Chapter 200: Forced
"Where the hell are those two?!" Mirinda was growing impatient inside the hall of Dawnbloom Guild. Tonight would be the final meeting to discuss all the relevant matters and strategies for the tournament.
But the meeting couldn't start without two of the guild's most powerful members. The atmosphere in the hall grew hotter and heavier. The other members began swallowing nervously, loosening their collars as sweat formed on their faces.
"Let me try to find them." William was about to stand up when suddenly, two figures emerged from the door.
"We're really sorry, Guildmaster. We had some important matters to attend to just now." Bob and I bowed ninety degrees toward Mirinda.
"Something more important than this meeting?" Mirinda asked.
"Err… not really." I stuttered. Mirinda suddenly reminded me of my hot-tempered English teacher back in high school. She always picked on me and asked questions. I never understood what her problem was.
"Enough. Go and take your seats," Mirinda ordered.
Bob and I let out a breath of relief. We had expected to be blasted by her flame spell, but it seemed she managed to hold back her anger. We quickly sat down beside Evelyn and William.
"Everyone is finally here. So let's begin. Good evening, everyone. Tonight, as you all know, will be our last meeting before the tournament begins the day after tomorrow. The reason I scheduled it tonight is so that all of you can have a full rest tomorrow. I believe all of you have seen the parade by the other guilds. And surely, you must have felt intimidated by them. Am I right?"
I nodded my head. But then I noticed everyone else's expressions were serious. I quickly shook my head. I didn't want others to think I was actually scared, even though it was true.
"It seems all of you are not scared. Good! That is what it means to represent Dawnbloom Guild. Other guilds may look down on us, and we may be considered underdogs, but I am sure,no, I have a feeling, that this year, we can achieve something unexpected." Mirinda then glanced at me and Bob.
She sat down, and Beltimore continued the meeting.
"I will now reveal the names of the participants for each of the three categories. First, Solo Duel. The participants will be Lee, Mark, and Alan."
"Yeah!! Go Lee and Mark! You two can do it!" Eddy led the cheers from the second floor along with the other guild members.
Meanwhile, I had already rested my face on my hands over the table.
I don't like this.
"Next, Last Man Standing. The participants will be Maya, William, Blackburn, Evelyn, and Alan."
"Blast them all, Maya! Evaporate them with your flames!"
"Snipe all their heads, Evelyn!"
"With William in that team, we have a chance in this category!"
The crowd grew even more excited. Everyone cheered, except me, who sank deeper and deeper into my hands.
"And lastly, for the final and most important category, the participants will be Bob, William, Alia, Mark, Luna, Selene, Maya, Evelyn, Rei, and… Alan!"
The crowd erupted even louder, their cheers echoing across the hall. Meanwhile, my face was already buried in my hands.
Later, Ida took over and revealed the participants for the other categories. There were dozens more besides combat like blacksmithing, fashion, cooking, and many others. But of course, the main focus was still the battle competitions.
After all the participants were announced, Mirinda gave her final words.
"Give it your all, everyone. Show the other guilds that we are not the same as before, that we will fight to reclaim our honor."
"Yeahh!"
The hall shook with their voices, filled with determination and spirit.
After a few minutes, the gathering dispersed and things slowly returned to normal.
"Hey, Alan, are you alright?" Bob tapped my shoulder as I was still processing everything.
"I'm really jealous of you, dude. You're in all the combat categories. All eyes will be on you," Bob said.
Suddenly, I slammed my hands onto the table with a loud thud, startling Bob, before rushing toward Mirinda, who was walking up the stairs with Beltimore and Ida.
"Guildmaster! Why is my name still in all the categories? I thought you said before it was just a draft?" I finally said it. During our first meeting a month ago, Mirinda had already made a preliminary selection. And my name was in all those categories, since G-rank adventurers are allowed to enter as many competitions as they want. Of course, I argued with her back then, but she said it was only a draft and there would be changes. But now, it seemed nothing had changed.
"This is my decision after everything that has happened since then. You may be a G-Rank, Alan. But we all know very well, that is not your true capability. That is why we are taking this opportunity to make the most of it. You are our trump card, Alan."
"People will look down on you. But that's exactly what we want. Make sure you make them regret it." Mirinda then continued ascending the stairs.
Meanwhile, I still couldn't accept it. I clenched my fist. Suddenly, Bob placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Relax, dude. Why are you so worked up? I know you're not the type who wants to shine and beat the odds. You're more of a reserved guy. But don't miss this chance, man."
"What are you actually trying to say?"
"This is the best moment for us to make them indebted to us. Listen, we're in the weakest guild in this region, and now we're the only hope to restore its honor. If we pull this off, we'll become legends in this guild!"
"Whatever. I don't have that kind of desire like you."
We then made our way back to our room. My anger slowly faded as Bob kept calming me down. Maybe what he said was true… maybe I really was the only hope to change the fate of Dawnbloom Guild.
"What do we have here? Is this the new S-Rank adventurer from Dawnblood Guild?"
Suddenly, we were stopped by a group of people. Each of them wore the crest of the Red Eyes Guild.