Fredrinn Firecrown: The Weakest Villain

"Good morning, everyone! I'm Kristine Firecrown! I will be the host for this year's annual martial arts competition!"

"Before we begin with the first matchup, I will announce the rewards for this competition." Kristine intentionally paused to keep everyone in suspense.

"The reward for the third place is 25000 star coins, 100 refined magic stones, and a rare-rated item of their choice!"

"The second place will receive 50000 star coins, 200 refined magic stones, and an epic-rated item of their choice!"

"As for the champion… they will get 100000 star coins, 500 refined magic stones, an epic-rated item of their choice, and a Foundation Establishment realm mount!"

The participants of the competition were excited to hear the rewards, but their enthusiasm disappeared when they remembered that there was a fierce contestant this year.

Everyone stared at the young lady dressed in a red and gold battle dress. She had a calm look on her face. She didn't even flinch after she sensed the gazes aimed at her.

"Oh? She is already at the 1st layer of the Qi Gathering stage at her age. That's very rare. I remember that only Kristine had such talent in our city." Ludwig commented.

Roland nodded in agreement. "She is the most talented in this batch, but there is another kid who might give her a hard time in this competition."

"Are you talking about that young boy right there?" Ludwig pointed at a young man holding a spear.

"That's right. He only recently broke through, but he has more battle experience than Elaiza. He even participated in the recent battle against the Blackcrow Household." Roland smiled.

Fredrinn was also familiar with the young man they were talking about. It was Phillip, a young martial warrior with humble origins. Both his parents were servants of the Firecrown Household. Roland even bestowed him the Firecrown family name for his meritorious service.

Phillip was only a 10th layer Body Refining martial warrior during the siege, but he broke through in the middle of the battle and killed many enemies.

Fredrinn scanned the participants and looked for Paul Gabriel.

A moment later, he finally saw the kid. He was nervously leaning against the wall while biting his finger.

[Body Refining 9th Layer]

[Paul Gabriel Haraldson] Favorability: 85

When he last met this kid, he was only at the 8th layer of the Body Refining stage. 'What a hardworking young man…' He smiled.

At this moment, the first two competitors had already gone up to the stage.

They weren't top contenders, but they fought well which earned them the crowd's applause.

"Fredrinn, who do you think will win in this year's competition?" Ludwig suddenly asked.

The others were also interested to hear his opinion so they all turned their gazes to him.

Fredrinn rubbed his chin. "It would be a tough battle between Elaiza and Phillip. Both are more or less even in terms of cultivation, so their battle experience will be crucial in determining the victor. I have seen Phillip fight so I'm leaning against him. The young man is very quick with his spear and he has the advantage when it comes to experience.

As for Elaiza… she mastered an arcane-rank battle technique recently. If she uses it at the right time, she might win against Phillip."

"I see… experience is indeed important in battle. That I agree." Ludwig nodded in agreement.

While they were chatting, the third battle had already started. This time, it ended in just less than five seconds because of the overwhelming difference in cultivation.

The next few fights were no different. They ended in just a matter of seconds. Among the winners were Phillip and Elaiza who defeated their opponents in just one move. Their overwhelming strength made the other participants less confident.

At this moment, it was finally Paul Gabriel's turn. His opponent was a fourteen-year-old 8th layer Body Refining stage martial practitioner.

Paul had the advantage in strength so he managed to end the fight in just three moves.

"You seem to be interested in that young man. Is there anything special about him?" Ludwig asked when he noticed that Fredrinn was keeping an eye on Paul Gabriel.

Fredrinn smiled and shook his head. "That kid is the nephew of Captain Gunnar. He is very diligent in his training so I hope that he will get a higher ranking even if he doesn't win."

***

Paul lifted his head and looked at the VIP section where Roland and the others were seated. He saw Fredrinn sitting with the city lord and the patriarch. The presence of these big shots made him very nervous.

'I should calm down and prepare for my next fight. I must not disappoint Lord Fredrinn's expectations.' He clenched his fists.

"Hey!" A voice suddenly drifted into his ears.

He turned around and saw Phillip coming toward him.

Seeing him, Paul was a bit flustered.

"Your name's Paul, right?" Phillip chuckled when he saw his dumbfounded look.

Paul nodded. "Yes. Do you need anything from me?"

Phillip shook his head. "Relax. I didn't come here to provoke you. Congrats on winning your first fight. I heard that you are Captain Gunnar's nephew."

"Oh? Thank you. You too. Yes, I'm his nephew." Paul was surprised by his friendliness. He thought that Phillip was hard to approach, but he was unexpectedly friendly.

"Awesome! Captain Gunnar is one of my role models. He came from a humble origin and he even lost an arm, but despite that, he still became the captain of Lord Fredrinn's guards unit." There was a trace of admiration in Phillip's voice.

Hearing this, Paul's face relaxed. He was proud to hear that. "Is it true that you were scouted by Lord Fredrinn? I heard that he invited you to join his guards unit. I wonder if that's true."

Phillip scratched his head in embarrassment. "It's true. Lord Fredrinn said that I would be training under Sir Cain for a year. Once I complete my training, I will be formally assigned to the guards unit."

"Cool! I hope I will also get scouted soon!"

The two young men became close friends after that conversation.