Dustin left.
Leaving behind the massive cauldron, he casually walked away. His enigmatic silhouette faded into the distance. It left the crowd wondering if Krel and Melissa got lucky, or if Dustin had done it intentionally.
The crowd leaned toward the latter. After all, how could someone capable of lifting a 100-thousand-pound cauldron make such a rookie mistake?
“Thank you, Mr. Rhys!” Melissa was both moved and delighted as she watched Dustin’s retreating figure. She knew that Krel had been spared.
“Dustin, are you really going to just let him off the hook?” Dalen asked as he caught up with Dustin.
“A frightened coward is no longer a threat,” Dustin said with a faint smile. ” Besides, he’s still a Boulderthorn disciple. Killing him would only bring trouble, and I hate trouble.”
“I beg to differ. Perhaps you simply have a soft spot for beauty?” Dalen smirked.
Had it not been for Melissa’s plea and her willingness to give up her life to protect him, Krel would have met his demise much sooner.
“Dustin, hold up!” Miles, who had been lagging behind, suddenly quickened his pace and caught up to them.
He took out a gold number tag and passed it to Dustin, saying, “Dustin, this is the ID tag for Group A contestants. The judge asked me to pass it to you.”
“Thanks. I almost forgot.” Dustin received the tag with a smile.
The front of the tag bore the Sacred Wrym Summit’s mark, while the back was engraved with a bold “18”. That meant that Dustin was the 18th contestant in Group A, based on the registration order.
Only martial artists at the level of a grandmaster could join Group A. In other words, this meant there were 17 other highly skilled grandmasters ahead of Dustin.
However, being a grandmaster was merely the basic requirement. There could even be a few ultimate grandmasters among them.
It proved that competition during the Combat Tournament would be particularly intense. Standing out and emerging victorious wasn’t going to be an easy task.
“Dustin, with that ID tag, you won’t need to participate in the preliminary trials ahead. It’ll save you a lot of trouble. Now, all you need to do is conserve your strength and make a stunning performance on the day of the competition!” Miled said enthusiastically.
“This competition has brought a lot of skilled fighters together. I’m just here to join in the fun and see where I stand, “Dustin replied with a faint smile.
“You’re too humble. As long as you don’t encounter those monsters on the Legendary List, you’ll definitely rank well!” Miles declared proudly.
They never had to entertain thoughts of winning the championship since that was a game for the top legends.
It was already a significant achievement for people like them to have a chance to showcase their skills.
After all, the Combat Tournament organized by the Scared Wrym Summit had attracted talents from all over the country and held considerable prestige.
Making it into the top 100 would be a remarkable feat-they’d be highly sought after. Meanwhile, breaking into the top 10 was the coveted goal of various sects and guilds.
With Dustin’s skills, he was guaranteed to make it into the top 100. If he was lucky, he might even have a good chance to break into the top 10.
“Let’s talk about aiming for the rankings later. We have more pressing matters, and that is to deal with that assassin lurking in the shadows.”
Dalen steered the conversation back on track.
“That’s right! If we don’t root out that assassin, all of us will be in danger!”
Ruby said solemnly.
