Winnie was in an unusually high-spirited mood today, to the point where his tolerance for others had increased considerably. As long as others didn’t get in his way, whatever they did was none of his business.
But this was an alternate world, one based on an orange game, and he was still the notorious villain here. His reputation was no better than a rat in a stinking gutter, and naturally, he couldn't avoid being provoked by others.
Looking at the young knight blocking his way in front of him, no matter how he tried to get around, Winnie fell into silence.
Are all the Angry Dragon Knights made of nut walls? Why not just rename them Nut Wall Knights?
He didn’t understand. In the streets, being automatically provoked seemed like something that should happen to the protagonist. How did it end up happening to him?
No protagonist's luck, but he got the protagonist's debuff. Did he have the ability for that?
"Young Master Winnie, long time no see, how have you been lately?" The two young knights in front of him greeted him with smiles, as if they had just come to chat casually.
"I see you just came out of the royal Soul Art library, huh? After carefully picking for an entire afternoon, you finally got your own Soul Art?" One of the knights glanced at the crystal bottle Winnie was holding, smiling, but the mockery in his tone was unmistakable.
"You spent the whole afternoon picking from the royal Soul Art library. It must be a very powerful Soul Art, right?" The young knight's words were full of provocation.
"To specifically pay attention to a man for an entire afternoon, I can hardly imagine your mental state and sexual orientation," Winnie didn’t mind at all and even sarcastically turned it back on them.
"If Young Master Winnie wants to play with words, now is the time," one of the knights said with a sly grin.
"If there are no issues with your sexual orientation, then move aside. I’m very busy." Winnie’s smile faded, and he became more serious.
"Busy? Are you in such a hurry to go absorb your precious Soul Art?" A young knight glanced at the dull gray-white Soul Art in Winnie’s arms, his eyes flashing with disdain.
As members of the Angry Dragon Knights, they absorbed four-star Soul Arts like Dragon’s Eye, which was based on the Camellia royal family. To them, even three-star Soul Arts were insignificant, let alone a lowly one-star Soul Art. They looked down on it entirely.
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"You ask even though you know? I seriously question your intelligence," Winnie tilted his head, giving them a playful yet mocking look.
"Winnie, don’t ask for trouble!" The more impulsive young knight almost lost his temper but was stopped by his companion. After all, they were at the royal palace, and even if it was Winnie, they couldn’t act out here.
Ask for trouble? Did you give me a drink first??
Winnie rolled his eyes in his mind.
"Young Master Winnie, you’re holding it so tightly? You really care that much about your one-star Soul Art? I see you’re a good match for it." The other knight also mocked him.
"What, looking down on one-star Soul Arts?" Winnie smiled lightly. "I should remind you, don’t say too much. It’s easy to end up with a slap in the face."
"Who knows, one day in the future, you, or the person standing behind you, might get beaten by the one-star Soul Art that you despise so much?"
"Heh, you talk big. If I could get beaten by you, I might as well go eat horse manure," the angry young knight sneered.
"And what do you mean by the person standing behind us?"
"Literal meaning?" Winnie looked at the two of them, his lips curling up. "You knew I came to the royal library, and you waited outside for an entire afternoon just to stalk me? Aren’t Angry Dragon Knights really idle?"
"Let me guess, Karon sent you here, right?" Winnie smiled, but his tone turned colder. "He doesn’t even dare to do bullying himself, afraid he’ll lose his image in front of his love."
"I thought he was somewhat of a person, but I didn’t expect him to choose the coward’s path between being a villain and a small person," Winnie shook his head.
"Young Master Winnie, we don’t know what you’re talking about." The knight’s expression didn’t change. "You call others villains and small people, but what about your own character? You’re a degenerate, despicable, and shameless playboy, notorious for your bad deeds in the capital. Everyone in the kingdom knows."
"Yes, I admit I’m a villain," Winnie raised his head and looked at them, or perhaps at someone behind them. "But does he dare to step forward and admit that he’s a small person?"
The two knights were momentarily stunned. They had never imagined that Winnie would show such toughness.
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Wasn’t he always a loud-mouthed bully, the type to retreat at the first sign of a threat?
"Young Master Winnie, your words are incomprehensible, but that last one, I can’t pretend I didn’t hear it." After a moment, the other young knight spoke sharply.
"You just said you’d beat us with your one-star Soul Art, right?"
"I can only say you’re good at twisting words," Winnie raised an eyebrow.
"How about this, Young Master Winnie, we’ll give you a chance, one-on-one, how about it?"
"Interesting. So, one of you is going to step up? To fight me, a novice who just absorbed his Soul Art?" Winnie laughed.
"What are you thinking? Of course not, fighting you would be too beneath us," the two knights laughed. "No one in the capital would accept a challenge from you, even if you announced it publicly. It would be too embarrassing."
"We’ve found someone to fight you one-on-one, though. He’s also a novice, but not a knight apprentice—he’s a knight retainer apprentice."
"Knight retainer?" Winnie frowned.
Every knight order had knight retainers, those who weren’t talented enough to become regular knights and had to work as assistants. They trained with knights but couldn’t absorb Dragon’s Eye because of their low magical aptitude, so they became retainers.
After all, having a four-star magical aptitude was rare, and not everyone had it.
In contrast to the regular Angry Dragon Knights who all had Dragon’s Eye, the knight retainers used all sorts of Soul Arts, but none of them should be as poor as a one-star Soul Art.
"So, what do you think? Will you accept?"
"No, I won’t," Winnie rejected without hesitation.
"Oh? Just a moment ago you were so confident, and now you want to turtle up?" The knight continued to provoke him.
Normally, Winnie’s character would make him easy to provoke.
But the Winnie in front of them only smiled lightly. "If you want me to fight one of your guys, then pay me."
"? Huh?"
"What? Don’t I deserve a fee for showing up? You think I should waste my time and energy on your childish idea for free? Do you think I shouldn’t get a little compensation?" Winnie gave them a strange look.
".......How much do you want?" The two knights’ expressions turned uncertain.
"Twenty gold coins, no negotiation."
Twenty gold coins?!
The two knights’ eyes widened.
Why don’t you go rob someone?
The knights hesitated, glancing behind them as if consulting with someone.
"If we give you the money, will you actually come?"
"Of course, and I’ll do it openly," Winnie said, holding his head high.
"Alright, don’t forget what you said today."
"Fine, I agreed. Pay up then?" Winnie stretched out his hand.
"Don’t try to play tricks, we haven’t even started yet. What if you take the money and don’t show up?"
"I’m just asking for a deposit, five gold coins, thank you for your patronage," Winnie held up five fingers.
"No, we have to change the rules. Isn’t that too cheap for you?" One of the knights smiled.
"Change the rules? Then I’ll take my leave," Winnie said, turning to leave.
"Don’t rush off. Here’s the deal. If you lose, you won’t have to pay anything. If you win, we’ll double it and give you forty gold coins. How about that?"
"Is that true?" Winnie stopped, his eyes bright.
"Of course, absolutely. The Angry Dragon Knights always keep their word. But let’s see if you can actually win and get the money," the two knights laughed, obviously thinking it was an empty promise. After all, how could this useless young man beat a knight retainer apprentice? What a joke.