"Go kick his ass, boss!"
I exhaled as I entered the arena and went straight to the middle. As I walked, the spectators' roars resonated throughout the place, with some of them jumping due to extreme excitement while looking at me from the audience platform, where a tall wall was separating the arena and the audience platform above.
From the crowd, I saw Rafaela waving her hand at me; beside her was Xin crossing his arms, and Leo was conversing with a guy wearing a butler suit standing next to him.
I didn't know what they were discussing, so I could only wonder.
I waved my hand towards Rafaela.
"So, you are the new leader of the Fang faction."
The fuck?
I immediately turned toward the person standing a few meters away from me.
Since when has he been standing there? He literally came out of nowhere! I didn't even sense him with my Mana perception!
[Noticed: Absolute Concealment Skill in activation. Unlike Kuro, this elf has higher Concealment Skill, which includes not just his status but even his mana]
Can you imitate it? I think it's more valuable than the first-level Conceal skill.
[Negative. One must evolve Conceal skill to obtain such skill]
Just like Hephaestus' passive awakening?
[Yes]
Oh damn! Is there any skill that would surpass Concealment?
[Assessing…]
Upon seeing him, the crowd stormed and became much louder.
"Master Leal!"
"Leal!"
"Master Leal!"
"So, you are Leal."
He brushed his short blonde hair up and looked at me with a puzzling smile on his face. I first noticed his long, pointed ears, indicating that he was indeed an elf.
Wearing a white tuxedo, slacks, and black shoes, he looked like a high-ranking noble, a young master, to be exact.
Based on the story I heard about him, I expected him to be a middle-aged aristocratic gentleman who simultaneously looked like a mafia boss. I'm not wrong about the aristocratic part, but he looks way younger than I anticipated.
Do all the faction leaders look this young? Maybe it has something to do with him being an elf.
"Yes, the name is Leal Bertrand, the faction leader of Marionette Faction and the founder of Marionette Corps." He put his hand on his chest. "We have finally met Troy."
"Do all the challenges that you're accepting take place here? A little bit over the top if you ask me."
"I'm only using this place if I know I'm about to fight a powerful opponent."
"I see, it makes sense."
"Before we start, I want to ask you a question, if you may."
"I don't mind."
His expression abruptly changed and turned very serious. "What is a Summon doing in this place? A calamity like you shouldn't be in here, and of all the people, you should understand that the most."
"I am a traveler. And the first stop was this place. I noticed that poverty and inequality were screaming in this town. I change, and to do that, I need the three factions to unite."
He chuckled, but not in a funny way. "Really? I must admit, that's a reasonable reason… for a normal person."
"Do you have an issue with us?"
Even though I'm just a fake Summon or whatever.
He shook his head. "Not just me, the entire world has. On a different note, I have some conditions for our battle, and I hope you won't mind hearing it."
I nodded.
"First, the Marionette corps is my property. If you ever defeat me, you can have the faction territory but not my mercenaries. And lastly, If you lose, leave this town and never show your face ever again."
"Fair enough."
"Are you sure?" he immediately asked with subtle confusion in his eyes.
Maybe he expected me to express even a little bit of resistance. When I'm determined to have something, I will have my way; either it'll hurt me or mean my death, then so be it.
"I've come here to win, to begin with. However, in return, if you lose, you'll help me accomplish my goal for this town, as my associate.
He smiled and nodded. "Then, it's a deal; you will end up losing anyway."
"But so you know, I'll pour my everything here."
He walked back a few meters away from me and raised both hands while separating both feet.
"It's nice meeting you... Troy."
Any news, Cher?
[Answer: Still Analyzing]
I was supposed to ask more about it, but Leal disappeared before me.
It happened so fast that the next thing I knew, I was already rolling to the ground and wiping the floor with my face.
Then, intense pain occurred on my nape as if my bones were breaking apart, and it's extremely painful!
I held my neck the moment I stopped rolling through the ground!
Man! That was destructive! That single kick was one hell of an attack!
I coughed as I stood up while the power-up from the attack I received just now immediately built up within me.
All I could hear was the gasps of the spectators after such a blink-of-an-eye attack happened.
Ah, damn it! If only I could glimpse his status and power, I could have some idea of him!
"What a troublesome skill." He said as he looked at me with visible irritation in his eyes. "I was planning to end this battle as soon as possible, but it turns out, Leo's skill granted you a ludicrous advantage; rather than getting knocked out, it made you more powerful. And now that my initial plan failed."
If it wasn't for the Warrior's rage, I'd already be lying on the ground and flapping like a fish out of the water.
I stood up and brushed the dirt on my mouth. "I'm amazed; you've done a lot of research in a single night."
He chuckled. "A Night? I have been investigating you since you knocked Leo down. Your name, race, abilities, and potential threat probably abilities are probably all of them. And based on what I've learned, you are a huge threat that I need to get rid of before you become an unstoppable force for us to deal with."
Dude, my battle with Leo just took place yesterday! I'm not even sure about my race, and here you are; you have already investigated me!
He raised his fists and looked at me with intense resolve in his green eyes.
"If it's still a game for you, it's not for me. Especially when a potential catastrophe like yours is lurking around our town, it's my job to protect this place from any kind of danger, and I will. Although it greatly bothers me that Xin hasn't done anything for you yet, it doesn't matter anymore because I will defeat you and drive you away from this place one way or another."
I activated my Fire and Electricity magic and covered my arms with them as I walked towards him. "I have something that I want to achieve, so I can't leave this place, and if you want me to. Then, I want to see you try, Leal."
I'm fairly certain that some of my bones got dislocated.