Flashy Adventurer System : Show Off to Get Stronger! - Chapter 705

Chapter 705: In Denial
“Miss Shirley, is this true?” Aziel asked with a tone as cold as a wintry night. “If so, then why didn’t you tell me?”

Hearing his words, a confused expression appeared on Shirley’s face.

“Yes, it’s true,” she confirmed, drawing gasps from the crowd. “I’m not obligated to tell you who I date, am I?”

Aziel gritted his teeth, realizing she was right—she had no obligation to tell him.

What truly bothered him was how foolish he now felt.

He actually tried wooing the woman of a talented young hero who defeated a Phoenix!

Still, that didn’t mean he saw Shye Crowley of the Black Dawn as someone superior to him.

His pride wouldn’t let him admit it so easily—not until he witnessed Shye’s skills firsthand, which would inevitably happen later when Alexander Aphelion of the Boundless Shadows, the rival he could never defeat, issued his challenge.

If the young Valenzian hero lost to Alexander, then he could subconsciously treat Shye as an equal.

However, for now, he had to face the said hero’s woman, who proved to be a formidable rival.

He couldn’t afford to lose here—falling short would mean being eclipsed by multiple prodigies, destined to play third fiddle for the rest of his life.

Aziel already struggled to live in Alexander Aphelion’s shadow.

He had, in some way, come to terms with being second to such a man, blaming fate for having been born in the same era.

As for Shye Crowley of the Black Dawn, it would be another internal battle if the young Valenzian hero turned out to be as powerful as he seemed on Valenzia’s Official Broadcasting channel and somehow managed to draw against or even defeat Alexander.

Even then, Aziel believed he could force himself to accept it.

But losing to Shye Crowley’s woman?

That was something he could never bear—it would mean he was nothing more than a third-rate genius.

Forcing himself to focus on the battle once more, Aziel, empowered by five runes and his blue aura, charged toward Shirley again.

“Half-moon Slash!”

A six-and-a-half-meter-tall silver slash suddenly materialized from the youth leader’s tachi, hurtling fiercely toward the young female Valenzian.

It was a fairly common [Uncommon]-tier skill among warriors.

In response, Shirley unleashed a [Half-moon Slash] of her own, though hers was slightly smaller, measuring six meters tall as it cut through the air.

Nonetheless, it was unbelievably powerful coming from someone three-and-a-half years younger than Aziel.

*BANG!*

A white smokescreen covered the entire sparring area as the two silver slash marks clashed, obscuring the vision of both fighters.

This also concealed the fact that Aziel was frowning as he maneuvered through the smoke.

Normally, his [Half-moon Slash] was about six meters tall too, making it clear that Shirley was at least as strong as he was.

If not for the runes and his blue aura slightly boosting the size and power of his attack, their clash would have ended in a draw.

Even so, the extra half-meter slash he sent at Shirley was easily deflected, so his narrow victory in the clash gave him no psychological edge.

In fact, it only made him more wary of his opponent.

‘Who the hell are these guys?! How the hell did they all become this strong in a mere backwater region?!’ Aziel inwardly complained.

He had to acknowledge that the Deltrans and Fanfirians would have no chance against the Valenzians.

Heck, even he wasn’t sure if he would win.

Nonetheless, Aziel was undeniably skilled, with a sharp combat IQ.

He anticipated that Shirley would likely possess a [Half-moon Slash] skill as well.

That’s why he intentionally created the white smokescreen, fully aware that his blue aura would give him an advantage, as it could detect enemies—cloaked or not—within a five-meter radius.

It was originally a skill designed to counter stealthy scouts, but he was clever enough to use it in this way.

As a result, he was able to detect Shirley first, quickly and silently circling behind her before launching a horizontal slash enhanced by [Power Slash].

He naturally aimed for her temple, hoping to knock her out with a single hit.

Unfortunately for him, how could Shirley, who had been spoiled rotten by Shye and his system for the past few months, not have a detection skill?

She had sensed for a while that Aziel was circling her and was just baiting him in.

Realizing that she had successfully lured her opponent into attacking by pretending to be vulnerable, a sweet, triumphant smile spread across her face.

She then ducked at the last moment, executing a handstand to kick Aziel skyward as he passed overhead after missing his attack.

“Puhaahk!”

The young Yon Augennian spat out a mouthful of blood after receiving a solid kick to the gut, his insides churning from the unexpectedly high strength attribute of his opponent.

‘How?!’

Aziel was in utter denial, finding it hard to believe that he was losing despite actually trying hard.

The next moment, the Yon Augennian youth leader flew above the smoke, capturing the attention of the youngsters, heroes, and directors watching the match.

Realizing it was Aziel who lost the low-vision battle, the youngsters gasped in shock.

It seemed that the young Valenzian woman was the real deal.

“A-Aziel Adramelech is losing!”

“Who are these Valenzians?! How come I haven’t heard of them before?!”

“C-Crap…Is Valenzia actually a backwater region? Or are we the frogs at the bottom of the well?”

Even Head Director Hale Eversong—people who knew Aziel’s capabilities on a deep level, were deeply astonished at what he was witnessing.

Nonetheless, he was pretty happy about it.

It was about time the youngsters of his region learned their lessons about humility.

On the other hand, a certain old bastard glanced at the Valenzian table with a hint of greed, eyeing the youngsters as though they were precious treasures.

Naturally, his mind raced as he attempted to unravel the mystery of how the young Valenzians had achieved such greatness in a relatively insignificant region.

However, no matter how he analyzed the information from one of his sons’ reports, it all pointed back to one person: Shye Crowley of the Black Dawn.