The Five-Crowned Prince

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Seeing all that was to be seen, Kai walked toward the rows of tables from where a dense smell of meat was coming off.

There was such thick saliva in his mouth that Kai gulped it down several times but still got some leftovers.

He was hungry.

So hungry that Kai could devour an entire Gyarados by himself.

Since the day he had reincarnated, Kai had always found himself hungrier than ever. Darcie was a noble young lady, and she was known to eat light food. He couldn't change her eating habits so casually as other things.

What one ate, and how, had always remained one of the most personal things for people.

Then there was the issue of obtaining food, and that, too, rich in Mana.

Only recently had Kai found wealth to trade for such a kind of meat. But dared he trade the Mission Credits for such food when every credit he had was worthier than his hunger?

With these things going on, it wasn't some grand mystery that there was a space in Kai's stomach that nothing could fill in a brief time. Not to mention, he had already learned to eat a lot in his previous life, attaching it to the source of his power.

So, when Kai saw food, and that too free, he just marched toward it, his tongue slurping over his lips like never before.

A few of the Contestants were picking some side dishes there, chatting rather drunkenly.

"Ahoy! Matey! Looking forwar' to seein' Elizabeth's boobs tomorrow, eh?"

"Hehe! I wouldn't mind a touch…"

"The lead-Protectors haven't arrived yet…"

"Hey! Who do you think among these four are from Chaos?"

The last question had come out of Kai's mouth. The moment his voice echoed, silence fell upon the nearby Contestants.

There was fear, hate, contempt, and murder in their eyes.

"Attending your first Night of Truce, are you?" an old Contestant asked, not unkindly. "I would advise you to just enjoy, and be yourself, without raising unnecessary questions, young lad. You look pretty. Perhaps one lass will let you fondle her breasts, eh?"

The nearby female Contestants frowned at the old man disgustingly.

In return, the old man slapped the plump ass of one of them, resounding a Pa sound.

Ah!

"You!" the female Contestant fumed, her chest heaving up and down.

The old man winked at Kai, ignoring the panting female.

Kai suddenly felt a touch of respect growing in his heart for this old man. He was just trying to provoke the Contestants, trying to make sense of the limit to which he could stretch things. But this old man buried the growing tension in no time.

"A kid like you should eat to your heart's content," the old man neared Kai, as he sensed the anger flashing across the female Contestant's face. "I heard the Protectors have brought many Pokemon and other magical creatures this time."

"I am hungry," Kai said, smiling. "I think I will just eat everything."

"Oh?!" the old man looked unconvinced. "If you can eat the meat dishes placed on the table, then this old man will gift you the condition of initiating a great Hidden Mission."

"Is that so?" Kai laughed. "Keep your eyes open, then, old man."

The commotion that the old man and Kai had caused had already garnered a bit of attention from many.

Kai sat down on the ground and shouted, "Bring meat!"

The old man's eyes gave a rather playful glint, and he ran, bringing with him a large plate of meat and other dishes.

Kai then tore off the leg and started eating, his speed neither fast nor slow. This wasn't common flesh, but Mana-rich meat. It needed proper cooking, chewing, and digestion. Otherwise, it could throw off the balance of a Contestant's strength.

Meat kept appearing on the plate, as a courtesy of the old man, and Kai kept devouring it like a beast. At some point, someone placed a jug of ale beside him, too.

The surrounding Contestants enjoyed the scene, betting on how much Kai would eat before giving up. But not all were looking at Kai with favor or enjoying this debauchery.

The two female Contestants, one of which had got her ass slapped by the old man, were among the latter.

"Both this old man and this person are carrots from the same field," one of the two females spat, scoffing at them.

"Humph!" the other one rubbed her butt and snorted. "Isn't he Blood Demon, with a 13,000,000 bounty on his head? Heh! Who knew he's not only a murderous lecher but a glutton, too."

Her friend nodded, seeing Kai gulp down a mug of ale in one go. "But he's so handsome…" she whispered. "Such a shame!"

"Don't be." The other one shook her head. "I am sure it's not his true appearance."

"You mean…"

"Yes. I know these kinds of Contestants. They take a handsome appearance before the mission, coax newbie female Contestants, and take advantage of them. I almost fell into this ill scheme once, too. But I only gave my Code Name and demanded to meet the handsome Contestant in the Primordial Tower. Tch! He turned out to be a fatty. This is even worse than the dating apps from my previous life."

"This?! But can't we just let a Character confirm their appearance?"

"You are still naive! It only works on the 1st Set. In the 2nd Set, these rascals can afford Polyjuice Potion. Then, even Characters can't tell the difference."

The other female heard these things and threw a nasty look at Kai. "Scoundrel!"

Even the men who chanced upon the conversation of these two females eyed Kai with a disgusting look.

None could deny that Kai indeed looked incredibly handsome, strong, and charismatic if one just ignored the beastly manner in which he devoured the meat and ale. His muscles were chiseled, not fat or thin, and there was a salty ruggedness about him that made the young girls' hearts tremble with imagined tales.

All such imagination came to a crash when they realized Kai had just assumed this appearance to coax women.

All Contestants had changed their appearance a bit, but it wasn't to this drastic measure. And even if Kai were to say that it was his true appearance, who would believe him? Scoundrel he might be, but was he stupid as well?

The concept of Switched Worlds had long been buried and forgotten, and none here were Worthy enough to know such privileges.

Kai listened and ignored everything, and kept eating, the taste of spicy and honeyed flesh melting in his mouth. He truly wanted to push the Protectors' buttons, forcing them into an unavoidable corner. If he were to return, knowing nothing about them, then this trip would become meaningless for him, despite the food.

-Master, master,- Selene hissed inside him. -Save a little for me-

'Oh, right!' Kai nodded to himself, took out a large box, and started to stuff bits of meat into it.

"Damn! He truly ate everything!" the old man scratched his head. "Who knew?!"

"Brother… the dishes are free, but that doesn't mean you will keep eating unscrupulously, either," someone said threateningly.

"Indeed. We all contributed to these dishes. You just came and ate everything."

"Make this lecher do something for us," the female, whose butt was slapped, sneered. "Let's make him dance with female clothes. Haha!"

Kai behaved as if he had heard nothing. He licked his fingers, rubbed his stomach, and then frowned. "Why did the food stop coming, old man?"

"You!" the old man pointed at him, astonished. "You still want to eat more?"

"What? I didn't eat that much, did I?" Kai laughed, mocking the crowd. "Isn't this the Night of Truce? Tch! I couldn't even eat properly."

"Here!"

This shout had come from afar, making all look toward the bonfire. Moraine had stood up, and then flicked her hand, throwing a gigantic piece of roasted flesh.

"This?! That's meat from Common-grade magical creatures. "What luck?!"

The roasted flesh landed on Kai's plate and gave off a powerful aura, full of Mana and Breath.

Kai grinned. "Wonderful! Can't wait to eat some elegant meat…"

Rascal! Scoundrel! The crowd cursed.

Kai had just meant the meat, but all thought his words were mocking Moraine, what with her full name she was known for.

"Told you he's just a frog hoping to become a dragon," the butt-slapped female sneered. "I heard Ms. Moraine is ranked within the top 100 in this ToW. Don't you fear that lightning will strike you to death, you scoundrel?!"

Kai's heart shook inwardly. A rank within the top 100 was truly a magnificent feat, especially when this rank included Contestants from both Chaos and Order.

"Not only that, but Ms. Blade Singer, Mr. Hadoken, and Mr. Aloof, all had gotten a rank within the top 500," one Contestant said, eying the four Protectors.

"HAHAHA!"

This laugh was grand enough to make everyone shudder in fear and respect. The crowd parted, and the man wearing Karate gi walked toward them.

"Mr. Hadoken! it's an honor to meet you…"

"Mr. Hadoken…"

"How powerful! Mr. Hadoken, you truly are great!"

Hadoken eyed Kai, who kept eating the "elegant" meat without sparing a glance for the Protector. His laugh then intensified, and he nodded at everyone. "Enjoy, eat, dance, and sing, fellow Contestants," he said. "My 282 rank is nothing, to be honest. You all must have heard of…

…. the Five-Crowned Prince."

A sudden, and suffocating, silence swept through all as this name got mentioned.

Even Kai pressed his brows at the name, wondering who this person was.

"My captain is a member of a major organization, Mr. Hadoken," one bald Contestant said, walking out from the group. "He mentioned this name, but nothing else."

"I know a few things," the old man mumbled. "The Five-Crowned Prince… He is…"

Moraine elegantly approached the crowd, and before the old man could complete his sentence, she added her own words. "The current leading rank of the ToW," she said, smiling, her eyes dreamy with respect. "The Contestant… desired by Five Kings!"

Silence! Gasps! Shudders!

"Cough! Cough!" Kai choked on a bone and had to hammer his chest to vomit it out.

Mr. Hadoken scowled at him. "Now that is someone who truly deserves our respect, someone worthy and powerful enough to catch the Kings' attention," he said, staring at Kai. "I wonder, what rank you got, my friend? Surely, with your appetite, you must have passed the 1st stage, right?"

A wave of mocking laughter surged among the crowd, led by Mr. Hadoken himself.

Only the Contestants who had passed the 1st Stage got a rank, whether they had given up during the 2nd stage later or not. It was known.

All indeed laughed at him, cursing him and calling him a lecherous scoundrel. But four Contestants didn't.

Moraine, who was eying Kai with an odd gaze; Blade Singer, who was drinking her tea; Aloof, who seemed to be lost in his memories; and the old man.

"How about this?" Mr. Hadoken said, putting an end to the laughter with a raise of his hand. "Why don't we two have a friendly fight, huh? I will only use one hand. After eating so much, the least you can do is entertain others, right?"

"That's right…"

"Serve him good…"

"Beat the shit out of him…"

Kai felt a surge of joy, but outwardly he frowned. "Are fights even allowed on the Night of Truce?"

"Coward!" the butt-slapped female cursed.

"Haha! No, they aren't," Mr. Hadoken answered. "But with the absence of lead-Protectors, we four are the overseers of this event. For you, my words are the rules. If I say it's allowed, then it is. What say you all?"

Everyone howled in agreement, their blood pumping after getting drunk.

Moraine, however, pressed her brows, sensing something was wrong.

Kai threw the leftover meat into the box and then put it into his MRB shamefully. "Sure," he nodded. "But what if you accidentally killed me?"

Mr. Hadoken smiled evilly at Kai. "Well, the thing about accidents is that they just happen now and then, kid."

"Now, now, don't be…" the old man said, eying Kai concernedly. But his voice got drowned by the cheers of the crowd.

Kai held back his smile and nodded. "You are right, Mr. Hadoken," he said, licking his lips. "Accidents… happen, more often than not."

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- A break tomorrow

Deal - 1 Bonus Chapter upon reaching 50 reviews. (ahem! sensible ones)