Chapter 412 - The Tryouts (Part 1)
At first, Monk was a little startled hearing the words Dark Guild. 'Can they really have such an open operation like this?' But then looking at the people who stood in front of the inn, he kind of understood.
These were desperate people; they had nowhere to go and were barely hanging on with the will to live, but the Dark Guild was giving them an opportunity, if they needed to do deeds that weren't exactly wholesome to live, then they would do so.
Most likely, some of them even had a bit of hatred for those and the cities that did nothing as they continued this horrid life. Apart from those, there was also another group of people who looked to be in the queue as well. Not as many but Monk could tell by their build and the way they walked.
Former Knights of other cities. There had been a rumor in Avrion that the Dark Guild's leader, Morfran, used to be one of the elders. When he got kicked out for researching dark magic, he decided to create the Dark Guild to oppose them. There were many who couldn't follow the strict knight rules at Avrion and ended up getting kicked out, ending up at the Dark Guild looking for revenge.
Perhaps similar things happened in the other towns and cities, and they ended up here, still wishing to be a knight of some sort.
"Honestly, it's not as bad as everyone thinks it is." The spear user said, trying to convince Monk. "You are free to leave whenever you want, and there are no such repercussions if you choose to do so. I would say at least give it a try."
Monk paused for a second as if he was thinking about it, even though he already knew his answer.
"It's okay, you're right, I didn't know this was tryouts for the Dark Guild," Monk replied, "But it's not like I have anywhere else to go."
With that, the two men had a big smile on their faces, and the three of them walked over to the Inn. As these two were already members, they were able to pass the long queue and enter the inn directly. Once inside, Monk could see that someone had cleared the Inn off of all its tables and chairs.
The inn was still serving drinks and snacks though and the crowd was cheering with joy. All of the people inside seemed to be looking towards the centre, which was an open circle. Currently, no one was standing inside the circle, but when Monk came near, he was surprised to see blood spilt all over the place, and just with one look, he was able to identify it was fresh blood.
"Don't look so worried, no one has ever died in the tryouts, although I can say there is always someone who has knocked out a tooth or two while fighting each other." The sword user explained.
One section of the circle, there was a clear pathway and a table that had been set up, with a man sitting there. The queue that was leading outside had also carried on inside and they were all lined up waiting to be seen at the table.
"Okay, great just step in the circle for me." The man said at the desk.
The contestant stepped into the circle and waited patiently, and soon after the next person who came to register stepped in as well.
"The rules of the tryouts are simple." The sword user explained talking to Monk by his side. They were now both watching what was happening in the ring. Two wooden swords were thrown into the centre of the ring, and they quickly picked them up off the floor. "Show us your skill, and defeat the person in front of you. Fifty participants will be accepted no matter what, while the rest will be given a small number of coins for participating."
It now made sense why there were so many people, perhaps not all of them were interested in joining the Dark Guild but more so in the coins that were given. Win or lose either way. However, those that wanted to join would try their best to win.
"Hmph!" The spear user huffed. "In a way, it greatly depends on your luck. Sometimes you will be put against someone who has never held a sword before. While others you could be going up against an Ex-Knight of Avrion."
"Then that just means they weren't meant to be." The sword user replied.
Watching the fight, Monk could clearly tell the two were amateurs, and most likely never held a sword in their life before. They were sloppy in their attacks, but surprisingly it seemed like they were both trying to win. Perhaps this would be the comfortable life they had wished for. Looking at them, he knew the old Avrion would have never taken them in.
They only took in those that showed promise from the young age of five. At least these two were given some chance.
The night finally came to an end, with a few of them having bruise marks. In the end, one of the participants just held the sword against the other's throat until he passed out, and one was declared the winner.
"Alright young one, your times up." The sword user said. "I put in a word, so they've allowed you to skip the queue."
"Seriously," Monk said unprepared for this type of thing.
"Just go, you don't need to worry." The spear user said as he pushed Monk into the centre of the arena. When seeing Monk, the crowd watching looked in disappointment.
Although Monk was seventeen and nearly an a.d.u.l.t, he had always had a small frame and was shorter than others. This made everyone believe that he was a kid, and they ended up losing interest in the upcoming fight.
The next person to step into the ring was a slightly larger man, he was one of the very few who didn't have ragged clothing and looked like he had at least had a shower, unlike the others. When he picked up the wooden sword from the ground, he did a few practice swings showing off his skills.
The sound as the sword went through the air was impressive, and the swings looked fast.
"You were unlucky to go against me," The man said as he began to charge up against him, "I used to be a guard of Leberg City. Unfortunately due to being a little rough with a few prisoners I was told to leave."
Monk picked up the sword and didn't say anything; he didn't do any fancy and just got into a fighting stance.
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