Blood Assimilation

Perhaps due to the influence of Randy's past memories or perhaps due to his own way of life, he refused to be looked down on by anyone, regardless of their status or position. Thus, he confronted the group of soldiers, who acted arrogantly in front of him.

"Are you done talking? If you're done, can you get out of my way? I don't need to show respect to anyone who doesn't show me respect. And you, seniors, should know better than to act like bullies in front of your juniors."

Brawler Randy's cold and impassive voice resonated throughout the enclosed room and everyone heard it clearly. At the same time, they were left speechless by his words. They couldn't believe that a newbie like him would be so brazen to make such rude remarks.

Meanwhile, the two leading soldiers were taken aback by his disrespectful words and gritted their teeth in exasperation. They had been soldiers for nearly a decade and had accumulated enough experience and reputation. As a result, no one has ever looked down on them to such an extent. 

The square-faced, middle-aged man's muscles bulged, his expression turning red from embarrassment.

His aura skyrocketed, then he took a step forward and shouted angrily: "Arrogant brat! Let me teach you how to behave in front of your superiors!"

The dominating aura exuded by the square-faced, middle-aged man attempted to suppress Brawler Randy through intimidation.

In response to such a confrontation, with his own body aura, Brawler Randy calmly repressed the incoming aura and indifferently retorted: "I don't need any lessons from you."

At this moment, Gutz realized that things were about to escalate and tried to mediate the situation by saying: "I think we should all come down. There's no need for hostility. We're all here to attend the ball and enjoy ourselves, not start a conflict. Let's not spoil the day with these petty arguments and just let it go."

The lanky, middle-aged man glared at Gutz, confronted him and said: "You stay out of this, Gutz! This is between us and the newbie!"

"You keep referring to me as a newbie, but I am not your newbie."

Brawler Randy suddenly stated: "I only came here by invitation. Also, what's the big deal with being a veteran soldier and battling demons? Do you think you're so remarkable just because you fought some battles and survived to tell the tale? I have also fought my fair share of battles, including dealing with demons."

The square-faced, middle-aged man was annoyed by his audacious statement and said: "You may have fought some miscellaneous battles in the past, but it appears you lack respect for veteran soldiers like us who risk our lives on the battlefield with demons just because of that. You should learn to show some humility in front of your seniors, kid."

"Stop calling me kid. I am not your kid."

Brawler Randy shook his head and sighed in defeat, saying: "I have already apologized for being late, but it was you people who still wouldn't let the matter go. Do you think I'm afraid to confront all of you at the same time?"

Then, he firmly declared: "If it's a fight that you want, then I'll give you one. I'm not one to back down from a fight just because an opponent has a higher position than me. So bring it on and let's end this pointless feud between us!"

"..."

Everyone in the Royal Dance Hall was dumbstruck by his declaration.

The tension between the two parties was rising, and it seemed like a fight was about to break out. Just then, the Crown Prince arrived and intervened before it escalated.

"What is going on here? Why are you all gathered around and causing a commotion?"

Upon hearing Crown Prince Lukkas's questioning voice, the lanky, middle-aged man reported righteously: "Your Highness, this newbie was late and showed no respect towards us. We were just reprimanding him."

Crown Prince Lukkas frowned when he saw Brawler Randy and sternly spoke: "That is no way to treat my guest. Sir Randy was personally invited by me, and I expected you all to welcome him with open arms. So, what is the meaning of your act of aggression toward him?"

"But Your Highness, how could we—"

"That's enough! This is a gathering of warriors, not a battlefield. Why do you want to ruin such an occasion with meaningless infighting?"

The lanky, middle-aged man wanted to say something but Crown Prince Lukkas immediately interrupted him with an austere tone of voice.

"..."

The lanky, middle-aged man was left speechless, as he didn't expect Crown Prince Lukkas to take the side of a mere newbie, much less reprimand his rightful action against the newbie's rude behavior.

However, despite hearing Crown Prince Lukkas's stern reaction and disapproval of their actions, the square-faced, middle-aged man still refused to relent and said: "But Your Highness, this newbie has no respect for veterans like us! If we just sit back and don't teach him a lesson for his disrespect, how could we proudly call ourselves veteran soldiers of the nation?!"

Crown Prince Lukkas observed the square-faced, middle-aged man, who was still defiant, in displeasure before calmly replying: "And I said that was enough! While I understand your frustration, that's no excuse for starting a fight with a guest that I personally invited to join us on this occasion. If you are all proud soldiers of this nation, you should act like it." 

Then, he glanced between the square-faced, middle-aged man and the lanky, middle-aged man with a disappointed expression before continuing: "Ephren and Edzar, I expected better attitudes from the two of you. You represent not only me, but also the nation when you attend today's event. This is a ball to relax and enjoy yourselves, not a battlefield. So, what do you think of your current behavior in such a setting? In case you didn't realize it yet, your aggressive actions just now only serve to embarrass me in front of my guest, not redeem your pride as veteran soldiers."

The square-faced, middle-aged man was still confrontational and wanted to say something, but he was gestured to stop by the lanky, middle-aged man, who stood beside him at this moment.

The lanky, middle-aged man thoughtfully bowed and spoke apologetically: "You're right, Your Highness. It was out of character for us to behave in such a manner. We truly apologize for our unsightly behavior on this occasion."

"Good."

Crown Prince Lukkas observed his action and stated: "Now, let's put this behind us and enjoy the ball."

Then, he turned to look at Brawler Randy apologetically and said: "On behalf of these soldiers, I apologize. They are on edge from being on the front lines all this time. I hope you understand."

Brawler Randy looked at Crown Prince Lukkas and replied: "I understand, Your Highness. Also, I apologize for being late and causing this trouble."

"No need to apologize."

Crown Prince Lukkas smiled as he walked down the stairs, saying: "You must have been busy. Furthermore, our arrangement didn't guarantee your presence in the first place."

As soon as he reached the first floor, he stated: "Anyway, I will come to you in order to discuss some matters later after I finish having a word with those two just now."

After stating this, Crown Prince Lukkas approached the lanky, middle-aged man and the square-faced, middle-aged man known as Ephren and Edzar, respectively.

Meanwhile, Brawler Randy was still feeling annoyed by the two soldier's behavior toward him. However, he decided to ignore them and took a seat at the corner of the Royal Dance Hall. He sat down, away from the center, where all the soldiers were gathered.

Gutz also followed him and sat beside him. He observed the frown on Brawler Randy's face and said in consolation: "Don't think too seriously about their actions. Those guys just wanted to vent out their frustration on someone and you just happen to be available."

"I know."

Brawler Randy paused for a moment before saying: "I just don't like being talked down to."

Gutz patted him on the shoulder as he could relate to his words, saying: "I understand where you're coming from, but sometimes it's better to let things go. It's not worth it to start a meaningless fight in the Royal Castle."

As the night progressed, the Brawler Randy and Gutz, who found out they didn't like dancing, talked some more as they waited for the Crown Prince. However, Crown Prince Lukkas was unable to come right away because he was put in the spotlight by a noble young lady, who wanted to dance with him.

As a Crown Prince and a host of the event, he couldn't outright reject her. Therefore, he decided to dance with her for a while. However, he underestimated the persistence of the noble ladies who attended the event. Instead of dancing with one person, he had to juggle between a few noble ladies.

Furthermore, their families were of notable significance, hence he had no choice but to dance with them. Before he could return, the event had already reached the point where they would have an indefinite recess and resumed later or bring the ball to an end.

At this time, Brawler Randy and Gutz were invited by Crown Prince Lukkas, who had managed to extricate himself away from the noble ladies, to attend a conference that was held upstairs between all the soldiers in attendance. Brawler Randy heard the gist of the matter from Gutz and realized that he was also invited to participate, even though he wasn't a soldier of the nation.

Meanwhile, the others who were not invited mingled with each other as they drank their drinks. Most of the people left behind were noble ladies. The remaining people were some famous Dungeon Hunters who were still under scrutiny until further notice.

In addition to these people, Royal Court Magicians, who had time to spare, and other political figures associated with the Royal Family were also present at the event. They were present to both enjoy and supervise the ball. Earlier, they had been hidden within the audience and were ready to intervene in the event that a fight broke out.

That was why Gutz told Brawler Randy that it wasn't worth it to fight in the Royal Castle since such acts would easily garner the attention of the Royal Family through the Royal Court Magicians. In this case, it would only paint a bad image if that were to happen.