Chapter 137: Sorry, I Refuse!

Twenty minutes had gone by, and yet, the two-headed snake was still full of energy!

Meanwhile, Bronte’s mana supply was dwindling.

After dodging another yellow light wave, Locke then ordered Gale Wings to bring him behind Bronte.

Just as he was about to unleash Hurricane Piercer at Bronte, Lawrence hurriedly shouted, “Captain! Don’t kill him! Otherwise, we’ll be disqualified!”

His shout had also alerted Bronte, who summoned giant pythons to block Locke’s Attack!

Recalling the rules, Locke toned down his mana and slammed his fist into the pythons!

Bang!

The pythons were unable to withstand Locke’s attack, and they immediately crumpled.

Under Bronte’s panicked gaze, Locke then slammed his fist into Bronte’s abdomen.

“Urgh… !”

Bronte was sent flying like a cannonball!

‘Whoa! That was close. Thank god Lawrence warned me at the last second. Otherwise, we would need to kiss the reward goodbye…’ Locke had greatly diminished his strength earlier as he feared that he would violate the rules if Bronte were to die.

Meanwhile, the impact from Bronte’s fall had created a crater, and he was constantly coughing out blood.

He stared at the sky. He refused to believe the outcome of the battle!

A few referees immediately went forward to confirm Bronte’s condition.

“A few of his bones are broken, but he’ll live! Medical team, come over quickly!”

Secretary Peter, who was on the main stage, took the microphone and announced to everyone in the stadium, “Locke wins! The Advanced Military Academy is out! The finals will be held tomorrow!”

Most of the people in the audience had a sad expression on their faces.

Some were sad because their idol had been defeated.

Whereas the others were depressed because they had lost their bets!

No one had expected Locke to be so powerful. In less than an hour, he had defeated two of the top students in the Advanced Military Academy!

After making sure that the audience had left, Secretary Peter, accompanied by his subordinates, then walked towards the Federal Academy’s preparation area.

“You’ve really opened my eyes! Locke!”

He looked at Locke with sincere admiration.

Locke shrugged and did not say anything.

“You kids must be famished! Let’s go! I’ve already requested the hotel’s restaurant to prepare delicious food for all of you!”

Naturally, Lawrence was the happiest of the bunch once he heard that there was food. He immediately pulled Locke and Rosetti forward with him.

Back in the Alpha Federation University’s preparation area in the distance, one of the instructors looked at Peter and complained, “Tch! Damn this old fox. Previously, when we invited him for dinner, he rejected us; when we tried to send him gifts, he rejected us, and gave some bullsh*t excuses. However, the moment Locke displayed his might, he’s suddenly all over him! What on earth is up with him!”

Andre snapped, “You’re wrong! This guy hasn’t even shown his true strength yet!”

“What?” One of Andre’s team members was surprised by Andre’s statement. Locke’s display earlier was already plenty powerful!

To his knowledge, the only person in the continent who could match Locke’s display earlier was his captain!

As such, when Andre mentioned that Locke’s strength was beyond what he had shown earlier, the team member was greatly surprised, shocked, even.

Noticing his teammate’s anxious expression, Andre snorted and asked, “Shaw, you look like you’re doubting my abilities. Are you thinking that I can’t beat Locke?”

Shaw immediately knelt down and answered, “No! No! How can he be young master’s match? I’m just worried that he’s beyond my league…”

“Hmph! Of course! Alright, let’s head back, we need to plan our strategy!”

With that, Andre led his team out of the stadium.

…

“That stingy Hobrick must be thanking his stars to come across a student of your caliber…”

Peter was constantly sizing up Locke while they dined in a private room.

Peter’s strange gaze had made Locke very uncomfortable.

“Why of course! Mr. Secretary-general, this is nothing! You should’ve seen how Locke defeated the White family and Frank Family!” Rosetti happily chimed.

“I can imagine… At this point, Locke’s strength has probably surpassed all the students in the continent” Following that, Peter drank a mouthful of whiskey and smiled. “Locke, truth be told, my overseeing of this competition is actually part of a mission…”

“Oh?” Locke chomped down on a lobster and looked at Peter.

While leaning against his chair, Peter explained, “His Majesty hopes to bring some new blood into the palace. His Majesty also wishes to cultivate young people with potential! As such, right before I set off, I was ordered to bring back any talented individuals I encounter to make them the Emperor’s guards…”

Upon hearing those words, Rosetti paused.

Even the voracious Lawrence had dropped his fork onto the ground!

‘My God!’

‘An offer to become the Emperor’s guard?’

‘This is a great honor!’

Usually, such positions were held by the young children of great nobles.

However, Locke, was born in a commoner’s family!

An offer like this had rarely occurred.

In fact, the probability was astronomically low!

Moreover, serving as the Emperor’s guard had also come with several benefits.

A high salary was only a small part of it.

The main benefits had come from the cultivation methods and skill tomes that he would gain access to!

After all, in order to serve as the Emperor’s guard, one would need to be very strong!

Moreover, upon taking up the position…

Locke was guaranteed to obtain a noble title.

It would not be lower than Viscount!

In short, it was an opportunity that many could only dream of.

Lawrence could not control himself and almost shouted the words, “Count Locke”.

The two of them nodded repeatedly, eager to agree on Locke’s behalf.

“Locke, tell me what you think. If there are no problems, I will contact His Majesty tonight and report your name to him!” Peter looked at him with a smile.

However, unlike the reactions of his two classmates, Locke continued eating.

He asked, “May I ask, sir, as His Majesty’s guard, must I be by his side at all times?”

Peter nodded. There was no need to answer the question in detail.

Anyone with common sense would understand that this was the basic duty of a guard.

“Does that mean that I have to stay in the palace often and can’t go anywhere?” Locke asked again.

Peter laughed and said, “Hahaha… You have a day off every week.”

Locke did not ask any more questions.

He put down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth, and exclaimed, “I refuse!”

Lawrence and Rosetti were stunned!

‘Are you crazy?’

They quickly said, “Mr. Secretary, his mind is muddled, please don’t get mad at him…”

“He will definitely go, we will persuade him…”

But Locke smiled and said again, “Mr. Peter! Let me reiterate my stance once more…”

“I refuse!”

Peter looked at the young man and showed a meaningful smile.