly stopped him.
“Did you learn anything about the alchemist I mentioned last time?”
Dave was a bit bewildered at the question. When Prome took out a small golden bolt, he finally knew what was going on.
A bolt used in Angor’s Trigger Crossbow.
But as far as Dave remembered, Master Prome only showed some small interest in the said alchemist. He did not ask Dave to look into the matter.
“You… didn’t ask your little friend about it?”
He did. But then he realized Angor was probably someone who lived in solitude and did not want to be bothered.
Dave’s instinct changed his words. “I went to his house, but didn’t find him there.”
That was a terrible lie. Dave saw the reflection of his face on a metal chunk nearby. His face looked really stiff. Anyone would notice his lying.
Dave felt like crying in his mind. Master Prome always hated liars. Would he get on the nerves of his mentor?
As Dave waited for a scolding with cold sweat on his face, he heard Prome mumbling in a small voice, “I see. Your little friend’s been fighting in Sky Tower these days. It’s natural that you can’t find him.”
“What? Angor went to Sky Tower for real?” Dave widened his eyes.
Prome gave him a puzzled look. “You didn’t know? He’s not your friend?”
Dave scratched his hair in embarrassment. “Angor asked for participant information from me. I never asked him why though. He came to Brute Cavern last year and is only a supernatural for a month or two. So I didn’t believe he’d go for the tower…”
Dave did not lie this time, and Prome did not question his words. Prome only gave Dave an “I understand” look.
“Looks like you’ve been missing out too much about your little friend. Aside from joining matches in the tower, he has also reached the first level of Three Levels of Death. He defeated ‘Wasteland Warrior’ Mundo just this morning.”
“Angor defeated Mundo?! But that’s impossible!”