"Ugh, I can't believe I lost again."
The owner of the public house, who was also sitting near the battle preparation mat and had an exclusive viewing area, sighed with a not-so-good face.
In order to fight for the dominant right to open the Lapis Grounds.
The amount of money he had paid was not a small amount.
I didn't expect that after two rounds of team matches went down, those adventurers he had invested in, not to mention being able to successfully advance, right?
It was difficult to even compete evenly with the three major adventuring groups.
His line of sight swept over the few remaining adventurers on the battle preparation table.
The public hall master finally landed his gaze on Galen, who was sitting upright.
The public hall master then shook his head, dispelling his unrealistic expectations.
"Although Galen's strength is good, but he has been out of time for too long in the end, and an intermediate shield guard ... lets one not see hope at all ah."
Ivo, who was sitting beside the master of the public house, saw his uncle's face somewhat sullen and opened his mouth to comfort him:
"Don't worry uncle, with the strength of senior Ao Dun, he can definitely win."
The public hall master nodded slightly, in the current situation, he could only trust Galen.
...
"To be able to be on par with two teams like this, the elite squad sent by the Griffin Adventure Group is probably not far behind. How about it captain? Any thoughts."
The one who asked was Sean, who had already made all the pre-battle preparations.
Galen still had the same calm demeanor of "a mountain crumbling in front of you without a change in color".
He looked at the names of himself and others that appeared on the magic crystal.
He opened his mouth and said, "Anyway, you two don't feel too much pressure, just play at your own level."
Sean grinned, though Galen didn't say anything to boost his morale.
But Sean had gotten the answer he wanted.
He didn't see the slightest bit of fear of battle from this captain of his own squad.
As long as he had this confidence, there was still a fight to be had!
"Mr. Galen, it's our turn to take the field."
Philips, who was sitting on the other side of the room, voiced out a reminder.
His and Galen's team would serve as the last hope for the solo adventurers to rebel against the monopoly.
But not a trace of pre-battle nervousness could be seen on his face.
This Mr. Philips, it seemed, was also an adventurer with a strong heart.
"Let's go and win this one."
Galen greeted his two teammates.
He himself carried a large plate-like object from behind his seat.
This object was wrapped by white cloth all over and looked quite heavy.
Even with Galen's strength, he needed to bend his knees slightly to carry it on his back.
This was the equipment provided to Galen by the Lazar Family, and it was also the only piece of Exquisite Grade equipment.
It wasn't that the Lazar Family was willing to place all their bets on Galen.
Rather, this piece of equipment was actually a shield.
And because of its excessive weight, it was difficult for adventurers other than shield guards to manage it.
Among the three-party team that appeared on the stage this time.
There was no White Falcon type of genius-level adventurer with a great reputation.
The only one who was still somewhat famous was Galen, who had become famous in the ring.
"That guy who carried the door panel to the ring is Galen, right? I heard that he even defeated the White Falcon, I'm really curious about what kind of battle power he'll possess."
"I'd rather trust my own eyes, you all saw White Falcon's strength just now. Even if this Galen, really did win over White Falcon once by fluke, I think it should be because White Falcon was gullible."
"You guys, look, the Griffin Adventure Group's people have made an appearance ... Wait, that leader, why does he look a bit familiar?"
"Holy shit, that's the deputy leader of the Griffin Adventure Group!"
"What's the situation? Even the Vice Leader is personally coming down?"
Of the three major adventuring troupes, only the three leaders were master adventurers.
The vice-leaders under them, although they also belonged to the upper level adventurers.
However, in terms of strength, they were by no means comparable to ordinary adventurers.
The simplest example.
It was with the strength of the White Falcon, it was only one of the candidates for the Snow Eagle Adventure Group, the deputy leader.
...
From the griffin squad that debuted from the other end of the preparation mat.
A sturdy man with a height of one meter nine and short black hair that exploded like steel needles.
It attracted Galen's attention.
"What a solid physique, is this man the deputy leader of the Griffin Adventure Group."
Feeling Galen's gaze.
The Griffon Vice Leader looked back over.
In his black eyes, a touch of anticipation actually flared up.
He leapt up and shook off his two companions.
He directly leaped onto the ring.
The broad sword behind him, which was almost as tall as a man, seemed like it had no weight, and could not affect his movements in the slightest.
"You're Galen, aren't you, I heard that your shield can't even break through the White Falcon. I was curious, so I decided to come and experience your defense for myself."
The Vice Leader pulled out the huge sword behind him and heaved it towards the stone floor.
With a "bang", the longsword was lost in the stone floor.
Even in such a noisy scene, it was hard to hide the sound it made, which showed the heavy weight of the huge sword.
"My name is Hussein, I would like to ask you for a sword lesson before the official start of the fight, I don't know if you are willing?"
Facing Hussein's provocation.
Galen just silently, loosened the shield he was carrying.
Bang--!
An even more dull sound emanated from the side of Galen's feet.
The rest of the people belonging to the same ring could even feel the slight trembling of the ground.
Galen's gaze came out from under his helmet, "What do you not dare to do?"
Philips, who was on the same side as Galen, couldn't help but speak out and remind him:
"Captain Galen ignore this guy, let's go together!"
Galen shook his head, the opportunity to test his opponent's attack was not something he intended to waste.
Moreover, if Hussein existed a shortcoming in defense.
He, a shield guard, was also capable of taking away the opponent in one wave!
Without bothering about the ground, that ridiculously heavy giant shield.
Galen picked up the much smoother zither shaped shield and took big steps towards Hussein.
Both men's voices were very loud, and the people in the audience heard their conversation clearly.
A match full of tactical use of skill was certainly very exciting.
But the pure collision of strength and flesh was equally indispensable.
The people in the audience shouted out the names of the two adventurers.
There was a lot of anticipation for this pre-fight encounter.
Hussein let out a "hey" and pulled his huge sword up from the ground as he moved his feet with increasing speed.
In the end, Hussein was like an out-of-control carriage, crashing into Galen.
In the process, Hussein's skin turned a greyish color, transforming from flesh and blood into a stone Rex.
Hardened Skin-Advanced!
What also changed was Hussein's arms.
His already thick arms' gnarled muscles bulged once again.
And vaguely, the silhouette of a giant bear appeared behind them.
Advanced Skill - Bear's Strength!
A body as solid as a rock, coupled with the strength of a giant beast.
Hussein was confident that this sword could cleave through any defense!
Compared to Hussein's running like fire, Galen's speed was significantly slower.
Before the two actually collided, Galen was like a morning runner who had mistakenly entered the ring.
But the moment Hussein raised his huge sword and slashed at him.
Galen's eyes suddenly lit up.
The pace of his feet instantly accelerated, driving the muscles of Galen's body to tense up like iron as he violently toppled his shield towards the front.
Shield Upanishad - Shield Counter!