Chapter 343: In The Face Of Absolute Strength [Part 3]
After killing a Rank 2 Zombie Monkey, Renard checked his points with the bracelet on his wrist.
[Renard Vale = 608 Points]
He alone had managed to accumulate that many points, topping the Solo Rankings.
Thanks to his effort, Endless Horizon was among the top ten groups.
Just as Renard was about to follow the tracks left behind by the delegation from Solara Academy, he noticed that there were four people who were observing him from a distance.
They were none other than Prince Kaelen, Lapiz, Caelum, and Serenya.
"What do you want?" Renard demanded. "Have you come to eliminate me?"
The participants were allowed to fight against members of other teams as long as they did not inflict a killing blow or crippling injury.
Such force was unnecessary since a student could make an opponent withdraw from the battle by simply crushing the teleportation crystal that the latter was wearing.
"I am not here to eliminate you," Prince Kaelen replied. "I came here to ask where your Club President is."
"How should I know?" Renard shrugged. "I'm not his nanny."
Prince Kaelen narrowed his eyes at Renard's answer. "Isn't he part of your team? Are you really trying to win this contest alone? Don't tell me you came here by yourself."
"And what if I did come here by myself?" Renard retorted. "That's none of your business."
"You…" Caelum didn't like Renard's disrespectful way of talking to their prince, but Prince Kaelen raised his hand to stop Caelum from doing anything.
"You're right, it is none of my business." Prince Kaelen nodded. "I've been observing you for the past few weeks, and I have come to realize that you're not exactly a team player. But, do tell me, do you have a reason for fighting alone?"
The Elven Prince was genuinely curious because in his opinion, it was detrimental for Alex to keep someone who didn't want to cooperate as a team.
He, Alex, and Prince Garen had made a bet with each other on who the winner of the competition would be. However, with the help of his subordinates, he soon realized that Alex was nowhere on the Second Floor of the Dungeon.
Only Renard was here, busy killing monsters without help from any of his club members.
So, Prince Kaelen thought that either Alex was confident that Renard alone could win this competition for their team or… he was planning something.
Something big.
This was why Prince Kaelen had decided to approach Renard and ask him a few questions.
"I already told you that whatever I do is none of your business," Renard scoffed. "If you get in my way, I'm going to fight you!"
"Renard, please calm down." Lapiz tried to mediate between her brother and her club member, who seemed to be only a spark away from a full-blown confrontation. "Brother, let's just leave him alone. He's not doing anything harmful to our team."
If this had happened a month ago, Prince Kaelen would have listened to his older sister without fail. However, after staying in Frieden Academy, he realized that humans thought differently from them.
Elves were a long-lived race, so their mentality was old fashioned as well. This was especially true for the elves that had never set foot outside of the Kingdom and seen the bigger world.
Prince Kaelen was bound to be the next King of the Elves, so although it was dangerous, his parents had reluctantly agreed to send him to the human kingdom to learn their culture.
However, after hearing how Alex had gained the title of Blackmail King, the Prince felt that he was a very dangerous person.
Any elf, especially his sisters, might fall victim to Alex's plans.
The fact that Lapiz was part of Endless Horizon concerned him because he was worried that his kind and dependable sister might change for the worse if she interacted with Alex long enough.
"I see, you're quite a sad human aren't you?" Prince Kaelen said, eyeing Renard with pity. "You're like an abandoned bear forced to fend for itself."
Renard clenched his fist and glared at the Prince of the Elves.
He wasn't really affected by the prince's words. What affected him was the look of pity.
The young man had grown up seeing that expression time and time again.
"I don't need your pity!" Renard growled, remembering his childhood. "If you want to fight, let's fight!"
Without any warning, Renard charged at Prince Kaelen with the intention of giving him a good beating.
He no longer cared that this was the Prince of the Elves.
Anyone who looked down on him would have to face his fist!
Caelum and Serenya were ready to defend their prince, but he took a step forward.
"Don't interfere," Prince Kaelen ordered before he, too, lunged towards Renard, eager to fight.
Renard was a Rank 2 Berserker Juggernaut, while Prince Kaelen, who was much younger than him, was a Rank 3 Nature Savant.
Calling the Prince a prodigy was an understatement, especially since he was only twelve years old.
The Professor assigned to look after Prince Kaelen watched anxiously as the two teenagers clashed.
If something happened to the Prince on his watch, he would surely be blamed.
Renard roared as he threw a punch while Prince Kaelen stomped on the ground, creating a giant fist made from soil.
The sound of a thunderclap reached everyone's ears as the two powerful attacks connected with each other.
The giant fist shattered, but Renard was also blown away by the impact.
However, before he could regain his footing, a vine wrapped itself around his leg and slammed him into the ground without mercy.
The crystals around their necks perfectly captured the scene and transmitted it to the magical projections in the academy and outside the dungeon.
Alex could only wince when he saw what happened to Renard.
He was having tea with Charles after they'd been left behind by their team. They'd been watching the broadcast, using it as a chance to learn more about their peers' fighting styles.
"Alex, why didn't you stop Renard earlier?" Charles asked. "You already know what he's like. But I'm sure that had you talked to him, he might have at least reconsidered his decision to do this alone."
Alex didn't answer right away. Instead, he continued to watch as Prince Kaelen repeatedly slammed Renard into the ground, leaving little doubt in anyone's mind that the young human had bitten off more than he could chew.