Chapter 259 Contest (Part 2)

Noticing the admiring glances of his colleagues, the youth smiled and proudly puffed out his chest, casting a sidelong glance at Adam, who seemed indifferent to everything happening.

“This guy…”

The youth felt somewhat offended by how arrogantly this guy behaved. He had arrived less than an hour ago, and even though it was evident that he was interested in the conversation, he didn’t initiate it first. It was clear that everyone here expected him to start the conversation!

This made the other models stunned by such an idiot. Were they, popular models, not popular enough for him to engage in a conversation?

“Hey, do you know that guy?”

The youth didn’t want to stop and decided to ask his colleague about it. The colleague raised an eyebrow and looked at Adam, who was sitting far away, observing the scene.

“Hmm, are you interested in him, Mr. Andy? Him? The only thing I know is that this guy is Elrion’s partner, but the rest is unknown to me.”

The youth, who was Dmitry’s partner, was named Andy. He frowned when he didn’t hear a satisfactory answer to his question and, unwilling to give up, continued to inquire with other models, but they just shrugged and said they didn’t know him.

“What the hell? It’s not easy to get into these competitions without a reputation, even if the designer is a great personality; the model should have at least a few major achievements.”

This coincidence made Andy raise an eyebrow and feel dissatisfied. He was barely allowed in here due to strong restrictions because he was relatively new to the show business. However, suddenly, someone with similar circumstances appeared.

“Besides, I haven’t seen anyone like him,” Andy thought.

Although he appeared arrogant externally, Andy had been preparing for this competition for a month. Going through rigorous training and working on himself, he achieved a good and fit physique, earning Dmitry’s attention.

And now, a man who was ten times more handsome than him stepped onto the stage. It struck Andy’s pride hard, and he couldn’t help but frown.

“He will be a formidable opponent.”

***

“And so, to the thunderous applause of you, ladies and gentlemen, let this humble servant introduce the second participant – Andrew Bree Len, who pioneered the era of jeans. Let’s welcome him!”

Yes, yes, yes!

The audience was delighted, even though they should be noble and elegant; nevertheless, at parties, they could let loose.

Adam, with surprise, scrutinized the man standing under the spotlight. Under the loud ovations, he bowed to the audience and smiled, waiting by his booth.

Andrew Bree Len was an old gentleman, one could say he was a fashion veteran. According to the hostess’s words, he was one of the first to invent jeans and introduce them into fashion.

“My respect, old man. Skinny jeans are the best thing humanity has come up with,” Adam nodded with a smile, ignoring the puzzled looks of his colleagues.

A little later, not wanting to stop at just one Andrew, the hostess began to introduce the others. Mostly, except for these two personalities – Andrew and Dmitry, the others were not as well-known, but still had some reputation.

Although Adam didn’t want to admit it, their chances of winning against Elrion and him were not so great. Before them were fashion megalodons who also had much more experience thanks to working in the capital.

The chances were extremely slim, but…

“I won’t give up so easily. My appearance was useless for the most part anyway, so I can use it now. Maybe I’ll also help the boss; he’s my only male friend in this world… Wait, why did that sound so pitiful?”

Ignoring Adam’s strange thoughts, it was finally Elrion’s turn to be introduced. As a resident of this city, he had a certain reputation, and the audience was familiar with him.

“Finally, we move on to the last participant – Mr. Elrion. He has worked in the city of Clinton for a long time, and his creativity has been astonishing. Some of his works became popular in the capital, sparking a small but new wave of fashion. His experience is extensive!” the hostess introduced him, smiling and adding, “Although he left the world of fashion, upon Lady Clinton’s request, he decided to return to the stage and set the heat on fire.”

Elrion, suddenly illuminated by the spotlight, bowed to the audience with a gentle smile, but inside, a storm was raging.

“Woman, you’ve dug a pit for me with that!”

Adam, sitting in the waiting room, also noticed this problem. He shook his head, realizing that the attention to Elrion would be much more than expected.

He glanced at the hostess and narrowed his eyes. It seemed like she deliberately said that.

“In essence, she hinted that he represents Knight Clinton, which will make the other participants want to knock him off the stage. Each of them wants to get under this woman’s skirt and wouldn’t mind proving that they are better than the one she chose.”

A banal tactic where one needed to defeat the appointed representative of the nobleman and then show friendliness and express a desire to serve him. Most nobles were selfish and didn’t forgive mistakes, so they usually won.

Adam had no doubt that if Elrion lost, he would be forever thrown out of the city and banned from appearing here, as he had supposedly disgraced the Lady.

“I can’t understand this nobleman. Is Knight Clinton so petty? Or does she have a plan?”

However, he had no answers to these questions unless he somehow gained the ability to penetrate this woman’s mind.

“Hmm?”

Adam suddenly got distracted, feeling predatory looks on him – his colleagues were looking at him as easy prey, and it was evident that many were mocking him.

And Adam didn’t like it at all. Although he couldn’t kill them, even if they were mortals, he could certainly intimidate them.

“What the fuck are you looking at?”

After his words, a horrifying aura of murderous intent erupted from his body – it was so dense that it could be seen.

“Eek!”

The other models, of course, were frightened. Their only option was to panic and turn their heads away, only then the pressure on their bodies would subside.

“This… he’s a damn magivolve! Why is someone like him participating in the competition?”

Andy was stunned. Magivolves were not the kind of people to mess with because, in the Empire, although there were laws that restricted these beings, most of them could kill ordinary citizens, and no one would say anything.

On the contrary, sometimes, it could even enter their service and make imperial soldiers accept them into their ranks. Such was the truth of this world.

“Hmph.”

When everyone turned away and began trembling in fear, shaking their bodies, Adam stopped using the murderous intent. The murderous intent wasn’t a skill or a special ability; it simply released all the anger from the depths of his soul, directing it toward the enemy. The more beings he killed, the stronger his murderous intent became.

“My skin is tingling, and I feel like I’ve been thrown into an oven!”

directing it toward the enemy. The more beings he killed, the stronger his murderous intent became.

“And… ugh.”

As a devil who had killed quite a few beings, Adam possessed a very strong aura of murderous intent. So the models sat as if glued to their chairs, silent.

Nodding to himself, Adam continued to observe the scene. It seemed that the competition had already begun.

“In the first round, our esteemed participants will face the challenge of creating a design from scratch, with originality not less than 70%! Therefore, any copies of popular designs are prohibited, take note!”

The first round was already challenging. Elrion, like the other participants, immediately started working. The atmosphere was tense.

Although this competition was not as epic and amazing as the battle between magivolves, it still had a strong appeal for bored nobles.

Although it was customary to say something during breaks in competitions, the hostess turned off the microphone and began discussing something with the security guards. The designers focused on their work.

The reason was simple – she didn’t want to disturb them, as every second counted, and bothering them with her chatter would be disrespectful.

The spectators also remained silent; it was evident that there were no uncultured savages among them, and each of them was attentively watching the scene.

“I’d rather be lying in bed with Lina than sitting here. I don’t understand these noble preferences. How can they watch something so… boring? It was the same in the Lower World.”

Adam snorted and closed his eyes, deciding to meditate for a while. The others, seeing this, were left speechless.

“Is he not nervous at all? An important competition is happening right now!”

“And he fell asleep… unbelievable.”

Although many of them were outraged by such behavior, no one was so crazy as to go and wake him up. What if he bites?

By that time, Adam was already in deep meditation. This time, he didn’t rush to increase his magical energy volume; he simply strengthened it. The “magic energy cubes” in his Magic Energy Source were neatly arranged as if someone had played Tetris.

These cubes were a much more efficient option for use because they took up less space but contained a large amount of magical energy. Therefore, Adam’s magical energy volume was comparable to the peak of the second level of the Mortality Kingdom.

During the meditation procedure, Adam heard a strange voice, and at one moment, one word appeared in his mind.

“Capital.”

Something was pulling him there as if someone very familiar was calling, but soon this feeling disappeared as if it had never appeared.

Adam had to postpone meditation. Opening his eyes, he frowned, greatly frightening the employee in front of him.

“Sir… sorry, but Mr. Elrion is waiting for you in the utility room.”

Only then, when he heard the frightened voice of the employee, did Adam realize that he had accidentally released the bloodlust. He gently smiled and nodded, then followed her.

Although he looked carefree externally, his thoughts returned to that voice. After thinking for a while, he curled the corners of his mouth.

“History repeats itself, huh? Are you going to be the first one I encounter on my path again?”

To be continued…

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