Flashy Adventurer System : Show Off to Get Stronger!

'Hahaha, who would've thought that I would see that guy's idiotic face again?' Shye mused in amusement as he headed towards the betting station to bet on himself.

Apparently, the format for the Valenzia Rookie Adventurer Competition wasn't that of a tournament, and the rules would be announced later today, at 10 AM.

'No matter…as long as I'm the strongest, I would naturally win.'

…Upon arriving at the area where the betting stations were located, Shye checked the location of ELMBets, the unlucky station Colzen Academy had chosen to bet themselves on a year ago.

What was once one of the wealthiest betting stations in the area was now a shabby one, offering a low bet-to-reward ratio, making it one of the least desirable places to bet.

Colzen's legendary run truly wrecked it to pieces.

Shye felt somewhat guilty, hence, he quickly looked away and headed toward another famous betting station.

Unfortunately for him, all the betting stations already learned from the downfall of ELMBets.

None of them would dare to put absurdly high payout rates on his name ever again, no matter how low his chances of winning were.

This time, since he was one of the four favorites, his payout rates would naturally be way lower—a measly 1 to 1.1.

Disappointed, Shye couldn't help but sigh.

It seemed that it would be harder and harder to make some quick money in the future.

'Well…as long as I rake the money in with my adventuring skills, everything should be fine…'

With a rather sad heart, Shye queued up to bet.

Suddenly, though, Damien's words echoed in his head, prompting him to narrow his eyes as his thoughts wandered.

'The rules of this competition…huh?'

After careful consideration, Shye decided to bet 19,000 gold coins, leaving 3,000 gold coins for himself.

Given his new division leadership role and the high living expenses of Valenzia City, he decided to play it safe by creating some space for error in case the rules put him at a disadvantage and he suffered a defeat.

The payout rates weren't that high anyway so he didn't think that it would be worth it to bet everything.

Retrieving his betting receipt from the betting station's employee, Shye headed towards the nearest seafood restaurant to eat a hearty breakfast.

He then left an hour before the competition began and headed towards the famous Valenzia Arena—a place where tales of bravery were told and legends were born.

Showing his credentials to the guards, multiple arena staff immediately came to fetch him, registering his arrival and leading him toward the waiting room for the Balkrow representative.

Upon entering, Shye immediately noticed that the room used to be rather shabby, however, since he was the Balkrow representative, it appeared that the arena made some on-the-fly modifications and made the room more comfortable despite its modest size.

This was the power of reputation in the world of adventurers.

…After pondering about his division's reward system for around half an hour, an arena staff finally came to fetch him.

It was finally time for Valenzia Region's Rookie Adventurer Competition.

To his surprise, the arena wasn't as jam-packed as he'd expected, though there was still a decent turnout.

"AAAND THERE HE IS!! I DIDN'T EXPECT TO SEE THIS YOUNG MAN AGAIN THIS SOON!! EVERYONE, LET US ALL WELCOME, THE BALKROW REPRESENTATIVE, THE LEGEND OF COLZEN ACADEMY, SHYE CROWLEY!!"

Bart's familiar vibrant voice brought a faint smile to Shye's face, prompting him to reminisce about the Adventurer Academy Competition, his friends, his instructors, and the ever-loving deans as he slightly raised his hands in triumph.

[Congratulations! You've earned 130,781 points!]

'H-Holy crap, I'm really famous aren't I?'

Taking one deep breath to calm his overly flattered heart, Shye stood at the spot on the central stage designated for him.

He then looked around.

Aside from him and Damien, there were only thirty others who were on the stage.

However, on the forefront of those on the stage, there were only three others with him, even Damien could only stand behind him.

'This arrangement should be somewhat related to the seedings…if that's the case then three should be my hardest opponents this time around…' Shye mused as he glanced at the three who were standing beside him.

'Appraisal.'

They all looked older than him.

Upon checking their status windows, though, Shye realized that none of the three could ever hope to beat him.

In a duel, that is.

It was even more impossible for Damien as his attributes, although amazing for someone his age, were still slightly inferior compared to the three who were standing beside him.

'Then why was the idiot so confident? Is this another case of severe delusionalism?' Shye pondered.

Luckily, he didn't have to keep guessing for long, as Bart finally began to explain the competition rules in the next moment, even addressing his question about why the arena wasn't as crowded as he had anticipated.

"Everyone, first of all, we, the arena staff, and the city's governing body, would like to thank you for your efforts in attending the Valenzia Rookie Adventurer Competition's opening ceremony." Bart respectfully said, offering a sincere bow to the crowd without a single hint of the liveliness he always displayed while commentating on matches.

A true professional who had mastered his craft.

"I shall not complicate things and explain this year's rules most straightforwardly." Bart began, pausing momentarily to scan his eyes over the competitors before continuing:

"Since our young adventurers here are the cream of the crop of their cities, it would only be fair to assume that they would be elites amongst their peers. Hence, the World Adventurer Association and our beloved City Lord Blas have decided that the best way to test their true mettle was to make them compete in a battle of solo hunts."

As soon as the rules of the competition were announced, a commotion erupted among the crowd.

They were excited since this was the first time solo hunts had been chosen as the theme of the competition.

However, they were also confused because they didn't know how it would work.

If the event organizers succeed in pulling this off, it would mark another legendary year, with a new competition theme being added to the rotating pool.