Advent of the Archmage

Gear Up Tavern

With Link's words, the mercenaries in the tavern knew that it was time to fight. Everyone spun around, picked up their cups, and got ready to watch the show.

Mercenaries didn't care about right or wrong. It was just a battle of power.

If Link could beat Irvan, then he was right. People would laugh at Irvan for overestimating his own power and look for a beating.

If Link lost, then he would be the classic example of pretending to be cool. He'd instantly become a laughingstock and wouldn't be able to stay in the tavern.

Irvan furrowed his brows. He was an archer and didn't like to have conflicts over such a small thing. But he knew the rules between mercenaries. If he surrendered and left now, his reputation as Eagle Eye would be gone. Others would say he was a coward. He had to go up and teach this guy a lesson.

Surrendering was not an option. Mercenaries depended on their reputation for a living.

This young man looked really average too. He wore old leather armor and was covered in dust, his black hair tied back casually. He looked nothing more than a poor mercenary. Irvan didn't believe he could be very skilled.

At this time, Link was still eating the green beans on his plate. He tossed the beans up and opened his mouth, letting the beans fall in. The entire process was filled with disdain. He totally ignored the archer beside him.

Irvan had wanted to treat this as a common scuffle, but Link's actions pissed him off. Taking a deep breath, he said coldly, "Hey, you don't like me being Eagle Eye, so you're here to look for trouble?"

Link side-eyed him and then closed his eyes. "What do you mean? I'm just sitting here not doing anything. If someone's looking for trouble, it's probably you."

With that, he grabbed another bean to toss into his mouth.

When the bean was in mid-air, Irvan suddenly moved. His hand shot out like lightning to take his bow. At the same time, he knocked the arrow against the bowstring. Whizz. The arrow shot out, going straight for the bean Link had tossed up.

He wanted to hit the bean so the other would know how skilled he was. This action had a special term in the mercenary world—show-off. They would use this when they didn't want to create true conflict.

Show-offs usually happened inside the city because cities had guards and laws. Killing or hurting someone there was troublesome. If they were in the wilderness, they would go straight for blood.

Take Irvan's action for example. If he shot the tiny bean in the air, it meant: I can hit such a small thing in such a short time. It's just as easy for me to take your life. If you're smart, surrender now!

This was something Eagle Eye could do easily before. Today, things were different.

Just as the arrow was about to hit the bean, Link suddenly blew some air.

Poof. The bean jumped up. The next moment, the arrow flew past under the bean without hitting anything. After that, the bean continued falling. Link's head didn't move at all. He just opened his mouth, and the bean fell in. He continued eating.

When he was done, Link gazed at the arrow buried into the wooden wall. Smiling, he said, "Don't shoot arrows when you're not skilled enough. If you hit an innocent bystander, the king might drag you to the gallows."

Irvan huffed. He knew he'd met a match today, but he still wouldn't surrender. He hadn't used all his power yet. It wasn't a big deal.

Thinking of that, he tossed his bow to the worker on the side. Rolling up his sleeves, he threw a punch at Link's face. He didn't use any Battle Aura. It was just pure physical strength.

As long as no one died, the city guards wouldn't care about a regular fight without weapons or Battle Aura in a tavern full of mercenaries. Even if some uppity guard wanted to get into their business, the tavern's owner would help get rid of him.

Of course, if they damaged the tavern, they had to pay for it. That was the rule.

Irvan still held back some power for this punch. Otherwise, with his strength, the opponent could die if he didn't defend himself in time. That would be annoying.

Even so, the commotion was shocking. Irvan was a Level-7 Warrior, after all. His punch created a gust of wind, and before his fist reached Link, Link's hair was already blown into a mess.

Many mercenaries in the tavern exclaimed instinctively. They predicted that since Link was sprawled on the chair, he couldn't use much power. He definitely couldn't dodge Irvan's punch and would get beaten to a pulp. He might even get knocked unconscious.

But then Irvan's fist was blocked.

Link calmly raised his arm and grasped Irvan's fist. His body was at Level-11. Facing this arrogant Level-7 archer was like a demon against a little boy. They were in totally different leagues.

He was just clutching Irvan's fist, but the man felt that he'd punched iron. No matter how he struggled, his fist wouldn't move.

Irvan immediately realized that he was facing a master. But he was at Level-7. Though he wasn't almighty, he was still respected usually. No way he would beg for mercy now.

Link didn't expect that either. He pushed the fist toward the side a bit, and Irvan was forced back a few steps.

"Alright, archer. Go do what you need to do and stop bothering me."

After Irvan caught his balance, his face reddened. He snatched his bow from the worker, glanced at Link, and walked away angrily. He couldn't stay in this tavern any longer.

Link continued sitting with his feet propped, eating the beans. After a few beans, he realized the mood was off. Turning, he saw all the mercenaries gaping at him. It actually felt nice to be looked at like that. His mood improved and he chuckled.

"Everyone, keep talking, keep talking. Don't look at me or else I'll get angry!"

The mercenaries gulped. They would remember this guy. Seeing that Link didn't plan on talking to anyone, they started conversing amongst themselves again. However, everyone kept away from Link so they wouldn't get in trouble.

…

On the other hand, Irvan left the tavern and walked quickly with his head down. He didn't slow down until he left the area, but his face still felt hot.

It was truly humiliating this time.

He looked around, wanting to find somewhere to hide. When that damn fellow walked out of the tavern, he would shoot the man's leg or stomach to make him suffer. It would also make Irvan feel better.

But after thinking further, he forced down the urge. Whatever. That guy is so powerful at such a young age. He would definitely improve more. If I miss, I'll get a big enemy instead. It's not worth it.

He still couldn't bear the anger though. It felt horrible. Irvan's face turned livid with his eyebrows down and lips pursed tightly as he sped down the street. It was obvious he was frustrated.

Just as he walked, a familiar voice sounded before him. "Hey, Eagle Eye Irvan, it's you, right… Yes, it's you. I knew Eagle Eye wouldn't pass up a reward of 3000 gold coins."

Irvan looked up to see a tired, smiling face. Beside the person was a woman with flaxen-colored hair and a middle-aged Magician in a gray robe.

Seeing these three, Irvan muttered, "I was wondering why I was so unlucky today. It's because you three grave robbers are here, bringing all the bad luck."

Skinorse wasn't upset at being called a grave robber. He chuckled at Morrigan. "I bet this guy was taught a lesson by someone. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so pissed."

Morrigan studied Irvan and chuckled too. "I bet it's someone really powerful and he didn't have any way to fight back. Eagle Eye, am I right?"

Priest Moya looked at Eagle Eye's expression. Seeing that he was about to explode, she quickly comforted, "Alright, even the lord of Ferde wouldn't dare say he's undefeatable. It's normal to meet a more powerful opponent. Irvan, we're good friends. Tell us who you ran into?"

Moya wasn't ugly and had a gentle voice. Eagle Eye couldn't keep being angry after being comforted like that. He sat down next to some flowers by the road and let out a long sigh. "I just came out of Gear Up Tavern," he muttered. "There's a young guy who took up an entire table by himself, even propping his feet up. The tavern is filled with people. I wanted him to move, but I was kicked out just after one move. How unlucky am I?"

As soon as he finished, Skinorse slapped his knee and burst into laughter. "Unlucky, really unlucky. You lost all your dignity, hahaha, hehehe."

Seeing that Irvan was honestly about to explode, Moya cried out, "Okay, Skinorse, if you're so skilled, then you go. Go discipline that young guy."

"Fine, I'll go. It's just some young guy. Irvan, I'll discipline him for you!" Skinorse rolled up his sleeves and strode to the Gear Up Tavern.

Moya and Morrigan followed. Eagle Eye was angry at Skinorse's mockery, but they were still friends and had worked together before. Now, Skinorse was helping him, so he followed too.

The group powerfully strode into the tavern.