Chapter 782 Lorien Myst
"Let's give a very, very warm welcome to the first of our participants!" Chase's voice boomed across the arena floor. There seemed to be Runes amplifying his voice, echoing out from the three microphones he held—not that he needed them.
The announcer was nothing if not good at his job. The weight of his voice was as heavy as a mountain, almost as though it was doubled over, not much unlike his duo set of arms.
"We'll start today off with a bang! An unexpected participant, flying into the void of danger at the very last moments, raising up his weapon and—excuse me," Chase coughed. "Forgive me, I'm very used to announcing for bloody conflicts, but today is actually a meeting of intellectuals, a scrying of future pillars of the world of Runes! But my blood boils just the same and my tongue outruns my mind!
"Without further ado, I introduce you to a man you've all been wanting to meet for a very long time, a bachelor the fascination of countless young maidens, an elite risen from the obscure ashes of a world not yet known to the wider universe.
"Sylas Grimblade!"
The name was responded with by a stunned silence for a moment before there was a fierce eruption of discussion.
For a moment, Chase had been worried, but the sweeping change occurred even faster than the vibrant air of his eccentricity.
The name was one that those that could come to the city of elites certainly knew of. They had heard it before, but the mystery surrounding the name had caused the fanfare to die down a great deal.
It was hard to continuously speak about a man—especially considering all the happenings of the universe—for so long without learning any new information about him.
But to think that he would actually show up right here and now.
The majority of them had no way of knowing this until right this moment, and the moment they did learn of it, the number of outgoing calls became so numerous that several failed.
"Here he comes…" Erythra sat up slightly from her lounging position, her gaze sparkling.
Nyssa sat up somewhat as well, her curiosity getting the best of her.
The Human Race wasn't known for very much in his quadrant, but that didn't mean that they were worthless. The Human Race was quite ubiquitous across the universe, but because of that, they also had the widest range of outcomes.
There were Humans that were shockingly powerful, but there were also a much larger number of them that were weak and insignificant.
Many were wondering just what kind of Human Sylas Grimblade was.
And then he appeared, wrapped in flashing space and sparkling light.
Dressed in what could only be called shabby given the environment, the Sylas of today looked entirely unlike the Sylas he had once been.
He could still remember the image of himself for all those years, the prim and proper professor, the man who was always dressed both neatly and well. His hair had always been well-trimmed and kept, his face was always clean-shaven, and he often had on a pair of glasses that framed his handsome features perfectly.
But right now…
He looked almost like a wild barbarian.
White tufts of fur bristled from his single pauldron, his muscles rippling beneath the beaming lights. His face had a five o'clock shadow to it that Cassarae seemed to adore—unfortunately, with his own means, he couldn't seem to find a method of getting a closer shave than that. And his hair…
It had become a wild, tangled jungle, heavy and yet looming in volume. It had darkened considerably from the subtle hints of brown it had once had, becoming akin to lion king's mane.
Usually, he cut it. But maybe because of his stats, these days, his hair grew much too fast. If he didn't stay on top of it, this wild, thick mane would quickly run out of control.
Standing there, he looked every bit the part of barbarian king, a dark, brooding sort of aura hanging from him.
The volume of his body had grown considerably, his muscles bulging out in packed, tiny plates that overlapped one another like chains locked in a tight knot.
Everything about him exuded wildness. Unbeknownst to him, the combination of his comprehension of Scorpion Warlord Will and his Vipermancer Will melded into one, making him particularly bestial.
A dense darkness hung from him, the only points of light on his entire body being the two points of shimmering gems that were his emerald irises.
The moment the two women saw him, their pupils trembled.
Erythra subconsciously licked her lips. "He's mine."
"… You might have to fight me for this one," Nyssa said softly.
Erythra sneered. "Who doesn't know you're a little prude. Good luck."
"And what man doesn't like that?"
"Men are just like women, they say one thing and mean something else. They want a prim and proper wife until her teeth nearly chop his manhood clean off."
Nyssa smiled a dangerous smile.
The reaction of the two women, though, were completely unlike the reaction of most others.
In the eyes of many, Sylas looked primitive, foolish, like he had just stepped out from the era of cavemen. Even if others had such thoughts swirling around in their heads, they wouldn't be as brazen with it as these two were. Not in the slightest.
Maybe if this had been a competition of strength, they might look favorably on Sylas. But this wasn't something being a brute could help in.
"… What an entrance!" Chase beamed, being somewhat taken aback as well. "Not all at once, ladies! We've still got more to come!
"Next, we have two Unrankers, geniuses who just barely missed out on the young elite leaderboards this time around, but don't underestimate them!
"Welcome to the stage, Alaric Shade and Sebastian Nocte!"
Two young men appeared one after another, each settled into their own corners.
"And now, we have one more special guest before the main character of today's event makes his appearance…" Chase paused for dramatic effect. "… Please welcome, everyone… Flesh Master 297: Lorien Myst!"