Vital Orange had a surprised expression on his face when he head Ivor's words. He looked at Mane and tried to see through him. The young man was bright and handsome. His dashing good looks could make many men feel inferior, and the aura he exuded was so full of confidence that many would feel slighted when seated within his presence. His beautiful golden hair and deep blue eyes seemed to contain the mysteries of the world, and his build was good. Yet Vital Orange couldn't find anything extraordinary about the boy's strength. Although he had a good build, there were many who weren't even at the level of Fighters yet had good builds. So that wasn't enough. As for the confidence and mysteriousness Mane exuded, Vital Orange didn't think much of it since he had met people who belonged to powerful families but had no strength themselves who possessed such auras. So it also wasn't enough to come to a conclusion that Mane was a powerful warrior.
"Hehe. Sir Ivor must surely be joking." Vital Orange chuckled slightly. He thought Ivor was only cracking a joke to lighten the mood. He cast his attention to Tucker again. This man was a Thrasher and wasn't that old. He looked younger than Orange Monk, and was surely the one sent as Orange Monk's replacement. Vital Orange could feel that Tucker's strength was almost on par with Orange Monk's base power; and paired with the strong armor Tucker had on, Vital Orange was certain that Tucker possessed power that couldn't be scoffed at. So he thought his guess was spot on.
"Stop looking at Tucker. He is someone Mane picked up on the way to serve him. Besides, Tucker is part of Asher City. So there is no way he has the qualifications to participate in the competition." Ivor laughed and stated seeing that Vital Orange was still checking Tucker out and didn't believe his words.
"That is indeed true Sir Vital Orange. I served the house of the Predator, Sir Oswald, before Master Mane recruited me to serve him." Tucker spoke courteously.
"But how is that possible?!" Vital Orange exclaimed, stunned at Ivor's words.
He looked at the bitter smile on Tucker's face and inferred that neither Ivor nor Tucker was telling lies. He looked at Mane again. The boy looked no older than 18, and if Ivor had told Vital Orange that Mane was a Thrasher, he would have been able to believe it. It would have been difficult to accept, but it wouldn't have been such a big deal since he had met geniuses who had attained the Thrasher level when they were in their twenties. But Mane didn't look older than 18, and even if he looked younger than his actual age, it was still difficult to accept that this young man seated before him was a Predator.
"What's going on Captain?" a beautiful figure clad scantily in a crop top and very short trunks that exposed her thighs made her entrance. Her entire body was filled with sweat, and she held a large cloth and cleaned herself with it. She looked like someone who had been training until just a few minutes ago.
Mane gave this person a cursory glance and retracted his gaze. "She is a High Level Thrasher," Mane easily identified her strength by just looking at her. Since she had just finished her training, her power was uncontrolled so it was easy to identify. And this wasn't limited to Scholars alone. Any person with strength would be able to tell.
No sooner had she entered the hall when another man came in as well. This man had a small stature and didn't possess the large build that Vital Orange boasted of. Mane had seen him before. He and the woman were the two members of the Orange Team who didn't fight that day during their competitive bout against the Blue Team. And although he was completely covered with a cloak that day, Mane could still tell it was him due to the similarities in their body stature. Mane was surprised to see him. The man had curiously good looks, and his black eyes were beautiful. He was a beautiful man, and if it wasn't for the small patch of beard that he had grown under his chin, and Mane's ability that enabled him discern that this man possessed the aura of a male, Mane would have assumed that he was a woman. But it wasn't his pretty face nor his lanky build that stunned Mane. And it wasn't because Mane could smell a thick stench of blood from the man and could tell that this man took the path of assassins either. Mane was surprised to see the man because of his strength. When Mane saw him through the Record Stone, he hadn't been able to accurately place his strength. This was because the man didn't fight at all, and that made it difficult to discern his abilities. If Mane had been at the stadium in person and met the man, he would have been able to tell his power level even if he didn't fight because Mane was a Scholar. But he could only do so much through images. However, even then Mane had assumed that he was a Thrasher since Orange Monk was touted to be the second strongest in the team. But upon seeing this man he realised that the public had been misled. Even without Orange Monk, the Orange Team had a very good chance to win the Grand Tourney. And why was that?
Because that man was a Predator as well!
Mane could feel the breath of a Predator oozing out of the body of the man. Although the man did his best to control his strength, making it difficult for others to tell, the Scout ability allowed Mane to see what others couldn't. And he knew for sure that the man who had just come in was a Predator.
"Orange Ivy. Black Hand. Allow me to introduce you to Sir Ivor. Sir Ivor has brought us a replacement for Orange Monk." Vital Orange quickly got the other two up to speed. Orange Ivy was the woman, and Black Hand was the man.
Mane was able to see the looks of astonishment that both Orange Ivy and Black Hand had on their faces when they heard the name 'Sir Ivor'. Orange Ivy panicked and quickly reached out to greet Ivor, and Black Hand had the same reaction. It seemed that whoever it was, Thrasher or Predator, everyone was afraid of Ivor.
"Is it this gentleman here?" Orange Ivy wondered as she stared at Tucker. However, Black Hand only furrowed his brows in confusion.
"It can't be," Black Hand shook his head before Ivor or Vital Orange could say anything.
"Why not?" Orange Ivy asked as she raised one of her lovely brows.
"That's because I've seen this man before. If I am not mistaken, he should be a resident of Asher City." Black Hand replied and turned to speak to Tucker.
"You are Sir Oswald's man, aren't you?" Black Hand enquired.
"I was until a few minutes ago. Now I serve Sir Mane." Tucker replied with a small smile on his face.
"Black Hand is correct. He isn't the replacement." Vital Orange stated. "He is," he continued as he pointed to Mane.
"That's impossible. He doesn't look older than 18. How can he be a Thrasher?" Orange Ivy shook her head and argued. Black Hand didn't say anything, but he didn't look convinced either.
"He isn't a Thrasher," Vital Orange smiled bitterly, for he was still finding it hard to believe Ivor's words.
"Oh? He is an Animal Hunter? Well, that isn't too unbelievable. He is still a genius to have the strength of an Animal Hunter before the age of 18. But he cannot participate if he only has such strength." Orange Ivy shook her head with a smile. She clearly misinterpreted her captain's words.
"No, that isn't what I meant to say. What I meant to say was, he isn't a Thrasher but a Predator!" Vital Orange exclaimed. If it wasn't because Sir Ivor was the one who said this, he wouldn't have believed that the young man seated between the other two youthful individuals, was a Predator. Even now he didn't fully believe it.
"That is impossible!"
"Don't joke around Captain!"
Both Black Hand and Orange Ivy didn't believe their Captain's words. They thought he was only kidding. "There is no way this world has an 18 year old Predator!" Orange Ivy added.
"Hehe. Look at them arguing amongst themselves like idiots." One person took delight in their plight though – the fairy Hildegarde. She swung her lovely feet with a huge smile on her face as she watched the Orange Team members struggle to accept the truth that had been handed them. Mane could only smile bitterly at her antics. To Hildegarde, this was like watching a show.
However, Mane understood why Hildegarde found this funny. In this world, Mane was a 15 year old Profound Realmer. That was nothing impressive in his universe. And this was because there were several geniuses with such strength in the True Universe. Mane remembered the two Celestials he acquainted himself with back in the True Universe – Max and Kahn. They were only about 15 yet were at the peak of the Profound Realm. Maybe they had even broken through to the Earth Realm. With their degree of talent, this wouldn't be a surprise. Even within Mane's circles, Abelard who was only 11 was a Profound Realmer, and Mane had been an 11 year old Earth Realmer until recently.
"They doubt you. I think you need to prove to them that they shouldn't." Ivor smiled and whispered to Mane seeing that the Orange Team was still arguing amongst themselves.
"Okay," Mane replied and picked up a small toothpick that had been left on the table. He didn't even unleash his aura. He just flung the small toothpick nonchalantly at the wall.
*Boom*
The loud sound caught everyone's attention, and they all turned to the side of the wall where Mane had thrown the toothpick. The weak little stick was embedded deeply into the wall, and a few cracks had formed on that part of the wall.
Vital Orange, Orange Ivy, and Black Hand were stunned by what they saw. Orange Ivy knew she didn't have such abilities so they realised that Mane was truly a Predator from this display.
"An 18 year old Predator! Unbelievable!" Orange Ivy exclaimed.
"Genius," Black Hand whispered underneath his breath.
"Mane isn't 18. He is 15." Lam who had been quiet all this while couldn't help but confess Mane's age, and the hall grew quiet for a short while until several voices exclaimed in shock,
"WHAT?!"