Confrontation In The Market Square

Sol sat silently in the carriage as he pondered on the information he had acquired concerning the first test. To be honest, he wasn't too confident in his skills.

While he was on earth, he practiced different types of martial arts but focused mainly on Jujitsu, Boxing, and mixed martial arts (Striking and kicking).

Back then, he could fend off an attacker armed with a knife, but things are different here. He wasn't dealing with humans but monsters of various races.

His gaze shifted to Lyra seated across from Alicia by her side and he frowned. If he were to battle Lyra to the death, he would most likely end up losing his life, especially since he has yet to reach the tier-one rank. 

"The prince is weak! The Ark family is weak!" the cries of a man could be heard. "We deserve a strong leader! The Ark family deserves a strong leader."

Hearing this old man, Chamberlain frowned deeply, alongside Lyra and Alicia. The trio turned their attention to Sol, but they were shocked to see a calm look on his face, yet a terrifying presence could be felt from him. A presence powerful enough to make all three of them shiver involuntarily.

For a moment, they all felt like they were powerless humans locked in a room with a sleeping tiger that could wake them at any moment.

—----------------

The Flame Heart Market Square was a bustling marketplace where traders gathered to sell goods. Stalls are adorned with flame-themed wares, enchanted gems, and potions. The market is surrounded by fireproof structures, and the ground itself radiates a gentle warmth. 

Today everyone had abandoned their stores to gather and listen to a man speaking with so much passion and boldness, if it wasn't for the fact that they were talking about him, Sol would have believed his words. 

Fortunately, Sol opted to use a normal carriage that didn't carry the House of Ark emblem and moved around without guards. If he came to the market square in his full glory and might, these people would have been alerted before they reached, making it impossible to catch them.

Bang.

The door of the carriage yanked open and Alicia exited the carriage first, followed by Lyra and then the old man Chamberlain. The arrival of old man Chamberlain sparked some reaction in the crowd, as fear could be seen in their eyes. The man screaming at the top of his lungs noticed this and turned around, thinking it was a few guards, however upon seeing old man Chamberlain he couldn't help but tremble in fear.

Bang.

The man turned around and jumped off the platform he stood on and into the crowd. 

Buzz!

Flames exploded from the feet of the old steward as he shot into the air, his eyes scanning the crowd to find the man, but many villagers were also retreating as well in fear of getting punished just by listening to this man's slanderous message.

The man had put a brown cap over his head as he skillfully blended into the crowd, walking amid the running crowd.

Pa!

The man suddenly felt someone grab his hand, halting his movement. He turned around only to see a youth about 5 feet 9 in height, dressed in expensive orange robes. His body shivered as he felt like he was standing in the presence of a tiger ready to pounce at any moment.

"Don't you think you should pay your respects to the prince before leaving?" Sol said as his eyes lit up while a crazed grin spread across his face.

"Let go of m…" 

The man tried to pull his hand away while screaming those words, but he was met with a punch to the face, forcing his face to jerk back due to the force. Still holding onto his hand, Sol pulled him in while driving his forehead into the exposed nose of the man causing him to jerk back in pain, however, Sol refused to let go of that hand.

"Bastard!" the man growled as his eyes lit up, and his free hand swung in Sol's direction.

Hak!

The man screamed as flames exploded from his hand, shooting like recklessly into the crowd, however, Sol had already seen the hand movement of the man with the tactical prediction tool and responded accordingly. He slid under the attacking hand of the man, backing him as he grabbed the man by the collar and put his leg behind that of the man.

Bang!

With a powerful pull, the man was pulled off his feet and the world made a 360-degree spin in the eyes of the man before he struck the ground hard. 

Ga!

The man let out a painful scream, but Sol was not done. He put one of his legs across the chest of the man and the second leg's calf will cross face the opponent. Sol placed his hips tight into the armpit, with the arm of the man held between his thighs and the elbow pointing against the thigh.

It was an arm lock submission!

"Argh!" The man cried out in pain, spitting fire in the process.

He wanted to release his flames on Sol using his free hand but considering their position, he would end up burning his hand in the process. 

Sol's grip tightened as he cried out painfully and decided to burn and obliterate Sol regardless, but before he could raise his hand, he felt someone stomp on it, pinning it to the ground.

Taking his eyes off Sol and looking up, he saw old man Chamberlain standing over him with a cold look etched on his face. 

"You dare attempt to harm the young master of the House of Ark? How Bold!" old man Chamberlain growled. 

His words attracted the attention of the fleeing villagers, and they all turned to look at the youth who brought down the man. Is this the weak and dying prince they were told about?

Crack!

At that moment the sound of the man's hand breaking rang across the market square, followed by the man's pained cries.