The old man patted the dust off his body in a poised manner.
"That was a wonderful fight!" The young girl excitedly clapped after
Ralph won. She turned to Dustin and Maximus. "See? Isn't my grandpa
amazing?"
"Abby, did you see my palm strikes just now? Those are our guild's
signature moves. You'll amaze the world when you finally learn it," Ralph
said loudly.
"I'll work hard to meet your expectations, Grandpa Abby nodded
fervently.
"Oh, and they are?" Ralph turned his attention to Dustin and Maximus.
"They're passersby who were being nosy, but I stopped them in time.
With their abilities, they'll only be a bother," Abby explained.
"I see." Ralph gave them a look over. "Treacherous bandits and
ferocious beasts always roam this mountain. You two shouldn't run around
carelessly.
"Thanks for the advice. We'll make a move since you're safe." Dustin
thanked them and spun around to leave.
"Hold on!" Abby suddenly called out. "You're here to watch the fight
between Tatum and, er, Dustin, right?"
"Yes. Are you guys here for that too?" Dustin asked
"Of course!" Abby lifted her head proudly. "To tell you the truth,
Boulderthorn invited many witnesses for today's duel. My grandpa's one of
them!"
"Witnesses?" Dustin was amused. "Is that really necessary?"
"Of course it is!" Abby rolled her eyes. "I can tell that you're
clueless. Well, any fight between famous martial artists always needs
witnesses to ensure the competition's fairness."
"I see." Dustin nodded. It was true that he had no idea about
deathmatch rules.
"Both of you young men seem like fine people with strong bodies. I'll
give you a chance to become Steel Legion disciples," Ralph suddenly said.
"Disciples?" Dustin was caught off guard.
"You two should thank your lucky stars. Being my grandpa's disciple
is a dream many people have. What are you waiting for? Hurry up and thank
him!" Abby ordered arrogantly.
"Sorry, but no thanks," Dustin refused, shaking his head.
"What?" Abby immediately turned angry. "Hey, you should be grateful
that Grandpa's willing to take you in."
"Young man, you won't come across this opportunity twice. You should
think about it carefully!" Ralph stood proudly with his hands behind his
back. "It's an honor to be my disciple. All I have to do is teach you a
few moves, and you'll become famous."
Dustin couldn't help but find their confidence amusing. To think that
someone who hasn't reached divinity yet was trying to take him in as a
disciple. Had the requirements for becoming
mentors fallen so low?
"Thank you for your offer, but I'm not interested." Dustin shook his
head once more.
"Insolent fool!" Abby humphed before turning to Maximus. "What about
you?"
"I'm not interested either." He shrugged.
"You'll regret your decision one day!" Abby fumed.
Her grandfather, the leader of Steel Legion, a well-known martial
expert, was gracious enough to offer to take them in, yet they foolishly
refused.