" Who are you? " Max questioned as he realised that there was no way that an old man at tier1 would possess the kind of strength that Rudra did.
" Let's make a small bet, shall we, commander Max?" Rudra said as he kept smiling his amicable smile but his words had already startled the group.
Doubts about his true identity resurfaced as Max asked with extreme caution " What do you want? "
Rudra calmly took the big hanging panda soft toy behind him and cautiously handed it over to Anna who was glaring holes through him.
" Well the first thing I want is to give the cute little girl there this toy, it would be criminal of me to keep it away from her, since I know none of you can actually win it through the challenge" Rudra said as he belittled everyone in the group.
" You see, Commander Max, I only came to this city after I heard of your legendary battle against one of the vampire gods.
I am old and nearing the end of my life, but I was a hell of a warrior back on Earth. A Navy commander back in country X.
After retiring, I have learnt but one move.
It's called [ Leg Stomp ] and it's a divine level move.
Done destructively, it can cause big tremors.
Maybe if someone as powerful as you did it, it can level entire cities, but me with my ( Perfect ) mastery over the move only use it to run a harmless stall in carnivals.
The bet, I want to make with you is that I'll allow you to use any spell you want, any move you want, but you only have to make me move my leg even one centimetre.
If you can, then consider the panda won.
If you can't….
Give this old man a chance to be your counsel.
I'm old and frail but my mind is still sharp.
Give me a chance to prove to you and to myself that the once naval commander still has more to give even on a universal stage … " Rudra said as his speech was something no one had expected.
' Agh a divine level move? ' Sebastian thought as now everything made sense to him as to how he failed.
A divine level move with perfect mastery was the only thing that could allow a tier1 warrior to hold so strong against someone multiple tiers above.
The old man was a fanboy and an ex navy fanboy at that but instead of riding off into the sunset with his old age, he still wanted to make a difference by becoming the counsel of someone as important as Max.
The group's vigilance of the old man dropped a bit once they heard his story, and Ruby and Naomi even felt sorry for the old man.
They could see in his shiny eyes and wrinkly smile that he must have been an excellent commander once upon a time and while the physical aspect had faded his mind was still there, working at the peak condition.
Max was not as gullible as the others, he did not buy this story of the old man having mastered only one divine move.
It was possible, but his instincts told him that there was more to the old man's background than it met the eye.
He was not looking for additional counsel at this stage, however, with the mega war coming he did wonder if the old man who was an actual seasoned tactician having studied and practised warfare all his life could add major value to his army.
After thinking about it a lot, he eventually said " Fine, I accept your conditions old man "
Rudra smiled his amiable smile and planted his right foot once again to the ground as he awaited Max's final attempt.
This time with the freedom of him being able to use any spell or attack that he wished, the scenario was completely different than him only using brute force.
While everyone expected Max to use some spell that would enhance his physical aspect, Max pulled out his sword from the inventory and looked the old man dead in the eye instead.
The challenge was to make the old man move his leg even by a centimetre, but it never said that one had to necessarily achieve it by moving it physically only.
" Max, have you gone senile too? He's just a man! " Ruby said, extremely concerned as to what Max intended to do.
Max tossed his sword from his left hand to the right as he kept staring in the old man's eyes, as if making his intentions clear.
If the old man did not move, Max was ready to cut his throat down.
Still smiling, Rudra pulled the rags near his neck down as if daring Max to aim straight for his vitals, not at all deterred by the young man's threat.
A loud shriek could be heard as both Naomi and Ruby panicked when Max actually charged at the old man, his sword swinging towards his neck as he maintained eye contact with the old man from the start to the finish.
Max wanted to see the old man flinch.
Max hoped that he would move ever so slightly back or show some fear for his life but the crazy bald old man did not.
Maintaining his same smile as ever he never flinched till the end even though the tip of Max's sword touched his loose skin.
It was at this moment that Max had to respect the old man's resolve and his balls.
Even seasoned veterans would piss themselves under his killing intent, yet the old man stood before him undeterred.
" You are the real deal… I lose " Max admitted as he put his sword back into the inventory and looked at the old man with a funny expression.
" You have a place to stay? " Max asked, although already knowing the answer to the question based on the state of his clothes.
" The sky is my blanket " Rudra replied as he confirmed that he was homeless.
" Then come with me, from today onwards you live in the palace " Max said as he decided to upgrade the lifestyle of his newest advisor.
In his mind the old man was some determined old veteran who had absolutely no regard for his personal life. A military man like no other.
But little did he know that if he did actually follow through with his attack and try to take his head off, it would be his sword that would have broken before he could draw a single drop of the old man's blood.
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/// A/N - This Bonus sponsored by patron MagNum932, please thank him in the comments for this one///