Critical Situation

Upon seeing Ron end the fierce duel with a peculiar sword move, the crowd was momentarily stunned. But once they recovered, they stood up and applauded, cheering loudly.

"What an incredible duel!"

"Mr. Kahn, you've struck gold with this one. This young man is beyond impressive."

"Indeed! I initially thought this legendary gladiator fight was just going to be an easy win against a rookie, but I never expected this outcome!"

"Who is this young man? Mr. Kahn, would you be willing to sell him to me?"

...

Ron, after landing the decisive blow, found it hard to believe what had just happened. Only moments ago, he was anxious as the ten-minute duration of his Power Loan was about to end. He had considered taking a risky move by exposing a flaw to draw out an all-out attack from his opponent. Unexpectedly, Woris seemed to offer himself up, rushing in close as if to hand over his life.

"What just happened? Wait, there was a whistle earlier... It seemed like it came from Baron. Could he have ordered Woris to throw the match to elevate my status? But that doesn't make sense!"

Puzzled, Ron turned to look at Baron, his former guardian. At that moment, Baron's face had darkened, a clear sign of his foul mood.

"Useless! He couldn't even defeat a sixteen-year-old boy. And how did Ron suddenly manage to Exercise Qi Force? Otherwise, how could he have pulled off such a bizarre sword move?"

"It didn't require any preparation or angle, yet the force was tremendous, slicing off half of Woris's head in one strike. How did he grow so strong in just one day after I kicked him out? Could it be that this damn kid was hiding his true strength all along?"

Baron had never paid much attention to Ron, even when Ron won the swordsmanship championship at the academy. To those who wielded extraordinary powers, academy achievements were trivial. The flowery sword techniques they taught were nothing more than toys for the nobles. In the face of true killing techniques centered on Qi Force, those so-called sword techniques were insignificant.

Baron believed that if he were to strike, no matter how fancy or flashy Ron's sword moves were, he could cut him and his sword in half with a single blow. But after witnessing Ron's abilities today, he wasn't so sure anymore. What he was sure of, however, was that Ron had indeed managed to Exercise Qi Force.

In this world of swords and magic, mages are the true rulers. Those who cannot Exercise magic can only turn to Qi Force. This is a power derived from the soul, similar to the mana of mages but with different uses. Mages can cast all sorts of incredible spells using mana, but Qi Force only enhances the physical body, providing immense bursts of strength. The most powerful warriors can even unleash sword auras with Qi Force, which is the limit of its potential.

Though Qi Force is not as versatile as magic, it's not something just anyone can learn. The methods to Exercise Qi Force are tightly held by the great nobles, leaving commoners with no chance to access them. Even if one had the method to awaken Qi Force, without the necessary materials, there would be no way to continue Exercising. Moreover, the cost of Exercising Qi Force is exorbitant, requiring various precious herbs and mana stones, each worth a fortune, far beyond the means of ordinary people.

Baron was intensely curious about how and when Ron had learned to Exercise Qi Force. He had never allowed Ron to access any Exercise methods, had strictly controlled his spending, and even had him monitored at all times.

"I never saw any sign of Ron Exercising Qi Force. Where did he learn it? And who is supporting him?"

"Whoever it is, I can't let him continue to grow stronger, or he'll become a significant threat."

In an instant, Baron's thoughts turned murderous, his expression growing even more ruthless, though he quickly resumed his usual stoic demeanor. Ron caught this change, and a chill ran down his spine.

Just from the brief moment he saw Baron's cold, sinister gaze, Ron suddenly felt as if he had plunged into an icy abyss.

"Damn it! Baron's intent to kill is much stronger than I anticipated. I need to take the money and get out of here—fast."

Relying on his swordsman's instincts, Ron realized the situation was far more severe than he had imagined. Without wasting any time, he dashed toward Kahn to claim his reward, not even pausing to check the Power Loan earnings.

Kahn looked troubled, not because he didn't want to pay but because this was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and he hadn't prepared in advance. Six hundred gold coins were no small sum, and he couldn't produce them on the spot.

So he said, "Sir Ron, I didn't prepare such a large amount of gold coins in advance. I'll send someone to retrieve them now, and they will be delivered to your lodging this evening. Would that be acceptable?"

Ron understood the situation and could only nod in agreement, urging Kahn to send the money quickly.

Bell, seeing that Ron agreed but was about to leave without signing the employment contract, hurried after him with the papers in hand. But he hadn't expected Ron to walk so quickly, ignoring his shouts from behind.

"What's wrong with Ron? Why the sudden cold attitude?"

Bell didn't know what had happened to Ron, but he knew that with Woris dead, all his hopes now rested on Ron. He couldn't afford to let him slip away. So he chased him all the way to the inn where Ron was staying.

Finally catching up, Bell, out of breath, said, "Sir Ron, you haven't signed the employment contract yet! According to our previous agreement, we'll pay you 1 gold and 60 silver each week. How does that sound?"

With the prospect of a 600-gold reward, Ron no longer cared much about this small salary. However, he didn't reject it outright and instead said, "I'm not satisfied with that amount. After all, I just defeated a legendary gladiator. I want my weekly salary to be 5 gold coins. What do you think, Sir Bell?"

"You ungrateful brat! You dare ask for a raise right after the fight?" Bell cursed inwardly, but maintained a smile on his face as he replied, "That might be a bit difficult. Sir Ron, as you know, in our gladiator business, even a mentor earning over 80 silver coins per week is considered highly paid."

"We're already offering you twice that amount, which shows our greatest sincerity. Plus, if you sign now, we'll immediately provide you with a 10-gold signing bonus."

Ron, however, wasn't interested in the contract or the 10-gold bonus, so he countered, "I still want 5 gold per week, and that's my bottom line. If you agree, I'll sign right away."

"You're putting me in a difficult position. I don't have the authority to approve such a high salary!" Bell said, feigning helplessness.

Ron intended for Bell to feel this pressure, smiling as he replied, "If you can't decide, perhaps you could ask Mr. Kahn. I noticed earlier that he brought along a group of nobles to watch the match. It didn't seem like a coincidence, so I assume he must have invited them for a reason, right?"

Since seeing those nobles, Ron had suspected that Kahn was trying to win their favor. Although he wasn't sure of Kahn's exact motives, Ron was certain that whatever Kahn was planning, it was significant. Otherwise, he wouldn't have offered such a high reward to impress the nobles. Given this, Ron knew he could leverage this point to convince Kahn.

However, Ron didn't really intend for Bell to convince Kahn; he simply wanted to get him out of the way. As expected, Bell immediately realized that Ron had figured out Kahn's intentions to some extent.

Negotiation becomes tricky when the other party knows your bottom line.

"This Ron... He's young, but he's sharp. He guessed Mr. Kahn's plans just from the presence of a few nobles. Is this really a sixteen-year-old kid?" Bell thought to himself.

Initially, Bell wanted to agree right away, but 5 gold per week was beyond his authority, so he said, "I might need to discuss this with Mr. Kahn and get back to you."

"No problem!" Ron replied cheerfully.

"But in the meantime, you can't accept any other offers, alright?" Bell added as he left.

"Of course, no problem!"