Chapter 136: The Bet Between Arthur and Cain
Furthermore, having desires and ambitions isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
One could say that a person with desires and ambitions is also a person with ideals and goals.
In the end, it all comes down to balance and self-control!
And Arthur was confident about that.
If he couldn’t even handle this, how could he tackle what lay ahead?
Maybe it would be better to just go home, wash up, and get some sleep.
Isn’t spending time with the wife much more appealing?
No need to take such big risks.
“Achoo—!”
Next to him, Airael, inexplicably sneezing, glanced around.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had been offended just now.
After scanning her surroundings without finding anything suspicious, her gaze finally settled on Arthur beside her.
At that moment, Arthur was fixated on Cain and didn’t notice Airael’s gaze on him.
Just then, Cain seemed to pick up on Arthur’s unusual stare and looked back at him. Their eyes locked.
Arthur gave a slight nod, basically a greeting.
Cain was a bit dazed but instinctively nodded back at Arthur.
That brief exchange marked their first communication.
After exchanging pleasantries, Cain redirected his attention, enjoying the cheers from the audience.
Of course, he made a mental note of this unusual figure, Arthur.
After a while, once Cain had soaked in enough of the crowd’s applause, he finally stepped off the stage.
As soon as he stepped down, he ran into the middle-aged man who had welcomed Airael and the others earlier.
“Lord Cain! Do you wish to continue competing in the next rounds?”
The middle-aged man approached Cain respectfully, his demeanor no less courteous than how he treated Arthur just a moment ago.
Cain could only offer a sarcastic smile.
Talking about strength was no joke.
Before his abilities were revealed, people here hadn’t treated him with such respect.
But he wasn’t really angry about it.
Because that’s just the way it is—everything is about strength.
Now that his strength was on full display, their attitude had noticeably shifted. That was enough for him.
“Do you have any opponents suitable for me?”
Instead of answering the man’s query, Cain shot back a question, looking at him.
That made him seem a bit arrogant, but it was the truth.
The lion he faced earlier was already the strongest opponent the arena could arrange for him.
Anything stronger than that wouldn’t be an easy match to set up.
He knew that well.
“We didn’t have any before, but now we do.”
The middle-aged man replied with a smile.
“But it’s unclear if Lord Cain is willing to continue participating?”
“If there’s a strong enough opponent, I’m absolutely willing to keep competing.”
Cain answered without hesitation.
The better he performed here, the better the treatment he would receive after leaving.
Moreover, battling strong opponents would also allow him to improve himself.
As someone with aspirations, Cain didn’t want to miss any chance for self-improvement.
“This opponent will definitely not disappoint you, Lord Cain.”
“Oh! Who is it?”
Curious about the middle-aged man’s guarantee, Cain couldn’t help but ask.
He felt he was entitled to know.
At such a moment, someone popping up must be someone with ideas too.
So there should be some common ground between them!
“If I’m not mistaken, it should be me!”
Right before the middle-aged man could respond, Arthur’s voice chimed in from the side.
They looked over and saw Arthur approaching with Airael and the others.
“Lord Axi!”
Upon seeing Arthur, the middle-aged man greeted him respectfully.
Arthur gave a light nod in response, then continued to look at Cain.
After all, Cain was his primary target.
Cain noticed the middle-aged man’s respectful demeanor and squinted his eyes as he called out, “Axi?”
“That’s right, I am Axi!”
Arthur confirmed, knowing that Cain wasn’t just asking for his name but also his identity.
After all, his mercenary status was quite renowned in this world.
“Weren’t you planning to become a mercenary all along?”
Cain continued to probe.
“That was my earlier thought; my ideas have changed now.”
Arthur replied.
Cain nodded in understanding, then speaking up said, “Axi, if you’re my opponent, I’m satisfied. I’m really looking forward to our upcoming match.”
“I’m looking forward to it too, but before that, I’d like to propose a bet.”
Upon hearing that Arthur wanted to bet with Cain, Airael looked up at Arthur but didn’t say anything.
Of course, she couldn’t help but mutter in her heart.
Seriously, is this just copying me?
“What’s the bet? What’s at stake?”
Cain asked.
“It’s about our upcoming match. If you lose, you must listen to me and become my subordinate.”
Arthur stated, looking directly at Cain.
The air fell into a brief silence. The middle-aged man glanced between Arthur and Cain, feeling pitifully forlorn as he realized that although he had arranged this fight, he now had no say in the matter.
To be honest, that was a bit disheartening.
Putting aside the middle-aged man’s sudden gloom, back to Cain and Arthur.
Cain didn’t really comment on the gambling itself.
Instead, he looked at Arthur and asked, “So what if I win?”
“If you win, I will agree to one of your conditions, or you can ask me something right now.”
Arthur replied nonchalantly, as if he was already certain Cain wouldn’t win.
This fierce confidence, although hard to pinpoint the source, came off oddly convincing at this moment.
Feeling this unusual vibe, Airael couldn’t help but internally ridicule, “Is this what they call a cocky air?”
“Senior Axi, just because you became famous before me doesn’t mean I can’t defeat you.”
Cain, feeling underestimated, stated defiantly.
“Then let’s settle this in the arena. As for conditions and requirements, if you haven’t decided them yet, think of them after you beat me.”
With that, Arthur turned and left with Airael and the others.
As they passed by Cain, Airael took a moment to scrutinize him closely.
At that moment, however, Cain’s appearance was not impressive, and Airael could hardly glean anything from it.
Additionally, her actions caught Cain’s attention.
