"Kent, do you have the face to rely on women for your entire life?" Leng Zimu said harshly.
Zhao Shi also coldly chimed in, "Kent, I really don't know what kind of luck a bumpkin like you has, but don't think just because you've suddenly become rich, you can do whatever you want and act without restraint. Let me tell you, in this world, you'll never get to gloat."
The crowd had long gotten used to the conflicts between the three of them, and even Mr. Eight God, the class advisor, couldn't be bothered to intervene. He simply stood by and enjoyed the spectacle of their heated argument, as long as it didn't escalate into a fight.
Kent gave the two a glance and chuckled, "So what if I rely on women? I'm going to rely on her, and I'm going to do it for the rest of my life. What are you going to do about it?"
His words made Zhao Mengxi's face flush crimson, and she quickly lowered her head, feeling embarrassed.
The other girls widened their eyes, glancing at Kent and then at Zhao Mengxi. Seeing her look like she wanted to escape into the ground, they couldn't help but giggle.
Kent, however, remained oblivious to the implications of his words and turned to Zhao Zhi. "And as for you, Zhao Zhi, let me tell you this: not only am I a newly rich man, but I'm also going to gloat. I'll reach a height that you'll only be able to look up at for the rest of your life."
With that, Kent felt a surge of satisfaction, as if he had finally let out what had been on his mind. It wasn't a slap in the face, but it was a blatant display of arrogance, and it felt refreshingly straightforward.
But aside from Leng Zimu and Zhao Zhi, whose faces turned even darker, everyone else looked at him oddly. Kent touched his face, expecting to see some kind of mark or stain, but there was nothing there.
The next day, the group headed back up the mountain.
They chose a suitable spot to set up camp and then formed teams for the trials.
"Kent, let's team up," Zhao Mengxi said, her face still a bit uneasy.
Kent didn't notice her discomfort and, after a moment of thought, agreed.
With enough fruits stored up for his beast, and having learned some of the techniques from his companion, Kent was ready to catch the prey on his own. Having an extra person along wasn't a problem, especially if she was a beautiful girl.
They chose a direction and set off together.
"Ah Fei, come out," Zhao Mengxi softly called, and a huge wyvern appeared in front of them, its body wreathed in flames.
"You wanted to see the gift my father gave me for graduation, right? I upgraded it yesterday, but it wasn't convenient then. Now you can see it. Pretty impressive, huh?"
When Zhao Mengxi saw Kent's stunned expression, she couldn't help but feel more pleased.
Her wyvern, named Ah Fei, was a sky-level beast with immense growth potential. It could defeat at least ten golden-tier beasts of the same level. Such a beast was rare even in the entire city of Microglow. Kent's awe was completely understandable.
However, Kent wasn't stunned by the wyvern's rank. Instead, he was surprised because this wyvern had been personally hatched by him, and it had absorbed his blood essence.
What's more, for hatching the wyvern, he had received a huge bounty of three million credit points and a full set of B-tier equipment.
To his surprise, the man in the mask with the sword was Zhao Mengxi's father, General Zhao.
"Impressive indeed," Kent said absently, before casually gesturing at the wyvern.
The wyvern, sensing some strange connection, was immediately excited and recognized Kent as the first person it had seen when it opened its eyes. It was its "mother."
It rushed over, excitedly rubbing its front paws against Kent's battle gear and licking his face, making Kent feel awkward and embarrassed. He struggled to push the over-affectionate beast away.
Zhao Mengxi, seeing this, was taken aback. For a moment, she felt as if the wyvern was even closer to Kent than it was to her. She was so astonished that a thousand question marks seemed to appear above her head, and the air around them suddenly felt thick with tension.
"You... you guys... my goodness, Kent, what did you do to my beast? It's more intimate with you than with me!" Zhao Mengxi exclaimed, flabbergasted.
Kent, feeling exasperated, pushed the wyvern away and wiped his face. He feigned anger and said, "Zhao Mengxi, what's going on here? You can't even control your own beast, and now it's licking me? I'm still a normal guy, no lightning from the heavens struck me for being too handsome, but you've got your beast forcing itself on me. Do you even have any shame?"
Zhao Mengxi was completely flustered, her face turning bright red. She opened her mouth to argue but couldn't get the words out. Finally, she said, "Hmph, how could I want to kiss you? You really have a high opinion of yourself. You're just average-looking... wait, what do you mean by that?"
She suddenly seemed to realize something.
"What do you mean?" Kent asked innocently.
"You're pretending, aren't you? You're taking advantage of me, you jerk," Zhao Mengxi fumed.
Kent grinned, "As expected, the woman I like isn't stupid."
"Hmph, get lost! I never want to see you again!" Zhao Mengxi yelled, her face turning as red as a tomato.
Kent, not daring to provoke her further, quickly apologized. "Alright, alright, I was wrong. Please forgive me this time."
Eventually, after much pleading, Zhao Mengxi decided not to hold a grudge.
"Fine, since your apology seems sincere, I'll let it go this time. But don't let it happen again. And by the way, I don't want to do the trials today. Let's go somewhere to enjoy the scenery."
Kent, too afraid to refuse, obediently followed her lead.
Soon, they found a beautiful spot and, with the wyvern's help, made their way to a massive, ancient tree covered in flowers.
"This tree is famous online, you know?" Zhao Mengxi said, sitting close to Kent on one of its branches, swinging her legs.
Kent shook his head, clueless, "Huh? This tree is famous?"
Zhao Mengxi's forehead twitched with annoyance.
This guy, one moment he acts like a typical alpha male, the next he's trying to take advantage of her. Was he just messing with her or was he really that clueless?
"Kent, what are you really thinking?" she asked, her frustration rising. Today, she was determined to figure out what Kent's true feelings were for her.
Even if he was stubborn, she would make him open up.